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Quest Means Business
Oil Prices Soar to Highest Level Since May; Earth Just Had the Hottest August on Record; Naples Mayor: Tourism Makes Us an International City. Accusations of Bribery Over Trump's Dividend Promise; Making Authentic Neapolitan Pizza. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired September 10, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:07]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": The markets coming to a close after a busy day. The economic news concerning, of course
the price of oil and the longer term effects from the gulf or from the Iran War. Now closing bell ringing on Wall Street. The Dow is off sharply. The
triple stack shows that the wider market is also lower and sir, you'll bring markets or trading to a close with a one and a two and a one two,
three, four.
Oh, okay. Those are the markets. And these are the main events of the day. Bond yields are rising as oil prices jump. And Europe's Central Bank raises
rates.
President Trump says he will pay every U.S. adult $5,000.00 if Republicans win the midterm elections.
And tonight, we are in Naples. Here in Naples, it is the ultimate culinary taboo. We discuss pineapple on a pizza, and you'll hear what the local
thinks about that.
We are live in Naples, in Italy. It is Thursday. It is September the 10th. I am Richard Quest, live in Naples, and of course here I mean business.
Buonasera! Good evening from Napoli or Naples, in Italy. We are live tonight in a city that most certainly has got its mojo back. The cruise
ships are flowing in and out of the port behind me.
Unfortunately, the only one that was here earlier just set sail. Tourism numbers are booming and businesses are investing here like never before.
And with new opportunities, there are new challenges -- overtourism.
Tonight on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, I will be speaking to the mayor of Naples about that and extreme heat concerns that could upend the tourism board.
No trip to Naples would be complete without the food. We are in the birthplace of pizza, and over the course of the hour, I am going to be
joined by a local pizza chef as we talk through it all.
The rain, by the way, has just started. Absolutely typical. We've been waiting all evening and right on cue, 10:00 here and it started to rain.
Let's begin with the reality setting in for investors. The war in the Middle East, which has sent oil prices soaring today and which is impacting
just about everything else.
Brent crude today jumped to more than $100.00 -- $105.00 a barrel, and the U.S. and Iran have increased their attacks in recent days, and that's been
driving prices upwards.
Just today, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured a key Red Sea Port, and President Trump said yesterday he was not looking for a deal with Tehran
anymore.
Oil prices are now back to where they were back in May. That, in turn, is raising inflation expectations and pushing bond yields to the highest level
in years. The 10-year U.S. Treasury has hit a 34-month high. As predicted and forecast and, not surprisingly, Central Banks are taking action to cool
inflation. The ECB has raised its benchmark rate to 2.5 percent with Christine Lagarde saying high energy prices could have a long-term impact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE LAGARDE, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: The risk to the growth outlook are to the downside. This is due in particular to the Middle East
conflict and developments in Russia's unjustified war against Ukraine.
Renewed disruption of energy supplies could cause energy prices to rise further and for longer than currently expected. This would weigh on real
incomes, spending and investment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Anna Stewart is with me from London.
In a sense, the fact the ECB has moved and for the second time, it is the truth that dare not speak its name, inflation is here. It has been here for
a long time. It is hardening and it doesn't look like its coming down and that is the message from the ECB and one wonders how long before the others
follow suit.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, the rate hike itself, Lagarde even called a no-brainer. It wasn't a surprise at all. But they have adjusted their
inflation expectations. They've kept it for this year. They expect inflation to be at three percent, so well over target which is 2 percent.
But they've revised up for next year and the year after.
So essentially inflation higher for longer than was anticipated. And really, Richard, I don't know about you, but I just feel like each day we
are getting more and more economic warning lights flashing, frankly.
[16:05:14]
If you think about today, we are looking at oil prices extremely high. Brent $107.00 a barrel. Inflation expectations in the E.U. and elsewhere,
of course, creeping upwards with soaring national debt levels for some of the biggest economies in the world, and bond yields, big story for today,
particularly looking at the 10-year treasury, of course.
QUEST: I guess, the issue here, Anna, as you rightly point out, more problems and challenges are being put on the table, but none seem to be
being removed and one wonders, I mean, obviously the Fed is the big game in town here. Kevin Warsh is going to find it very difficult to stave off.
STEWART: I think the expectation is he is going to have to hike, but of course that is with an administration that certainly doesn't want to see
that. Who knows what U.S. President Donald Trump will Truth Social post if they are to do the ultimate sin and actually hike rates.
It is extraordinary when we look at the situation we are in, there was, of course, the intervention from Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary with
bonds. It didn't even touch the surface really, if you're looking at the highs we have seen today. So I think rate hikes at this point are probably
all that can be done.
The thing is the underlying problem that cannot be fixed frankly, is inflation and oil prices. And that is currently out of the U.S. control.
QUEST: Anna Stewart in London. Anna, I am grateful.
Here in Naples, it has been roaringly hot all week that I've been filming for "World of Wonder. Hundred degrees in old money. Somebody will tell me
what that is in my ear in Celsius. But the earth has just had its hottest August on record according to Europe's climate monitoring energy.
In fact, August was the tie for the hottest of any month recorded since 1940. If you take the global average temperature, it was 16.96 degrees
Celsius. That's a full degree higher than, say, the 1991 to 2020 average, and the record hot month was driven partly by ocean temperatures that were
also reaching record highs.
Naples, as I've just said, where it's been stonkingly hot all week, has endured its hottest record on record. With the temperature today -- today's
temperature peaked at 30 degrees Celsius and it is the humidity, 75 percent, and it is expected to stay in the high 20s for at least the next
few days.
If you look overall, it has just been extremely difficult across the whole of Southern Europe for anybody who has been holidaying. And Bill Weir is
with me.
Bill, just as I came on air tonight, of course the rain has started. The first rain that we pretty much had all week, so that has taken the
temperature down just a tad. But the reality is these higher temperatures are here to stay for a lot -- for a while.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, these temperatures are just going to get higher, Richard. This is not a new normal. It will get much
hotter. Both the forces, natural and man-made, the El Nino in the Pacific isn't really kicking off right now, but Europe, yes, both Copernicus and
the NOAA data showing Europe hottest summer ever recorded and the big reason why is it used to be next door to a giant sheet of floating ice, the
polar ice cap and as it gets smaller every year, it exposes more open water, sucks more energy down, but you're feeling this.
And I was just reading a report from Alliance, a reinsurance group out of Munich. They put this out in May where they did a stress test economically
to see what this kind of heat means financially for countries and GDP. And it is that 30-degree line -- below 30 degrees, productivity actually goes
up a little bit. Above it, productivity drops and --
QUEST: Right.
WEIR: Even though you save some money on energy heating costs, it goes down to the point where every degree goes down to the point where they ran --
let's say the next five years are the five hottest in history. By 2030, it will be the hottest.
Countries like Italy would see a hit to their GDP of $147 billion a year. And, you know, we are talking five to seven percent of GDP lost as a result
of productivity because of this heat.
QUEST: But, Bill, if you -- is that -- I mean, a silly question at one level in terms of what can be done, because without getting into a highly
philosophical discussion on: Have we reached the tipping point? The reality is people have to live in these temperatures. They are going to be like
this for the foreseeable future. And somewhere like Naples, yes, it does have a certain degree of air conditioning, but it is not like the United
States' southern states, which has air conditioning everywhere.
[16:10:07]
WEIR: Absolutely. No. You know, the construction in Europe is not fit for this new ecosystem that that we've built here and adaptation will take
time. Obviously, putting maybe heat pumps to cool these old, ancient, charming homes across Europe is a bigger challenge than it is in starting
new constructions in North America, for example.
But there are cultures of shade. You know, Spain has led the way on some of this. These old, thousand-year-old technologies of wind catchers and
underwater canals and cool streets and adjusting schedules to adapt to this sort of Middle East level heat, but in European capitals, you can do so
much.
But at a certain point, Richard, that was the whole point of sort of keeping the global temperature as low as possible. At certain point, you
can't adapt your way past scorching 35 to 40-degree Celsius temperatures, and nobody knows what comes with that.
QUEST: Bill Weir, I am grateful. Thank you.
The blistering heat here in Naples poses a major problem from some of the city's trademark industries. For example, agriculture and tourism.
Now, this area is no stranger to environmental threats. It has been weathering these sorts of crises since at least the last -- well, the first
century of the last. You get what I mean? We are talking about Pompeii.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice over): Wherever you are in Naples, Mount Vesuvius towers above, a reminder of the catastrophe that once reshaped this region.
The volcano erupted during the first century and wiped out the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It is one of the most famous
environmental disasters in history.
Today, climate crisis threatens the way of life here in a different way.
QUEST (on camera): Naples, like the rest of Europe, has suffered from this unbearably hot summer -- record temperatures.
often, by the time you get to the evening 6:30 or 7:00, temperatures are starting to drop. But not this year it is still very hot with high
humidity. It seems that Southern Europe is facing a new and very different form of Mediterranean summer.
QUEST (voice over): That's a big problem for the industries that make this city so famous. Agriculture, for instance. It has taken a beating in the
Campania region surrounding Naples. Drought has dried up chestnut and hazelnut groves. It has forced Campania to offer support funds for local
farmers.
And the blistering heat threatens what has been a success story here in Naples -- Tourism. Visits have risen 87 percent over the last few years.
Italy's fourth largest city is becoming hot, figuratively and literally.
Some come here for the history, others for this -- pizza. After all, Naples is widely recognized as the Birthplace of Pizza, and locals take the dish
very seriously. Just don't ask for pineapple on your pizza.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never! No, no here. Sorry. No here.
QUEST (voice over): Naples is a port town, and many of those tourists arrive on these large cruise ships. The port can handle four at any one
time and this is a city that welcomes cruise ships, it doesn't shun them.
Around the port, there are also the container ships. More than half a million shipping containers a year pass through these waters --
pharmaceuticals, textiles, wine, the lot.
All in all, Naples is a city defined by resilience.
QUEST (on camera): After decades of grit and grunge, Naples, it seems, is finally getting its act together. New A.I. and digital companies are
investing, tourism is going through the roof. And finally, the city is starting to spend some money.
Put it all together, and you can say that Naples really does have the wind in its sails, literally and figuratively. After all, America's cup is here
in 2027.
QUEST (voice over): Today, the city is focused on adapting to a changing climate, so its traditions and cultures can live on for centuries to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Magnificent!
We will be returning in a moment. Tonight, we are joining you from the wonderful terrace from the Hotel San Francesco Al Monte here in Naples. It
has given us a stunning view of the city. I wish that cruise ship hadn't left earlier, but it has, and the fireworks have just finished over there.
But the city is gorgeous.
And when we return, we will be discussing with the professor the economics of it all and with the mayor of Naples, who will also be joining us.
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight live in Napoli or Naples or was it Napoli? You make your mind up!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:18:12]
QUEST: Welcome back to QUEST MEANS BUSINESS from Naples. The city has become a magnet for people visiting Southern Italy.
Over the course of this program, I will ask you why this could get you into some serious trouble if you ask for it on a particular dish.
You can imagine where I am going with that. You'll see later.
As we touched on earlier, the number of visitors here in Naples has risen dramatically over the last few years. Twenty million tourists came here
last year alone. Of course, most of them were Italians coming from within Italy. But now, overtourism, the city runs the risk of overtourism.
I spoke to the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, who told me he thinks that his administration and the city are taking all the necessary
precautions against overtourism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR GAETANO MANFREDI, NAPLES, ITALY: Tourism is important for Naples, for us, from an economic point of view, because there is a very distributed job
in the city, and this is important for a city with a large number of people like Naples, but also because of the tourism is the opportunity to increase
the international level of the city because the presence of a lot of international tourists is important also for the change of the city.
QUEST: But the management of that tourism.
MANFREDI: Yes.
QUEST: You're on record as talking about needing to govern it and to, rather than ban, you want to sort of manage, govern and regulate, but can
you do that?
MANFREDI: Yes. We have a policy for the government of the tourism industry.
QUEST: Right.
[16:20:00]
MANFREDI: Yes. Because we have two different problems. One problem is the problem of the hotels and of bed and breakfast.
QUEST: B&B problem.
MANFREDI: B&B problem in order to avoid the presence of a lot of number of B&B in the historical center of the city, and we have now a program -- a
urban program with a level of authorization in each part of the city in order to avoid a large number of bed and breakfast and this is a problem.
QUEST: Now, most places are battling cruise ships. They have them. Lisbon, for example, has lots of them. They don't really like them. But you seem to
welcome them.
MANFREDI: For us, the crew is an important part of our tourism because we have visitors for one day, but there is of our analysis, there is an impact
on the economy of the city from the tourism also. And therefore, we have a number of people that come from the cruise that stay in the city. And this
is for us, is not a negative. Now, for the level that we have is not a negative solution.
QUEST: But yesterday I counted four of them.
MANFREDI: Yes, yes.
QUEST: I mean, that's huge.
MANFREDI: They move in the city to visit the city.
QUEST: No, no, but four big --
MANFREDI: Four big ships. Yes.
QUEST: Four big ships. We have -- the top in our of number of ships are four because we are for position for the cruise in the center of the city.
QUEST: Does it justify, I mean at the end of the day, the people come off the ship.
MANFREDI: Yes.
QUEST: They come in, they buy souvenirs.
MANFREDI: Yes, they buy, but --
QUEST: They eat on the ship.
MANFREDI: Yes.
QUEST: They sleep on the ship.
MANFREDI: Yes.
QUEST: So where is the money coming into?
MANFREDI: In our analysis, for each man from a cruise, the impact is, is 150 euro for the city.
QUEST: That's your analysis?
MANFREDI: Yes, yes.
QUEST: How can you get that high?
MANFREDI: They buy something in the center of the city. They eat something, and therefore there is an impact in the --
QUEST: But you'd like to increase that.
MANFREDI: Not increase it. But this level is for us is okay.
QUEST: It is okay.
MANFREDI: Yes. This level.
QUEST: What for you is the favorite part of Naples.
MANFREDI: But I like contamination of our city because in our city, in my city, we have the history, we have the tradition, and we have the
innovation and the contact between the contamination, between tradition and innovation is the energy of Naples. And this is very important because, the
capacity to understand the modern mood of the world is possible in Naples.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: That is the mayor of Naples.
With me, Salvatore Capasso is a professor of economics at the University of Naples, Parthenope. He is also the Director of the Institute for Studies on
the Mediterranean at the Italian National Research Council.
So, in other words, you know a good deal about the economy of this part of the world.
SALVATORE CAPASSO, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, UNIVERSITY OF NAPLES, PARTHENOPE; DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR STUDIES ON THE MEDITERRANEAN,
ITALIAN NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL: I hope so, I hope so. It depends what you are going to ask me.
QUEST: Right, so, well, the phrase people talk about Naples is it is gritty, it is different. But tourism is becoming a much more important part
of the Naples economy. Is that right?
CAPASSO: Apparently. Apparently. Because Naples is not only tourism, Naples has got industries as well. I mean, it depends what are you talking about?
Is it only the center of the city or the greater city? Because you see, the city in itself is 900,000 people. The greater city is three million people
and it has got an aerospace industry, pharmaceutical --
QUEST: Now, does it have those industries? I know the mayor is talking a great deal about new industries. Apple is here, digital industries. How
realistic is it for Naples to be fighting in those areas now?
CAPASSO: I think it is very realistic because, you know, the world is changing and it is changing very fast and it is changing also in the
Mediterranean and Naples is in the center of the Mediterranean.
Economic geography is changing and is pushing Mediterranean at the center and this push Naples as well.
[16:25:10]
QUEST: One of the things that people always talk about Naples is that it has got a sort of, my words, I mean, I am choosing my words carefully, a
sort of a second class feeling in terms of those more powerful Italian cities elsewhere, such as Rome, obviously the capital, Milan, the financial
center, Turin up in the north -- these highly industrial cities.
CAPASSO: Yes, partly, yes, but of course, I don't want to -- we have to say in inverted commas, Naples has a long history. This is the new polis. It
was destroyed. It was called Parthenope, rebuilt I mean, more than 3,000 years ago. It is a very rooted city in history. So it has got a strong
backbone.
And I think many revolution starts from Naples. So Naples, I don't think, is very timid towards other Italian cities in this sense.
QUEST: Finally, as we look to the future with Naples, what do you think -- what do you think is going to be the strength of this place?
CAPASSO: Oh, I see -- I think Naples has got some assets. These assets are changing value around the world. Geo position -- geographical position,
culture, and these things are making Naples and the city more valuable in terms of possibility for future change.
Of course, you need a ground for this to happen, and you need good institutions. You need human capital, you need an environment which help
these things to go ahead.
QUEST: All of which needs to be developed and encouraged. I am very grateful to you, Professor. Thank you very much.
Last question. Tell me, last question, would you ever put pineapple on a pizza?
CAPASSO: Never.
QUEST: What?
CAPASSO: Never. I would never put the pineapple on a pizza.
QUEST: You sure?
CAPASSO: I am sure.
QUEST: I can't entice you?
CAPASSO: No!
QUEST: I will explain more about this a little later.
A remarkable promise by Donald Trump to the voters ahead of the midterms. We will hear why he will give every American a dividend of $5,000.00. The
whys and what -- it sounds like a bribe. Is it? QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight, live from Naples.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:30:56]
QUEST: Hello, I'm Richard Quest. There's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment when $5,000 for every American adult, it's being called the Trump
dividend. The question, of course, is whether it is legal. And some Neapolitans think that this should be illegal, pineapple on a pizza. I like
it. It's called a Hawaiian. Well, we'll ask our chef about that.
We're going to get to pineapple on pizzas after the news because this is CNN, and on this network, the news always comes first.
Oil prices are climbing higher after the Iran-backed Houthis captured a port on the Red Sea. The global benchmark, which is the Brent crude,
settled at more than $107 a barrel. The U.S. benchmark WTI hit 102. These are the highest levels that we've seen since mid-May.
The European Union -- the European Central Bank, I should say, is responding by raising interest rates for the second time this year. The
rates are going to go up by a quarter of a percentage point as part of the effort to try and tackle growing inflation caused by the U.S. war with
Iran. The European Central Bank says inflation is likely to remain high for an extended period, and the outlook is highly uncertain.
The U.S. Supreme Court has once again rejected a plan to redraw voting maps in the state of Missouri. The decision is a blow to President Trump's
efforts to give Republicans a better chance to keep their majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November. An activist
group had argued that a new congressional map would lead to confusion amongst voters.
$5,000 for every American adult if the Republicans win the midterms. It's an extraordinary promise that was made by President Donald Trump at the
first ever Republican national mid-term convention. The U.S. president will be back tonight at the event. It's being called Trumpapalooza by his
supporters. They appeared thrilled as he outlined the details of his plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here is my promise. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate,
both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for
$5,000.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Is it legal? The U.S. Code of Law says, in quotes, "Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his
vote, or to vote for or against any candidate, and whoever solicits, accepts, or receives -- of his vote or the withholding of his vote shall be
fined under this title in prison by not more than a year or both. And if the violation was willful, shall be fined by one or two years, or both."
Elie Honig is here to untangle the legal jargon for us.
Is this legal, Elie? Or is it gray area skirting the law?
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Richard, I think the promise itself is almost certainly legal. However, there are serious legal
questions about the promised payment separate from the promise itself. So you landed on exactly the right statute where I was going to start. It is a
crime to say to someone in the United States, if you vote for me, I will pay you in exchange for your vote.
But what Donald Trump says is actually a bit different than that. You can say, and people do say, politicians do say all the time, if I win, if my
party wins, we will enact policies that will result in more money in your pockets.
[16:35:06]
For example, politicians of both parties often say, if we win, if I win, I will put in place tax refunds. You will have X more in your pocket. If I
win, we will change property tax codes to benefit you. Several politicians, primarily Democrats, promised in 2020 if I win, we will pay out COVID
relief checks to people. And so that type of speech, the latter type of speech, is protected under our First Amendment.
And there was a Supreme Court case in 1982, Richard, where the court unanimously, all liberal justices, all conservative justices, agreed in an
opinion written by the famous liberal justice William Brennan that said the latter type of promise is not a crime. It is protected broadly under the
First Amendment.
There are questions about whether and how Trump can actually deliver that $5,000 legally, but that's separate from the promise itself.
QUEST: Now, except, all we hear talking about the spirit versus the letter, because the element of quid pro quo here seems to be more direct and
quantifiable than I'll lower your taxes if I win. This is basically saying, if you give me this, I will give you that. And I sort of, I mean, the smell
test here, Elie. The smell test.
HONIG: Yes. Look, you are right to draw the distinction between the spirit and the letter, but the letter is really what matters here. When you're
talking about the First Amendment, remember, we in the United States construe the First Amendment extremely broadly, especially when it comes to
political speech.
QUEST: All right.
HONIG: And so, yes, you can say, look, everyone understands the offer Trump is making amounts to a quid pro quo, but that's not the way he phrased it.
If he phrased it and said, hey, everyone here in this convention hall tonight, I want you to go out and vote for me. And if you do that, you will
be paid $5,000. A distinction here, by the way, I should note, is the way Trump expresses, I don't see how it's really different from many
politicians saying, if you vote for me, I will give a tax rebate of X dollars.
People do that all the time. And the difference here is the promised benefit. Again, I think there are serious doubts about whether and how
Trump can deliver that, but the promised benefit here would go to everybody, whether they voted for Donald Trump or not. It would be
universal in nature. And by the way, in that Supreme Court decision that I told you about from '82, the justices said voters may not buy this.
QUEST: Right.
HONIG: Voters may rightly be skeptical of this kind of promise, but it's not punishable given our First Amendment.
QUEST: Finally, I guess this is more my bailiwick than yours. But just ponder this fact. It would cost over $1 trillion, $1.2, $1.3 trillion if
this were to be enacted or if this were to take place, which of course is not -- a final question for you, Elie. You seem like the sort of man who
enjoys a pizza every now and again. Because I'm in Naples tonight. Would you ever put pineapple on a pizza?
HONIG: OK, so first of all, as to the $1 trillion point, that perfectly tees up what I was going to say before, which is the president cannot give
out $1 trillion. He would need to go through Congress. Congress controls the power of the purse, the spending power.
Now, to your important question about pizza. I live in New Jersey. I think that not only should pineapple on pizza be illegal, I actually think it
should be a crime, not a felony, but a misdemeanor to put pineapple on pizza. I strenuously object to it. I think it's a sin, and I don't think
anyone should ever put pineapple on pizza.
QUEST: You're just playing to the audience here, Elie. You're playing to the audience here in Naples. Good to see you, sir.
HONIG: I speak from the heart.
QUEST: Thank you for joining us tonight.
HONIG: Thanks, Richard. Thank you.
QUEST: Absolutely.
Now we are in Naples tonight, which is the birthplace of pizza. There's only -- there are also the most extraordinary number of rules and
regulations about how pizza should, can and will be made with or without pineapple. Just smell very good. It really does. After the break, we'll
learn about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:41:57]
QUEST: Welcome back to QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight from Naples or Napoli, whichever you want to call it. We'll take either. We talked earlier in the
program about the record-breaking heat wave and the record temperatures. Well, now global coral reefs are in decline globally as climate change
continues to fuel marine heat waves and mass bleaching events are taking place.
Things may be about to get a great deal worse. Scientists predicting a strong El Nino this year, and that could raise temperatures to dangerous
levels today.
On "Call to Earth," CNN's Bijan Hosseini is in French Polynesia, continuing our coverage on Coral Gardeners, an organization dedicated to reef
restoration. It's all part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER (voice-over): This is a morning commute I could get used to. Geared up in the crew uniform.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you're ready.
HOSSEINI: I feel ready.
(Voice-over): I'm catching a ride on the unmistakable black boats of Coral Gardeners, a fixture on the lagoon surrounding Moorea. It's mid-August,
which is the busiest time of year for their reef restoration team.
This is your office. I don't think I've ever seen water this clear. How often are you out here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Coral Gardener Taiano and reef restoration manager Jono have brought me to (INAUDIBLE). It's the largest of seven nursery
sites that they manage across French Polynesia.
TAIANO TEIHO, CORAL GARDENERS: Welcome to our main nursery. That's where we have mostly the -- all the corals that we harvest in the water. So we get
them grow big enough to outplant them back onto the reef.
HOSSEINI: And is that what these guys are doing over here? Are they out planting right now?
TEIHO: Exactly. There is a part of the team who are out planting some of the big corals that we have.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): Every July through October before the summer heat and humidity kick in, they spend most days collecting coral, nurtured for
up to two years in their nurseries, and then they attach them back on the nearby reef. But this season has added pressure. With a potentially record
breaking El Nino arriving here in just a few months, they're hoping to super boost the reef by out planting more heat resilient coral than ever
before.
TEIHO: Pretty amazing, no?
HOSSEINI: Man, it's an underground city. You said how much coverage now?
TEIHO: We started about 20 percent coverage. Right now we have 55 percent coral coverage.
HOSSEINI: How long will it take to get to 100?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Years and years.
HOSSEINI (voice-over): They've been restoring the site since 2020. So it's taken nearly seven years, and surviving 2024's global mass bleaching event
to get to this point. It's a practice and patience and perseverance, but it is working.
But you're right. Just by putting the coral out there, you see all the life you said you've given home to.
[16:45:01]
(Voice-over): One thing is clear. There is no rest for the weary here, and the guys are now teaching me how to fragment coral in order to refill the
nursery. Suffice to say, I'm going to need a lot more practice.
The coral is so fragile, so it's -- you know, you're worried that you're going to chop it off too much or chisel off too much. Also, it's just -- it
takes so much patience, but you're also running out of breath. So you got to make sure that you're keeping your body calm. Man, it's hard work. And
then these guys make it look easy.
(Voice-over): Each fragment is tied to a rope.
It's harder than it looks.
(Voice-over): Each rope gets 15 fragments.
That's good. Look at that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's good, that's good.
HOSSEINI: Hey.
(Voice-over): And this rope we've adopted as our own. I'll be back to check up on the progress of the coral on our rope. But I'll leave its care to the
professionals and hope for the best in the coming months.
What happens if it is a really, really strong El Nino? And you do lose some coral? What happens after that?
TEIHO: Me, I want to say, you know, it's nature is the winner most of the time. So we're just going to adapt ourselves.
HOSSEINI: And you learn from it, don't you?
TEIHO: Exactly. You know, we are practitioners. We try, we fail, we adapt, we improve. And if it works, that's good. But if it's more in the DNA
proper research, we're going to need everybody's heads to help on that to help them better.
HOSSEINI: Thanks for bringing me out today.
TEIHO: You're welcome.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome.
HOSSEINI: And I will come back out tomorrow, and the next day and the next day and the next day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Bijan enjoying the beautiful waters. And head to CNN.com/CalltoEarth for more.
This is CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: A warm welcome. I say warm it's been a very warm week here. Look at that. Isn't Naples looking absolutely gorgeous? What a fantastic city.
We're joining you tonight live from the Hotel San Francesco al Monte in Naples. We're on their fourth floor. Magnificent terrace. And they have
been very kind and helpful to us. And we're delighted to be here.
People in Naples can be very particular about their food and drink. Not surprisingly. For instance, you're only supposed to have a cappuccino in
the morning.
[16:50:01]
For the rest of the day, it's an espresso, a double espresso, it's a macchiato, but no more cappuccino. What other -- the other one that's non-
negotiable is the proper pizza. Now, the classic margherita has only five ingredients. The pizza dough, the San Marzano tomatoes, the buffalo
mozzarella, the fresh basil leaves, an extra virgin olive oil drizzled on. There are no other toppings. No pepperoni, no sausage, no vegetables.
This is what it looks like. With me is Peter Surace. He's the instructor at the True Neapolitan Pizza Association.
Is that right?
PETER SURACE, INSTRUCTOR, TRUE NEAPOLITAN PIZZA ASSOCIATION: It's -- you're very right. It's a very, very simple product. And of course, it's made with
what is actually grown here in Naples. So we produce the cheese, the tomato, the basil. And of course this is actually the expression of the
authenticity and of course of the identity of the Neapolitan.
QUEST: But it's more than just that. It's also about the cress, the size of the crust, the size -- I tried to get somebody to slice a pizza so I could
just have a slice. They wouldn't do it.
SURACE: Absolutely right. Because pizza is actually something that you eat by yourself. It's actually born as a street food. So it was eaten by
folding and --
QUEST: Sure. Right.
SURACE: The idea of how you should eat it, it should be folded.
QUEST: This could get messy. What?
SURACE: In a wallet shape. So you should have this as your, as your snack.
QUEST: Are you serious?
SURACE: Snack, lunch, dinner at any time, it's good pizza, I could say.
QUEST: No, it's -- and it's even better in cold. The next morning straight. And what about these toppings, though, that people now have and all these
things? Or for example, the Chicago deep pan pizza, which is very popular.
SURACE: I know, I know, it's very popular because actually it's something like very global pizza. And of course, it's actually conquered most of the
world. And we can say Americans are in love with pizza. But of course they try to make it their own. But we always have to remember that Neapolitan
pizza is born in Naples and is actually the big -- the godfather of all pizzas.
QUEST: And you also sometimes fry the pizza, which seems to me almost bizarre. You take the pizza, you fry it, you make it into like a big sort
of --
SURACE: Yes, you make like this cone shape. But you have to understand that makes -- this is why pizza is so popular because it's very versatile.
QUEST: Right.
SURACE: And actually it's always very good because we cannot say fried food is not delicious.
QUEST: And how, how strict are the rules about all of this?
SURACE: I work for the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. And --
QUEST: The what?
SURACE: Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which is actually born to protect and of course to make people understand what is actually true
Neapolitan pizza.
QUEST: How do you mean? What do you mean protect? How do you protect pizza?
SURACE: Hey, because imagine, as you said, Chicago. Chicago style, it's a style of pizza. But definitely it's very, very far away from what is
actually the real true pizza and it's Neapolitan.
QUEST: Right. Pass me this. I have now a question. So I actually like -- it's called a Hawaiian. I'm sure you're familiar. I actually like a bit of
pineapple on my pizza. And before we hear from you and you fall over and -- have a listen about when I asked people here in Naples what they thought
about the idea of pineapple on a pizza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the pizza, the pizza, just margherita, mister. Just this. There are one pizza, margherita marinara. Nothing else.
QUEST: No pineapples.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing else. Sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. No.
QUEST: No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
QUEST: No?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. La pizza pomodoro, mozzarella or Basilico. Pizza Napoletana.
QUEST: Ready for this? Where's the pineapple?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pineapple. No, no, no, no. Pineapple.
QUEST: Where's the pineapple?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. Pineapple no pizza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Have you ever made pizza with pineapple?
SURACE: Never. Never. I think it doesn't suit. But you know, it's a global food now, pizza. So everybody is trying to make it their own in a way. And
we know in America they like fusion food and pineapple probably for American people stands as an ingredient on top of their pizza.
QUEST: You're just dripping with contempt at the thought of it, sir.
SURACE: Absolutely. For me it's disgraceful. Of course.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: Thank you very much for joining me. Show me once again how I fold this.
SURACE: Basically you fold it -- you fold it like in a wallet shape.
QUEST: Right.
SURACE: And then like this. And the idea is actually that you start to bite from the top. But this is actually made because this is actually how it's
born the fast food. Neapolitan pizza is fast food, but it's actually also street food. And this is the way how you should eat it on the streets.
QUEST: I shall try that in a moment. Thank you very much.
SURACE: Absolutely.
[16:55:01]
QUEST: Let's take a look and see how the markets close. Oh, my goodness. I shall take this. Wall Street closed lower. Quite sharply lower indeed, as
oil prices and U.S. bond yields jumped higher. And now the Dow is down 316 points. It spent all day in the red.
Apple, interestingly, after announcing that Duo or whatever it's called, it's 3.5 percent up. It released its first foldable iPhone. And on the
other side of that coin, chip makers were down. Nvidia down 2.5 percent. IBM down nearly 2.5 percent at the bottom of the heap. The triple stack,
take a look and you'll see where we are overall with the Dow, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500. They were all lower and seemingly not likely to rise
anytime soon.
We will take a break a -- we'll take a break with a "Profitable Moment" afterwards. Pineapple on its own. Is that OK? Pineapple on its own. We're
allowed that. That's very good.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Tonight's "Profitable Moment."
Close-eyed viewers will have noticed that the knot of my tie is different. Instead of a full Windsor, I've gone for a one and a half. The tie comes
from one of the fashionable tie makers and suits and shirt makers here in Naples. They do things and they're very fussy about how they want things
done. And that's the beauty of being here in Naples.
I'm well familiar with the idea that you don't have a cappuccino after breakfast in Italy, but I like cappuccino later in the day. So I've come up
with this lovely phrase, a cappuccino with no judgment, please. The waiter still looks at me like I'm committing some heinous offense when I take this
milky drink after 11:00 a.m.. I don't care.
And I still will be putting pineapple on my pizza because I like it. But what I've loved about being here in Naples is the grittiness of the place.
My producer is wincing at the very word, having heard me say it so many times. But this will be the home of the America's Cup in 2027. The tourism
boom is underway. There is huge money being spent on infrastructure, roads, the promenade.
It will all take its turn and time, but for the time being at least, Naples is the city that's being rediscovered and which is refreshing, bearing in
mind Pompeii is just over there by Vesuvius. We will get to all of that in "World of Wonder" which you can see next month, but that is QUEST MEANS
BUSINESS for this Thursday night. I'm Richard Quest in Napoli. Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable.
END
