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Quest Means Business
Israeli PM Meeting Biden, Harris And Trump; Harris Campaign Releases First Attack Ad; Strong GDP Growth Fuels Hope For Soft Landing; Hostage Families Speak After White House Meeting; Trump Ramps Up Harris Attacks; Ending The Ocean Plastic Crisis; Booking Last Minute For The Paris Games. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired July 25, 2024 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:27]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Closing bell ringing on Wall Street. The gavel being hit There you go. A steady gavel is how I would describe
it. For a market that has been up most of the day, but the gains evaporating in the last few minutes of trading, and indeed,, we are back
under 40,000 at the closing bell.
The markets and the stories you and I will talk about over the next hour.
Kamala Harris is due to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the next hour. The US economy is growing faster than anyone thought,
and we need to factor that for the Fed.
And then last-minute trip to the Olympics, all sounds so tempting. So the Point.Me CEO says it is not too late if want to do it on miles and points.
Live from New York, Thursday, July the 25th. I am Richard Quest back in New York, yes, I mean business.
A very good day to you. There are just over a hundred days before the US presidential election and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
appears to be hedging his bets with his latest high stakes visit to Washington.
In the span of a day, the prime minister is meeting the current president, Joe Biden; the Republican contender and former President Donald Trump, and
this hour, the presumptive Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The prime minister spoke alongside MR. Biden a short moment ago. He thanked the outgoing president for his years of support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Mr. President, we've known each other for 40 years and you've known every Israeli prime minister for 50
years from Golda Meir. So from a proud Jew Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50
years of support for the state of Israel, and I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues
before us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, such pleasantries probably won't last long behind the closed doors. According to sources telling us, the US president is preparing to
pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal in Gaza in a joint meeting king with hostage families.
Alex Marquardt is with me.
Let's do the politics first before we do, if you will, the Israeli -- the Gaza war.
I mean it is politics pure and simple. Meet Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, meet the vice president, meet the outgoing president. One way or another,
he has met everybody who matters.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, the excuse that the White House is giving for splitting up the Biden and
Harris meetings is that Harris actually wasn't in Washington earlier. She is coming back from a campaign stop and it is a regular formality for her
to meet world leaders as well.
The Trump meeting of course, very notable. I agree with you. There is some hedging there, but that is really what a lot of countries are doing right
now. They are meeting -- there are a number of world leaders who are meeting with, they are speaking with Donald Trump. We just saw Viktor Orban
come through town and went down to Mar-a-Lago. Trump spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy the other day on the phone.
But Trump and Netanyahu have had an interesting relationship and that trump was seen as one of, if not the most pro-Israel president in modern American
history. He recognized the Golan Heights as being part of Israel. He moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
He struck the Abraham Accords. That relationship, Richard, did sour after Trump left office, after Bibi prematurely, in Trump's opinion congratulated
Biden for winning the 2020 election..
In terms of the Biden-Netanyahu meeting, I actually thought it was quite notable that all -- it was all smiles, it was all positive. There is no
real criticism that we've seen overtly from Netanyahu directed towards the Biden ministration.
But as you note, behind closed doors, things could get a little bit testy.
QUEST: What leverage does the president, the current president have? Bearing in mind, he played a lot of the cards earlier in the war,
particularly when it came to the invasion, or at least the attacks in the south of Gaza. A lot of that firepower, political firepower was expended
then, political capital, if you will.
MARQUARDT: Well, I think a lot of, certainly opponents and critics of Netanyahu would argue that there is a lot more leverage that the US has
that Biden has so far declined to use, and then the question becomes, does Harris actually separate herself a little bit from Biden and decide to use
some of the leverage down the line?
[16:05:18]
That is of course, a question that we will be watching and something for, if and when she becomes president. But for now, Biden certainly has a huge
amount of leverage. He is very popular in Israel because of this incredible level of support that the US has given in terms of billions the dollars of
aid and standing by Israel diplomatically and military throughout this conflict, unlike many other countries.
And then of course simply the question of aid, military aid, economic aid. You have $3 billion that goes to Israel every year. More was just passed in
this recent supplemental package. We have seen the administration exert some of that leverage by holding back that one shipment of 2,000 pound
bombs.
But arguably, theoretically, the administration could shut down that weapons supply tomorrow if they wanted to, but they're certainly not going
to.
QUEST: Alex, always good to see you, sir. I'm grateful. Thank you.
A source at the Harris campaign itself, which is stepping up its attacks on Donald Trump with the vice president's first proper campaign ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We choose freedom -- the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to make decisions
about your own body.
We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford healthcare, where no one is above the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Opinion polls are showing that the race is tightening. The latest from The New York Times-Siena found no clear leader, 48 percent of
registered voters saying they support Trump over Harris. That poll is well within the statistical margin of error.
Jackie Kucinich is with me from Washington.
Well, this is really -- this is where it gets interesting in a sense, isn't it? Because you can see that --
Certainly.
QUEST: You can see the politics. You've got Netanyahu there, the Middle East is on the agenda. You've got absolute vitriol coming from Donald Trump
calling Lyin' Kamala Harris. Youve got her talking about, I know his sort,, referring to Donald Trump.
This is red hot and we haven't begun.
JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. We are only what -- four days in, and it felt like a year already, but it's only been a couple of
days.
So what's going on right now? There is a race afoot in that trying to Kamala Harris trying to define herself to the American public before the
Republicans and Donald Trump are able to. They've been on -- they are already advertising they are spending like crazy, where Kamala is really
just getting her campaign together.
As you mentioned, that is the first ad that they have put out, but they haven't made any major buys yet in major swing states. At least when I last
looked at my phone, it could have happened in the last 30 seconds. Who knows? It's been going so quickly.
But I think that is their biggest challenge right now, is to reintroduce her as the top of the ticket to the American people and what her policies
are going to be and how they differentiate from Biden.
QUEST: Right. But then you have the unforced errors of the Republicans. Now, first of all, you have these questions of the DEI, the politically
incorrect comments --
KUCINICH: Right.
QUEST: by -- the Republicans against the fact that she is a Black American, a female. Then you also have these comments by JD Vance that have
resurfaced and about "cat ladies" and "childless women." Again a barb at the vice president, but it is not going to go down well with a section of
the community.
KUCINICH: Who have stepchildren by the way, so it is even inaccurate in his comments, but you're right in that -- so one of the things that was going
on when Biden was the top of the ticket is Republicans were really trying to make inroads with Black Americans and really spending to try to get them
to vote for Trump.
Now, with some of the racist and some of the gendered comments that are being lobbed at Kamala Harris, they've been down with women for years as
well, and they have an -- and are always every cycle trying to recruit women to vote for Republicans. And when you're messaging how they are
messaging, that's not a really way to win hearts and minds, we will just put it that way.
QUEST: All right, George Clooney's comments about Joe Biden,, they really hit home and they started, or at least they accelerated the debate that was
taking place on the president.
Jennifer Aniston's comments concerning JD Vance "childless cat lady" remarks. They have the potential to turn off a section of the if you like,
female voter, but would those voters have gone for Harris anyway? That's the issue.
[16:10:10]
KUCINICH: I mean, that is the question, but when you're trying to -- JD Vance, wasn't picked in order to add to the tent. He was there to try to
maximize the base of the Republican Party and the MAGA faithful to try to get them out and get them excited. He was picked before Joe Biden was out
of the race.
So you have to wonder if there is some buyer's remorse there that you don't have a candidate that would have a more inclusive message, to try to get
more people, maybe to -- because you're right, single women who, by the way, a lot of them aren't miserable and challenge that in general if you
choose not to have children, it doesn't necessarily make you miserable. Lots of people are happy by their life choices.
So I think when you're not being -- if someone doesn't have an inclusive message that could be problematic now for them, and perhaps their -- that
strategy that they had you know, five days ago, has changed significantly five days now out.
QUEST: Jackie, why do I get the feeling that this election, once it really gets into full swing, it is just going to be nasty. It is going to be
brutal.
I mean, it is never not particularly nice, but Donald Trump and Kamala, they are both going to really go at this hammer and tongs
KUCINICH: I mean, I think that your instincts are right there. There are -- there is -- when Donald Trump started to run, it did. I mean, that is just
sort of his -- it is kind of insults way of speaking and it is a way of attacking his opponents that is very much now part of politics in the
United States.
QUEST: Right, right..
KUCINICH: So, it is going to get worse before it gets better, unfortunately
QUEST: He even said that last rally, I tried to be nice. Do you want me to be nasty? Do you want me to be mean? And the crowd roared in response.
Does -- from Harris' point of view, does a nasty full-throttle attack serve her better than if he takes it easier in a sense? Does that switch off a
voter towards her?
KUCINICH: I think, it is an open question, honestly I mean, I don't know what that campaign's messaging is going to be like. Certainly you can glean
from that ad that they are trying to have a positive message about freedom, but Beyonce's song says it all and trying to be inclusive, but certainly,
we've seen a lot of candidates feel like they have to go that way because negative campaigning as much as everybody hates it, it tends to work.
So we will have to see what route they take, but it certainly does turn off your voters, you're right, once things really start getting done in the
mud.
QUEST: You sum it up beautifully. Negative campaign, everybody hates it, but it does work
Jackie, we will talk many times between now and the election. I am very grateful to you. Thank you.
The US carrier airline, Southwest is now changing its policy. It is going to let you choose your seat, assigned seating. Well, that's a novel
thought.
The airline is breaking half a century of precedent because it says customers are demanding it and Southwest could make money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:15:55]
QUEST: New data suggests the US economy still stands on solid footing. Consumer spending propelled huge second quarter GDP to 2.8 percent from 1.4
in Q1. Inflation is easing as well, investors are holding out hopes the numbers are the proof positive of the soft landing.
The markets closed, it is somewhat mixed, but bearing in mind, it was the worst day for the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ for the last two years. The Dow
bounced back 81 points and the NASDAQ is still down again, but as you can see, those losses came late in the session by the close.
Rana is with me. Rana Foroohar in New York.
So this GDP number, which I think is very interesting because it is not too hot, it is not too cold, it is classics Goldilocks. When taken with the
underlying reasons, inventories were up, all the various components even consumer spending was -- component -- was not -- it was not off the charts
or out of the ordinary.
So Fed cuts in September says Quest.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: I got to agree with you this time, Richard. I think that that's probably right and it is amazing. I
mean, we've had this conversation before, but given everything that's going on in the world, the fact that the US is still in a robust growth,
declining inflationary environment is kind of amazing.
It has got to make Kamala Harris feel pretty good right now, but it will be about whether the Fed cuts in September. There are worries of course that
with a somewhat softening labor market, again, natural for a lot of reasons at this point that you could see recessionary pressures in September if you
don't get a cut and that would be of course, amid a political environment.
QUEST: Okay, so that's the -- if you like, the negative in a sense this could get worse if we don't. What about the positive spin, which is that
the economy can now sustain lower interest rates on a non-inflationary or a non-increasingly inflation basis.
FOROOHAR: Well, you know, that argument is what folks that support what's called the new supply side of Bidenomics are saying yes, look, it is
working. I mean these policies that have been put into place in the last few years, the way in which there was so much of a consumer cushion put in
the US after COVID relative to European countries -- the job creation, the investment, all of this is paying off. This is a new economic model and it
is working.
And I think, we are getting more and more data to support that view actually.
QUEST: Now, Rana, I am not sure whether you can see me or not, but I have with me the QUEST MEANS BUSINESS traffic lights. I know you're familiar
with old friends, the traffic lights.
Now red, amber, or green, in terms of healthy -- for the economy, the GDP number does it suggest good, bad, or indifferent? Red, amber, or green?
What color would you like me to light up.
FOROOHAR: I am going to go with green. I would say it is strong amber to green. Since this is three choices, I will go with green.
QUEST: You're going to go with green. But should we make it flash, which is what I am doing anyway, just to prove I can make it flash in the sense
that, this is a really -- this is the sort of number you would want to see at this point in the economic cycle.
FOROOHAR: Well, I mean, it depends on where -- what cycle we're in.
You know, again, I continue to be strongly surprised by these numbers. I just didn't think that things were going to be this optimistic, but if you
assume that the new supply side is working, then yes, we are where we should be.
QUEST: Before I leave you, let's just quickly talk about economic differences between Biden and Harris. Now, obviously, she has to sign onto
Bidenomics. She's been part of the administration for the last three years.
[16:20:05]
There will be nuanced differences on things like trade and tariffs and maybe some social policies. But substantially, they are the same.
Bidenomics is Harrisenomics as well.
FOROOHAR: Well, let me be -- I agree, 80 percent, but let me give you one important pushback I'm a little bit concerned about her stance on corporate
power, particularly in Silicon Valley. Harris is from California.
You know, you've seen Jim Cramer actually kind of stirring up -- stirring the pot around, well, she is going to fire Lina Khan at the FTC and
Jonathan Kanter at the DOJ. I don't think that is going to happen, but you did see Reid Hoffman, a billionaire donor donating $7 million to the
campaign and then coming out and criticizing Lina Khan. I would really like to see Harris pushing back against donors that are already getting out and
making all kinds of demands that really are not in keeping with Bidenomics, which is largely about tackling concentrations of power.
QUEST: Which of course is even more fascinating bearing in mind the position of JD Vance. But that is a story that you and I --
FOROOHAR: Exactly
QUEST: Hold yourself, my dear. That's a story for another day when you and I can really get down to that. Good, excellent.
Rana is with us from New York. Thank you.
A major change at Southwest Airlines.
Southwest, of course practically invented the whole concept of the low-cost carrier with Herb Kelleher. Now, Southwest is going to assigned seating,
revolutionary for the airline, historical first, which for the last 57 years has allowed passengers to choose their own seat when they get on the
aircraft.
It is the end of jokes about the chaos of unassigned seating like this one from "SNL."
("SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please hold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Southwest doesn't assign seats. Just another way we're making flying feel like riding a city bus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Nathaniel Meyersohn is in New York.
Why is it such a big deal that Southwest is essentially doing what every other airline, even low-cost carriers does, letting you choose your seat
are charging you for the privilege?
NATHANIEL MEYERSOHN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Richard, I think you hit on it in your intro when you mentioned that this was just -- they invented this
type of model. They invented the low-cost carrier model and the open- seating policy was so central to that model.
They used to have a 10-minute turnaround time and it allowed them to meet the 10-minute turnaround time, load and unloading passengers more quickly.
So I think it is a sign of how much the airline industry has changed.
When you have kind of the last holdout and this industry pioneer moving away from the open seat model..
QUEST: Right, now, are they doing it because of passengers or are they doing it because they can in some shape or form, which they've said
basically charge more for premium seats, next to leg room exit rows and the like, which they're fitting?
MEYERSOHN: So Richard, yes, they are refitting. They are adding more leg room in addition to this open seating change. Southwest is saying that
about 80 percent of its customers do want assigned seating. They don't want open seating. But I have spoken with some customers who really enjoy this
process. They actually don't have to pay more for some extra -- you know, good seating that they would be able to have to pay more for on other
airlines.
And I think that -- so, Southwest is saying that it has to do with customers, but look at where its business is. Profit was down about 50
percent this past quarter. It is under pressure from activist investors.
So these activist investors are really coming at the company to try to have it boost its profit. So the company is saying, its customers, but certainly
it is going to benefit its bottom line.
QUEST: It is a fascinating development at the time.
Now two years ago, Southwest was the airline that fell over during a winter storm at holiday time. This time its Delta that has fallen over and fallen
over quite badly.
Nathaniel, as we look at the industry, the ability of government to regulate and to hold these airlines to account, we are seeing much more
strongly now than we've had before.
MEYERSOHN: Well, Richard --
QUEST: Bearing in mind, actually now, Nathaniel, I do need to stop you. Forgive me. I need to go to the White House where of course, members of the
hostage families have been speaking
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We met today with the president and members of his staff, and the prime minister of Israel and a number of his senior
advisers.
We came today with if a sense of urgency and as you know, as time goes forward, the likelihood of getting our hostages home, our loved the ones
home alive and recovering the bodies of those who have already been murdered becomes less and less likely.
[16:25:10]
So, as families, we came in really emphasizing to the leaders of the United States and of Israel, a desire to get this deal done, this three-phase deal
that the president announced a few weeks ago and has been on the negotiating table in order to return all, now, 115 of the Israeli hostages
and to end the suffering of the people of Gaza because the moment they come home, these 115, the killing ends, the madness ends. And so that is how we
walked through the doors on the way in.
What we found after asking a series of difficult questions and getting answers to all of them, unfortunately, we cannot share the content of those
questions and answers, but what we did find by the end of the meeting, which was productive and honest that we feel probably more optimistic than
we have since the first round of releases in late November, early December, where a little over a hundred of Israel's hostages were released, and we
got absolute commitment from the Biden administration and from Prime Minister Netanyahu, that they understand the urgency of this moment now, to
waste no time, and to complete this deal as it currently stands, with as little change as humanly possible within it.
We are also very happy to hear from them president that Hamas now understands that the ball is in its court.. World pressure is such that it
has nowhere to hide anymore. Hamas could have ended this horror on October 8th by releasing all of the Israeli hostages. That of course has not
happened. But no more excuses. No more time.
Hamas, in order to free its own people from the horrors of war, must say yes now.
Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are going to take some questions
REPORTER: Do you mean the deal is closer now after talking to them? Do you have a timeframe or can you even disclose what happened --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are definitely working on a proposal, it should be coming out soon. We believe that both parties understand the urgency and
it's going to come out to the public and a proposal to Hamas very soon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary?
REPORTER: Yesterday, during his address to Congress, the prime minister didn't actually mention at all this ceasefire deal. What did you make of
that? And are you confident that Netanyahu can bring your loved ones home? Do you trust him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This whole conversation -- as Jonathan already said, this whole conversation was about the deal that was put on the table, a
three-phase deal that prime minister agreed to and about the ways to which -- induce the negotiations or anything that needs to get done in order to
get people out with a sense of urgency.
REPORTER: So do you trust him?
REPORTER: Did you all discuss today with President Biden the possibility of a separate deal to get American hostages out or are you confident that they
are fully committed to getting this current deal done?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The US administration has been consistent as have we, that the urgency is to get all of Israel's hostages home, those who might
still be alive and we honestly don't know who might still be alive as you know, the Red Cross or any other international agency has never been
allowed by Hamas to visit with our hostages. That deal is not on the table. Meaning solely the Americans They will --
Everyone needs to come home. Everyone needs to come home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, I would like to add to that the shortest way to get Americans out, it is through that deal and to get everybody out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right here
REPORTER: Thank you for coming out. Appreciate it very much. With President Biden leaving in January, do you believe that impacts in any way the
ability to free your family members?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the contrary, I actually think it allows the president to be laser-focused on the things that are true priorities to him
and saving human beings, cherished human beings, 115 of them, eight of whom are US citizens, is one paramount issue for him and I think not having to
worry about all the things surrounding a re-election allows him and the freedom to focus on this and we wish him Godspeed in that task.
[16:30:05]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw a very committed -- we saw a very committed president to get the hostages back, the Americans and the rest of the
Israelis now more than ever
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually want to add one more points to that, which is we've got a rare moment now where the current president of the United
States and anybody who might become president of the United States, both Vice President Harris and Donald Trump are all aligned in saying this deal
must get done now. So anybody on any side who makes the mistaken political calculus that there's benefit in waiting will find out that that logic is
wrong. The deal must happen now.
QUEST: I'll give you that last point being made by one of the relatives is the crucial one that all the participants on the U.S. political side, the
current president and either of those who, one of whom will be the next president, are all saying that the three-phase deal must be implemented now
and there must be a ceasefire and all the hostages must be returned home.
On the question of whether this might encourage or bring forward the American hostages, the eight American hostages versus the rest, no say the
hostage families. They all need to come home. They also said they are more optimistic because they said there's a commitment that they understand the
urgency of the moment, both prime minister and president, and that Hamas understands that the ball is now in their court.
Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv, and with me now.
The very measured tones from those families, bearing in mind what they've been through, measured tones but also extremely detailed of what they heard
from prime minister and from president.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Richard, and frankly far more optimistic than we have heard them in the past. I
mean, these families of hostages I've spoken with many of them, they rarely allow themselves to get their hopes up just because of the ups and downs
that they have endured over the course of the last night nine months. The false hope that has come time and time again.
And so to hear Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of one of the American hostages held in Gaza, say that he feels more optimistic than he ever has
since the last time that hostages were released at the end of November is very powerful statements made even more powerful by the fact that he just
emerged from a room with not only President Biden, but most importantly with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And these families of hostages have been
very wary of his kind of, you know, the words that he has said about his commitment to the issue of hostages because they feel like he has the cards
here and he hasn't played them yet.
And so it is very notable that they're coming out with such optimism.
QUEST: Right. So --
DIAMOND: And they say that Netanyahu seems to have issued some kind of a statement to them expressing his understanding of the urgency of this
situation.
QUEST: So how does it move forward? Because the other thing we've heard is that there's been no negotiating mandate, Netanyahu has given no
negotiating mandate to his team. We're not sure exactly the role that Qatar would play in all of this. To your understanding of what happens next?
DIAMOND: Well, the negotiating team led by the Mossad director David Barnea, the Israeli negotiating team that is, is effectively on standby.
They have been told they were supposed to fly today to meet with the mediators and it's not clear exactly where, but to submit the Israeli
response. That I'm told was delayed as the Israeli prime minister's meeting with President Biden was also pushed into later this week.
And so now that that has happened, that negotiating team is expected to leave soon. It likely won't be tomorrow because that would be cutting it
very close with Shabbat, which starts on Friday evening.
QUEST: Right.
DIAMOND: Very likely on Sunday then or the beginning of next week, I expect that team to fly and to deliver that Israeli response to the mediators, and
then we'll see what Hamas says.
QUEST: Jeremy, I'm grateful. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. And there's pictures from the White House of the hostage families speaking to the media
after their meeting.
It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS with you this evening.
Donald Trump ramps up his attacks on Kamala Harris and the presidential campaign on both sides heats up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:38:12]
QUEST: Donald Trump says Israel has a public relations problem and needs to end the war with Hamas quickly. He was speaking to FOX News when the former
president asserted his claim that October 7th Hamas attack on Israel wouldn't have happened if he had been president of the United States. Mr.
Trump also criticized the Vice President Kamala Harris for not attending the prime minister's speech to Congress on Wednesday.
CNN's Alayna Treene is with me.
I mean, I guess it's to be expected, those sort of criticisms will be thrown, but she is now meeting or she will very shortly be meeting the
prime minister that it's difficult, she's arguably more hard line in a sense than, say, President Biden has been or slightly to the left of
President Biden. It's hard to know, but obviously Israeli politics, it's the last thing that anybody really wants fully to be enmeshed in.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that's fair. I think everything happening in the Middle East is obviously very difficult and you're
absolutely right, Richard, I think some of Trump's comments this morning on FOX are a bit hypocritical. I mean, like you said, yes, she did not attend
the congressional address that Netanyahu gave yesterday, but she is meeting privately with him either right now or about to be very soon.
And then it's similar to Donald Trump, not like Donald Trump was there for the address in Congress and neither was his vice president, who is also a
current senator. His vice presidential nominee, I should say, J.D. Vance, who's a current senator.
So keep that in mind, but look, I actually think what's very interesting about some of these comments is the timing of them. Donald Trump has made
these criticisms before. He's argued that Israel has a public relations problem. He's criticized Netanyahu's handling of the conflict overall.
[16:40:03]
But Trump is going to be meeting with the Israeli prime minister tomorrow morning at Mar-a-Lago. And this is actually going to be the first such
meeting that they will have had since Donald Trump left the White House more than three years ago. And it's interesting as well, because Donald
Trump often refers to himself on the campaign trail as the most pro-Israel U.S. president in modern history.
QUEST: Right.
TREENE: But the relationship between him and Netanyahu has really soured in recent years. And so I know that they're all looking at tomorrow as a
potential resetting of that relationship.
QUEST: And you have to admire the Israeli prime minister, to use that wonderful Yiddish word for hutzpah if nothing else. I mean, it takes real
hutzpah to go to Washington, meet all the political parties, and hope to come away with something without sort of having the wreckage all around
you.
TREENE: I think that's right. I also think he's, you know, doing what is advantageous to Israel. He wants to meet with all of the main leaders
including, you know, not only the current president, but also the vice president, who very well could be the Democratic nominee and face off with
Donald Trump in November, and he's going to be meeting with Donald Trump.
It doesn't -- he doesn't want to take any chances over who the next leader could be because they could inherit this issue and also inherit, you know,
some of the aid and everything else that Israel is seeking from the United States. And so I think he's being politically savvy, of course, and doing
what is advantageous to him and his country right now.
QUEST: I'm grateful for your time. And now we see the pictures of the room where the meeting will take place. Kamala Harris is meeting Netanyahu in a
short time from now. Thank you very much.
And so we continue. It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS live from New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Plastic pollution is a growing threat to our planet, especially of course in oceans where fortunately most of the end or a lot of the waste
seems to end up. Animals, sea animals, fish, the lot, affects everybody including our health.
Today on "Call to Earth," we hit the water with an organization on an ambitious mission to clean up the world's oceans, rivers, and coastlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the mouth of Guatemala's Motagua River where it quite literally dumps into the Gulf
of Honduras and ultimately the Caribbean Sea.
[16:45:05]
Topping the list as the country's longest river, it's also one of Central America's most polluted, a tangible reminder of a much larger global
crisis.
ALEX SCHULZE, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, 4OCEAN: It's estimated every 60 seconds, a dump truck full of plastic is entering the ocean.
WEIR: Florida native Alex Schulze first came face to face with this issue on a surf trip to Bali with a fellow ocean-loving friend.
SCHULZE: And that's where we saw a crazy amount of plastic pollution on the coastlines.
WEIR: In 2017, they launched 4Ocean, two American surfers with an ambitious and what some called crazy dream to clean up the ocean.
SCHULZE: Most people say what's even the point of even trying, but we believe that each step is a step in the right direction.
WEIR: Cleanup started locally, like in the nearby Florida Keys where Alex and the team worked to protect mangrove estuaries from a constant threat.
TONY ERNST, DIRECTOR OF CLEANUPS, 4OCEAN: These type of derelict fishing gear and ghost nets pose a lot of dangers to the mangroves. Number one,
it's going to inhibit the natural growth of the mangrove and mangroves are important to our coastlines because it's our first line of defense against
any extreme or increased weather systems that come through.
WEIR: But these days, a primary focus is put on their two international locations. Bali, Indonesia where the idea was hatched, and here in
Guatemala where it is the start of rainy season, the time of year when the country's biggest river can grow much bigger.
KEVIN KUHLOW, COUNTRY MANAGER-GUATEMALA, 4OCEAN: The real Motagua is a huge river in such a little country. The water levels can rise and fluctuate
even at 10 feet overnight and which we experienced that in the last year.
WEIR: It's a staggering amount of plastic that flows through this river each year. According to 4Ocean, more than 18 million kilograms. To help
stem the flow of garbage, they built a containment boom system in 2023 and installed it further upstream. Eventually, the waste gets put into what
they call super sacks loaded onto a barge.
KUHLOW: This is our second barge that the Quetzalito team has loaded this month.
WEIR: And brought back to their facility in the seaport town of Puerto Barrios where workers meticulously sort and weigh everything they've
collected. The highest quality of plastic gets transformed into bracelets, which are sold to help finance their operations, while other materials get
made into different products or upcycled into building materials. They've even been able to turn some of the plastic waste into energy.
While the ocean free of plastic is the ultimate goal, there's very much a human element to what they're doing as well.
JOSH LIBERMAN, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, 4OCEAN: It's extremely important that we engage and empower local communities to do these cleanups. In Java, in
Bali, in Guatemala. A lot of times these are fishermen, fisherwomen whose livelihoods have been taken away because there's so much plastic in the
water. So what we're doing is we're giving them a new job that enables them to clean their local community, while also making a fair living wage.
WEIR: Today 4Ocean has collected over 16 million kilograms of waste worldwide, a remarkable achievement born from a crazy idea but a solution
they recognize is only a band-aid for now.
SCHULZE: We're trying to drive as much attention as possible to this issue so that we can drive change within the industries to cut down on the amount
of plastic that's being consumed and ending up in the ocean in the first place. We say it a lot that cleaning the ocean alone will not solve the
ocean plastic crisis. We have to stop it at the source and turn off the tap.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Fascinating. Now what are you doing to answer the call? Well, you can tell me, the hashtag is "Call to Earth."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:51:26]
QUEST: Now the city of Paris is expecting more than 11 million people to visit for the Olympics. A million and a half of those visitors are from
international destinations at least and maybe lower than expected but don't fret. If you want to go, there are still deals to be had.
I'm looking at Point.me to see what sort of flights you could get to Paris right now and prepared to go. You can get 41,000 points. Tokyo, 40,000,
from Copenhagen, and about half of that from Copenhagen. Whether those numbers are good depends on the cash value of the ticket that you're
actually redeeming.
Adam Morvitz is the CEO of Point.me. Adam is with me now.
I'm looking, you know, very interesting. If I'm prepared to go via Cleveland and a few other places, American will do it for 27,000 points.
Now that's leaving tomorrow night. So you would be there for the -- I'm surprised there's still availability.
ADAM MORVITZ, CEO AND COFOUNDER, POINT.ME: Yes. There's fantastic availability even at the last minute time like this. In the recent days,
we're seeing even more seats open up. You can fly from New York nonstop for about 12,500 points, Atlanta, 15,000 points, Boston and Chicago 20,000,
L.A. 30,000. And if you want that lie-flat business class seat, if you're willing to have a stop in London, we can get you there from New York for
45,000 points.
(CROSSTALK)
QUEST: I've got to interrupt you here because I'm -- you know, I'm reasonably, reasonably, I'm emphasized, savvy at doing this, but I find I'm
looking at yours and I've looked at some of your competitors, it's quite difficult. You've really got to know nuance to actually get those sort of
bargains. Haven't you? I mean, I can't find a business class seat, for example, but I'm sure that's just my incompetence of not knowing the
intricacies of the system.
MORVITZ: Yes. So that's what Point.me is all about. Point.me is a real time search and booking engine that makes it easy to search, compare and book
flights using points and miles. If you've used Google Flights, Sky Scan, or a Kayak, it's the same idea, but we show you how many points instead of how
many dollars. We search across over 50 airlines.
QUEST: What makes you different from, say, PointsYeah or all the other ones? Because, again, I've had all of -- I've been experimenting this
afternoon with yourself and your competitors, and it's not immediately -- the difference of complexity is there. But what makes you all different?
MORVITZ: Yes, absolutely. So we're the only one who actually has live award inventory.
QUEST: Right.
MORVITZ: You have the other programs use machine learning to predict what the pricing can be.
QUEST: Are you scraping? Are you scraping or are you -- I mean, how are you getting that live data?
MORVITZ: We have direct relationships with the carrier, so Air France, for example, is one of our strongest partners. The reason they partner with us
is we're able to create engagement in their programs from Americans who likely wouldn't otherwise sign up for that program.
What you have to remember is a U.S. consumer who has an American Express, a Chase, a Cap One card, can move their points to Air France program and
redeem for far lower than going to United or Delta.
QUEST: Glad you mentioned that because, but then you have to -- because I'm just about to get to that. I'll be giving you a phone call when it all goes
wrong or if you're wrong or right. I'm not sure which. Good to see you.
[16:55:01]
It does require some intricacies to get the best deals, but then anything worth having is worth keeping going. I'm grateful for your help tonight,
sir.
Adam, we'll talk more about this.
We will take up "Profitable Moment" in just a moment. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Like many of you, I'm fascinated by the whole question of using frequent flyer miles, or perhaps more properly, points because so many of
us now earn through credit cards, not from actually bump on seat miles.
Tonight's "Profitable Moment," you really do have to work quite hard at it. But if you are prepared to work hard and take some risks and challenges as
you try and find, then you really can get some good bargains. A friend of mine wants to go to Amsterdam at the beginning of next month. I pointed out
that this is August and it's really quite difficult to get seats. But no matter I knew I was talking about Point.me and PointsYeah and all the
others. And so I went online and sure enough, I've managed to find a seat for around about 30,000 to 40,000 points or miles.
If that's a good deal, I don't really know. It depends on what the cash price would be, how many miles or points you have, and whether you actually
like the person enough to want to give them. And that really is what this whole frequent flyer points business is all about. You've got plenty of
them. But do you really want to give them away?
And that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York.
Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Exclusive, I sat down with former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for her very first interview since she dropped out of
the 2024 presidential race in March. We discussed why she ultimately chose those to endorse Donald Trump despite the fact that she was recently his
top rival in the Republican primary, questioning all sorts of things about him, including his loyalty to the U.S. Constitution.
Haley also reacted to the dramatic changes on the Democratic side of the ticket. That is in fact where we began.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: So, so much has happened since we last sat down and talked. You dropped out of the race. You endorsed Donald Trump. You spoke at the
Republican National Convention. Your father sadly passed away. Your husband, Michael, who is a major in the South Carolina National Guard,
returned from a year abroad, and I want to get to all of that, but first I have to start with the news from Sunday of President Biden dropping out of
the presidential race.
You have always been skeptical that he could last for another four years in office. Were you surprised?
NIKKI HALEY (R), FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: I wasn't surprised and I didn't take --
END
