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First Move with Julia Chatterley
New York Upholds Trump's Hush Money Conviction; Johnson Wins Speakership Vote; South Korea's Anti-Corruption Office Suspends Attempt To Arrest President Yoon; Biden Blocks Nippon Steel's Bid; Bold Twist On Traditional Flavors; Congestion Toll To Begin In New York City. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 03, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: On Sunday on State of the Union, we're going to talk to Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Republican Senator
Jim Banks of Indiana, and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Sunday morning at 9:00 Eastern, and again at noon, only here on CNN.
If you ever miss an episode of The Lead, you can listen to the show whence you get your podcast. The news continues on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in The
Situation Room. I will see you Sunday morning. Happy New Year, everyone.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: -- 11 p.m. in London and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. I'm Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are in the
world, this is your "First Move."
And a warm welcome to "First Move," as always. And here's today's need to know. Trump trials, a New York judge upholding the hush money conviction
against the president-elect and sets the date for sentencing 10 days before the inauguration. Speaker success. Republican Mike Johnson winning the
speakership vote after Donald Trump personally calls the holdouts. Seoul standoff. South Korea's anti-corruption office suspend their attempt to
arrest President Yoon, but the warrant is still active. And triumphs and tributes. Superstar chef Vikas Khanna on his award-winning New York
restaurant Bungalow and the heartbreak that inspired it. That conversation and plenty more coming up.
But first Donald Trump's hush money conviction has been upheld by Judge Juan Merchan. A New York jury found Trump guilty last May on 34 counts of
falsifying business records. The case centered around payments to his then lawyer Michael Cohen, and hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Despite going forward with his sentencing, the judge overseeing the case says Trump will face no legal penalties. Sentencing is set for January
10th, just 10 days before Trump is sworn in as the next U.S. president.
Legal analyst and former U.S. attorney Michael Moore joins us now. Michael, great to have you with us. The legal team for the president-elect did
everything they could to avoid having sentencing before the inauguration day. So far, that's now failed. What do you expect to happen in terms of
perhaps a potential emergency appeal before then? I can understand from the judge's perspective doing this to a president-elect easier than to a
president.
MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Yes. Well, I'm glad to be with you. I mean, this is not a big surprise coming from this
judge who has insisted that the case move forward. But I think you'll likely see an appeal.
Really, this is a little bit of a favor to Trump, if you ask me, because this sentencing by the judge, even doing it as an unconditional discharge,
which is indicated he would do, which means that there would be no jail, no fine, no probation, mostly no penalty, it simply allows him to finalize
this jury verdict. Then at that point, the Trump team can ultimately appeal. So, that appeal will be in place.
I think you'll now see some emergency efforts to try to move forward and ask a state appeals court to stop this or to delay it for some reason. But
the judge has been pretty clever in his scheduling order, and he's talked about those things that are -- it may be of concern. So, that -- you know,
you can't take away from the time of the transition and that there are other things administration needs to be thinking about. And so, he's
allowed -- the soon to be president to essentially appear by video, if that's easier.
And that sort of takes the ammunition out of the argument that this will somehow -- this sentencing will somehow be an impediment to the transition
team moving forward. So, he's already taken a few of the teeth out of any emergency appeal, but I'm certain we're going to see it. Because, you know,
frankly, the Trump team has appealed with some regularity and to some success, and one of the reasons that you see these delays in all of these
cases.
ACOSTA: Yes. I mean, moving forward is an interesting phrase to use. It's sort of moving forward to an off ramp to, in a way, end this should you
want to, but again, we were just showing the president-elect's face in court, and they again, the legal team today, have called it a witch hunt.
The question is, how do they handle this? Do they just accept that he appears perhaps via Zoom? Do they do -- and if indeed it goes ahead, does
he appear in person to sort of emphasize that point once more?
MOORE: You know, I think this is likely an embarrassment to Trump. I think the whole process was certain of the details that came out of the trial
were. But this is a way for the trial judge, Judge Merchan to essentially honor the jury's verdict and the process that went forward as opposed to
simply folding his cards and saying, well, we're done because you happen to win an election. This really does keep in place the trial process while at
the same time not doing away with Trump's rights to appeal.
You know, there are very few days now between here and the sentencing that has been scheduled. But I do think probably tomorrow, by tomorrow
afternoon, at least, you'll see some emergency motion filed asking that this be postponed, and there'll be a litany of reasons about the transition
and the things and responsibilities, the duties that they're talking about Trump may have at this point as he prepares to take office later in the
month.
[18:05:00]
Whether that's successful, I don't know. Because again, Merchan has sort of anticipated those arguments and he's already answered and said, look, I'm
not trying to take anything away. You can sit in Mar-a-Lago with, you know, on Musk in the background or whatever you want to, but we're going to just
do this by video and remote access. We can do it by Zoom or however you want to handle it, and wrap this up.
That allows us to button up things that happened in New York. It allows us to bring to a conclusion this jury trial. It allows you to move forward
with an appeal if you wish to do that, based on the Supreme Court's ruling about presidential immunity.
CHATTERLEY: Yes.
MOORE: And at the same time, it honors the State of New York's desire to see some closure to the case as well.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, but no penalties. Full stop.
MOORE: No penalties.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Legal Analyst Michael Moore, great to have you on.
MOORE: That's going to be the -- that's the deflation for many people, I'm sure, but that's -- the judge is basically saying, don't worry, I'm not
trying to lock up a president while he's serving. So, he's taking that in.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, you can try.
MOORE: Right.
CHATTERLEY: Michael Moore, thank you so much for that. Have a great weekend, sir.
MOORE: Glad to be with you. Happy New Year.
CHATTERLEY: Happy New Year. Now, from the courtroom to Congress, where Donald Trump has scored a major political victory too. Republican lawmakers
re-electing his choice for House speaker on the first ballot. Key Republican detractors flipped their votes to back Mike Johnson at the last
minute, after he was initially on track to lose. Johnson faces a big challenge in Congress with the narrowest House majority in nearly 100
years. He spoke after that vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: We have a big agenda. We have a lot to do, and we can do it in a bipartisan fashion. We can fight high
inflation, and we must. We'll give relief to Americans, and we'll extend the Trump tax cuts. We're going to protect our industries from one sided
trade deals, and we're going to bring overseas investments back to America's shores. We'll -- that's right. We'll defeat the harmful effects
of inflation and we'll make life affordable again for America's hard- working people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein joins us now. Ron, Happy New Year. Great to have you with us. It was a unique vote in that it
was extended and there was a gap where the president-elect called the holdouts, I assume to say, get with the program and vote for the speaker
that I choose.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: How do you think those conversations went and are you surprised by anything that went down today?
BROWNSTEIN: Not really, because there really isn't another alternative, right? I mean, that's sort of been the situation throughout. It's not clear
that there's anyone who would be more acceptable to Johnson's critics on the right who could hold enough of the rest of the caucus to get to a
majority of the votes.
To me, the real significance of today was that it reinforced the message of the budget and debt ceiling fight last month, which is that the sole source
of pressure on Johnson and really the sole source of dissent among Republicans to Trump is on the right, and on the right specifically on the
issue of demanding bigger spending cuts. And with the Trump tax cuts barreling down the road, as you -- as Johnson noted in that clip that you
played, we are headed toward a reprise of debates we have had for many years that have often proved tough for Republicans where big tax cuts are
linked directly to big spending cuts.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, and this is the point, and you'll hear and our viewers will hear more and more about the Freedom Caucus as we get further and
deeper into those negotiations because they took a stance today and made their point that they do have leverage and it is an incredibly slim
majority that the Republicans have. So, they have power at this stage.
And one of the holdouts, Representative Keith Self said, he had a lively discussion with the president-elect, but he talked about shoring up the
reconciliation team. Ron, just in practice, what is that going to look like to your point? Because there's a lot of expenditure coming up that either
has to be rolled or cancelled, and that's going to pose a problem for the Republicans and for the president.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I mean, you know, Donald Trump, you know, certainly supports echoes the traditional Republican themes of shrinking government.
But he has conspicuously, throughout his political career, departed from usual Republican thinking in exempting the two, you know, biggest growing
expenses, which is Social Security and Medicare.
So, if in fact, Republicans intend to move forward with large spending cuts, and Speaker Johnson agreed to $2.5 trillion in cuts and entitlement
programs, once you -- as part of that agreement last month to keep the government open, once you do that, and you exempt Social Security and
Medicare, you are looking at big cuts in other programs, particularly Medicaid and food aid, much of which goes to working families just above
the poverty line who in between the coasts are predominantly blue collar white people who vote for Donald Trump.
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And so, the tension is being set up here I think very clearly in the opening days of this Congress, you heard it in Hakeem Jeffries' remarks
right before Speaker Johnson, when Jeffrey said, you know, we are going to stand against tax cuts for the rich funded on the backs of programs for the
middle class.
As I said, this is an argument Democrats know how to fight, and it is probably ground they would much rather be fighting on than many of the
other issues that Trump won behind in 2024.
CHATTERLEY: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE as it's known, to the rescue, apparently, Ron. It's
going to be an interesting few months.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: We'll see. Ron Brownstein, sir, thank you so much. Have a great weekend.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
CHATTERLEY: Now, South Korean authorities are suspending efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a dramatic standoff at the
presidential compound in Seoul. Investigators and police approached Yoon's home to take him into custody on Friday, but say they were blocked by a
human wall of soldiers and security officers. Yoon was stripped of presidential powers after briefly declaring martial law last month.
Mike Valerio joins us now from Seoul. The question, Mike, is what on Earth next? Because we know there's a ticking clock on that arrest warrant. It
ends on, what, January the 6th. The question is, will the anti-corruption office try and tackle the president once again without having some kind of
step down from the security forces there?
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Julia, A plus student as always. So, this is what we're watching for over the next day into Sunday. We're
going to see if the acting president of South Korea asks the president's Secret Service to stand down and let investigators do their work.
But, Julia, that seems unlikely because if he wanted the president security to stand down, one would think the he could have already have put in that
request when investigators moved in yesterday. So, as we watch all of this, it is interesting to see South Korea's suspended president in a position of
weakness and taking a page out of President Trump's playbook to put himself in a position of strength.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIO (voice-over): An unprecedented scene in South Korea as investigators move to arrest embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol. After 200
soldiers and members of the president's security team blocked their way, the investigators turned back empty handed.
Outside, the president's supporters rejoice, waving South Korean and American flags alike. Yoon's supporters channeling pro-Trump slogans, even
wearing these MAGA style hats, which say, against unconstitutional impeachment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If President Trump takes office later in January, I hope he will be able to sympathize with South Korea's
rigged election, since President Trump also suffered from the last election, too.
VALERIO (voice-over): South Korea is one of the U.S.'s closest allies with almost 30,000 troops stationed there. The country faces one of its worst
political crises in years that started in December, when amid a series of scandals and calls for his impeachment, President Yoon declared martial
law, shocking the democratic nation.
In a few hours, lawmakers quickly gathered to overturn martial law, but not before the army entered the National Assembly trying to stop politicians
from voting, following the president's alleged orders to shoot the doors if necessary. That led to the 64-year-old being stripped of his presidential
powers after members of his own party voted to impeach him.
Thousands now call for his resignation. He's accused of leading an insurrection for which he could face the death penalty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I believe that the president should be arrested rapidly and the appropriate procedure must be
implemented to reset the peace in the country.
VALERIO (voice-over): Meantime, his lawyers called the attempted arrest illegal and vowed to take action. The first session of the impeachment
trial is set for January 14th. Yoon, a prosecutor himself said he's willing to defend himself, but after Friday's clashes, doubts loom over the
president's willingness to face the law.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIO (on camera): OK. So, Julia, one more note about stop the steal being used here in Korea, the long story very short, there were elections
in April. The president's party lost in a landslide, but suspended President Yoon has said there was fraud. That claim has been investigated
and debunked. And now, his supporters are saying that not only was the election in April stolen from them, it was not, they're saying that they're
elected president is being stolen from them.
So, you see that continuity of stop the steal being used and that rallying cry at least among his supporters is growing louder. Julia.
[18:15:00]
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I see continuity of deep, deep division, political division within the country. Mike, very quickly, when did we last see
suspended President Yoon? I mean, obviously the suspension took place on, what, December 14th. When did we last see him? Are we sure he's even there?
VALERIO: We are pretty sure that the -- that he's there in his residence because there are a whole host of cameras surrounding the neighborhood. We
would see a shift in his security presence. But he gave a speech -- forgive me, Julia, and my memory running on fumes here. He gave an address from
either his residence or presidential office after he was impeached. So, in an official setting, but, you know, the one note that I don't have on my
notepad here where exactly he was.
He was in some official setting around three weeks ago, but we haven't seen him emerge since in public, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, no, brilliant recollection. Mike Valerio in Seoul. Thank you for that.
VALERIO: Thanks, Julia.
CHATTERLEY: Keep you on your toes. All right. coming up on "First Move," steel meets politics. The U.S. president blocking Nippon Steel's bid for an
iconic American company. Why he's saying no, we'll discuss.
Plus, a bold twist on traditional flavors. How one restaurant is really spicing up the culinary scene here in New York. My conversation with
Michelin star chef, Vikas Khanna, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." And a very good morning. If you're waking up on Saturday morning with us. In today's Money Move, Wall
Street bouncing back from yesterday's losses. The major U.S. indices closing higher for the first time this week, with the NASDAQ, in fact,
leading the gain. Shares of GM and Ford, also closing higher. Both firms reporting their best annual sales in the United States since 2019.
Apple shares lower, though, after the company agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for $95 million. That's peanuts to them. The complaint
alleged Apple's voice assistant Siri recorded private conversations. Apple denies any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, shares of U.S. Steel dropping more than 6 percent after President Biden officially blocked Nippon Steel's $14 billion deal to
acquire them. The president said, quote, "A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority
and is critical for resilient supply chains." Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel accused Biden of making a political decision.
[18:20:00]
In a joint statement, they responded, we are left with no choice but to take all appropriate action to protect our legal rights. And the CEO of the
U.S. Steel calling Biden's move quote, "shameful and corrupt."
Joining us now, economics and political commentator Catherine Rampell. Catherine, fantastic to have you with us. Entirely predictable, also
entirely political, I would say.
CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND OPINION COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes, I 100 percent agree. Japan is one of
our closest allies. Japanese companies have owned and operated steel plants in the United States for decades. There is no apparent national security
risk here, which is the excuse or pretext sighted for blocking this deal.
And this particular deal was going to keep a lot of Americans employed, right? U.S. Steel has already said that it plans -- or has threatened
anyway, to close a number of steel plants unless it gets this multibillion- dollar infusion from Nippon Steel. So, this was going to be good for workers. This was going to be, you know, presumably good for this industry
in the United States. And I can't think of any legitimate reason for blocking this deal other than politics.
CHATTERLEY: And that's the irony, isn't it, in this case, in the suggestion from the president was that we want to have a strong steel industry in the
United States, and U.S. Steel, at least is arguing that's exactly an entirely why this investment from Nippon Steel was required.
What's also interesting to me and President-Elect Trump has also said that he wouldn't let this deal go ahead. He's willing to welcome a hundred
billion dollars from SoftBank, also a Japanese company, into what one could argue today is way more politically and economically sensitive, which is
things like A.I. and technology versus this deal for something which is steel-based and arguably a lot less important today than it was.
RAMPELL: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: Wires crossed.
RAMPELL: It's very perplexing. I think it's this sort of national nostalgia for these heavy industries. And the idea that they alone should -- or they
should be controlled by American companies alone. Even though, again, historically, they have not been. There have been Many plants that have
been owned by Japanese -- owned or invested in by Japanese companies.
Whereas as, as you point out, as you rightly point out, that some of these newer technologies where the technology could cross borders, might be
abused in some way, maybe you would be more concerned about that technology being in the hands of some foreign country. Although, maybe not Japan or
Korea for that matter, given that these are friends of ours.
It's -- it would be different, I think, if we were talking about Russia or China or other countries that we have much more complicated, perhaps
adversarial relationships with, but just none of that is the case in this particular set of facts. And as much as Biden, as well as Trump may think
that they are helping the working class, are helping blue collar workers by this protectionist move, in fact, their jobs are being put at risk.
And that's why you've seen a lot of division, frankly, within the union membership. The union itself has come out very strongly against this deal,
but a lot of the workers are divided because they do see the writing on the wall. They do see that this cash infusion would be helpful to them.
And by the way, this week, Nippon Steel even made a last, you know, sort of a Hail Mary offer by promising that it would not reduce steel capacity
within the next 10 years without the explicit permission and approval of the U.S. government. So, you know, that's about protecting this industry,
although, capacity may not be the same thing as jobs. Maybe that's what they were concerned about being replaced by robots. I don't know.
But in any event, if the actual concern here is about preserving steel production in this country rather than doling out political favors to
important political constituencies, this is the wrong move.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. Let's hope someone from the president-elect's team is listening, because I think the concern really is that more jobs will be
lost as a result of lack of investment here than perhaps trying to preserve them and preventing it. Great to chat to you, Catherine, as always. Happy
New Year. Thank you.
RAMPELL: Happy New Year.
CHATTERLEY: Now, parts of the United States are bracing for a major winter storm, and it promises to bring heavy rain, snow, and ice from the Central
U.S. right through to the East Coast. Chad Myers joins us now. Chad, you know I love snow, but this sounds pretty drastic. How bad might this be?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is going to be very scary. If you're going to be traveling home from the holidays still, and you thought you
were going to leave on Sunday, please leave tomorrow because wait until you see what these interstates, these highways that we have in America are
going to look like by the end of the weekend.
[18:25:00]
So, here's the forecast for tomorrow. Very nice to the southeast. Decent travel, a little bit of ice building up in Kansas, but really, that's just
the beginning. The storm gets really wound up on Sunday. Let me move you ahead. This is what the forecast radar is going to look like. There's your
ice across parts of Kansas, light for a while, but then it really gets ramped up. And then, the snow begins to build north of there.
And this is a big snow event with winds that are going to be 50 miles per hour. So, we're not just going to be plowing the roads and expect it to
stay open because the wind is just going to completely shut it again. But notice how big the system is from Colorado all the way over into Virginia.
And then, by Monday morning, when you think you're going back to school in D.C. or Baltimore, Philadelphia, this is still pretty far out. I don't know
if it's going to be up or down East Coast a little bit. But you would probably have some schools closed for sure, because wait until you see what
happens here.
A half of an inch of ice in some spots, on power lines, trees, limbs, people, all those power lines are going to be coming down, people without
power. Everywhere that you see pink here, Julia, that is 12 inches of snow or more. The interstates, 75, 70, 25, all going to be in very, very rough
shape. So, snow, ice, and rain to the south and even the potential for a tornado or two on the warm side of this. There's the cold side and there's
the warm side.
Chicago, you're going to be on the cold side. Not getting above freezing for the next seven days. That's going to be very hard on the water pipes.
Now, New York City, you got a little bit warmer, but not much.
Julia, you like cold weather. You like snow. I have at least 50/50. I have half. We'll see about the snow. I don't think so.
CHATTERLEY: Oh, I don't love those odds. I hope everybody stays safe and well, but my inner child is saying school snow day. Yes, come on.
MYERS: You can take the Acela Train down to Baltimore.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, you're right. Why not get back though? Chad Myers, I'm being told to shut up. Thank you. We'll be right back. Good to see you.
Happy New Year. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Now, it's Saturday morning in South Korea, where tensions remain high as investigators from the anti-
corruption agency try to find ways to detain impeached President Yoon. The first attempt on Friday failed after an hours long standoff with security
guards and troops at his residence. Suspended President Yoon is accused of insurrection and abuse of power over his declaration of martial law last
month.
Let's talk further about this. Stephen Haggard is the Director Emeritus of the Korea-Pacific Program at the UC San Diego. Stephen, fantastic to have
you with us. How likely is it that they try to engage with the presidential Security Service once again or do you think the anti-corruption office is
perhaps once failed and won't try again?
STEPHEN HAGGARD, DIRECTOR EMERITUS FOR KOREA-PACIFIC PROGRAM, UC SAN DIEGO: Oh, no, this is not going away. I think the pressure is going to come on
the interim president to urge the presidential Security Service to stand down. The presidential Security Service in Korea is kind of unusual because
it falls directly under the power of the president. Typically, it's located elsewhere on the organization chart, so to speak. So, Yoon is basically
using this to prolong the crisis.
CHATTERLEY: You raise an important question, which is who do those troops and officers that were protecting the suspended president on Friday answer
to? I mean, the Office of Corruption suggested that they would ask the acting president to ask those presidential Security Services to step down
and therefore allow him to arrest them.
Are you suggesting that you're expecting something like that to happen perhaps over this weekend? Because obviously, the arrest warrant comes out
on January 6th.
HAGGARD: Oh, absolutely.
CHATTERLEY: You are expecting that?
HAGGARD: Yes, absolutely. And as I said, the curious thing about the presidential Security Services in Korea is they're under the direction of
the president. But by that, I mean, President Yoon, and he's cultivated a set of followers in the Security Service that have allowed him to stay in
office against this -- not stay in office, but stay on the scene, so to speak, in the face of this investigation by the CIO.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I mean, it's also deeply politicized to your point, I think, as well. And we're in a situation where there's an acting president,
there's a suspended president, and conflict over whether or not he should be in position or impeached. I guess it also accelerates pressure on the
constitutional court to make some kind of separate ruling on the impeachment motion that we saw take place on December 14th. It certainly
accelerates pressure on them, perhaps, to help address this issue.
HAGGARD: Oh, absolutely. I mean, the impeachment process in Korea is a little bit different than the United States because the National Assembly
has voted the bill of particulars. So, it now falls on the constitutional court to make a ruling in 90 days. But of course, they're going to be
subject to what the Korean people think. And the support for Yoon has just collapsed, except within the hard core of his own party.
CHATTERLEY: So, very quickly, we certainly have to keep watching this then over the weekend, but if something doesn't happen over the weekend, do you
expect that arrest warrant that at least at this stage runs out on January 6th to perhaps be extended? Because as you said at the beginning, this
isn't going away.
HAGGARD: Well, I think that's possible. But the larger thing to keep in our eye on, I think, is just the way in which the polarization in Korea is
deepening as President Yoon tries to hang on to office. That's the thing that concerns me the most.
CHATTERLEY: OK. And where does that lead?
HAGGARD: Well, I mean, at the end game to me is absolutely clear. At some point, the constitutional court's going to rule and Yoon's going to be
deposed finally. But in the interim, I think Korean democracy is going to be put through an unnecessary wringer because the two sides are just
clearly see the political world in very different ways. It's very much like the polarization you see in the United States and elsewhere in the advanced
industrial states.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, I'm already seeing it play out. Sir, great to have you on. Thank you for your wisdom.
HAGGARD: My pleasure.
CHATTERLEY: Happy New Year.
HAGGARD: All right. Coming up for us, Bungalow's breakthrough. One of New York City's most celebrated and popular new restaurants helping redefine
and reinvent Indian cuisine. We'll speak to the man who's making it happen, superstar chef Vikas Khanna, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Here in New York, one of the most exciting culinary success stories the past year was the opening of Bungalow
Restaurant and its exhilarating and innovative take on traditional Indian flavors.
Launched last spring, Bungalow has already become one of New York's most popular dining hotspots. The New York Times awarded it a much coveted three
stars. And in late December, it won a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award. Sufficing to say, it's one of the toughest reservations out there.
Now, Bungalow is co-owned by Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna, who also is an author, filmmaker, and MasterChef India host. I also have the honor of
calling him a dear friend. Now, we sat down late last month to discuss the success of Bungalow, what influences his cooking, and by far most
importantly, how his beloved late sister Radhika, Radz, was critical in imagining what Bungalow could and should be. She died almost three years
ago and therefore, never saw those ideas come to life. Vikas says her absence during this time of triumph fills him with the deepest regret.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VIKAS KHANNA, CHEF AND CO-OWNER, BUNGALOW AND FILMMAKER: I still feel incomplete. Because somebody used to -- at this time, somebody used to call
me Mera Sher, which means my lion. Generally, the first phone call will be her because we were in the same time zone. And I would call my sister when
something big happened and she said, Mera Sher, we're going to show the world.
Many big artifacts of the restaurants were planned, commissioned on the deathbed at Columbia Hospital, which she visited a few times. And this kept
her going. We're going to make it. I think it was a maternal instinct of her. And I'm like, no, I don't care. It has to be a successful restaurant.
You know, we are going to -- she's saying, no. It has to be a big restaurant. She said, no. It has to be a deeper restaurant.
CHATTERLEY: This is your baby. And I think everyone who walks in here feels that.
KHANNA: Thank you, thank you.
CHATTERLEY: You make everybody feel like they're the most important person in the room. And the food is just a part of that.
KHANNA: I'll correct you, it's not baby. It's my daughter.
CHATTERLEY: OK. Sorry.
KHANNA: I have a very clear definition of gender of this restaurant. This restaurant was born as a female. It will live as a female. And I just feel
that this week we use the word shakti, which means a woman power This is not my narrative I was not like this until I experienced loss of that
magnitude. The only person you trusted, the only friend you had, your soulmate, gone.
[18:40:00]
And for me, it was not about that much also, it was about her vision of this. I still remember in 2003 for my birthday, she took me to a
restaurant. And by the end of the meal, I saw her anxiety and excitement that the chef is going to come and she made this happen for me. And I was
very shy. And then, she goes to the manager. They give us a check and she goes to the manager -- I know she's struggling with something and the chef
never came out. And the manager told her by we were leaving that chef only meets people who order tasting menus.
And while we were walking home, it was very cold, it's November, and I think it just stopped raining and I kept telling her this was the best
birthday gift, you know, but you don't have to spend so much money. And she said, I failed. I failed. And it -- we forgot about it until the last few
days of her life. And she says, just remember, I might not be there to see this, but you will not be that chef. I'm like, which chef? Isn't that who
said that I only meet people who order tasty foods?
You're going to remove that idea of chef. You've no idea you're gifted out of 1.5 billions. You can make everybody feel. But you've got to un-
restaurant yourself.
CHATTERLEY: It sounds like her.
KHANNA: Sounds like the -- it's so logical in a way. But still so illogical. I mean, what you mean? You're saying I used to love you when you
were doing small restaurants, small banquets. You welcomed everyone. You're becoming like a chef, chef. I like that cook, cook. The rebel who chose
this profession because no Indian guy would choose to be a chef at your generation at that time. It was looked down upon. You fought it. I want
that guy. And I said --
CHATTERLEY: OK.
KHANNA: I did not promise her actually until the last day, a day before she passed away. I said, I promise I'll keep you alive. Not the way you want me
to be. I was like only focused on food and I thought that was the business. It's the food business. She taught me that this is not the food business.
We had great food in that restaurant, but we were made to feel less. That is the business. You can elevate people out of their pain and loneliness,
nostalgia. This is what food has to do.
She taught me not my degrees and my Michelin stars, what I was wearing on my head, she taught me a whole new perspective of a restaurant.
CHATTERLEY: Connection.
KHANNA: Yes.
CHATTERLEY: I think anybody who's been here will know that you serve them. You come to the table, you talk to people, they tell you their stories,
they, in certain cases, bring food. They bring their families. They bring more families. They --
KHANNA: All night.
CHATTERLEY: Yes.
KHANNA: Every night. And I know how hard it is to get in here right now. God has been so kind. I know somebody is watching and smiling that you're
going to have lines of people outside the restaurant.
CHATTERLEY: Even when it's raining.
KHANNA: Even when it's --
CHATTERLEY: I've seen it on social media.
KHANNA: Even it's pouring, the lines of people who say that we've come to a place which represents us.
CHATTERLEY: So, Bungalow, for people who may never get the chance to come here, who are watching this from around the world, what is bungalow?
KHANNA: Bungalow is a piece of Indian arts, culture, cuisine, history, heritage, celebrations, festivals, rituals. A pride. A celebration of our
heroes, of our country, of our culture. For so many decades I was made to feel less as an Indian chef.
CHATTERLEY: In this country?
KHANNA: Yes, in this country, and even in my country. And we were always taught in the colleges to learn French cuisine and continental food. That
our cuisine is never going to make it. I'm like, but why we won't make it? We're never going to be in top 50 in America. We're never going to make
that impression. What are you going to cook for presidents?
This is what the teacher would tell us, I'm like, you have to work and master the French cuisine. I said, but French are not mastering Indian
food. Most importantly for me, what is the purpose of a career? So, every dish represents that purpose.
CHATTERLEY: And by the way, how many presidents have you cooked for?
KHANNA: Four.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, just checking that.
KHANNA: But it is an honor because for me, of course, I get -- I only -- my knees only shiver cooking for two people. One is my mom and one is for Shah
Rukh Khan. That's it. I'm clear in my love life. These are the people which hierarchies these two and then everybody else, I feel the same.
CHATTERLEY: It's love.
[18:45:00]
KHANNA: Then it's like equilibrium. But I do feel that every dish you will eat at Bungalow, that you will feel that it connects you back to hundreds
of years of history of India.
CHATTERLEY: So, you're an author, you're a film producer, director, master chef India, you've cooked for four presidents, you've cooked for your own
prime minister, of course, of India. You have so many achievements that it's too long to list. How does Bungalow compare to those moments and
achievements?
KHANNA: This is different. This is different. A small glass breaks here, my heart melts. I never used to care so much. We use 20 pounds of fresh
flowers every day. I do this with my hands every single day.
Now, the ceremony outside has become such a big deal that we have such a crowd who watches me do this ceremony at 4:30 every evening. And we put
Gangajal, that's the water from Ganges where I performed the last rituals of my sister. I stole two bottles of water. And I put four drops of water
every day.
I'm very ritualistic. Not superstitious, but very ritualistic, that I love to do things on repeat. I'm like a little puppy. I have a time clock. I
just do that. But this success feels like home to me. This feels like this -- some -- for the first time in my life I'm feeling that this is going to
create paths for people who were confused of choice of cuisine they would choose as a profession.
There are thousands and thousands of kids watching us in India right now. They're seeing that Indian food taking a new stage and to be represented
with this kind of authenticity and purity, a celebration.
CHATTERLEY: What would you say to your younger self and to your point to young Indians, but young people anywhere in the world that aspire to be
more and aspire to travel and do things, what would your advice be?
KHANNA: I was raised around the farms. So, my advice comes from learning from the farms that if you're being buried, just remember that is how every
seed went through a process. For you to shine, you have to rise against gravity, resistance of the soils, fight for your life, search for sources
of water and light. But do not give up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: Vikas Khanna there. And I believe Radhika is shining down on him. We're back after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00]
CHATTERLEY: Welcome back. To New York, where a controversial congestion toll is about to take effect in the city this weekend. From Sunday, car
drivers with an easy pass will pay a peak charge of $9 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The price of trucks and buses is higher. The toll
aims to reduce overcrowding and pollution. Many businesses are opposed to congestion pricing. They argue it will increase delivery costs, which will
be passed down to customers.
In the past couple of hours, I spoke to Seth Gottlieb, the senior vice president of logistics at Baldor Specialty Foods. They're leading a
coalition to exempt food and beverage distributors from the charge. Gottlieb told me how much more his business would have to pay.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SETH GOTTLIEB, SENIOR VP FOR LOGISTICS, BALDOR SPECIALTY FOODS: It's going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory cost over what we're
doing today.
CHATTERLEY: And how much of that can you mitigate and how much of that will you have to pass on?
GOTTLIEB: So, our plan is to mitigate all the costs and capture all that internally through efficiencies. Our plan is not to pass it on to our
customers, but we know other partners around the Hunts Point community are not going to be able to do so. And we're also very concerned about our
customers who are in the business district, who are going to be sourcing all of their supplies from outside of the congestion zone. So, their costs
are going to be increased for every supply coming into their businesses.
CHATTERLEY: I mean, can you give me a ballpark what -- because I know you're having conversations. And it's great that you're saying actually,
look, we're not going to have to pass any costs on because we can somehow be more efficient. But what kind of price increases for consumers we're
talking about here?
GOTTLIEB: Yes, I mean, I think it's going to depend on the industry and who's bringing the products in. For us, you know, we're seeing hundreds of
thousands of dollars added into our cost structure that we're going to need to absorb. I think for customers they're going to certainly see that pass-
through through restaurants and retailers.
But one of our larger concerns really is around the impact to food banks, members of our coalition, support hunger relief efforts, and this is going
to create an extra burden on those carriers bringing product to people who need it most.
CHATTERLEY: I think this is the critical point, Seth, because I think the as high as prices are and as painful as it is, it's the people who can
least afford it that are going to bear the burden here, as you're saying, the higher costs on the lower income families, on food banks, for example,
that may, I guess, have less food available, that's what you're saying.
GOTTLIEB: Yes, the Hunts Point community supply 60 percent of the fresh food into New York City. These also support hunger relief organizations as
well. This congestion pricing plan is going to put undue burden on those organizations and their ability to serve underprivileged communities and
provide them with fresh food.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: And from transportation today to a trail tens of millions of years in the making. Scientists have made a thrilling discovery in
Oxfordshire in England, uncovering a quarry floor filled with hundreds of different dinosaur footprints. The Dinosaur Highway, as it's being called,
dates back to the middle of the Jurassic period. Samantha Lindell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMANTHA LINDELL, CNN DIGITAL CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The footprints you're seeing now are 166 million years old. Researchers say it's the most
important discovery of dinosaur tracks in the U.K. for over 25 years.
EMMA NICHOLLS, OXFORD UNIVERSITY AT MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: So, these footprints we're talking about are 100 million years older than
Tyrannosaurus rex, which is mind-blowing.
LINDELL (voice-over): Five tracks made of approximately 200 dinosaur footprints were discovered in 2023 by chance at the working quarry.
NICHOLLS: Quarry worker Gary Johnson, was removing some of the mud from the limestone floor, and suddenly realized he was hitting these sorts of
hummocks.
LINDELL (voice-over): 40 dinosaur tracks were first found in this area in the 1990s. So, the quarry contacted the Oxford University Museum of Natural
History to investigate.
NICHOLLS: So over seven days, we coordinated 100 people to excavate these footprints, and what we uncovered was just incredible. The footprints at
the site are from at least two different types of dinosaurs. A huge herbivorous dinosaur called a Sauropod. Those are the ones with very long
necks and very long tails, like Brachiosaurus or Brontosaurus. Those footprints are 90 centimeters long, the largest ones.
The other type of track, the fifth track was made by a carnivorous dinosaur called Megalosaurus. And so, they have the really distinctive three toed
footprints, and they're massive. They're 65 centimeters from front to back.
So, the great thing about what we call trace fossils is that it shows us dinosaur behavior. We've calculated the speeds that they were walking and
they were walking at the same speed. They were both walking at about three miles per hour, and that's actually the same speed of an average adult
human.
[18:55:00]
LINDELL (voice-over): The trackways lie across the working quarry, so they're not safe for the public to visit, but scientists are figuring out
how to preserve them, so that people can see the dinosaur footprints in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHATTERLEY: I want to be an archaeologist when I grow up. And finally, on "First Move," from the prehistoric to something a little closer to science
fiction. There were remarkable scenes in a remote village in Kenya where a colossal red-hot piece of space junk fell from the sky. It actually
happened on Monday. The metallic ring that you can see measures two and a half meters in diameter, or around eight feet wide. It weighs around 500
kilograms, which is more than a thousand pounds. Kenya's space agency says it's taken the object and is investigating exactly what happened, and I
guess what they think it is too.
And that just about wraps up the show. Thank you for joining us. Have a wonderful weekend and we'll see you next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
