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Aired 6-7p ET Aired November 29, 2024 - 18:00   ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. [18:00:00] RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: 7:00 Saturday morning in Taipei, midnight in Paris, and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Richard Quest. Julia's off today. Wherever you are in this world, it's your "First Move." A very warm welcome wherever you may be. Here's what you need to know. Serious shock. Rebels are entering Aleppo for the first time since 2016. It is their biggest offensive against the Assad government in years. Tensions in Taiwan as the island prepares for the second term of Donald Trump. And restoration revealed. Notre Dame has unveiled the cathedral after what President Macron has called the construction project of the century. Also, call it the McLaren moment. The F1 team is in pole position for the first constructor's title since 1998, I speak to the chief executive. That and so much more. We start with the Syrian civil war that has been reignited this week. And now, opposition forces are inside the major city of Aleppo after launching the surprise offensive. It's the first-time rebel troops have entered Aleppo since the central government recaptured it in 2016. The White Helmets, says Syria and its Russian ally, hit back. They bombed neighborhoods in Idlib. Russia's confirmed it launched airstrikes, saying it killed 200 members of the jihadist group. The rebels launched their attack earlier this week. They say they've taken control of dozens of visitors -- of villages, I should say. Ben Wedeman's with me in Paris. You've reported extensively on Syria. The latest tonight seems to be this claim that they're getting closer and further into the center of Aleppo. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what we're seeing, Richard, are videos and even live streaming by the rebels from the Citadel, that iconic ancient fortress in the very heart of Aleppo. In addition to that, we're seeing video from Saadallah Al-Jabiri Square, which is a very large open square in the more modern part of Aleppo. And there we're seeing rebels praying and cheering there. So, it does appear that after their initial entry into the western parts of the city, they're now very much in the center of the city. Now, there are other areas that they have not appeared to have reached. But what we're seeing is this is the culmination of what can only be described as a lightning offensive, launched just on Wednesday. They had earlier today claimed that they had taken control of 66 villages to the west of Aleppo, but certainly, given the fact that they were expelled from Aleppo, Syria's second largest city back at the end of 2016, their ability to get to the center of Aleppo without apparently much resistance from government forces certainly indicates that on the one hand the rebels led by a group called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which is basically a group that used to be affiliated with Al Qaeda, they're also joined by remnants of this free Syrian army backed by Turkey that they have definitely improved their fighting capabilities. Now, one of the reasons it's believed that the resistance has been so weak to this rebel onslaught is that Hezbollah, which provided the regime with very sort of disciplined, well trained ground troops has essentially withdrawn from Syria and is now -- has been engaged in the war in Lebanon and obviously, the group has been decapitated and mauled by the Israelis there. The Iranians have come under steady Israeli attack in Syria as well. So, they've been crippled by that. And of course, the Russians who have had a military presence, largely an air asset presence in Syria since September 2015, even that has been reduced because of the war in Ukraine. So, the Bashar al-Assad regime, at the moment, is very weak and very exposed. Richard. QUEST: And that's -- thank you, Ben Wedeman. That is the scenario tonight under which we're talking to Firas Maksad, the senior director for Strategic Outreach and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute. [18:05:00] These rebels, or however we wish to describe them, what do they stand for? Who are they, whose side, if you will, are they on? They're against Assad, obviously, and the regime, but is it simplistic to say they're on whose side? FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR STRATEGIC OUTREACH, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE AND SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Well, Richard, Syria is certainly a complex tapestry of different groups and affiliations. The viewer has to remember here that this is a minority led regime, an Alawite offshoot of Shia, Islam led regime, and the vast majority of Syrians are, of course, Sunni Muslims. So, there is a communal element to this. Though they are -- some of them are sort of what's left over of what used to be an Al Qaeda affiliate, they have since broken with Al Qaeda very affirmatively, but then there are also some that are more secular minded and are backed by Turkey. I think what we're seeing today in Syria is a power play by Turkey, given the changing balance of power in the region. It reminds me of the seminal book written by the British historian Patrick Seale, "The Struggle for Syria." Syria used to always be a battlefield and an arena for regional powers before power was centralized under the Hafez al-Assad regime. And so, with Iran now weakened because of the war with Israel -- with the U.S. talking about withdrawal, the Trump administration wanting to withdraw from Syria, Turkey through these rebels has clearly made a move for itself. QUEST: OK. But this is where I get lost. You say Turkey and the issue of the power play by Turkey. But Turkey is a NATO member. So, would Turkey be willingly sponsoring and/or pushing rebels in Syria that have an anti- American, if you will, or an anti-western agenda? MAKSAD: Well, welcome to the Middle East, Richard. Everybody is hedging, everybody is triangulating, and nobody is singularly allied with anyone. So, yes, Turkey is a NATO ally. We also know that President Erdogan made a strategic decision a few years ago, for example, to purchase the S-400, the Russian anti-aircraft defense systems and that wasn't, you know, met well with the U.S. and NATO. So, yes, there is a diversification of alliances here. And although these rebels have a very strong Sunni jihadist element to them, they have broken with Al Qaeda and that's all that the Turkish president need to support these rebels against what is an authoritarian regime in Damascus. QUEST: Right. So -- MAKSAD: One also has to mention that President Erdogan did attempt to reconcile with Assad over the last couple of months. Assad rebuffed that effort. And so, in many ways, this is a Turkish response. QUEST: Now, humor me, if you will, as I take us into simplistic sort of terms here. If you are President-Elect Trump, and your future national security adviser says to you in Mar-a-Lago tonight, which isn't a million miles, by the way, from where you are in Florida, but if he says -- if people say, listen, Mr. President-Elect, I need to brief you about Syria. This is happening. We've got rebels here. We've got white helmets here. Assad's doing this. Russia's now gone here, but the rebels are getting closer. What does Donald Trump say? What's his position likely to be, knowing what you know about how he views these matters? MAKSAD: You know, that's actually a great question, Richard, because we all know where Donald Trump's impulse is on Syria. In Trump, the first version in the first Trump administration on a phone call with President Erdogan, he simply took the decision and said we're withdrawing before he had to back away from that on advice from his national security advisers. And now, the U.S. forces are still there. I think President Trump is going to want to pull these U.S. troops as soon as possible. But I also do think that there are many in his circles, including his incoming national security adviser, who's going to warn him about the potential for Iran taking over to fill these vacuums, fill these spaces. So, Turkey and NATO ally, filling that space rather than Iran, that actually might be welcome in the Trump camp in the days and weeks ahead. QUEST: Something tell me you've got a very busy four years ahead, sir. But then, as we all indeed do. Good to talk to you tonight. Have a good weekend. Have a strong drink that'll get you through the weekend. Thank you. MAKSAD: Thank you. QUEST: Now, to the three-day-old ceasefire in Lebanon. To all intents and purposes, it is holding, but not without various frustrations. For instance, the Israeli military says it carried out another airstrike in Southern Lebanon on Friday, claiming it was to a Hezbollah portable rocket launcher, as you can see in this video. [18:10:00] And now, of course, both sides are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire, that was to be expected. The head of Hezbollah, in his first address since the deal, is promising to coordinate with the -- with Lebanon's army, which you'll remember has been put into the south of the country, to implement the deal. But the presence of Israeli troops still on Lebanese territory, they haven't withdrawn, is making it more difficult. They have 60 days to complete the withdrawal out of Southern Lebanon below the Litani River. And for Gaza, well, there you've got Benjamin Netanyahu saying he's ready for a ceasefire, but he's not ready for ending the war until Hamas is eliminated. Winter's approaching. The World Food Programme says all of its bakeries in Central Gaza have closed because of issues of supply shortages. I should warn you, the video in Jeremy Diamond's packages is disturbing. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this ocean of desperation, a crush of bodies pressed against one another heave towards the same goal, a loaf of bread to survive. Wave after wave of distraught Palestinians at this bakery in Central Gaza, fighting to feed themselves and their families before the day's bread runs out. Amid the shrieks and shoves, one girl clutches her precious cargo, struggling to keep her head above water. Inside the bakery, a vignette into the chaos outside. My hand, my hand, this woman shouts as her hijab is ripped from her head. Uncle, please, another girl shouts, struggling for air. Take the money, please, I beg you. But she is slowly being crushed by the crowd. Outside the bakery, the scale of the desperation becomes apparent. And this is just one bakery. The suffering here is unimaginable, Karam Afana (ph) says. I've been standing for four hours trying to get a single loaf of bread. Four hours, and I still can't bring bread home. For those who left empty handed, there is nothing but uncertainty ahead. The World Food Programme says all its bakeries in Central Gaza have now temporarily shut down due to a lack of humanitarian aid entering the Strip. For this woman's niece, it is already too late. What is the crime of this child? She is only 13 years old. Why did she have to go to a bakery and stand in this crowd? Zina (ph) was one of three people killed while trying to buy bread at that same Gaza bakery, crushed by the desperate crowd. Our bread is soaked in blood, the father of another victim says. Where did she go? How did she get in? How did she leave? I don't know. I only found her when they brought her out dead, he says. He simply cannot comprehend how his daughter could die while trying to buy bread. (END VIDEOTAPE) DIAMOND (on camera): And, Richard, that is a look into the humanitarian situation in Central Gaza. We know that in Northern Gaza things are so, so much worse. And humanitarian aid officials say, simply not enough is being done to resolve these bottlenecks and the lack of ability of these humanitarian aid organizations to get the aid, not only in Gaza, but then to the places that are needed inside the Gaza Strip. Now, as this is happening, we have been monitoring, of course, that ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. And interestingly, U.S. and Israeli officials say that they believe that that ceasefire on Israel's northern front could perhaps open the way for negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. A hostage and ceasefire deal that, of course, for months and months and months, has been sought but has remained elusive. They now say they believe Hamas is more isolated than ever and perhaps the pressure can now be brought to bear for a ceasefire deal there. Richard. QUEST: Jeremy Diamond, who is in Tel Aviv. Now, this just in. President- Elect Donald Trump is having dinner with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. According to a source familiar with the meeting, it follows Donald Trump's promise of massive hikes in tariffs and goods coming from Mexico, Canada, and China on the first day. Alayna Treene is in West Palm Beach with me now. Well, this came out the blue tonight on a Friday night, didn't it? I wasn't -- I mean, I don't think -- ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: It did. [18:15:00] QUEST: I wasn't expecting it. You weren't. I mean, Donald Trump is essentially now negotiating with Justin Trudeau face-to-face over dinner. TREENE: That's right. And it's the first time these two have met definitely since the election, but also in quite some time. Of course, they do have a working relationship and work together during Donald Trump's first term. I'm also told that they had spoken by phone. But of course, this comes at such a pivotal moment, just days after Donald Trump had promised to impose sweeping tariffs on both Canada and Mexico should they fail to crack down on drugs flowing over the border and migrants. Donald Trump said specifically that he would sign, one of his first executive orders, once he was sworn in on January 20th, would be raising a 25 percent hike on all goods coming in from Mexico and Canada. Now, Richard what I also find very interesting is we actually heard the Canadian prime minister this morning address reporters and say himself that if Donald Trump were to carry out that threat that he would -- or that he believed that it would actually hurt Americans and American businesses. I want to just read for you, because I know this is very breaking news, I don't think you have this statement, but I'm going to read for you some of what he told reporters, Justin Trudeau, this morning. He said, quote, "It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There's no question about it." He also went on to say, "Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians who works so well with the United States, but he would actually be rising -- raising prices for American citizens as well as hurting the American industry and business." QUEST: All right. TREENE: So, Trudeau has weighed in publicly on this. Very interesting to see what actually comes of this meeting today, but I'm sure this will be discussed over that dinner table. QUEST: Right. Now, there is no question that the fact that Trudeau has hoofed it from Ottawa down to Mar-a-Lago so quickly will be a tremendous boost to Donald Trump's ego as president-elect. He has snapped his fingers, and the Canadian prime minister has responded. But that doesn't necessarily unlock the key for Trudeau, what he has to promise not to have those tariffs on January the 20th, does it? TREENE: That's right. I mean, I think clearly, this is something that is weighing very heavily on the Canadian prime minister's mind. I mean, this would be -- this would massively impact trade between the two countries. It could also massively impact their relationship going forward. And so, I think, you know, we have heard, just from myself, covering Donald Trump for as long as I have, he likes to have these meetings face-to-face. He believes that he's a great negotiator, that when he is in the room with someone or speaking over a dinner table, as he will be doing this evening, that that's really where the best deals are made, and that he's his own best best deal maker. And so, I think, you know, I was told when I spoke with the source who confirmed the details of this meeting to me, they said that we are expecting to get some sort of readout of what is discussed. I'll hold my breath for that later this evening, once that wraps. I'm told it hasn't kicked off yet. But it will be very interesting to see whether or not Donald Trump moves from that threat or if he stays stubborn on it and decides that unless he sees some real changes relating to the crackdown on drugs and immigration that he is going to move forward with that massive hike in 25 percent on all goods coming from Canada. Richard. QUEST: Something tells me you've got a long evening's work ahead of you, but I'm grateful that you're there and you will continue doing duty until it's finished. Thank you. Now, it is "First Move" on a Friday. A Black Friday for bonanza for U.S. shoppers. How much of it is driven by fear of those tariffs we're talking about? And I'll tell you again and again, the business world is intertwined with the political world, and it's all big -- one big spider's web, or a bit of knitting. Pull it apart and you'll see what happens. Well, we'll talk about it after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [18:20:00] QUEST: A warm welcome back. A very good morning. If you're waking up. Today's Money Move shortened session on Friday. It still broke records. The Dow and the S&P are closing off November at record highs, each of about half a percent. Tech stocks were doing the business. European stocks were also up. It was a volatile week. We saw Eurozone inflation at 2 percent, slightly lower than the predictions. Asia-Pacific closed mainly down. South Korea reported a second straight decline in industrial production. Investors are watching for higher inflation in Japan. Blistering Arctic air is coming in for the eastern half of the United States as millions of people are having a weekend after Thanksgiving and then heading home. So, lots of snow is in the forecast. Elisa Raffa is with me. Now, you know, they had the Thanksgiving, next day or so over the weekend heading back home and it's going to -- it's not going to be pretty. ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Really cold, the coldest air of the season so far. And if you're doing any traveling around the Great Lakes, you already have more than two feet of snow on the ground off of Lake Eerie. The lake-effect snow machine just pumping all weekend already with whiteout conditions, terrible driving conditions on I-90, visibility has been pretty poor. So, it's already a mess, and we still have multiple days of this to go. And you could see all the lake-effect snow bands coming off of the Great Lakes here. We're particularly concerned about Lakes Erie and Ontario. But again, the roads have been a problem. Grand Rapids, Michigan. You've had some problems around the interstates there all day. Snow bands haven't stopped. I-90, from Cleveland up through Erie up to South Buffalo, also been a mess all day. Parts of this is closed because conditions have been so bad today. We've got multiple winter alerts for the Great Lakes here. Lake-effect snow warnings from east of Cleveland up through Erie and including Buffalo, Watertown too off of Lake Ontario, and that's because we have very warm lakes right now. Lake temperatures are near records in the lower 50s, which doesn't seem all that warm. But when you're talking about incredibly cold air, much colder air than that coming over these warm lakes, that cold air picks up the moisture from the lake and dumps all of that heavy snow from the terrain. So, we're looking at some totals over five feet, Richard, just incredible. QUEST: Now, should I be worried about my pipes freezing? RAFFA: Possibly. Yes, you'll want to make sure you have those protected. And your plants too, cover them up. QUEST: Plants, yes. Pipes as well. Thank you. Very grateful. Thank you. Remember scenes like this 10 years ago? Black Friday shoppers turned on each other. Bit of argy-bargy and fisticuffs. While in-store scuffles are much less common as retail moves increasingly online, but some just can't resist shopping the old-fashioned way in a shopping mall. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We came for the deals because we're trying to save money. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you find a good deal? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we actually bought a lot. Yes, we spent a good amount today. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of stuff did you guys get? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got clothes, we got makeup, we got hair products. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much money do you guys think you spent so far? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, about like 600. (END VIDEO CLIP) [18:25:00] QUEST: According to the U.S. National Retail Foundation over Thanksgiving weekend, most consumers are expected to shop today and then Cyber Monday follows on. Brian Nagel with me. He's the managing director and senior analyst at Oppenheimer and Co. I'm always fascinated by this. We get suckered into it every year, that somehow this one-day, Black Friday is the -- when the deals continue, don't they? BRIAN NAGEL, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND SENIOR ANALYST, OPPENHEIMER AND CO.: Oh, absolutely. Good evening, Richard. I appreciate you having me on your show. I totally agree. I mean, you know, retailers have gotten a lot smarter. Brands have gotten a lot smarter. You know, I was -- I go to -- I would say, given my job, I go to retail stores, lots of things going on out there. You know, there were Black Friday deals, you know, a week ago, right? But when I was in the mall, I was out here in New York today, I took my daughters, we went to the mall and it's basically middle -- the middle of Long Island. It was crowded, you know. And I think to your point, I mean, it's just a tradition, you know, people go and look at this part of their holiday celebration, going to the stores and shopping on Black Friday. QUEST: Now, there used to be this tradition also, I mean, of not only the fisticuffs at the mall, but we went through this phrase of go to the mall, see it, and buy it online. Does that still hold or do people now actually still prefer -- I know I'm -- look, I'm over 60/ I still prefer to go and shop at the shop, but does that still hold, people still like to shop in the shop? NAGEL: Well, look, it's -- what this -- these retails become a much smarter business. They know their customers better, right? They -- and so, they basically give their customer more choices. Now, I'll talk about a few hours I was in the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, there was a lot of people with bags. OK. So, people were shopping. But you've got to think too that, like you're describing, there was a lot of looking showroom. Looking at products in the store, subsequently buying those online. But again, that's all part of this -- I think this evolution we've had in the retail sector with these companies are much, much better run. QUEST: Do you think, for retailers, it's going to be -- it's not going to be a bonanza or a bumper, but how would you describe this holiday season for retailers? NAGEL: Yes. Look, I think we're going to head -- just right talk to our -- you know, our clients or Oppenheimer clients a lot. I think we're going to have an OK but not great holiday season. There's a lot of puts and takes here. I mean, one, and this is a silly point, but it really matters, this is a shortened holiday season. There were the fewest days possible between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that matters for spending. But more important than that, and we've seen this now for the past several months, if not longer, we have a stressed consumer. You know, this consumer is still post-pandemic, still dealing with the after effects of inflation, maybe a little less buoyant jobs market. You've got to stress consumers. So, I think that's also going to weigh upon the bonanza, so to say, the potential for bonanza. QUEST: OK. All business is personal. That much we know. So, did you actually spend any money today with your daughters? It's fine to take them there, but did you actually open the wallet? NAGEL: I did. They took my credit cards. They bought I think some makeup and some athletic wear with our two purchases today. I don't know how much it was because I haven't looked yet, but they did make some purchases. We left with bags. QUEST: You left with bags and I suggest you'll probably be needing a strong drink this evening. It's half past 6:00, you're entitled. Sir, thank you for joining us. Very kind of you. NAGEL: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. QUEST: This is "First Move." Delighted you're with me tonight and this morning and I'll be back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [18:30:00] QUEST: A warm welcome back. A look at the international news headlines for you. President-Elect Donald Trump is having dinner at this hour with the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Florida at Mar-a-Lago. Sources familiar with the meeting say it comes a day after Donald Trump promised massive days after the hikes in tariffs on goods coming from north and south of the U.S. border. He promised that will happen on the first day of his administration. Protesters in Georgia clashing with police in Tbilisi. It's the second day of these protests. It's over the government's decision to suspend the membership talks with the E.U. The country's been in turmoil since last month's disputed election. The pro-E.U. opposition says the results were falsified. The K-pop powerhouse New Jeans will soon end their contract with the record label Ador, citing mistreatment. Their departure raises questions about notoriously strict contracts in South Korea's music industry. They say they will continue making music, but they also face legal battles over their name and financial penalties in the hundreds -- potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. The president of Taiwan is kicking off a Pacific tour. Lai Ching-te is set to visit the U.S. State of Hawaii and the territory of Guam. Stops are also planned for the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, which are amongst Taiwan's 12 formal diplomatic allies. The visit has angered Beijing, as you might imagine, and the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office has called on the U.S. to, in their words, stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan's independence forces. Well, Taiwan does not have any formal diplomatic relations with the U.S. America, of course, has been the island's most important backer and arms supplier. As CNN's Will Ripley now explains, Taiwan's leaders and experts are now unsure if that relationship will continue under President-Elect Trump. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Taiwan, they stole our chip business. WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If this is a preview of the next four years, Taiwan better buckle up. TRUMP: They want us to protect and they want protection. They don't pay us money for the protection, you know. The mob makes you pay money, right? RIPLEY (voice-over): President-Elect Donald Trump's transactional tone rattling nerves in Taipei, raising serious questions about U.S. support for this island democracy, already under relentless pressure from Beijing. RIPLEY: What do you do when you're on an island with less than 25 million people, with a neighbor like China, and a political situation like what's happening in the Gulf? CHEN MING-CHI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITY: We have to arm to our teeth. And we have that kind of a mentality. We are willing to fight. RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan will need to invest even more in defense. Professor Chen Ming-Chi says, including billions of dollars in U.S.-made weapons, despite a $20 billion backlog of undelivered fighter jets, tanks, artillery, and missiles. RIPLEY: Is Taiwan more or less safe during Trump 2.0? MING-CHI: We don't know. One characteristic of Trump, especially during the second Trump administration, will be the unpredictability. So, we don't know we will be safer or more dangerous. But the thing is that we are going to pay a higher price for either way. [18:35:00] RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan could be caught in a bind, facing skyrocketing defense costs and growing economic uncertainty. RIPLEY: What are you guys thinking here? KRISTY HSU, DIRECTOR, TAIWAN ASEAN STUDIES CENTER, CHUNG-HUA INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH: A lot of worries going. I mean, worries about this and post-election may have a big shift of policies towards trade, towards investment. RIPLEY (voice-over): Kristy Hsu is a top economist in Taipei. She says Taiwan's chip industry is bracing for impact if Trump reshapes trade policies or imposes steep tariffs. Taiwan produces most of the world's advanced chips, powering everything from smartphones to missiles. TRUMP: These chip companies, they stole 95 percent of our business. It's in Taiwan right now. HSU: Taiwan is not actually stealing jobs or stealing business opportunities from the U.S. Taiwan is actually helping U.S. to extend its semiconductor supply chains. RIPLEY (voice-over): Leaders in Taipei are publicly optimistic, emphasizing strong ties with Washington. On the streets, feelings are more mixed. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Trump doesn't like war, so that's reassuring. UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): In the long run, I fear Trump may put Taiwan's safety at risk. RIPLEY (voice-over): An uncertain future under Trump 2.0 is pretty much the only guarantee. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei. (END VIDEOTAPE) QUEST: As you and I continue this day, the iconic Paris Cathedral -- Notre Dame Cathedral is restored to its former glory. I'm going to talk to one of the artisans who helped the reconstruction, the rebuilding, the rebirth, if you will. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) QUEST: Now, to our beacon of beauty and renewal. Almost 900 years old. Now, Notre Dame Cathedral, more than a facelift, a true wash, brush up, and absolute reconstruction. It's opening its doors and letting the world see the staggering restoration. Reborn from the ashes of the destructive fire in 2019, hundreds and hundreds of workers have toiled for years recapturing the gothic glory. Touring the building, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, told those craftspeople they'd transformed ashes into art, as CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Paris. [18:40:00] (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new dawn for Notre Dame Cathedral. More than five and a half years after a fire tore through parts of the Gothic structure in the heart of Paris. Sparkling stonework highlighting the stunning results of the estimated $737 million restoration as it was unveiled to France's president, Emmanuel Macron on Friday. After the 2019 blaze, the president had vowed to rebuild Notre Dame even more beautiful than it was. Entering the cathedral with his wife Brigitte on Friday, it was clear that France had achieved just that. It was at the same time repaired, restored, and re-baptized, Macron said. Millions had watched in shock and horrors, Notre Dame's 96-meter spire tumbled into the church during the 2019 blaze. Now, its renaissance is complete. Touring the epicenter of the blaze, the medieval roof structure known as The Forest, Macron saw the beams rebuilt by hand from 1,200 oak trees from across France. Among the highlights of Macron's tour, a mural in the north enclosure of the choir that was badly damaged in the fire. And the Virgin of Paris, a 14th century statue that became a symbol of resistance when it was found standing resolute, surrounded by burnt wood and collapsed stone. And the beautiful St. Marcel's Chapel, one of 29 chapels that have been lovingly restored. Viewing the 12-meter-wide grand organ, Macron described it as sublime. More than 1,300 people involved in the restoration were invited inside as the French president wrapped up his final visit to the site before its formal reopening. You have transformed ashes into art, he told them. The whole planet was upset that day in April. The shock of the reopening will be as big as that of the fire, he said, thanking the crowds. (END VIDEOTAPE) BELL (on camera): Richard, this was all about thanking the more than 2,000 men and women who are involved in the restoration of Notre Dame. But it was also a moment to have a think about everything that went into this restoration. The 2,000 oaks that were used to restore the roof. Remember where the fire had taken hold as quickly as it had. They've really sought and managed to get back to the original structure, to restore every corner and every detail of Notre Dame as it was, except that now it is cleaned, it is opened, it is light, and you really get a sense of what the cathedral must have looked like not five years ago, and it was relatively dark when you went inside, but way before, originally, as it was first built, and many centuries ago, Richard. QUEST: That's Melissa Bell. With me is Jackson DuBois. He's a carpenter in New York. It is good to see you, sir. You were a true American in Paris last year. You spent three months in France, rebuilding the spire of the cathedral with a handpicked team. So, what was it like? I've been up to the top and I've seen it myself where -- that's where you've been. And how did you find it when you were there? What did you do? JACKSON DUBOIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TIMBER FRAMERS GUILD: Thanks so much for having me, Richard. And thank you so much for the interest in this story. It was over the top experience. It was a lot of hard work. There's a common misconception that the work -- the fabrication work was done in Paris and on site, but timber framing takes a lot of space. and that would be some pretty expensive real estate. So, really once the timber was at Notre Dame, it was there for installation and we were working for those months in the Loire Valley, in the village of Tours, in a workshop there with the company Asalome (ph). And we were doing the reconstruction of the gothic trefoils and quatrefoils, all the fancy gothic pieces that were -- that you can really recognize from the ground. QUEST: So, I know that the goal here was a rebuilding and reconstruction as faithful to the original. Now, one of the challenges was the art is an experience of people like yourselves. Because this wasn't molded and machine made, was it? This was done with chisel and hammer and hard soil. DUBOIS: Yes, it was a lot of blood and sweat and energy went into that for sure. There's -- there aren't really machines that will extrude that. It was all constructed with French oak. The oak that we used was -- had been air drying for a little bit, unlike the oak of the (INAUDIBLE), the trusses. The trusses were all cut green because that was all axe work. But all of the kind of more fancy elements, they wanted them to be as stable as possible once they were up. So, that material had been dried a little bit. And so, it was a lot of hard work. [18:45:00] QUEST: So, Jackson, did you find it a challenging experience to -- because obviously, an enormously experienced person like yourself, but here you are being pushed even further, not just by the beauty of it and the enormous nature of the task, but just by the complexity of getting as close as possible to historic craftsmanship. Was it challenging? DUBOIS: Oh, absolutely. The stakes were very high. The standards were incredibly high. The French carpenters, the Compagnon, have incredible pride in the work that they do. And there was nothing that we could -- the material that we fabricated, we had to then pass along to the other carpenters that were doing the really heavy, large, structural timbers of the spire so that they could fit it in and all of the material that we sent to them had to be absolutely perfect. So, yes, and that on top of the fact that my French is far from fluent. So, there were also the challenges of kind of leaning in on the language of carpentry and timber framing and overcoming the language barrier through that. So, that was very difficult, but it was a great experience. QUEST: I think we'll find that your French is better than my duolingo halfhearted attempts at it. But I do wonder, because in this day and age, it's fashionable to say the old skills have gone, you know, craftsmanship's dead, no one wants to do an apprenticeship when they can become a whatever, gamer. But in your case, did you find that to be -- do you find as a result of this, there's a greater interest by younger people in this? DUBOIS: Oh, absolutely. There's a huge appetite for learning traditional skills. And it was an incredible honor to be part of so many artisans who suddenly found the opportunity to come out of woodwork, come out of the shadows and put their work, whether or not it was a gilding or, with a beautiful stained glass and the (INAUDIBLE) of this. It's really elevated and given everyone an opportunity to practice their craft who many focuses spent their whole lives practicing in quiet, to express that for the world and this wonderful, amazing monument that celebrates (INAUDIBLE). QUEST: What an achievement, sir. I take my hat off to you. Well, what an amazing achievement. Congratulations. I don't suppose by any chance you're available to do a couple of bathroom cabinets at some particular point? Reasonable rates, you know, but would you want to -- congratulations, sir. Absolutely magnificent. Thank you for joining us tonight. DUBOIS: Thank you so much, Richard. And thank you very much for your interest. Have a great night. QUEST: Yes. As we come -- still to come tonight, as the season of Formula 1 nears its finish line, the CEO of McLaren Racing tells me about a turning point for them this year. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) [18:50:00] QUEST: The homestretch for Formula 1, the season's penultimate race takes place in Qatar this weekend. The battle now, the main battle, is for the Constructor Championship, which is awarded to the F1 team with the most championship points. Look at the chart there, you'll see McLaren at 608, but Ferrari's not far behind, only 24 behind. So, I spoke to McLaren's racing boss, Zak Brown, what gives this team the edge with so many changes and how that's a quest, quite literally, in its own right? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZAK BROWN, CEO, MCLAREN RACING: All the Formula 1 teams have fantastic technology. So, it's all about your people, your teamwork, your culture. And so, if I look at the journey that we've been on that, we actually use the word quest because the journey is kind of point A to point B. Quest is flying to the moon. And winning the Formula 1 World Championship is a high degree of difficulties. QUEST: But what changed within that to make that team perform better? Because there have been leadership changes. And certainly, the new engine gave you, if you will, a different direction and gave you arguably more power. What do you think was the turning point? Pardon the pun. BROWN: We did improve our technology. Then our drivers have done an outstanding job. I've said for quite some time now, I think we've got the best driver line up on the grid. Both drivers have gone races. We've had the second most amount of consecutive podiums in the history of McLaren. Our drivers are getting the job done. Our pit stops, we have the fastest pit stop of the year. Last year, we broke the record for the fastest pit stop ever. And just every day we're trying to go a little bit faster than we were yesterday. So, when you put that all together, that's why we've had what some people are saying the biggest turnaround in the history of Formula 1, because at the start of 2023, we were the ninth, 10th, best actually, you could say worst team on the grid and here we are less than two years later leading the world championship. QUEST: How does your two drivers, Norris and Piastri, do they interact so that they are competitors at one level, but not competitors to the point of detriment to the team overall, which is the exact -- which is the killer in F1, when the two drivers basically slit each other's throats in an orgy of competition? BROWN: Yes. Well, you're exactly spot on, and you can look back in history and there's dozens of examples of Senna and Prost and Rosberg and Hamilton and Mansell and PK. And so, it's a luxury challenge to have when you have two drivers that are capable of winning every weekend. They both want to win the Driver's World Championship and only one can do it. QUEST: One final point, because it is Quest Means Business. When you are more successful, like now, how does it translate into a better ability to attract more sponsors, higher revenue and base? I mean, look, F1 is never going to be a great profit earner, and it's always going to be a deep pocket for anybody. But being at the top is more commercially successful. BROWN: For sure. We're going to have record revenues this year. If you look at our corporate partner portfolio, it is the best in Formula 1, more Interbrand 100 companies support us than any other Formula 1 team. And our sponsors contribute, not just economically, but they help us build our fan base if they're a consumer brand and they help us go faster if they're a technology-based company or help us operate more efficiently. So, our sponsors are integrated into our team. And I think what's important for us, the view we take, is we may not always be leading the world championships. So, you need to put partnerships in place that, you know, of course, you got to seize the moment when you're having the success we're having, but it's not always going to be like that. So, you've got to play the long game with your partners. But Formula 1 is hot. Tons of companies coming in, not just to McLaren, but other teams and the league and that long may continue. QUEST: You've left -- you've led me beautifully to GM potentially joining next year through Cadillac. Are you looking forward? I mean, all competition's good. They will be worthy competitors with good engineering experience. Are you looking forward to that? [18:55:00] BROWN: Yes, 100 percent. I think any time a new Grand Prix's announced, everyone's excited about the new Grand Prix. When there's a new driver, there's a new team, a new manufacturer, just additive to the excitement. It'll take them some time to get competitive. This is an unbelievably competitive sport. So, when you see new teams enter, it takes them a while to get competitive, but they've got great racing heritage. They're very successful in everything they've raced. And so, they will be a competitive entry. It'll take them time, but they'll add value to our great sport. And again, it just shows how much interest there is in Formula 1. QUEST: Zak, it's always good to chat to you. By the way, just tell me where to send the copyright royalty invoice for using my name in your training and in your quality control. BROWN: We will make sure -- if we can get this championship done, we will do something to honor you. (END VIDEOTAPE) QUEST: He said it, not me. And I'm very grateful that you took time to join me this evening or this morning, wherever you are. Thank you. Julia -- normality reigns back next week, Julia returns. Whatever you're up to over the weekend, I do hope it's good and both profitable and have a good time. 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