CNN.com - Transcripts (2024)

[16:00:07]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Closing bell ringing on Wall Street. Dow having a very strong late rally, up more than 400 points. One, two,

three -- oh, I thought we were going to get a fourth gavel there, but we didn't. A strong, well, that wasn't that strong a gavel on a good day. Dow

up more than one percent. Those are the markets, and the main events that you and I are talking about today.

Our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw. George Clooney calls for President Biden to bow out.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will speak in this hour. You'll hear him on this program.

And a CNN investigation: Airbnb fails to protect guests from those hidden cameras.

Midweek, live from New York. I'm Richard Quest on Wednesday, July the 19th, back in New York, yes, I mean business.

Good evening.

We begin with more calls for Joe Biden to bow out of the election and that is coming from the Halls of Congress to the hills of Hollywood.

George Clooney, a lifelong Democrat, wrote a devastating column in "The New York Times" entitled, "I Love Joe Biden, But We Need A New Nominee."

Mr. Clooney has been one of Biden's biggest supporters. Only last month, he led a Hollywood fundraiser, one of the largest ever that brought in $28

million for the Biden campaign.

He now writes, "It is devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe "Big F-deal" Biden of

2010. He wasn't even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

The Biden campaign is struggling to calm democratic doubters, particularly in Congress. New York lawmaker Pat Ryan has urged Biden to step aside for

the good of the country. Senator Blumenthal says he is deeply concerned about Biden's election bid.

Even the former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has vigorously defended Joe Biden appears to be changing her tune.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): It is up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We're all encouraging him to make that decision. I want him

to do whatever he decides to do, and that's the way it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Jeff Zeleny is with me.

George Clooney, I mean, he is an extremely savvy, respected member of the political class in a sense, he knows what he is talking about. He didn't

make this comment by accident and it is devastating.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Richard, it is. And you played the sound there from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and read the

words of George Clooney and there is a good reason to believe I am told that those are interrelated.

This is something that George Clooney announced today, obviously, nearly two weeks after the debate. What has happened during that time, President

Biden has decided to dig his heels in and go forward, and this is something that coming out with today saying the same Joe Biden on the debate stage

was the one he witnessed three weeks ago at a Los Angeles fundraiser. That is devastating.

That is something that none of the president's advisers have said and George Clooney spent a lot of time with President Biden at that fundraiser.

He has been at the White House considerably. He holds him in high regard. They are friends.

So this is not just some celebrity popping off. This is someone who witnessed what he saw, and we've talked to many other people in that

fundraising audience in Los Angeles who were also concerned.

But it is Speaker Pelosi's words that ring the loudest here in Washington and this is why. She said, it is up to the president to make his decision.

Of course, the White House would say the president has made his decision, but Speaker Pelosi reopened the door, if you will.

She allowed this conversation to continue and she said at the end of the week, we will have a conversation about this. So clearly, sending a very

direct signal to the White House and indeed the re-election campaign that she does not believe this matter is solved. She and other party leaders and

party elders are going to take at least one more stab at perhaps persuading the president to make another decision.

So this is something that she did not say by accident.

[16:05:10]

She chooses her words very carefully.

QUEST: Jeff, the Clooney article says, "I have spoken to numerous politicians and every single one of them says he shouldn't run despite what

they may say in public."

So now we are getting even, it is getting almost hypocritical that you have politicians saying one thing publicly, another thing privately. But really

everybody wants Biden out the race.

ZELENY: Look, most people do, but because they are worried not for his legacy as much as the potential impact on the Democratic ticket. It is one

thing to lose the White House to Donald Trump, it is another thing to lose the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.

So certainly there is a growing groundswell, at least behind the scenes and publicly, people are cracking as well. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado

told Kaitlan Collins on CNN just last evening that Biden can't win, that Donald Trump will win the election.

So people are speaking out who are not in competitive races, who feel that they don't have anything to lose necessarily, but this remains one person's

decision, that's President Biden's. He has been meeting with world leaders today and by all accounts, having a very good NATO meeting.

So we do not know if he is going to respond to any of these calls to get out. So far, he hasn't. So as we sit here at midweek, time is on the

president's side. It is running out for them to make a different nominee.

QUEST: Jeff, I'm grateful.

Paul Begala is with me, Democratic strategist, CNN political commentator, and the man we turn to on this things, well, a lot has happened since we

spoke last week and nothing has happened since we spoke last week, in a sense.

But reading the Clooney article or the Clooney op-ed, the thing I was most struck with was when he destroyed Biden's argument that he says 17 million

people voted for me and what Clooney says is yes, they may well have done, but the facts have changed.

And as John Maynard Keynes famously said, when the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? And that sort of thing, you know, the

Democrats are using that argument against the Republicans that the facts of changed, he is convicted felon, but it seems to be not applicable to them.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that's right. I mean, I think that loyalty is to be priced in politics. It is. At the same

time, so is fidelity to the truth.

Parties exist to win, that's why they exist. They're not a church, they're not a family. They are collection of people and interest groups who want to

win and I am hearing -- yes, I am hearing the same as George, by the way, who came from Northern Kentucky to be the biggest movie star in the whole

wide world. He is a very impressive man, a really smart guy, very politically savvy. But he is not the only one.

Zeleny's report is exactly right. We've heard today from Ritchie Torres, who is in his 30s. He is a remarkable progressive young congressman from

New York. We heard from Pat Ryan, who is from upstate of Ritchie, who is a combat veteran and from a different wing of the party from Torres.

Senator Bennet last night on CNN. Michael Bennet of Colorado, no bomb- thrower heat. He fears a landslide. So it is all lining up.

I think, look, as a longtime Democrat, here is my counsel to Democrats. Nancy take the wheel. You know, there's that great country song, "Jesus

Take the Wheel." I just want Nancy to take the wheel, and I think she is.

I think she is the most able leader in the Democratic Party today and she herself, after she crossed 80 or 81 handed off the gavel to Hakeem

Jeffries. The world still turned on its axis. The Democratic Party was still strong. She built a very good bench.

And I think her example of leadership can really show the way for President Biden.

QUEST: The other phrase that comes to my mind when I look at particularly again with Clooney saying I was there in California. I saw the same man is

the emperor's new clothes.

It is just taking somebody again and again almost to say this is not the case. The man cannot do it. It is the emperor's new clothes. We've got to

move.

BEGALA: Well, in fact, as a Democrat, I ran into one of these young 20- something former Trump aides who resigned after January 6, renounced Trump and announced themselves to be never Trumpers. These are young women who

have received death threats and now they are looking at the Democrats and some of the most powerful people in America don't have the courage that a

20-something woman has to take on Trump.

And by the way, you're not going to get death threats by opposing Biden. The Democratic Party is still a political party, not a cult.

[16:10:10]

And I have been embarrassed. I can confirm what Clooney said, not that I've talked to George, but that everyone I talk to says something in private

along the lines of what George is hearing, which is Dear God, I am worried that he can't win. I am worried that he will cost us the House and the

Senate. We will have a united MAGA government. It is that dire.

And yet they go on the floor, they go and see the president and they lose their spine.

QUEST: So, Paul, it is too serious to sort of have a betting question, but if -- does he go? With all of your decades of experience, does he

eventually go?

BEGALA: You know, Herb Stein, the economist in the Nixon administration used to say if something is unsustainable, it will stop. Right? If

something can't continue, it won't.

The timeline I keep hearing and Speaker Emerita Pelosi hinted at this this morning is, look Joe Biden is the leader of the free world. The 75th NATO

Summit is critically important with Putin on the march on the European continent, critically important to stiffen NATO's resolve and by the way,

under Joe Biden, we've gone from nine countries spending two percent GDP on defense to 23. Twenty-three of the 33 under Biden. It was nine under Trump,

23.

So Biden is doing a masterful job of leading the free world. I think Speaker Emerita this morning said, let's all back off. Let him lead NATO

and lead the world, and then once the NATO Summit is over, Sunday, maybe Monday, he will go to Austin, Texas. Hell speak at the LBJ Library

commemorating the Civil Rights legislation.

LBJ himself handed off power. Nobody loved power more than LBJ, but he handed off power and declined to run.

I wonder if there is some historical symmetry there.

QUEST: Paul, you are brilliant at reading the runes. Thank you, sir.

I'm grateful to you. You'll be back. We will have you -- we will continue to talk this one through. Thank you, sir. Paul Begala.

BEGALA: I always love seeing you, Richard. Thank you.

QUEST: Thank you.

Now President Biden on that very point of NATO is urging the alliance to boost defense production to counter Russia. The appeal was made in remarks

at the NATO Summit a short time ago right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right now, Russia is on a wartime footing with regard to defense production. They've -- they are

significantly ramping up their production of weapons, munitions, and vehicles and they are doing it with the help of China, North Korea, and

Iran.

We cannot, in my view, we cannot allow the Alliance to fall behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: As NATO allies now announcing the first F-16 fighter jets are making their way to Ukraine from Denmark and The Netherlands with the support of

the US and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says, they will send a clear signal to Russia.

Alex Marquardt, is at the NATO Summit.

Alex, from your reading of the room, are they -- they are united, but how much are they prepared to put in terms of firepower -- dollars, cents --

towards this now?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think quite a bit. They are quite ready and that is really the main message that they are

trying to send from this Summit, is telling Putin directly you cannot wait us out. We will continue to support Ukraine in a very robust manner.

So there is the symbolism of sending not just these F-16s which Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would be in the air this summer, but also the

air defenses that President Biden promised last night.

Tomorrow, a number of the allies here are going to be announcing a defense compact, which is just more of this support that the NATO Alliance is

showing for Ukraine.

So you have both the short-term implications of how this military weaponry can affect the battlefield, and Richard, those two things I just mentioned,

air defenses and F-16s, they are not going to have immediate implications in terms of being able to push the Russians back, but they certainly do

send a very strong message.

So while so much of this Summit is distracted by what is going on here in the US politically, no doubt that the 32-country Alliance, now it is 32,

are going to emerge from this summit with a very strong message of support for Ukraine. But of course, Richard, the question then becomes, what

happens in November? And that's exactly what President Zelenskyy said last night.

Everybody is thinking about November, about the US election because things could change very quickly if Donald Trump is the next US president. He is

tepidly supportive of NATO at best, he has shown distain, of course, for the NATO Alliance.

He has talked about letting Russia "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO Allies who don't pay their dues, in his opinion. So there is a lot of

thinking about what could happen in the next few months here in Washington -- Richard.

QUEST: Alex Marquardt who is in Washington. I am grateful, sir.

And after the break, the Latvian foreign minister will be with me to give a perspective on exactly how far, Latvia of course on the frontline in many

ways. We will about that after the break.

QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:50]

QUEST: The death toll from Russia's strikes in Ukraine on Monday has now risen to 44. Russian shelling has continued in the days since. It all comes

as NATO members are meeting in Washington.

Baiba Braze is the Latvian foreign minister. She joins me from the NATO Summit.

So Minister, thank you, all armaments -- more armaments are going. The rhetoric that the strength of wording is very good in terms of NATO's

unity. What can go wrong here in your view?

BAIBA BRAZE, LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Hello, and thanks for having me.

Indeed, it has been so far a very successful Summit under the strong leadership of the US President Biden, so we have had an excellent first

session. The declaration has been agreed, so we will have a very, very strong statement on both the deterrence and defense package for NATO

itself. So strengthening our own security, allied unity, where the US of course plays a leading role.

US needs friends. We need friends, so we are altogether in that, and of course support to Ukraine, but also very clearly work with partners around

the globe to address other challenges.

We know China is a challenge.

QUEST: Right.

BRAZE: We have terrorists threats from the south, so there is everything. So we have covered it all.

QUEST: Now, I will try not to him enmesh too much in US domestic politics, but you are of course expecting, we do ask you how Latvia will view US and

NATO, where President Trump, if he wins in November.

The unofficial word is that you in Europe, all resign to the fact that Donald -- you may have to work with Donald Trump after November. Is that

your position, too?

BRAZE: Well, Richard, you are totally right. I don't advise any diplomat or foreign minister to comment on other countries' internal politics. We have

worked well with the previous Trump administration. It will be American democratic choice to elect the president and we will work with any

administration.

[16:20:03]

It is essential for America to have friends around the world and there is no closer friend than countries in NATO. We are there for each other and we

have seen that in the past, it has worked well, 75 years. Nobody has been attacked. And that is how it will be in the future, so we will just work

with whoever is elected.

QUEST: Right. But let's take, for example, Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary going to visit Russia, going to see China, all of these other

countries that Viktor Orban, getting almost slapped down by the president of the Council.

There is, I won't say disunity in Europe, but there is certainly not everybody singing from the same page.

BRAZE: Quite clearly, Prime Minister Orban went on his own. That was his own visit. It was not on behalf of the EU, not on behalf of Latvia. We

wouldn't do that.

It was his choice and yes, that's what it was and it doesn't mean that Hungary is not an ally. Hungary is still an ally, and a reliable ally with

the NATO. But again, as far as the EU presidency choices are concerned, that's a different matter.

QUEST: How strong do you think the EU position is looking coming out of the elections recently? This shift to the right. The question of the next

president of the Commission, and at the same time, the level of disinformation during whether it be the UK election, the US election, that

Russia is said to be putting out, and Latvia is on the frontline here, aren't you?

BRAZE: The information operations including propaganda disinformation has been all the USSR's weapon of choice since the first day of establishment

of USSR and Russia has not changed that. It is part of its instruments of power, how it uses hostile information operations to try to penetrate our

societies, undermine our business interests around the world, prioritize itself, trying to split societies, undermine democracies, freedoms, and so

on and so forth.

So our societies have to be aware that this is happening and have to be very clear that as far as the Russian information operations, Chinese

operations in the information sphere is not going to succeed.

But the electoral choices, and of course, people's unhappiness with certain issues, we have seen that migration is a big issue in Europe, we have to

respect that and we, as politicians have to really work very clearly to try to address it and that's a different matter.

But again, I cannot say that the electoral choice is because Russia has achieved certain successes. No, it is up to us, it is for us to really

address those issues the people are concerned with.

QUEST: Minister, I am grateful to you as always. Thank you so much for taking time and having to talk to us.

Thank you.

It is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight. The secretary-general of NATO will be speaking commemorating the alliance's 75th Anniversary. Well talk about

that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:26:58]

QUEST: NATO Sec-Gen Jen Stoltenberg is expected to do a press conference in just a few moments. The Alliance have announced they will soon supply

Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and President Biden told allies they must ramp up their production to keep pace with Russia.

Ian Bremmer is the president of the Eurasia Group and G-ZERO Media. Ian is with me.

Ian, hopefully we've got a couple of questions and answers before assuming he is on time as they say.

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT, EURASIA GROUP: Sure.

QUEST: NATO is showing remarkable united front, but at the same time the elephant in the room is President Biden's condition and NATO members

basically wondering what's going to happen in the US political system. Is that fair?

BREMMER: I think it is very fair. It is very fair because you have a strong level of not only coordination, but also coordination that the president of

Ukraine is on board with.

Remember, we've had previous Summits like in Vilnius where Zelenskyy publicly excoriated NATO for not doing enough, not acting fast enough.

That's not what I am hearing right now and it is not that Zelenskyy is so sort of ready to go to join NATO and they are not moving on that, it is

more about help me fight the war more effectively, helped me defend my territory and he is getting that support.

He is getting it with F-16s. More importantly, he is getting it with more air defense, which is absolutely critical. I mean, they don't want to have

more children's hospitals getting hit by the Russians and the Americans are fast tracking that in support with NATO allies. Youve seen it with the

Storm Shadow announcement now the UK is saying that Zelenskyy is going to be able to use those to hit Crimea, hit targets inside Russia as well.

All of these are significant increases in what NATO is doing with and for the Ukrainians, and that is of course the top priority of what NATO is all

about right now.

QUEST: When we saw Prime Minister Modi of India in Russia recently, how badly did that go down with everybody? I mean, it wasn't just a visit, it

was a state visit. There were hugs, there were visits to his home, two best friends almost at a time when the West is basically at war with Russia in a

sense.

BREMMER: It is interesting. Of course, everyone saw the visual of the hug, but there were no takeaways of substance from that Summit. The Russians

wanted a lot more Indian investment. They want a lot more Indian willingness to buy Russian goods and all of that was then said nominally at

some point they are willing to discuss it. But they didn't get anything that they wanted from the Indians.

Meanwhile, India is moving farther and farther away from Russia as a security supplier. India used to be the principal purchaser of military

arms from Russia. That is no longer the case. They are now working more closely with the Americans through the Quad with the Europeans as well.

Now, here is the point, Richard, is that Modi does not want, if there is going to be a crisis or conflict between India and China and they have a

very contentious relationship despite their economic trade, Modi does not want to be so far from Putin that Putin takes China's side.

[16:30:11]

So he wants to be seen as a guy that Putin still finds useful on the international stage, even though they're not working that closely together

anymore. That's why he made the visit. That's why he gave the hug.

And honestly, nobody at NATO is all that concerned about the reality of that relationship. They're much more concerned about the Chinese who

decided to do military exercises on the ground in Belarus, on the Polish border, in the day before the NATO summit. That has gotten a lot of

attention from heads of state that are attending the NATO summit right now.

QUEST: And this other question of President Biden and President Trump, is there an acceptance by NATO, begrudgingly leaders, privately that they

could very -- you know, a President Trump is looking more and more likely?

BREMMER: Absolutely. And let's be clear, with the exception of Orban, Viktor Orban from Hungary, this is a group of leaders that really is

concerned about what Trump would mean for them, what he would mean for the Ukraine support, what he would mean for the viability of a strong E.U. What

he would mean for his support for a lot of populists like Marine Le Pen in France and the AFD in Germany, who have been doing better at the polls in

elections recently.

They are very worried about that. Privately they recognize he is more likely than not to be the next American president. And they don't think

that -- I mean, certainly there's no one attending that thinks that Biden can serve for another four years. That is certainly a unique position. And

we weren't seeing that at the G7 or in Normandy.

QUEST: Right.

BREMMER: We weren't seeing that at the United Nations last year. This has come pretty quickly in terms of -- it's hitting a shock in every meeting

I've had.

QUEST: Mark Rutte, when he takes over, you know, he's been on this program many times. And actually I can't think of a more, when I say competent, I'm

not being begrudging. I can't think of a better candidate that will ease and smooth over from Stoltenberg to Rutte. He knows his way around all of

this stuff, backwards, upside down, inside out, and is the ultimate safe pair of hands.

BREMMER: Yes. I mean, I know Mark well, and I think he's not only all of that, but also strategically very insightful. He's liked by all of the NATO

allies. I mean, even though the Netherlands, of course, is not one of the big spenders itself on defense. But, I mean, even though that's really big

negative and that's one of the reasons the Canadians weren't taken very seriously, Mark is so liked and respected that, I mean, it was fairly easy

to come to consensus that he is the guy that should be taking over NATO going forward.

Look, I don't -- there's no one attending here that actually thinks that there is an existential threat to NATO itself. That's kind of interesting,

Richard, like even if Trump is going to be the president, the fact is that 23 NATO members are now spending 2 percent or more of GDP on defense. And

they are all ramping up. I was just with the Polish foreign minister a few hours ago. I've known him for years. They're 4 percent now, they're moving

up 5 percent next year. They're doing that in part because of the Putin invasion.

QUEST: Right.

BREMMER: In part because of Trump. If Trump becomes president and he says, you know, he takes credit for it, that's much more likely than Trump saying

that's it, I'm getting rid of this thing that I actually made stronger. There aren't a lot of leaders here that are worried that NATO is falling

apart.

QUEST: Whilst we wait for the Sec-Gen, Keir Starmer, his first NATO. How's he doing?

BREMMER: Fine. I mean, he's not changing policy on the United States. He's not changing policy on Russia-Ukraine. He is very interested in rebuilding

relations with the European Union. He spent a lot of time personally with Ursula von der Leyen, who is very likely to get the nod for another five

years running the European Commission. And he would like over time to improve, to stabilize and improve what has been a shambolic U.K.

relationship with the E.U. post-Brexit.

That has helped the British markets a little bit. It's helped, you know, people think more about the U.K. as destination for investment and growth.

I think that's solid, but in terms of NATO, no real change.

QUEST: We're waiting -- he hasn't arrived, so I'll let you go, Ian. It's always good to talk to you. I'm very grateful for that perspective.

[16:35:03]

Ian Bremmer joining me, he in Washington.

Now we will take a short break. That press conference when it happens with Jens Stoltenberg in D.C. The 75th anniversary of NATO. Be assured you'll

hear it on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: A reminder, we are waiting for Jen Stoltenberg at NATO for his speech. While we wait for that, let's queue another matter to your

attention. Juries in New Mexico heard opening statements in the trial of the actor Alec Baldwin. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter. The

prosecutors say he was playing make-believe with a real gun when a crew member was shot dead on the set of the movie "Rust."

Mr. Baldwin's defense attorney says the actor was assured the gun was safe to handle, and then he never even pulled the trigger. Here's a bit of what

they had to say in court today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX SPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This was an unspeakable tragedy. But Alec Baldwin committed no crime. He was an actor acting, playing the role of

Harlan Rust. An actor playing a character and act in ways that are lethal, that just aren't lethal on a movie set. These cardinal rules they're not

cardinal rules on a movie set.

ERLINDA JOHNSON, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: He pointed the gun at another human being, caught the hammer, and pulled that trigger in reckless disregard for

Miss Hutchins' safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Elizabeth Wagmeister is in Los Angeles.

Right. This is off to the races. And how did -- how has day one gone?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: There have been a lot of fireworks in day one, Richard, as we saw there. Opening statements,

both sides coming out very strong with completely different narratives. You see the prosecution there saying that Alec Baldwin violated the cardinal

rule of handling guns safely. They're saying that this was a movie set, but this is very much real life where someone lost their life.

Then you go to the defense and they're saying that the defendant Alec Baldwin is an actor. He was not responsible for handling the guns safely.

That was someone else's job and responsibility on that set. His role was to remember his lines and to perform the job of an actor.

QUEST: OK, so they're setting it all out. As it develops, the defense, it's going to be difficult for the jury, isn't it?

[16:40:06]

Because at the end of the day it really comes down to the oldest question of all, who you believe. He says he didn't touch the trigger. They'll say

did. They say he didn't point it, they'll say he did. It really comes down to -- because we've also seen of course some video evidence of the

aftermath.

WAGMEISTER: Absolutely. And there has been quite a bit of evidence shown just in day one of this trial. They've shown body cam footage from two

responding officers who have taken the witness stand today. They played part of the 911 call. They have showed some clips from the movie. But, you

know, when it comes to the defense, they're basically saying that the prosecution's entire argument doesn't even matter because who put that

bullet in that gun and why was a live bullet on set any way? That's going to be a major question and something that the defense will absolutely focus

on.

But earlier this week, Richard, there was a significant victory for Baldwin's side because the judge ruled that his role as a producer cannot

be brought up in trial. The reason why that matters is because the prosecution had intended to say, as a producer that Alec Baldwin was

essentially the boss and that he held more responsibility on that set. Now this morning, what we are seeing from the defense is they are really

relying and drilling in on the fact that our client is an actor. It is not the job of an actor to handle a gun safely.

The last point that I do want to bring up is the armorer from "Rust," Hannah Gutierrez Reed. She was convicted and sentenced already. So that

will be interesting to see what the jury thinks about that. If the armor was already held accountable, then does that absolve Alec Baldwin in any

way? Again, that will be for the jury to decide.

QUEST: Final thought, you know, these -- I mean, look, somebody died. So it's not a celebrity trial in rah, rah, rah sense. But at the end of the

day, the jury is looking at trying or the jury is trying one of the most famous actors. This man is so well-known. There must be an element of

celebrity, but not circus about the trial.

WAGMEISTER: Absolutely. And there are over 40 news organizations that are credentialed to cover this event.

QUEST: Right.

WAGMEISTER: And it's actually the first celebrity trial to ever take place in New Mexico. So there is somewhat of a media circus and we saw yesterday

in jury selection that many of the questions revolve around whether these jurors could be fair and impartial towards Alec Baldwin, who, as you point

out, Richard, is a celebrity and has been in the public eye for decades. Many people have some pretty strong opinions about him.

So the jurors, they all said that they could be fair and impartial, but of course that is an element here, and that is why this case is getting so

much attention. But, again, we do have to focus on the fact that an innocent life was lost. And again, that's not what this trial is about.

Nobody is saying that anyone here was a cold-blooded murderer. Everybody agrees that this was an accident and a terrible tragedy.

But the prosecution is saying an accident could still be criminal. Baldwin's defense is saying, no, this was an accident, he should not be

held criminally liable.

QUEST: And you'll be watching it every step of the way. And I'm grateful for you for doing so. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.

It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight.

Police in England catch a man suspected of killing three people. And it all ended in a park in North London.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:46:12]

QUEST: A CNN investigation into Airbnb now -- I beg your pardon. We are going now to the NATO secretary general, who is speaking I believe.

Now, let's start that again. I apologize. Talking about the police in England have captured a man suspected of killing BBC's journalist, wife and

daughter. The 26-year-old Kyle Clifford was found in North London after a manhunt that lasted several hours. During the search, people were warned

Clifford may be armed with a crossbow.

The victims were identified as the wife of the racing commentator John Hunt and their two adult daughters. Police believe the victims knew the suspect.

Nic Robertson is in Enfield in England.

Nic, the latest situation. This is a rather -- the way in which the police captured is fascinating.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, John Hunt's wife, Carol, she was 61 years old, his elder daughter Hannah, she was 28, and his

younger daughter, Louise, 25 years old. It was their screams that initially alerted the police about 7:00 p.m. last night to a house about 45 minutes'

drive away from here where we are in Enfield, and by the time the paramedics got on the scene the three women had died.

But CCTV video taken outside that house showed a man carrying what has been described and appears to be a crossbow, puts it in the back of a vehicle.

Now that's when the big manhunt kicked off and the police ending up in this area of North London, leafy suburb of Enfield. And in this cemetery is

where they discovered Clifford.

Now when the police found him, he was injured. In fact, there was footage taken of him being taken out of the cemetery here on a stretcher. Now the

police say no shots were fired. There were very, very heavily armed police here involved in the operation to apprehend him. He was believed to be a

danger. Local people on the street told to lock their doors. People we've talked to here told us that they have that advice to lock the doors.

And one lady just across the street here said she was shocked when she came home and found all these police in her streets. Obviously, it goes without

saying, a triple murder involving a crossbow. Just utterly beyond the expectations of anyone here.

QUEST: Do the police now believe this is all over in a sense? I mean, they've got that person, but nobody else was involved. This isn't going to

suddenly have different tentacles.

ROBERTSON: Not clear. You know, what is clear was the suspect the primary and only suspect that the police have made. The public aware of him in the

past 24 hours is now in hospital receiving treatment. Did he have accomplices in whatever he did? If he did, the police aren't saying it. I

think, you know, look, the details here are utterly gruesome and horrible. The police are saying that he knew the family.

The police are saying that he had a military background. Joined the Household Cavalry in 2019. Left a few years later in 2022. As you know,

that unit based pretty much in the center of London. He is -- Kyle Clifford is the same age as pretty much as John Hunt's daughters but beyond that

information it's not clear if there were others involved or if this ends it for the police. They've got the primary suspect, it seems.

[16:50:00]

But, you know, obviously there are a lot more details to come out about this and, you know, the BBC have described what's happened to their

colleague as utterly devastating. They're giving him the full support that they possibly can. But I think here you have to say that this, the city is

going to be in somewhat shock now knowing what has happened and what happened on their streets.

QUEST: Nic Robertson, I'm grateful to you. Thank you. Nic Robertson in northern England.

Now, let's look -- let's go to, now we can go to Jens Stoltenberg. He's getting ready to speak. Here is the secretary general of NATO.

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Allies safer and to ensure that we share the burden of maintaining our security. First, on deterrence on

defense, we have deployed combat ready forces on NATO's eastern flank, put in place the most comprehensive defense plan since the Cold War, and we now

have over 500,000 forces at high readiness in the alliance.

Today, we decided to adapt NATO's command structure, improve our integrated air and missile defense systems, and to go further to much of defense plans

with the unnecessary capabilities. All of this has been made possible by historic increases in defense investment across the alliance. When we made

the pledge to invest the 2 percent of GDP in defense back in 2014 at the NATO summit, only three allies met the march.

Today, 23 allies are investing at least 2 percent of GDP in defense at record high number. This also brings the total defense spending of European

allies and Canada above the 2 percent target. So we have delivered. At the same time we recognize that more is needed, including to ensure we can

produce key capabilities. So today, allies agreed to pledge that will strengthen Transatlantic defense industrial cooperation to boost

production. Allies also agreed to strengthen our air and missile defenses including with the new Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense base in

Poland.

Second, on Ukraine, we will meet the President Zelenskyy tomorrow in the NATO Ukraine Council. But today we took major decisions to further

strengthen our support and to share the burden. We agreed to launch NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine. We will take over the

coordination and provision of most of the international security assistance to Ukraine with a command led by a three-star general and around 700

personnel working at a NATO headquarters in Germany and at hubs in the eastern part of the alliance to provide the support to Ukraine.

NATO will coordinate the training of Ukrainian forces at facilities in allied countries. We will support Ukraine by planning and coordinating

donations, and we'll manage the transfer and repair of equipment. We will also provide support to long-term development of Ukraine's armed forces.

This will not make NATO party to the conflict, but it will help Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defense.

We also agreed a financial pledge helping Ukraine to build a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring it tomorrow. We have

agreed that 40 billion euros is a minimum baseline within the next year and to ensure sustainable funding for Ukraine to prevail. We also agreed to

review these at our summit in 2025, not least to ensure it continues to meet Ukraine's needs. We are not doing this because we want to prolong a

war. We are doing this because we want to end the war as soon as possible.

The quickest way to end the war is to lose the war. But that would not bring peace. It will only bring occupation. So unless we want Ukraine to

lose, unless we want to bow to Putin, we need to show commitment and resolve. The more credible and enduring our support, the quicker Moscow

will realize it cannot wait us out and the sooner the war can end.

[16:55:03]

In our meeting, we also decided to take further steps to bring Ukraine even closer to NATO. As Ukraine continues its vital reforms, we'll continue to

support them on the irreversible path to NATO membership. The work we are doing together now will ensure that when the time is right, Ukraine can

join without delay. It is not the question of if, but when.

Finally, in these dangerous world, friends and partners are more important than ever. So today, we agreed to continue to strengthen our partnerships,

especially in the Indo-Pacific. Security is global, not regional. Putin's war is fueled by those who do not share our values. Iran and North Korea

provide direct military support, while China is propping up Russia's war economy. This is not just a temporary coalition of convenience. It is a

major strategic shift. And we must remain clear-eyed as to the threat it poses.

As NATO allies agreed today in our summit declaration, China has become a decisive enabler of Russia's war against Ukraine, and China --

QUEST: Let's get some analysis on what the secretary general is saying. Our global affairs analyst Kim Dozier is with me.

The thing that struck me there -- we're a business program, 40 billion euros they're talking about in terms of the necessity of funding for

Ukraine's military for the future. But also NATO is de facto taking over the training, the repair of equipment, the whole -- everything except

fighting which, I mean, Jens Stoltenberg says it still doesn't mean NATO is part of the war.

Do you buy it?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Look, for Ukraine, this is good news. It's a positive direction. It's a pledge of U.S. $43 billion

roughly annually. It's structured to make sure that it's NATO telling all these different countries that ammunition you promised, get it in on time.

But that word I said, it's a pledge. The White House has tried to call all of these measures irreversible.

If there's a different president elected in the White House come this fall, it's all reversible and all the European officials I've spoken to have said

privately that's their concern. This is good momentum, but there's no guarantee it's going to stick.

QUEST: But this business of NATO taking on more and more of the responsibility for the prosecution, I mean, of the war in a sense. I mean,

how can he sort of say NATO is not fighting the war when de factor they're doing everything except actually turning up on the battlefield?

But, remember, NATO has none of its own weapons. NATO is simply serving as the sort of Amazon or Walmart clearing house. It's getting all the promised

supplies and then making sure in terms of just in time delivery that it's delivered on time, whereas a common complaint from Ukraine has been that

things that get promised are arriving all higgledy-piggledy and not when they need it on the battlefield.

But, yes, it does take NATO a step closer to being much more closely involved in this war. What remains a red line that no one wants to cross is

these trainers, et cetera, all of this will still be done outside Ukraine. Foreign officials that I've spoken to this past week have said in the

corridors, yes, we're talking about putting NATO troops on the ground, trainers on the ground in Ukraine. But no one is ready to do that yet

because we don't know how we keep them safe. Then again, a year or two ago, no one was ready to send F-16s in and now we're sending those. So --

QUEST: That is the point. That's the point.

Kim, I'm grateful to you. Thank you very much indeed. Forgive me cutting it short there. Thank you. I have one (INAUDIBLE) viewer attention.

The Euros semifinal match has just concluded in Germany. England defeated the Netherlands 2-1 and now reached the final against Spain. Yay -- sorry,

forgive me. An injury-time goal from Ollie Watkins provided the difference for England. The final is now set for Sunday. That is between England and

Spain.

That's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York. Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it's profitable. They'll

be celebrating in London, England light.

END