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Quest Means Business
Trump Tours States Hit By National Disasters; White House: US Using Military Planes To Deport Migrants; Hamas Names Four Hostages To Be Released Saturday; Trump Floats "Getting Rid Of FEMA"; Hamas Names Israeli Hostages Due For Release; Trump Heads To California To See Wildfire Damage. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired January 24, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:28]
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: And US stocks closing out the week in red after hitting record highs on Thursday. Those are the markets, these are the main
events.
President Trump proposes getting rid of FEMA as he prepares to visit fire ravaged Los Angeles.
Hamas announces the names of the next four Israeli hostages due for release this weekend.
And Elon Musk, the penny pincher. The billionaire's so-called Department of Government Efficiency suggests getting rid of the copper coin.
Live from New York. It is Friday, January 24th. I am Jessica Dean in for Richard Quest today and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
A very good evening to you. Donald Trump is on his way to Southern California to survey damage from the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles
County. He was in North Carolina earlier today to discuss the response to Hurricane Helene. And while he was there in North Carolina, Trump was asked
about California.
He criticized the state's wildfire response and said he would put conditions on any federal aid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, in California, I have a condition. In California, we want them to have voter ID so the
people have a voice, because right now the people don't have a voice because you don't know who is voting and it is very corrupt.
And we also want them to release the water. If they released the water, they wouldn't have had a problem. If they released the water when I told
them to, because I told them to do it seven years ago, if they would have done it, you wouldn't have had the problem that you had.
You might have -- you might not have even had a fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: President Trump also said he may look to get rid of FEMA. That's the federal agency that helps respond to disasters. Trump says individual
states would do a better job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA.
I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.
I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go and -- whether it is a Democrat or Republican governor, you want to use your state
to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Julia Vargas Jones is in Altadena, California. Of course, the site of some of those absolutely devastating fires just a few weeks ago. And,
Julia, what are we expecting to play out as President Trump lands there in California later today?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, he is supposed to survey some of the areas that were hardest hit here in Altadena and the
Palisades, where the Palisades Fire raged not that long ago and still raging, frankly.
Now the president is hopefully, will get a sense of the scope of the disaster here in California. Governor Gavin Newsom is supposed to go greet
him at the tarmac this afternoon, despite their past rivalries.
This will be, Jessica, in a way, a test for this new relationship between Newsom and President Trump. They have worked together in the past, but as
the president's comments land here in California as well, it is unclear what that will mean, getting rid of FEMA in the middle of a disaster
response.
Governor Gavin Newsom has released about $2.5 billion to help both the fighting of these ongoing fires, as well as the rebuilding of areas like
Altadena and the Palisades, the Pacific Palisades, but that is just a drop in the bucket for what will be needed here.
And what drives this home, Jessica, is the forecast that we have for this weekend. Rains are expected to hit Southern California and with them bring
mudslides. If rains hit areas that were hit hardest by these fires, they could also bring down -- this water could also bring down some of the toxic
debris that we are still seeing being removed from these areas at this time.
We've been here all day in Altadena, seeing an effort from both the California Department of Water, who has been taking heavy machinery up the
San Gabriel Mountains to basically dig ditches to contain this rain and authorities are warning residents to take this very seriously, that if this
rain is as bad as it could be, that it could be as deadly as the fires.
Now, authorities also telling residents to turn off their gas and their utilities and heed the warnings as they prepare for these rains, which are
supposed to be coming back on Sunday.
[16:05:04]
DEAN: Yes, it is just like the hits keep coming out there in California, Julia.
And look, Gavin Newsom has been a foil for a lot of Republicans, chief among them now, President Trump. And they have had a contentious
relationship. When we heard the president saying that he maybe wants to condition aid to California, you talked about the need there. Billions and
billions and billions of dollars to get people back into their homes, thousands of people without a home.
What is the need like? And what are you hearing from people if they're kind of starting to process this, about this idea that the aid could be in
limbo?
JONES: Well, there is this sense, Jessica, that California being such a big economy, pays so much into the country that the federal funds that it
deserves help when it needs that, that's the general sense here. But you've touched on those conditions, and I just want to come back to that quickly
that one of them, voter ID laws, he talked about that, but also this idea that Trump would have requested Californians to open the waters, that comes
from something that Trump has talked about before.
It is this idea that Governor Gavin Newsom would have protected a specific species of fish and chosen that over bringing water to Southern California
when they needed the most for firefighters, and that would have caused some fire hydrants here to not have enough water pressure or not have enough
water for those firefighters to combat the flames.
We have spoken to several experts who said that those things are not related, that one would not have caused the shortage here. So, it will be
interesting to see how these two men work their relationship. They have worked together before as we said in 2018, with the Camp Fire and they
could work together again.
We had heard earlier that Gavin Newsom had not heard from the White House, but now we know that they have been in communications and in just a couple
of hours, the president will be landing here in Southern California, and the governor will be there to greet him.
DEAN: Yes, that will be an interesting dynamic to see play out.
Julia Vargas Jones in Altadena, California, thank you so much for that reporting.
And as we mentioned at the top of the broadcast, Trump started his day on the East Coast of the United States in North Carolina, which is still
rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. There, he accused Democrats of abandoning the state after that deadly storm hit in September.
He promised to give North Carolina more support.
Our Jeff Zeleny is in Asheville, North Carolina.
Jeff, Asheville, of course, one of the hardest hit areas from Hurricane Helene there in North Carolina. And still, as we see behind you, as
evidenced by what is behind you, still picking up the pieces, trying to put it back together.
But the president had plenty to say and made a lot of news there in North Carolina.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Jessica, he did.
I mean, and residents here in Asheville and across Western North Carolina were very happy to see the president and the attention of the federal
government on this area.
As you said, yes, this is just one tiny fraction of the rebuilding and recovery that still needs to take place. Hurricane Helene began four months
ago today. It took a couple more days to sweep through this region, but there is still significant devastation.
It is less clear, however, if the residents here who are in need of help were intending to be a backdrop for the president's argument to keep
dismantling the federal government. This time, FEMA.
The president made a direct proposal to either change FEMA or dismantle it altogether. He says he believes it is not effective. He blasted the Biden
administration for, in his words, neglecting and abandoning the people of North Carolina. Of course, there is no evidence of that, but there is no
doubt that FEMA has received criticism from both sides, largely as some housing vouchers are on the cusp of running out and people are wondering
what they will do.
But what is the role of the federal government versus state and local? The president did not have much of a conversation on that. He simply said that
he thinks it is the role for, and the time for FEMA to not exist in the way it has.
So we will see how this plays out, but certainly an interesting moment as the president arrived here before traveling to California. Again, his first
trip out of the White House on day five, in the second term -- Jessica.
DEAN: Much more to come. Jeff Zeleny in Asheville, North Carolina, thank you very much for that.
Meantime, the White House has posted photos of military planes being used to deport migrants, saying that that sends a strong message to the world.
The flights left from Biggs Army Airfield in Southern Texas, bound for Guatemala. About 80 Guatemalans were apparently on board, and a Pentagon
official says the military is moving quickly because the border situation has been declared a National Emergency.
Natasha Bertrand is at The Pentagon for us and Natasha, we were looking at photos before we came to you of those migrants boarding the plane, and what
is unique about those photos is that they are getting on US military planes.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This is clearly a very concerted show of force by the Trump administration.
[16:10:00]
The White House is pushing out these images pretty relentlessly today, including video of the Marines arriving at the southern border to patrol
there to help with the Department of Homeland Security as well, of course, as these military flights that are taking off with Guatemalans on board,
sending them back to Guatemala, something that is not particularly cheap, we should note.
According to publicly available data that we have reviewed, those military flights are actually quite a bit more expensive than the Department of
Homeland Security flights that had previously been used for these kinds of repatriation efforts of migrants back to their countries.
But this is all part of a coordinated kind of very strong messaging campaign that the White House and President Trump are sending to try to
deter future illegal immigration into this country, and this is all part of his intent to use the military as this show of force, not only to convey
that the military -- that the border is closed, but also, of course, to characterize what we are seeing at the border as an invasion and something
that the US military has to respond to.
To that end, here at The Pentagon, it is really all hands on deck. They are shifting resources, trying to figure out where they are going to pull
troops from to send to the border. They are scrambling to figure out just how much this is actually going to cost, because while we have, of course,
come up with an estimate of how much these flights are going to cost, the US Military says they haven't even gotten that far yet just because they
are working so quickly to try to respond to the president's executive order declaring the situation at the southern border a National Emergency.
And so all of this really within the first week, showing that the president wants the military at the border to send a signal to the world and to
migrants that the border is essentially closed and that there is going to be a show of force there for the foreseeable future -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right, Natasha Bertrand at The Pentagon, thank you very much for that reporting.
And still to come, Hamas is set to release four more hostages Saturday after Israel confirmed that list of names. We will have a live report from
Israel. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Hamas says it intends to release four female Israeli soldiers tomorrow in the next wave of hostage prisoner exchanges. Israeli officials
have notified the soldiers' families. They intend to move forward with this release on the basis of a list of names provided by Hamas earlier today,
now, that's despite the fact a female civilian who Israel had expected to be released, was not included on that list.
Hamas says it expects about 200 Palestinian prisoners to be released in this exchange.
[16:15:07]
Senior global affairs analyst, Bianna Golodryga is in Tel Aviv with more on this.
So, Bianna, walk us through we are expecting as we head into this next exchange.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Jessica, it was a tenuous few hours here, as you noted, Hamas violating the terms of this
deal, not including at least one of the two female civilian hostages that had been expected to be released over the course of these next few weeks,
in these 42 days of phase one. Nonetheless, Israel has agreed to the list and the four names of those female IDF spotters, and they are Naama Levy,
Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev. They will be released tomorrow. That is the expectation.
And I've gotten to know the families of so many of these hostages, specifically these five IDF female spotters, and I say five because one of
them, Agam Berger, is not included on this list.
But I've become especially close with Naama Levy's mother, Ayelet Levy Shachar, we've spoken to each other throughout the course of these past 15-
and-a-half months, and she had told me that Naama and Liri had become quite good friends as well prior to October 7th, as they were preparing for their
military service, which is mandatory for all Israelis.
I spoke with them on October 7th of 2024, just a few months ago, and they told me repeatedly how every single day since October 7th of 2023, has felt
like a terror attack without their daughters. Here is what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHER OF NAAMA LEVY: Every morning is meeting the same pain of Naama not being here and knowing that she is somewhere in
Gaza, knowing that she is held and knowing that the conditions are unbearable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And Jessica, I mentioned Agam Berger, she is the fifth of those IDF female spotters who is not included on the list tomorrow. Israeli
officials have reached out and told her family of that, as well as reaching out to the family of Arbel Yehud. She is the female civilian hostage who
had been expected to be on the list as well tomorrow. She is 29 years old and had been kidnaped from her Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th.
Once these four female hostages are released tomorrow in the custody of Israeli officials, IDF officials in Israel, that is when Israel will start
to release Palestinian prisoners as well, and Palestinian civilians at the same time will then have the opportunity to finally go home to Northern
Gaza since the war began -- Jessica.
DEAN: So much to come tomorrow. We will all be watching. Bianna Golodryga there in Tel Aviv for us. Thank you so much for that.
Vladimir Putin now says the "crisis in Ukraine" as he calls it, might have been prevented if Donald Trump had been in office at the time. President
Putin telling a Russian TV station he is ready to talk with his US counterpart.
He also repeated Trump's false claim the 2020 election was stolen.
CNN's Matthew Chance is joining us now from Moscow with the latest on this.
Matthew, what else is Putin saying?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, this whole interview that in which Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, appeared on
Russian state television or at least a bit of it focused on Trump was all about kind of adopting a very positive tone when it comes to the US leader.
He called him smart. He said he was a pragmatic man.
He described the relationship that they'd had in the past during his first term as president, as being a very trustworthy one and very businesslike
and professional as well.
And so, you know, all of these sort of sort of positive phrases, you know, Putin using to sort of position himself as anticipation grows, I suppose
here in Moscow that there will be some kind of phone call in the coming days, perhaps over the weekend, perhaps next week, as a precursor to an
eventual meeting to discuss issues like Ukraine and of course, the conflict in Ukraine, what Russia calls a Special Military Operation is at the center
of that.
But the Russian president also saying that there are other issues that the two countries need to speak about as well, Russia and the United States
like strategic stability and like economic relations and things like that.
And so, you know, Putin and the Kremlin sees the conversation that is to be had with the United States as a much broader one, not just focused on the
conflict in Ukraine -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right, Matthew Chance in Moscow for us, thank you so much for that reporting.
[16:20:10]
Washington's National Zoo has some new residents. Two giant pandas. They made their public debut earlier today after traveling all the way from
China last year, and CNN's David Culver first met that furry pair before that journey and then he went to see how they are settling in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR US NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, we're going to go see Bao Li and Qing Bao here at the National Zoo. I haven't seen them
since China.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to go behind the scenes.
CULVER: Okay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to see Bao Li first. He's out. Bao Li.
CULVER: There he is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good boy.
CULVER: Oh, there he is. Oh, my gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay.
CULVER: I wasn't expecting to feel what this is. Incredible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's pretty amazing. Can you put his paw here. Lift your paw. Good boy.
CULVER: He's so sweet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is extremely sweet -- paw -- good like, almost unusually sweet. You're a good boy.
CULVER: How amazing is it to have pandas back here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's incredible. And at first, I was, you know, are we going to love them as much as we love Mei Xiang in Tian Tian? But the
answer is, yes. I know. Are you ready to go inside? Maybe go inside. All right.
CULVER: He is so sweet. Look at this. Hi. He is so sweet. Oh my gosh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Very cute. David, thanks.
The phrase "penny pincher" may soon become irrelevant. We're going to tell you why the Trump administration is targeting the coin as a way to cut
government spending. More on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:25:24]
DEAN: Hi there, I'm Jessica Dean. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment, but before that, the headlines this hour.
Donald Trump is on his way to California to survey damage from the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County. The US president has blamed the fires on
mismanagement by the state government. And earlier, he said he would put conditions on federal aid to California.
Hamas says it intends to release four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for about 200 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli officials have
notified the soldiers' families. They intend to move forward with this release, despite the fact that a female civilian who Israel had expected to
be released was not included.
Edinburgh, Scotland has approved a tax for tourists staying overnight. They'll be charged a five percent fee based on their lodging costs. That
tax is the first of its kind in the UK. It is set to take effect next year. Tourism officials expect it will raise up to $62 million by 2028.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Excuse me, miss. You dropped this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it was just a penny.
QUEST: Just a penny? Just a penny?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Just a penny? I can't do it justice like Richard Quest does, but its nevertheless a topic that is very familiar to this show. Donald Trump's so-
called Department of Government Efficiency asking the question: What if there are no pennies at all?
The agency that was created by one of the US president's executive orders this week is targeting the coin to cut down costs and it claims the penny
cost taxpayers almost $180 million last year.
Now, the argument is actually pretty easy to understand. It takes more than $0.03 to make and distribute a single penny and most coins aren't even in
circulation. This is certainly not a new idea.
For decades, this idea has been floating around. It was even a plot point in an episode of the "West Wing."
Robert Whaples is a Professor of Economics at Wake Forest University. He has done research on the time value of the penny.
Robert, thanks so much for being here with us. So, okay, give us the argument.
ROBERT WHAPLES, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY: I'm so glad that you have me on.
DEAN: Yes. Us, too. Why get rid of the penny?
WHAPLES: So you started with one of the most important arguments, which, of course is it costs more than the penny to make it. It costs three cents
approximately. But I would argue that even if you could make the penny out of thin air at zero cost, it would still make sense to get rid of the
penny, because one of the primary costs of the penny is our time and it takes time to use a penny.
At the average wage of an American, we earn about one cent every two seconds, so it uses a couple of extra seconds to -- and it slows people in
the line behind you and the cashier and all of that down, it is a loss to society.
DEAN: Okay, I've been in that situation. I think a lot of people have. That is true. Okay, but what would happen if we did get rid of it? How would
that affect just your day-to-day, you know, shopping and whatever you might need to do?
WHAPLES: Yes, so for most of your transactions, it wouldn't affect anything because most of them you don't pay with cash. So you're using your card or
whatever. And it says $1.99 and it costs you $1.99. So only if you pay in cash that you'd have to round the price now to the nearest five cent
increment.
So if it was $1.99, you'd round it up to $2.00. But let's say it was $2.02, you'd round it down to $2.00 in that case.
And I know that a lot of people who are afraid, all of these prices end with nines, and so there'd be a lot more rounding up. But that's actually
where my research comes in.
I had data from a convenience store chain and looked at a whole bunch of transactions, and it turns out the last digit does not end in nine, any
more than any of the others, because most people purchase multiple things. Plus, there are taxes added on, so your last digit is going to be like
totally random, and you'll see as much rounding up as rounding down if you pay in cash.
DEAN: So it is essentially awash is what you're saying --
WHAPLES: Yes.
DEAN: -- in that case.
WHAPLES: Yes.
DEAN: So, so fascinating. And as we mentioned, this idea has been around for a while. Do you think this time is any different in terms of actual
action being taken?
WHAPLES: You know, I think it may be the time. So I've been researching this and talking with the media about it for close to 20 years now, and I
think in any given year, I was thinking, it is not going to happen. There is like a five percent chance it will happen.
But now, it is on the radar and we've got this DOGE thing for good or for ill and they are going to do some things. And I think this would be kind of
a high profile thing they would do and I don't think too many people would complain about it because they've gotten rid of the cent piece just about
everywhere else. Canada got rid of theirs over a decade ago, and people were like, shrugged their shoulders, okay, no difference, one way or the
other.
Most of the European countries have gotten rid of their one cent, so I don't see any problems that we'd run into.
[16:30:29]
DEAN: And it does bring up this, like, broader question. I was just thinking as you were kind of paying the picture of standing in line at a
drugstore convenience store, whatever the case may be. You know, I use Apple Pay a lot just tapping the phone. I don't even use the physical card
much anymore. Do you think we're moving to a point where actual cash starts to fall by the wayside? I mean, some places won't even accept cash as a
payment anymore.
WHAPLES: So, we are heading in that direction. I hope we don't go completely cashless, because it's convenient for people. And there are some
people who are unbanked or don't like using all of that tech, because, you know, the credit card companies, whatever, they get a little fee.
DEAN: Oh, sure, yes.
WHAPLES: So, I'm totally comfortable with that and that's why they will give you a cash discount sometimes, because then, you know, the store
doesn't have to pay that fee. So, what I like is a lot of different options and, you know, pay -- but Apple or pay some other card or write a check, I
still write the occasional check, usually for charities. But -- and then being nice to have cash as well.
I read a book once where the guy was making the case to hold on to cash. And he said, you know, he went to this place and like all of their systems
were down. And so, they couldn't make the connections anymore, and he had some cash, and they were willing to accept cash. And so, cash is useful.
DEAN: It is. I mean, I guess that's a good point in this even today that it will always get you out of a bind. That's for sure. Robert Whaples, thank
you so much. That's also interesting. We really appreciate it.
WHAPLES: Thank you for having me on.
DEAN: Cutting government costs is ultimately aimed at fostering growth and the IMF says the U.S. is set to grow at a decent rate this year 2.7 percent
that's according to its latest outlook. Richard Quest spoke this week to the Chief Executive of by BNY Mellon. Robin Vince told him that growth is
not always a foregone conclusion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN VINCE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BNY: We don't know that growth is going to happen. It's not a foregone conclusion. And so, one of the things
that countries, I think, are going to grapple with, which is what CEOs of businesses have had to grapple with for a long time, is that you have to
get all of the pieces lined up and everybody pointing in the same direction.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The new emphasis on crypto and cryptocurrency now at BNY, you have put an emphasis into that in recent
years with all the challenges that come with it. Do you see that as being a good growth area as we work out the machinations of regulation?
VINCE: We're investing in it because we think it can be interesting. We think the opportunity for the technology, the smart contracts, the ability
to make financial markets more efficient, that's exciting. But A.I. is exciting too. And so, it's not the only innovation that we've got to keep
an eye on.
QUEST: The plus and the minus of your job is you're the CEO and therefore the buck stops with you. That's both the good and the bad, in a sense,
because it means I get to throw -- you can't say it's above my pay grade. The change on things like social policies, DEI and the like that we've seen
many companies reversing DEI initiatives, policies, procedures. What are you going to do at BNY?
VINCE: Our objective is not to try to dictate social policy in the U.S. We have elected officials who get to be able to steer the country forward.
What we're doing is steering our company and doing it in a way where we've got the whole team part of that journey and excited about
it.
QUEST: But when we've had a last -- goodness knows how many years of companies adding specific H.R. policies, specific rules. And I, you know,
over breakfast this morning, I read the E.O. on DEI to -- forgive all the abbreviations. And I read it, and it's quite clear what the elected
officials are now going to do, but individual corporations now have to decide what they want to do in terms of the policies put forward.
VINCE: But what's a corporate purpose for us? It's to ultimately be able to do an amazing job for our clients, be able to generate the return for our
shareholders, and do it in a way where our team is excited about the mission. And so, if you're going to be a great company, you've got to have
a great team, and you've got to have the team be excited. And so that's what we're doing. We're creating a culture inside the company where people
want to belong.
QUEST: Hours worked, monitoring that for younger staff.
VINCE: Of course, we want to make sure that people come into the office most of the time, but we also want balance. At the end of the year, we did
two weeks of recharge. We encouraged our people not to work from the office for two weeks.
[16:35:03]
We encouraged them to be able to have a better vacation or have a better quality of life with friends and family over the holiday. Yes, we want them
to work super intensely during the year, but we also want them to be able to have a balance and be able to recharge at the end of the year. That's
been very popular with our people.
QUEST: I'm sure that's right. Trying to go to the board. What -- you first of all, you get to choose the color.
VINCE: I'm a blue guy.
QUEST: What's your one word to describe the next four years as we go into it with the new administration in Washington?
VINCE: Well, look, I think it's inherent on us as leaders to try to be a little bit optimistic about the world, so maybe my backup word would be
optimism. But at the end of the day, what is the thing that powers everything else that we need in order to be able to pay for the other
things that we want as we bring everybody along on the journey, it's growth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Donald Trump's controversial pick for Secretary of Defense now just one step away from being Senate confirmed. The full Senate set to vote on
peak Pete Hegseth's nomination tonight. The former Fox News anchor narrowly clearing a key procedural vote yesterday despite two Republican senators
joining every senate democrat in opposition. He faces a string of accusations, including that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017.
He's denied those allegations but documents newly obtained by CNN show he told the senate he paid his accuser $50,000 as part of a confidential
settlement. CNN's Lauren Fox has more.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's little indication right now that these new details are going to have any impact on Pete
Hegseth finally being confirmed to be the defense secretary in the next couple of hours. We expect a late vote tonight on the senate floor. That
assumes that Democrats don't give up any of their time in this process. They are really trying to slow walk this nomination.
But ultimately, it is up to Republicans to confirm Pete Hegseth without a single democratic vote. Now we do know of two republican women who have
already come out opposed to Hegseth. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from the state of Alaska who said that she had a lot of concerns about
Hegseth's nomination. Not the least of which, she said were concerns about his ability to lead such a massive organization.
Given the fact, she said she had doubts that his past experience had prepared him to lead the Defense Department. We also know that Senator
Susan Collins, a Republican from the state of Maine also is opposed to Pete Hegseth. She also cited concerns about the fact that she was not sure that
Pete Hegseth had had a legitimate change of heart on the issue of women serving in combat roles.
Now Hegseth had said previously in other writings that he did not believe that women belonged in combat roles, but throughout this process, he had
convinced other Republican senators that he had had a change on that issue, and he had said repeatedly during his public confirmation hearing that he
believed that women just had to meet the same standards as men for these roles.
There's also just a larger question right now of what this means for nominees moving forward. Lawmakers are expected to move forward with
Hegseth's nomination, then Republicans want to turn quickly to confirm other nominees, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Treasury Secretary
pick Scott Bessent. It's not clear how long democrats are going to drag this process out, which could mean the senate may be in session this
weekend.
DEAN: Lauren Fox, thank you. 37 African countries produce cotton, yet the continent imports about $23 billion worth of textiles, clothing and
footwear a year. Now that's according to UNESCO. Connecting Africa looks at how one Kenyan designer is trying to keep the value chain within the
continent, to boost Africa's fashion sector. And Victoria Rubadiri reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATUNGULU MWENDWA, FASHION DESIGNER: With Katush, we try to do or to create items that are 100 percent made on the continent.
I've been very adamant that sourcing should be from as close to home as possible. This is a result of growing up in an environment where -- like
particularly in Kenya, the textile sector was not very strong.
VICTORIA RUBADIRI, CNN CONNECTING AFRICA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To reach the showroom floor Katungulu Mwendwa production process started in
the cotton fields of Western Uganda.
MWENDWA: Using or working with materials that are locally or easily available would then sort of allow me to create that, something that is
quite unique and specific to identity and who I am and where I come from.
RUBADIRI (voice-over): Thirty-seven African countries produce cotton. The designer says she often sources her raw materials from a variety of
countries.
MWENDWA: Over the last few years, we've been quite lucky that some of the farmers have started again with farming. The mills have also started
sourcing cotton from Uganda, from Tanzania as well.
[16:40:03]
RUBADIRI (voice-over): Once turned into yarn, a portion of it is brought to hand weavers like these in Nairobi, Kenya. She showed me how the artisans
bring her clothing to life.
RUBADIRI (on camera): Walk us through what's happening here.
MWENDWA: OK. So, this particular stage, they're actually weaving the fabric. It's arrived as thread at this particular point before it's then
loom and then woven into the fabric that I would like at the end.
RUBADIRI (voice-over): But she says sourcing from within the continent comes with its own set of challenges.
MWENDWA: It was very expensive to bring in other textiles, so you'd find that you're paying up to almost 50 percent including the cost of shipping,
bringing in all of these other material imports which means that our product is then priced at a premium in comparison to, let's say, some of
the competitors in the market.
RUBADIRI (on camera): What do you feel this kind of does for the larger African fashion industry when they see you going down to the basics like
this looming, right? I mean, you're showing the possibilities and what can happen.
MWENDWA: West Africa has -- is thriving at us. They have a long-standing history and culture with textile so does Ethiopia. So, for us as Kenyans,
it's not necessarily there. So, in this moment, it's sort of allowing brands like myself to be able to create sort of a unique and different
esthetic that I think we can all benefit from. And also the creative freedom to be able to express ourselves and to create or to explain or to
refine our identity, I think is key.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: That is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for today. Up next, Marketplace Europe. Have a great day.
END
