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Quest Means Business

Quest Means Business At The Delacorte Theater; Justice Department Releases Maxwell Interview Transcript, Audio; FBI Searches Home And Office Of Trump Critic, John Bolton; New York Police Say Several Killed In Tour Bus Crash; Exploring The Delacorte Theater With Sam Waterston; Exploring Delacorte Theater With Actor Sam Waterston; Shakespeare In The Park Returns With "Twelfth Night". Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 22, 2025 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:12]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Closing bell is ringing on Wall Street. There we leave our colleagues at CNN in the

United States. We have a record close for the Dow on the markets at the moment. We've got an enormous -- YPO is ringing the closing bell. Oh, look

at that. My word, Madam! What a strong gavel for the records.

Those are the markets and the main events that you and I will talk about over the course of the next hour. The Fed Chair, Jay Powell has cleared the

way for a rate cut next month, saying economic risks are shifting. We will get perspectives.

Newly released transcripts revealed that Epstein's associates, Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department she is not aware of any of Epstein's

client lists, and in what is turning into an extremely busy day, the FBI has searched the house of John Bolton, the former aide and ambassador and

now adversary of President Trump.

And it is a Summer Friday just to throw that into the mix. We are live tonight from the Delacorte Theater in New York's Central Park. Delighted to

be here. It is Friday. It is August the 22nd. I am Richard Quest and on a glorious summer day, you better believe it. I mean business.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Yes. The words of William Shakespeare, of course, and the day in

Central Park simply fantastic and more lovely and temperate than the Summer Friday that we are enjoying here at the Delacorte Public Theater, the home

of "Shakespeare in the Park," which is a true New York institution and so perfectly perfect, if you will, for our Summer Friday.

The theater reopened earlier this month, having been closed for renovations more than a year. I toured the upgraded venue with the theater chairman,

Luis Miranda. You'll see that in the show, along with my interview with the famous actor Sam Waterston, the "Law and Order" actor got his start right

here and has performed in numerous "Shakespeare in the Parks."

But we must begin, of course, this is CNN and the news always comes first.

We begin with breaking news. The U.S. Justice Department has released a transcript of its interview with Ghislaine Maxwell. The accomplice of

Jeffrey Epstein, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring to sexually abuse minors.

According to the transcript, as we've received it, Maxwell said she never saw President Trump do anything inappropriate, nor did she see him act in

any inappropriate settings. The transcript says the DOJ did not promise Maxwell anything in exchange for the meetings.

We will get the analysis in just a moment. Let's get the details for the surprises and what is in and what is out. Kara Scannell joins me from New

York.

What do we know? What is the bombshell from all of this?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Richard, as you said, Ghislaine Maxwell says that she knew nothing about any evidence of President Donald

Trump doing anything inappropriate with anyone, any female, whether they were underage or of legal age in her overlapping period with Epstein and

during Trump's friendship with Epstein. So, she is sort of setting aside Trump from that.

She also was asked a lot of questions by the Deputy Attorney General about President Bill Clinton, and she said repeatedly that Clinton was her

friend, not Epstein's friend, and that she said that he absolutely never went to any of Epstein's properties and she said he never received a

massage from anyone while -- in any of this connection or presence of Epstein.

So those were two of the highest profile politicians that she was asked about in this interview. She said she had a friendship with President

Clinton, that she had been to his house, that she attended, his daughter, Chelsea Clinton's wedding as a guest of her then boyfriend, but she said

that neither of these men had done anything inappropriate with any women during her observations and when she was there.

So that was, you know, sort of the big questions here of what would she say about famous politicians? You know, Clinton has not been accused of any

wrongdoing. He had been on Epstein's plane, which led to a lot of speculation. He has always maintained his innocence.

Donald Trump, the same, since his relationship with Epstein went back for decades until they had a falling out.

[16:05:10]

And what we are also learning from this is that Maxwell said that she doesn't believe that Epstein died by suicide while he was in federal

custody awaiting trial on his sex trafficking charges. She says she doesn't know who killed him, but she said it suggested it could have just been a

random jailhouse attack. That is something that may certainly continue to add flame to the rumors that Epstein did not die by suicide.

Of course, the federal government had done their own investigation, and that was their conclusion, as well as that of the medical examiner's.

You know, she was also asked about $30 million that was in her bank account, which prosecutors had speculated had been money that she had

received to recruit and groom these underage girls for Epstein to sex trafficking. She said that that was not the case, that this was money that

shed received from real estate investments, and that it was not connected to Epstein's sex trafficking operation -- Richard.

QUEST: Kara, thank you.

Elie Honig is with me.

The whole business was unusual in the sense of her even having this interview. Nothing promised, yet nothing implicated. Elie, sift through

what you've heard and tell me the significance.

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, there is nothing usual or normal about this in any respect, Richard. Start with the fact that you had

the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, the number two person at the Justice Department doing this one-on-one interview. There are other

witnesses there, FBI agents and lawyers, but really doing a one-on-one interview, you would never see that.

Also I am partway through this transcript, its 300-plus pages. I haven't read the whole thing, but it looks like Todd Blanche, the Deputy A.G. is

barely interested, if at all, in criminality. When they get to the part that is important about Jeffrey Epstein and his operation of this child sex

trafficking ring, it is mostly just glossed over. I mean, there is way more time spent so far talking about the nuances of the romance between

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, than getting to what people really care about, which is what other people beyond Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine

Maxwell were at all involved in this.

It was not a one or two-person operation, there is no possible way it could have been. I have not yet got to any point where Ghislaine Maxwell

implicates anyone else, or even admits her own responsibility, by the way. In Ghislaine Maxwell's view, she is completely innocent.

So if you believe that, then you can find this credible. I don't.

QUEST: All right, now, I suppose the next -- moving forward comes the question what is the likelihood that this can be used in some shape or form

for commutation of sentence, any form of reduction by the authorities for her sentence?

HONIG: So there is a few different ways that Ghislaine Maxwell's chance of getting a reduced sentence, one is, she still has an appeal pending in

front of the Supreme Court, which relates to the sweetheart deal that Jeffrey Epstein was given in Florida back in 2007, which said that it would

cover any co-conspirators. Ghislaine Maxwell is arguing she is entitled to that benefit. So there is her pending Supreme Court argument, I think it is

a long shot, but it is a chance.

The other thing is, prosecutors do have the power to go to a judge and write what we call a Rule 35 letter, which asks a judge to reduce the

sentence of somebody like Maxwell, who has already been sentenced, that will be up to DOJ whether they want to do that, and then finally, Richard,

as you say, there could be a presidential pardon or a commutation.

The President does not need a reason for that. He can pardon whoever he wants for whatever reasons he wants or for no reason at all. But I will say

there is a part of this where Ghislaine Maxwell, pretty notably goes out of her way to praise Donald Trump, not only does as Kara said, not only does

she sort of say Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong, but there is a part where she goes on a little bit of a tangent about how wonderful and

impressive he is and how awed she is by him, so it is hard to see that as anything other than her playing for a pardon or a commutation.

QUEST: All right, all right. Well, look, put it this way, Elie. We've paid your fee, so we are going to squeeze the assets. Stay with me for a moment,

because President Trump says he knows nothing about the FBI's search of the home and office of his political rival, John Bolton.

Bolton served as the National Security adviser during Trump's first term. He is also a U.N. Ambassador. The two have since had a very acrimonious

falling out. Mr. Trump claims to have had no knowledge of the serve while making his feelings very clear about John Bolton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He is a real sort of a lowlife. When I hired him, he served a good purpose because, as

you know, he was one of the people that forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East, Bolton. He -- you know, he wants to always

kill people and he is very bad at what he does, but he worked out great for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:10:10]

QUEST: Now, John Bolton is often on our network discussing National Security matters. He does not shy away from criticizing Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS/AUGUST 15: Putin clearly won. Trump didn't come away with anything except more meetings.

BOLTON/TUESDAY: Trump has tried that before for example, with his direct negotiations with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, that didn't work out

anything.

BOLTON/JANUARY 21: This is I think, typical of Trump, the man. This is the kind of character or lack thereof, who is now President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Elie, what more extraordinary -- but this -- look, if he has done something wrong, then obviously that's right, that it is proper that it is

searched. It just all seems a little too convenient.

HONIG: So there is certainly no love lost between Donald Trump and John Bolton. But I will say this, Richard, in order to execute a search warrant

like we saw the FBI do today, that's not something that FBI or prosecutors can do on their own unilaterally. I've written many search warrant

applications.

What you have to do is write a detailed document laying out your proof and what you have to be able to show is that there is probable cause that a

crime was committed, and that you'll find evidence of that crime in the locations you're searching. We see the office here, and also John Bolton's

home.

Now, probable cause is a lower standard than proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which you need in order to convict someone, but probable cause is a

substantial showing. It is not nothing. And when you write that document up, you then have to walk it over to a federal judge who has to review it

and approve. And I will tell you, federal judges are not rubber stamps when it comes to these. And it appears here that DOJ had to get two different

federal judges because they executed these warrants in two different federal districts, one in D.C., one in Maryland.

So it appears that two different federal judges reviewed this and found not that John Bolton is guilty of any offense, necessarily, but that there is

at least probable cause to do the search warrant.

Now, there could be several things true at once which, A, there could be probable cause to do a search warrant, and B, this still could be payback

and retribution from Trump because he has made no mistake of his feelings about John Bolton, and this DOJ has a pattern of going after opening

investigations on people who Trump believes to be his political and prosecutorial tormentors.

QUEST: I guess the one thing we can say about this is we will find out one way or the other. They will either find something and charge him, or they

won't.

HONIG: Right. And if they do charge him, then he will have right to a trial, right? I mean, people get tried and found guilty a lot. People get

tried and acquitted sometimes, too.

So ultimately, yes, the proof literally will be in the documents. The proof will be in what they do with respect to John Bolton. We won't be left to

speculate about this at some point.

QUEST: I am grateful, Elie, you've helped us out, as always. I am grateful. Thank you, sir.

HONIG: Thanks, Richard.

QUEST: More breaking news in what is an extremely busy day.

The Maryland father of three, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador and held in a prison there in custody, then brought back to the United States,

has been released from jail in Tennessee.

Two federal judges had ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be freed, which has now taken place. He is on his way home to his family in Maryland. It is not

by any means the end of the legal drama. He still faces, of course, as you're aware, trials on drug smuggling charges and could still be deported.

The immigration judge has said that there has to be a three-day notice period before he would be deported to give him chance to appeal.

Rafael Romo joins me now.

So he is out, but the legal weight of cases against him is still very considerable.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Richard, and you said it perfectly, it is not by any means the end of this legal drama, because he

is still facing a federal case on human smuggling charges, but it was about an hour ago or so, Richard, here in Tennessee, that Kilmar Abrego Garcia

walked out of this jail complex through that set of double doors right behind me.

And if you can remember this case that originated in march when he was originally detained by the federal government, Kilmar Abrego Garcia became

a poster child of sorts for the Trump administration, the crackdown on undocumented immigration in this country, because he was originally by

mistake, Richard, imagine that, sent to his native El Salvador. And not only that, he was sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador that was built

by President Nayib Bukele for very dangerous gang members.

And this is significant because originally, there was an order by another judge issued in 2019 that said that he was not to be deported precisely

because he could face that kind of violence -- gang violence.

Now, there was a statement, Richard, issued by one of his attorneys that says the following. I am going to read it to you.

[16:15:18]

"Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free. He is presently enroute to his family in Maryland after being unlawfully arrested and deported, and then

imprisoned, all because of the government's vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the administration's continuing

assault on the rule of law." This is from Sean Hecker, who goes on to say "He is grateful that his access to American courts has provided meaningful

due process."

But again like we were saying at the beginning, this is going to remain a very volatile case because he is still facing, Richard, all of those human

smuggling charges. Now, back to you.

QUEST: I am grateful, Rafael. Thank you. He heads back to Maryland. We will follow the details as he gets there. Thank you.

It is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS on a Summer Friday, and my goodness, do you remember those days when Fridays in the summer, everything quietened down

and we went away. Not anymore.

Luckily, we are having a Summer Friday today. The Delacorte Theater where we are here, it has been home to "Shakespeare in the Park" for more than 60

years. This is the latest production of "Twelfth Night." Part of the experience is lining up, securing a free ticket, and now we are going to

look after the break, how the theater brings Shakespeare to the people.

It is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Welcome back to Central Park.

"Twelfth Night" returned to the stage this month here in Central Park after a nearly two-year renovation of the Delacorte Theater. Now the line to get

tickets has been snaking through the park all day. Some people told me they've been here since six in the morning to try and get their tickets.

This theater is run by the Public Theater, which was founded off-Broadway in the 1960s as one of the first nonprofit theaters in the United States.

Since then, some of the most famous productions have started right here in these halls. The musical "Hair" first opened here to the public in 1967.

"Hamilton" by Lin-Manuel Miranda premiered there in 2015. It was Miranda's father, Luis Miranda, who is the chair of the board of the Public Theater,

where he has helped oversee a massive renovation of the theater.

[16:20:15]

Now, he gave me a full tour, both front and backstage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Yes, Shakespeare said it, "All the world is a stage." He might have added Central Park is no exception, because right in the middle of

Manhattan's biggest green space lies the Delacorte Theater. It is home to a beloved New York summer institution, "Shakespeare in the Park."

The venue has just completed a nearly two-year renovation costing $85 million. It is an investment the chair of The Public Theater, Luis Miranda,

says long overdue.

LUIS MIRANDA, CHAIRMAN, THE PUBLIC THEATER: I think part of the issue is that the arts are never valued as much as they should. We are the

custodians of this treasure for all New Yorkers.

QUEST: Since it opened in 1962, the year I was born, visitors have experienced the bard in a setting like none other. The skyscrapers tower

above as A-list actors like Anne Hathaway, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald take to the stage in all weathers with productions from "The

Tempest" to "Merchant of Venice," and it is all free of charge.

How do you encourage everybody to believe this isn't for those little wax lyrical about Shakespeare -- this is for everybody.

MIRANDA: I think you start by making it free. When you make it free, it is equal for everyone. People have to go on the line and get on the line to

get tickets. We now raffle some tickets through agencies in communities. So you make it inclusive by making it free and by making it accessible.

QUEST: The funding for this project came from both the city and private sources. It is the biggest investment in the theater since it was founded.

What do all of this most impresses you about what you've done?

MIRANDA: Three things.

QUEST: Yes.

MIRANDA: One, that we have increased accessibility for all New Yorkers. When we talk about making this a place for everyone, making it accessible

as everybody is welcome here. Two, if you were to look at where actors had to spend their time before they went on stage, you knew that they did it

because they loved to be actors, and now, they are going to have a great experience.

QUEST: Have you ever heard raccoons having sex during a performance?

MIRANDA: I haven't seen them have sex. I have heard, and I know that if someone saw them having sex, it is true.

QUEST: The thing about doing anything in New York is that you have about six to ten million people, all of whom think that they could have done it

better than you and should have been asked to do it instead of you, and will happily tell you what you should have done instead.

MIRANDA: And that's what makes any triumph like this in terms of construction, even more powerful is that the end of the day, you were able

to use many people's opinions, and we did. And as a result, and it works, it was their idea, which is great.

QUEST: You're a rare man, sir. You're prepared to sort of recognize that it was everybody else's success, and you know --

MIRANDA: Listen, I have been married 47 years, and the reason why I have been married is because I start apologizing and that will be with the city

of New York. If they have a different opinion, they will come and we convince them that this is a spectacular place.

QUEST: The theater just reopened on August the 7th with a performance of "Twelfth Night." The audience gave a massive cheer, and not only for the

better facilities, but because at a time when cultural institutions seem to be under threat in the United States, this one, part of New York's summer

scape is actually thriving.

Now, if the bard will excuse my butchery, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some find greatness by being on budget and on time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:25:13]

QUEST: Well, we have to put a bit of business into Shakespeare, after all QUEST MEANS BUSINESS and U.S. stocks posted some very strong gains today

after the Fed Chair, Jerome Powell suggested rates could come down in September.

All the major indices are higher, quite considerably. The NASDAQ up nearly two percent after the so-called Jackson Hole Economic Speech, the

symposium. The Dow is at a record, and the S&P is bit short and the NASDAQ snapped a three-day losing streak.

Investors were turning to Powell's keynote speech. He said rates are perhaps more restricted than necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Risks to inflation are tilted to the upside and risks to employment to the downside. The baseline outlook

and the shifting balance of risks may warrant adjusting our policy stance.

Monetary policy is not on a preset course. FOMC members will make these decisions based solely on their assessment of the data and its implications

for the economic outlook and the balance of risks.

We will never deviate from that approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Now, at the same time today, also helping the markets, Canada has dropped its retaliatory tariffs on most U.S. goods. The Canadian Prime

Minister, Mark Carney said everything covered under the USMCA Trade Agreement will no longer face an import duty. He said the move

reestablishes free trade for just about everything except autos, steel, and aluminum, as I say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CARNEY, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Canada currently has the best trade deal with the United States, and while it is different from what we had

before, it is still better than that of any other country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: The U.S. President praised the move and said he would call the Prime Minister. The two leaders spoke on Thursday for the first time since June.

With me is economist, Dan Altman.

Good to see you, sir. Thank you for coming out and enjoying our lovely weather here in the park.

If we look at what Mr. Powell said, what Jerome Powell said, what do you make of this idea that, I mean, he has basically said rates are coming

down.

DAN ALTMAN, ECONOMIST: Well, I think he has cracked open the door a little more to cutting rates in September and he may be open to something like a

hundred basis points cuts to short term interest rates over the next, let's say, six months until his term is over.

But I think he has also said that the neutral rate, which is where his monetary policy is neither too accommodating nor too restrictive, is

actually a bit higher than it was in the 2010s, and that means that rates may not come down as much as the markets are expecting, overall.

QUEST: Right. But we will put neutral to one side. He says the risks appears to be shifting. Higher tariffs are remaking the global trading

system.

So he admits all of this, and at the same time, he says growth has slowed notably. So as you look at the dual mandate, which bit is he focusing?

Because he admits that the dual mandate is now in conflict.

ALTMAN: It absolutely is, but he also points out that the U.S. is in a very bizarre situation where the labor supply is actually shrinking. We saw in

the first six months of this year that the civilian labor force shrank by 400,000 workers, where last year, over the same period, it grew by a

million and that means that the labor force and the labor market can still be an equilibrium, even when the payroll numbers are not growing by very

much.

QUEST: You know, he talks right at the beginning. He says the U.S. economy has shown resilience in a context of sweeping changes in economic -- in an

economic policy, basically where we still do not know what the long term effects will be.

ALTMAN: Absolutely. This is an unprecedented situation, and I think he is trying to calibrate these two goals where unemployment is not really

increasing, but there still is the threat of some inflation.

QUEST: Do you think that any cuts -- the perception will be he has been bullied into them. You would, I suspect, tell me that that's not the case,

that actually, you know, that the economic justification is there.

ALTMAN: Well, he has repeatedly said that he thinks that the current policy is somewhat restrictive, and he would like to come down a little bit. But I

think he has pointed out, with this guidance for the overall policy norms of the Fed, that the rates might not come down overall, as much as some

investors expect.

QUEST: The tariff inflation shock not only the Fed Chair, but more and more people -- we've heard about it from Target. We've heard about it from

Walmart. We've heard again and again.

[16:30:10]

The tariff effect is not going to be as great on inflation as we had all perhaps conventionally thought. Do you buy that or do you still think the

jury is out?

ALTMAN: Well, the problem with the tariff shock is the following, we could just see a one-time increase in prices as a result in tariffs, as those

costs gets passed on to consumers.

But how long will it take if consumers see prices inching up month after month, they might start to think, well, you know, maybe inflation is

permanently faster. That's the danger for the Fed.

QUEST: And but he specifically said he's not going to have any truck with his two percent, he's going to stick to his two percent after their latest

five year review.

ALTMAN: Absolutely, and he doesn't want inflation expectations to become unanchored. But then you have to ask, if inflation inspector expect

expectations didn't become unanchored when inflation hit nine percent under President Biden, then why would they become unanchored now?

QUEST: I'm very grateful, sir. Thank you for joining us, and what a wonderful day to be out in the park and enjoy it. Thank you sir very much

indeed.

Now, as we continue on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, more from the park and we'll discuss exactly what it all means at the Delacorte Puppet Theater.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Hello, I'm Richard Quest. A lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS this Friday afternoon in New York.

The actor Sam Waterston is going to be talking to me and telling me all about the impact that this magnificent place, the Delacorte public theater,

or Delacorte Theater here in Central Park had upon him.

And the director of the folder Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Why do we still care about Shakespeare? Well, how are they going? That's

probably cut amongst the pigeons, doesn't it?

Well, we'll only get to it after the headlines. We've got all the news because this is CNN, in here, the news always comes first.

[16:35:08]

Ghislaine Maxwell, the associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, says she never witnessed Donald Trump in any inappropriate setting. That's

according to the newly released transcript of her interview with the Justice Department, which took place last month.

Maxwell currently serving a 20-year sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls.

FBI agents have searched the home of an office of the former Trump National Security Advisor, Ambassador John Bolton. Sources are telling us the search

is a part of a wider investigation into whether Bolton disclosed classified information in his book, which was released in 2020. Mr. Bolton --

Ambassador Bolton has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump.

A U.N. hunger -- backed global hunger monitor says parts of Gaza, including Gaza City, are now experiencing famine. It warns half a million people

there are facing starvation. The Palestinian health ministry says at least 271 people in Gaza have died of malnutrition, including more than 100

children during this Israel-Hamas war. Israel calls the report of famine a lie.

New York State Police say several people have been killed, including a child, after their tour bus crashed just east of the city of Buffalo. Now

the police say the bus was carrying 52 passengers from Niagara Falls, heading for Manhattan, head to New York City when it overturned. The

authorities have a good idea of why the bus crashed, but they've not offered us any more details about it.

Some passengers were thrown from the bus. Rescuers have been on the scene, trying to get people to extract people from the remaining from the many

bus.

Jason Carroll is in New York. What do we know?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you've seen some of the images there, Richard, of the bus still on its side. This is still very much an

active situation. Emergency crews still out there on the I-90. We want to bring up some of the images there of the bus, the tour bus. You can see it

there laying on its side.

Again, this was a tour bus that originated in Niagara Falls. Some 50 plus people on board, it was headed back to New York City. That's when

authorities say, for some unknown reason, the bus lost control and went into the median. It over corrected and then went off to the side, rolled

over several times and ended up in the position that you see there.

They are telling us that there are multiple injuries, multiple casualties, multiple fatalities. They say, as that bus was rolling, a number of people

there who were on board, the passengers were not wearing their seat belt, which is common on many of these tour busses, as you know, and so many of

them were actually extracted from the bus.

So, they're dealing with a lot of different types of injuries there. You can see them. They were working through what looks like to be some sort of

a window and pulling people out of the side of the bus there.

So, they're dealing with a lot of different types of injuries. Sorry, go ahead.

QUEST: Do we know any -- do we know anything about nationalities of those on board?

CARROLL: We do. Apparently, many of the passengers were Indian, Chinese and Filipino, and so what they were doing is they are bringing in a number of

translators to help them talk to the passengers, identify a number of the passengers.

We're also told that the driver of the bus is alive. He is well, that term saying alive and well, that is from emergency officials there on the

ground.

So, they'll be talking to that driver to get a sense of what happened here. But as you mentioned at the top there, they do have a sense of what

happened here and why the driver lost control, although they have not given out an official cause of the accident just as of yet.

Also want to let you know, Richard, that at this point, Erie County Medical Center is holding a press conference. They have taken in some 40

passengers, we are told, and so we are waiting to get some more information about the passengers that they have taken in, their conditions, what

they're dealing with there. But again, we're told some 50 passengers on board, multiple injuries, multiple casualties. We are told at least one of

the fatalities was a child.

QUEST: Very good. Thank you very much. Come back when there is more to report out, please. Thank you.

[16:40:00]

Tonight, as a summer Friday show coming from Central Park, from the Delacorte Theater, and many esteemed actors have graced that stage behind

me. Sam Waterston is one of them, and though the theater looks very different from the last time he performed on this -- on the stage, he and I

looked at the new renovations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: What a spectacular day. We may be coming towards the end of summer and some views, but this is just magnificent to be in Central Park on this

wonderful summer Friday.

Now, for a bit of Shakespeare. This, above all, to own, to thine own self, be true, and it must follow as the night and the day thou cannot then be

false of any man.

Now that, of course, is from Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is the words of Polonius, but you knew that, you didn't need me to remind you of that.

As played by my next guest here at the Delacorte Theater almost 17 years ago, Sam Waterston is known perhaps best for roles in "Law and Order" and

"The Great Gatsby" film. However, go back further and deeper, and he has graced the stage of Delacorte many times indeed. He sat and joined me here

while the renovations were still underway, and told me that about the impact the theater has on him and perhaps even on greater aspects and the

arts in New York overall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: You have done how many? Can you remember how many Shakespeare's here? Somebody's going to tell me because I do know -- I do know the

answer.

SAM WATERSTON, ACTOR: I should have known you were going to ask that question.

QUEST: What was it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's 11.

QUEST: It's 11.

WATERSTON: Good for me.

QUEST: 11.

QUEST (voice over): Sam Waterston's first time on stage at the Delacorte Theater was when John F. Kennedy was president. Since then, he's returned

again and again, alongside the likes of James Earl Jones, Meryl Streep and even his own daughter.

[16:45:08]

QUEST: Why do you like doing it?

WATERSTON: Oh, well, long before there was this theater, I wanted to do Shakespeare.

QUEST: Why?

WATERSTON: Why? Why?

QUEST: So, you're classically trained. And Shakespeare is, if you will, the underpinning of it all.

WATERSTON: Maybe the smartest and most articulate human being to speak English on this planet.

QUEST (voice over): His first performance in 1963 was the Delacorte second year in operation, when Waterston was in the ensemble for As You Like It.

He says he got to experience firsthand the vision of the public theater's founder, Joe Papp.

WATERSTON: It struck me that in a way that it never has before, that this is an amphitheater, and so it is really the expression of Joe's dream which

perfectly coincided with my own. They built this theater in 1962, I came to New York in 1963 this was the first theater that I played in New York City,

and it is what Joe said he wanted to have a theater for which was a theater for all the people and in the city, and the city would be one of the stars,

and the other star would be the people in the audience.

And so, if you sit in this theater and look around, that's what you see. And I've been doing this since 1963 off and on in this theater.

QUEST (voice over): Throughout his time on stage and as a board member for the public theater, Waterston has seen the Delacorte weather over time.

So, this renovation was particularly needed below the theater, where actors sharing dressing rooms will be subject to the elements.

QUEST: So this is the dressing room. Now. It looks like a wonderful dressing room, but it's very different to the sort of dressing rooms you

were in. Tell me about the what it used to be like.

WATERSTON: I think the footprint is very much the same. It's just a whole lot cleaner, whole lot newer and the lights are all working, and it's

armed, you know, it's a brand new thing, and it's got air conditioning,

QUEST: Air conditioning. This brings us to the question of funding and the financing. I mean, this is free, and this is goes really well, but it goes

to the core of what a society is about, don't you think?

WATERSTON: Oh, definitely.

QUEST: What significance it's going to give to its arts and culture?

WATERSTON: One of the huge privileges of my life is that I walked in as Joe was making his weight felt in this city in a way that hadn't been felt

before, and he embodied a dream that the arts and culture in a democracy such as our own belonged with the people.

QUEST: But if -- the reason I'm asking, and I think it's relevant, is because in the same weeks that you know, the funding for public

broadcasting has been slashed, it leaves the rest of the world for thinking what message is being sent about what's happening with the arts in this

country?

WATERSTON: Well, I think there are a large number of people, and some of them are in politics, who think -- who do not think that the arts and

culture belong with the people and are for the people.

But I don't agree, and the fact that this theater is having a renewal gives me very great hope that the voices that are speaking for having the arts

and culture be available to everyone will survive and thrive.

QUEST: If they were to -- if, if, if -- I don't have the power of these matters, of course, if they were to ask you to do another one, another

Shakespeare in the park, would you be -- would you -- would you think about it?

WATERSTON: Try me. Try me. Sure. Of course.

QUEST: I'll have a word with someone.

WATERSTON: Thank you. Thanks very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (on camera): You know, Shakespeare can be very intimidating and wonderfully beautiful.

After the break, our next guest is going to tell me why we still care about Shakespeare after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:52:12]

QUEST: Welcome back to Central Park. The words of Shakespeare were written more than 400 years ago, that much we know. Part of their appeal, though,

is the very timelessness of them.

Here on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, we apply some of Shakespeare's lines to our world of business. Brevity is the soul of wit. Communicate effectively and

don't waste someone's time.

Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast. Plan strategically, think long and hard before any big decision.

To business that we love we arise betime and go to't with delight. The importance of loving what you do.

One woman who certainly does as Farah Karim-Cooper, who knows a thing or two about that. She's the director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in

Washington, D.C. Thank you so much.

FARAH KARIM-COOPER, DIRECTOR, FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY: You're welcome. Thank you.

QUEST: I always want to ask people on Shakespeare's first question, do you believe it was one person or an American?

KARIM-COOPER: I believe -- I believe it was one person.

QUEST: You do?

KARIM-COOPER: I do. I do, yes, but the Folger Shakespeare Library is poised for any type of research. So, if you have a theory, you can come and dig

in. But I do think it was the man from Stratford.

QUEST: Why do we still find a relevance and the love of it in modern times? What's the reason?

KARIM-COOPER: I would say I would move away from relevance and say it's useful. Shakespeare is useful today because he helps us think about things

that we are still addressing in society.

So, for example, challenges that we might have with regard to politics, to grief, to loss. He actually gives you a toolkit to help you think about how

to address those, how to answer questions.

QUEST: How would he then -- you've opened it up, how would he then say, for example, this shift that we're now seeing in Washington with museums and

culture and all these issues? What would you make of that?

KARIM-COOPER: Well, it's interesting you say that because I saw Twefth Night last night, and it's a play full of these kinds of oppositions,

right? There's a lot of joy and there's a lot of hilarity in it, but there's some biting humor in it.

When Shakespeare says, or when Toby says, Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale? That's a that's a huge

indictment of imposing one's morals on an entire society, right there in a moment of hilarity.

QUEST: Do you feel -- I can't think off the top, because my ability to quote Shakespeare is so --

KARIM-COOPER: Mine too.

QUEST: No, yours is brilliant. But do you think that there's any -- you know, if diversity, inclusion, and would you to have a look at Shakespeare?

How would it perform today, do you think?

KARIM-COOPER: I mean, Shakespeare's own society was diverse. We just don't talk about it enough. There were people from lots of different societies

living in Shakespeare, London.

QUEST: So, how do you -- I'm glad you mentioned this. So, how do you get over an elitism of Shakespeare? How do you attract a generation that's tick

tockery in 20 seconds or less? But of course, Shakespeare's relevance or has accessibility. How would you do it?

[16:55:20]

KARIM-COOPER: You take him down from the plinth. Shakespeare was constructed into this icon in 18th century. That's not the 16th century

jobbing playwright who was working with a bunch of actors in a really scrappy industry, right? This is a different Shakespeare, and that's the --

that's the legacy the 18th century Shakespeare that we have to overcome.

QUEST: Are you in favor of modernizing the words of the plays? So that, you know, people don't have to with us now us, watch us, with us.

KARIM-COOPER: I think you -- I'm in favor of clarifying it. I'm in favor of making it more accessible, and sometimes that means you have to change a

word or two. But Shakespeare's company would have done that too.

QUEST: Really?

KARIM-COOPER: Yes, because his plays were malleable in their own time, and they've been malleable ever since they did it in the 18th century, 19th

century and now.

QUEST: What do you make of this? I mean, just look at it.

KARIM-COOPER: Oh, it's stunning.

QUEST: And toilets that work of a cruise. Well, I can still have sex under the thing, I'm told. I'm told there was always doing that at the Delacorte

Theater. But this is really what the arts is about, isn't it?

KARIM-COOPER: Absolutely.

QUEST: Free, accessible, available. You must be delighted.

KARIM-COOPER: I am, storytelling in the round. That's what it's all about.

QUEST: I'm so grateful that you came and joined us today. Thank you very much indeed.

KARIM-COOPER: Thank you so much.

QUEST: Thank you very much indeed. I'm going to get back to some more boring business, if I may.

The markets, I need to show you exactly what's been happening with the markets. The Dow hit a record after Jerome Powell signaled a possible rate

cut, 846 for the Dow, the NASDAQ is up the best part of nearly two percent as you can see, an Intel 5.5 percent after Donald Trump said the company

has agreed to give him 10 percent. 10 percent, who knew?

All right, we'll take a profitable moment after the break. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS (INAUDIBLE). What a glorious, glorious day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Tonight's profitable moment, the first time we tried to do the program here, there were thunderstorms and lightning, and they have a rule

here that if there's any lightning, you have to wait 20 minutes before there's no lightning. So we weren't able to broadcast.

Shakespeare would have understood, but the show must go on, and so we were absolutely thrilled and delighted to be able to rearrange it for tonight.

And the significance of all of this is that at a time when the arts in some shape or form is under threat in the United States, there's no question

about it, whatever the point of view you may take when you're going through museums trying to weed out things, when you're trying to give a sanitized

version of what American history might be, just so that you only tell people the good bits, you go what I'm saying.

The fact that Shakespeare in the park, through public funds is still going strong, and there were hundreds of people trying to get free tickets. Well,

that's really an achievement.

It is an institution. But I want to leave you with a thought that it's not an elitist business this. This is really all about everybody who's welcome

to come and enjoy a little bit of the bard. And why not?

[17:00:06]

And that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for this Friday night this summer Friday, I'm Richard Quest in Central Park.

Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable. I'll see you. I'll be in London on Monday.

END