CNN.com - Transcripts (2024)

[18:00:28]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, it is midnight in Paris, 8 a.m. in Sydney, and 6 o'clock in the evening here in New York. I'm Zain

Asher in for Julia Chatterley, and wherever you are in the world, this is your First Move.

Warm welcome to First Move, and here is today's need-to-know. Earnings at Wall Street's most important company, chipmaker NVIDIA, beat expectations,

but the market wants more. We'll break it all down for you a little bit later on in the show.

Also developing now, the Russian-born founder of Telegram under formal investigation in France for offenses related to messenger apps used for

criminal and gang activity. We'll have the latest for you there as well.

Lego wants to lose the oil. The toy-making giant's planning for a future without fossil fuels as its profits surge.

And a story of sweet success for the founder of a candy firm whose tasty idea ended up in a Cardi B music video. That conversation for you coming

up.

We begin, though, with the earnings report that investors across the globe have been waiting for. The AI chipmaker NVIDIA, arguably the most important

tech stock on Wall Street, is now out with its latest results. The company easily beating on second quarter profit and revenue, with sales up 122%

from the year before.

NVIDIA also raising its guidance for the current quarter, a sign that corporate demand for its high-end chips remains strong, though not as

strong as some investors had hoped. It also announced a $50 billion stock buyback. Shares of NVIDIA are lower in after-hours trading, perhaps because

the company's revenues did not rise as much as in previous quarters. And it's taking more to impress investors. But to put things in perspective,

shares are still up a cool 160% so far this year.

Dan Ives is joining me now. He's a Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Dan, thank you so much for being with us. So investors, of course, look to NVIDIA's results as a broader indication of AI-related demand. Just give us

your take on the results we saw today.

DAN IVES, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WEDBUSH SECURITIES: Look, I thought these were robust numbers. I mean, not just in terms of the quarter, but the outlook,

what it shows about demand in the AI revolution.

Now, with the stock being down a bit after market, I think that's short- lived. I mean, it is really showing from the godfather of AI, Jensen, how demand is really just starting in terms of these AI chips.

ASHER: Yeah, I mean, the stock is down a little bit, obviously, after hours, partly because we presume that the operating margin was very high.

But it did narrow from previous quarters. Also, the fact that the pace of the sequential sales growth has been slowing for four straight quarters.

But when you look at that more broadly, does that mean that the explosive demand, the sort of insatiable demand and the explosive growth that we've

seen for AI appears to be slowing? Your thoughts?

IVES: Yeah, look, I think the numbers, and you talked about it, these are meteoric. I mean, they're historic numbers that we're seeing from NVIDIA.

That's why it's the most important, not just tech, I say stock in the market. But if you look at underlying demand, it's a huge multiplier. For

every dollar spent on a NVIDIA chip, $8 to $10 across the rest of the tech.

It actually shows that demand's accelerating in terms of underlying. So when I look at this, I feel better and even stronger about the AI

revolution thesis, despite the stock being down a bit after, you know, we'll call it some of the bears are poking holes. And what I view is

really, you know, have fun like numbers.

ASHER: One of the reasons why NVIDIA has just done so well is partly because its competition has been limited. But you've got competitors like

AMD coming out with this latest chip earlier this year. I mean, does that bode well or how badly does that bode for NVIDIA stock going forward, do

you think?

IVES: Yeah, well, there's many, many winners. I mean, when you look at AMD, you look at Micron, you look at a bunch of other, you know, chip players

across the board in this AI revolution, competition will come. But for now, Giants and NVIDIA, they're the only game in town in terms of those AI

chips. Their AI chip, they're essentially the new gold or oil. So if you look at the type of demand that we've seen, I mean, look, their EPS numbers

have, and their overall growth numbers are almost up five, six x (ph) relative to where the street expected a year ago.

[18:05:29]

ASHER: And how concerned are you about the sort of future profitability of AI and whether tech companies should continue to invest as robustly as they

are in AI going forward, given perhaps the concern around its profitability?

IVES: Yeah, I think that's been one of the issues near term massive spending. I mean, really unparalleled. We're talking about a trillion

dollars of AI cap back that we're going to see in the next three to four years. But you haven't necessarily seen it yet.

But I think you start to see it over the next three, six, nine months. It's really a fourth industrial revolution that's being built out in front of us

and no different than other industrial revolutions. This one's being led the different here by big tech. Of course, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple and

others.

ASHER: When you think about the concerns around the build out, the build out of AI when it comes to privacy, security, data sovereignty, for

example, data utilization, I mean, does that also concern you in terms of how that may impact profitability and demand as well going forward?

IVES: Well, you talk about regulatory. I mean, that's been an issue, especially in Europe. I mean, where they're obviously very, very concerned

about that. But this is going to be one where a lot of it's going to be self-regulation because the regulatory on AI is going 40 miles an hour in

the right lane in a minivan. But the technology is in a Ferrari going 100 miles an hour in the left lane. But that's really the conundrum right now

for the Beltway, for Brussels.

But I don't see this stopping this AI train. And I think this is really what we're seeing here. I think power is packed stocks higher throughout

the rest of the year and into 2025.

ASHER: Yeah, a lot of people are also talking about the fact that perhaps the frothy price that we've seen of this stock just simply cannot be

justified. We're talking about an increase of about 3000% over five years.

Dan Ives, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. There's also some breaking news from the tech sector as well. French prosecutors say that Telegram Founder Pavel Durov is now under

formal investigation. He was detained for questioning Saturday at an airport just outside Paris. Prosecutors say the Russian born billionaire is

under investigation for alleged criminal activity on the Telegram platform.

They've been looking into Telegram's alleged complicity in things like illegal gang transactions, money laundering and Telegram's refusal to give

information to authorities. Durov's bail was set at $5.5 million dollars. He's been prohibited from leaving France for the time being.

CNN's Legal Analyst Norm Eisen joins us live now.

Norm, thank you so much for being with us. So Telegram CEO facing prosecution here over failure to suppress sexual images of children and

calls for violence. How common or rare is it, do you think, to have the CEO of a platform held criminally liable for corporate misconduct, so to speak?

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: We have seen it for from time to time, for example, with Kim Dotcom and the Silk Road online marketplace. In the

United States, it would be very unusual because First Amendment freedom of speech protects platforms, generally speaking, from this kind of

enforcement.

But even in the U.S., Zain, there's an exception for facilitating criminal activity. And that's what is confronting us here with the allegations. It's

just an investigation. Mr. Durov has not yet been formally charged. The most serious allegation is facilitating gang activity that is criminal in

nature that can carry up to 10 years in prison under the French penal code. So we have that age old struggle between freedom of speech and regulating

criminal action.

ASHER: So should Telegram be liable then for the illicit content and information that is shared on its platform? Your thoughts?

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EISEN: Yes. Freedom of speech has to stop where criminal activity is facilitated. And just as if traditional publisher or print publisher were

knowingly taking ads for drugs or victimization, human trafficking, allowing criminal gangs to form, we would hold that conduct liable.

I think Telegram and Mr. Durov must be held liable. At a minimum, they should comply with requests for information. They've also refused to do

that very often. So I think that liability is appropriate.

ASHER: All right. Norm Eisen, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right, Russian -- Russia's Foreign Ministry has banned entry to the country for 92 U.S. citizens for what it calls Washington's Russia phobic

stance. The list includes journalists from "The Wall Street Journal," "New York Times" and "Washington Post," as well as a number of government

officials and university professors.

Moscow is warning the list will be expanded in the future. Last year, Russia banned 500 Americans from entering the country as well.

All right, I want to turn now to the Middle East, where Israel has launched its biggest offensive in the occupied West Bank in years. Palestinian

officials say at least 10 people have been killed as the IDF carried out raids and airstrikes as well. Video shows bulldozers tearing up a street in

the city of Jenin.

Israel's Foreign Minister says the operation is meant to combat what he calls Islamic Iranian terrorist infrastructure, and he's calling for a

Gaza-style operation. In turn, the Palestinian Authority is accusing Israel of violation and crimes.

Nic Robertson has the reaction from Tel Aviv. Just in terms of what both sides are saying here, Nic, Israel says that it's rooting out militants

from the West Bank, trying to thwart and prevent attacks. The Palestinians say that the Israelis are essentially trying to broaden the war and expel

them from territories. Just give us your take on what's happening on the ground?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, and the Israelis' point is that if they don't do this, then the war will be broadened by

their adversaries like Iran, and they'll be fighting on another front. So they're doing what they always do, which is preemptively try to take out

the threat that they say is there.

If you look back at what's happened over the past year almost, since October 7th, 622 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including

East Jerusalem. That's a massive increase over last year, and that represents a significant security presence, and from the Israeli view, a

deterrence in the West Bank. But what we've seen right now is some really specific allegations about Iran and a very significant force going to the

West Bank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Before dawn, the biggest Israeli raid into the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began October 7th.

Airstrikes near a cluster of northern towns, Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas, backed by hundreds of troops and border police on the ground. The IDF says

it's a counterterrorism operation intended to thwart what they claim is a systematic strategy in Iran to smuggle weapons and explosives into the West

Bank.

Outside Jenin, a drone strike killing three men in a vehicle, whom the IDF claim were terrorists, and seriously wounding another. Near Tubas, the IDF

says another airstrike killed four terrorists. This resident caught in a blast.

MASOUD NAAJA, TWO CHILDREN KILLED: In seconds, very fast, we felt like something came down on us from the sky and there was an explosion. When I

put my hand on my chest, it was all shrapnel and in blood.

ROBERTSON: The IDF also arresting people and surrounding hospitals, including Jenin's main hospital, Ibn Sina. They said to prevent terrorists

using it as a base. Palestinian ambulances also appearing to be targeted by the IDF amid claims staff were beaten.

DR. YOUNIS AL-KHATIB, DIRECTOR, PALESTINE RED CRESCENT IN WEST BANK (through translator): The occupation army is clearly targeting medical

crews and ambulances. The latest example is today at the al-Faraa Refugee Camp. The staff were forced to come out of the car and the director of our

center in Tubas was beaten.

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ROBERTSON: As they have done in previous West Bank raids, the IDF using armored diggers to rip up streets. They claim searching for roadside bombs.

In part, the IDF says the operation connected to this failed backpack bomb attack that only killed the bomber in Tel Aviv ten days ago. It was the

first of its kind in decades.

Hamas, however, reacting to the raids, calling Palestinians to restart a suicide bombing campaign abandoned almost two decades ago. Unclear how long

the operation will last, but by late Wednesday Palestinian officials saying ten people dead and more than 20 injured making it one of the most deadly

days in the West Bank since the Gaza war began October 7th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON (on camera): And in the past hour or so, the IDF has released a video of what they claim was a terrorist headquarters. A drone flies into a

room that they say is part of a mosque. You can see a lot of monitors on the wall. You can see a lot of pictures of men that the narrator says are

terrorists of ones who've died.

Those very much look like the pictures that some of the groups inside of the West Bank do put up of their fallen soldiers. So there's that. And on

the other side of the room, the little drone swings around. And you can see equipment that could be used and the narrator says has been used for making

explosives. And it flies further inside the mosque and there's more equipment.

So the IDF is presenting evidence here of what they say that they've found of areas where the explosives they say were being or could have been

prepared. We're also seeing on social media as well late into the evening some videos appearing to show some of these big diggers being targeted by

big roadside explosives, big detonations, big explosions. I think there's a lot more to see that's going to come out of this.

The real question is how big is it going to be? How long could it last? It could be really big. We just don't know right now, Zain.

ASHER: Nic Robertson, thank you so much for your great reporting there. We appreciate it.

All right, straight ahead, evacuations are underway in Japan as a powerful typhoon approaches. Airlines are cancelling hundreds of flights. An update

on the storm's path just ahead for you.

And all systems go for a green future at Lego. The toy maker on track to sell 100% eco-friendly products in less than 10 years. We'll hear from its

CEO next.

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ASHER: This money move, U.S. stocks falling across the board amid a little bit of nervousness over the release of NVIDIA's earnings, which came out

after the closing bell. As we told you earlier, their chip giant beat expectations on the top and bottom lines. It also raised guile for the

current quarter, but its outlook disappointed some. And its shares are down 7% in afterhours trading. We'll see how all of that affects trading in

Thursday's session.

It wasn't all about NVIDIA, though. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway became the first U.S.-listed company outside tech to hit a market cap of $1

trillion. And shares of trendy retailer Abercrombie & Fitch fell 16% after its warnings of an uncertain sales environment.

Mixed session as well in Asia. Modest gains for the Nikkei, but weaknesses for Chinese shares.

All right, most of us have played with Lego before. I obviously have. But have you actually ever wondered what the bricks themselves are actually

made of? Well, it's actually a very complex list of lots of chemicals. And last year, only around 12% of the material was actually sustainable.

Lego is in the process of changing that. And in less than a decade, it promises it will be using only renewable materials in the bricks. Anna

Stewart spoke to the company's CEO.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIELS CHRISTIANSEN, CEO, LEGO: If you were to wish, you would like some material that would just solve all problems and be totally green.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.

CHRISTIANSEN: Now, certified mass balance is a mix of oil-based plastic and really plastic based on renewable. But it's a mix that has the majority of

it being actually green or renewably based materials. So that's the way for us to go down. And as you said, we got to 30%. It actually means that if

you take a Lego brick produced this half year, 22% of that is not based on oil.

So we actually managed to grow the company 13% while actually using less oil for plastic while doing so. So we kind of got to a milestone or a

turning point. But from now on, we have a way. And it's our ambition to keep growing the share of mass balance, as you say, and thereby the

renewable content.

STEWART: Do you ever see there being a time when Lego brick has no fossil fuel, no oil in it at all?

CHRISTIANSEN: Yeah, we have the ambition to be at that point in 2032. And I think what we see right now, this development gives me line of sight that I

think we will get there.

STEWART: You're going to be competing, of course, when you're looking at more renewable oils with other industries. Perhaps aviation industry

springs to my mind with SAF also using cooking oils and waste oils. Is that going to be a problem do you think as lots of different industries look to

the same technologies to try and decarbonize?

CHRISTIANSEN: I actually see it would also be an opportunity in the sense that, you know, partly what we're doing right now, we're spending extra. So

we're paying more for these kind of materials. And we've decided not to load that onto consumers. So we're kind of carrying that in our own P&L.

Part of the logic for that is that we want to be part of driving the industry in this direction. Allow those who actually make the materials to

make the investments it takes to make more volume.

So while also seeing other industries, like you mentioned airlines, if they go into this and they also push for it, I think that would actually

probably give more momentum rather than less. So I would -- I would -- I would welcome anybody who would want to be on the journey and help

investing and driving this forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Right. Turning now to Japan, where more than one million people have been evacuated ahead of Typhoon Shanshan. The storm has yet to make a

landfall on the mainland, but residents are already feeling the effect. Shanshan is expected to hit southern Japan as early as Thursday.

Joining us live on this, let's bring in Chad Myers. So the authorities there are issuing very rare emergency warnings. Just talk us through this,

because there's a lot of fear that it could produce a large-scale disaster on the mainland?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just so much rainfall, Zain. Already places that are approaching 600 millimeters. And as you said, the eye or the

center of the storm is just getting to Kyushu right now.

[18:25:08]

Take a look at this. Here's Tokyo. Here's Honshu and then Kyushu, down to the south. I'm going to back you up and show you the radar. It's a little

bit hard to find the landmass on this Japanese radar. But you can kind of see the islands here, Kagoshima.

What I want you to notice as you can really see the center of the circulation. Now, I'm going to go back to that same picture that I was just

showing you. And you can see how very close it is at 157 kilometers per hour sustained winds. And then we talk about how much it's not going to

move.

This lapse right here, this last dot, that's five days from now. And that is Tokyo. So not even to Tokyo five days later, which means the amount of

precipitation that's going to come down will be devastating. Already spots there. That's 20 inches if you want to do it in the English words there.

Here's this already seeing landslides. And there's this rain has just started. We're just now getting to the middle of the storm, getting on

shore. So we have another, what, 72 hours of heavy rain in those places where the land is already moving. That white spot there south of Osaka,

that's 500 millimeters predicted by the computer. And they've already had rainfall from the first part of this storm, from the outer bands of this.

It's going to take so very long to get this out of the way.

Yes, the winds are horrible. But as we start to lower to the winds by, I would say, tomorrow afternoon local time, probably down less than 100

kilometers per hour. The real threat changes from a windstorm knocking down power lines and trees, maybe taking some roofs off homes to how much

rainfall is going to come out of this storm.

No question, if we're already almost 600 millimeters and it's raining in those spots that there will be places, especially, I mean, the highest spot

in Kyushu is about 2000 meters, so 6000 feet. That is all going to have to run down that hill, down that volcano and back into the ocean, causing

significant landslides, flash flooding like maybe we've never seen here in Kyushu. It is going to be a dangerous couple of days because this thing is

moving like three or four kilometers per hour. It's just not moving at all.

ASHER: A lot of people holding their breath. And what's remarkable is that it hasn't even made landfall and yet it's already wreaking havoc. As you

point out, this typhoon is moving very, very slowly, though.

MYERS: Yeah.

ASHER: Chad Myers, live for us there. Thank you so much.

All right. Next, their identities and personal photos stolen as part of a scheme to promote Donald Trump. The results of a CNN investigation, coming

up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ASHER: Welcome back to First Move with a look at more international headlines this hour.

Russian attacks have killed at least 10 people according to Ukrainian officials on Wednesday. Ukraine, at meantime, has been targeting deeper

inside Russia. The nation's military saying Tuesday that its forces have taken a hundred Russian settlements. Ukraine has been hitting Russia's

infrastructure including airfields and oil refineries.

Namibia is struggling with its worst drought in a century. Now, the country is planning on killing more than a 700 wild animals to feed its hungry

citizens. Namibia's government says it has already killed more than 150 animals. Almost one and a half million Namibians are expected to face high

levels of food insecurity.

The Polaris Dawn Crew will have to wait a little bit longer to begin the historic space mission. SpaceX cancelled liftoff for a second day,

Wednesday, this time because of bad weather conditions. They hope to try again later on this week. If all goes well, the Polaris Dawn Mission will

feature the first ever spacewalk by a civilian.

Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have begun a two-day bus tour of Georgia as they Campaign for the White House. Four years ago, President Joe

Biden won the state by fewer than 12,000 votes.

While in Georgia Harrison and Walz will sit down for their first ever in- depth interview since the Democratic Convention right here on CNN with our very own Dana Bash. It's set to air Thursday at 9 o'clock Eastern Time in

the evening.

A CNN investigation has revealed a shocking link between identity theft and efforts to re-elect Donald Trump. CNN has discovered that some of Trump

supporters on X formerly known as Twitter are not who they appear to be. The accounts are fake and the photos and other information on display have

been stolen from online influencers in Europe who say they want nothing to do with American politics. CNN's Katie Polglase reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER (voice-over): Debbie is heading home from work in Luxembourg, Northern Europe crossing the border into

Germany. She races back to her son. And of course Lou. But Debbie's day doesn't end there. She's also a professional model. Her image not only her

identity, but her source of income helping support her and her son. But it's been stolen used in a pro-Trump account on X attracting nearly 30,000

followers in less than six months.

(On camera): Here's Luna.

DEBBIE NEDERLOF, MODEL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Yeah. That's very crazy.

POLGLASE: Yeah. And when you see these views, you know, it's saying vote for Trump in 2024, what's your reaction?

NEDERLOF: My -- to be honest, what the (bleep) was my reaction, that was my reaction. Because I have nothing to do with you, the United States with

Trump, the political things over there.

POLGLASE: And if people following this account believe that this is you, what do you want to say to them?

NEDERLOF: That it's definitely not me. Definitely, it was never me and it will never be me and they have to unfollow, please.

POLGLASE: In fact, Debbie is not alone in partnership with the Center for Information Resilience CNN found nearly 60 fake Trump supporting accounts

and from these we identified nearly a dozen women real women from Across Europe from Denmark to the Netherlands and as far away as Russia whose

identities are being used in accounts telling voters, American voters to vote for Trump in the upcoming U.S. election.

(On camera): Let's take a look at some of these accounts like Alina, 33, and voting for Trump. But she's not -- she's really Kamilla from Denmark.

KAMILLA BROBERG, INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER: I think it's weird anything that can discriminate other people on my account because it's -- it's my little

universe, I don't think it's fair.

[18:35:06]

POLGLASE: And this one Eva, she even has a verified blue tick which is supposed to weed out fake accounts.

NERIAH TELLERUP, INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER: You feel very taken advantage of, also because it's kind of my image. I don't want to think people think that

I do what those profiles sometimes are promoting.

POLGLASE: He ran the suspicious ex-photos through a reverse image search engine and found they were lifted from Instagram posts. Certain patterns

emerged. The fake accounts repost each other. It's a sign of a coordinated campaign.

Here, several of the fake accounts post the exact same wording. "If you're voting for the man who survived an assassination attempt, I want to follow

you." It's another sign the accounts are linked.

And that's not all. Some of the accounts manipulated the images of these women. Have a look at Debbie's post, the original on Instagram and now the

fake one on ex. Her hat now reads "Make America Great Again." Look at this t-shirt, before and then Trump 2024.

For now we don't know who is behind all these accounts. But the former U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman who also used to investigate fake

accounts for Twitter told us this?

EMILY HORNE, FORMER GLOBAL HEAD OF POLICY, TWITTER: I don't think it's unreasonable to ask questions about could there be a state actor involved.

We know that there are multiple state actors who have been using social media to try to sow disinformation campaigns in the run-up to the 2024

election.

POLGLASE: But regardless, the accounts are reaching influential politicians. Doug Mastriano, a Republican state senator for Pennsylvania,

follows Debbie's fake account. CNN contacted the senator about the account, but has not heard back.

Back in Germany, Debbie is shocked and upset that her image is being used in this way. With President Trump now back on X, and Elon Musk, the owner

of X, throwing his weight behind him, fake pro-Trump content appears to be flourishing. Silencing the real women affected.

Once again, women's rights at the very heart of this presidential election. Katie Polglase, CNN, Trier, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: And worth noting that CNN reached out to X regarding these accounts, but did not receive a response. However, in the past 24 hours, X did take

down the majority of these accounts. There's also no indication that the Trump campaign was involved.

All right, hundreds of Venezuelans gathered in Caracas Wednesday to protest the disputed results of last month's presidential election. Authorities

claim President Nicolas Maduro won, but they haven't the full results. Meantime, the impact of the crisis is being felt across the region.

Stefano Pozzebon joins us live now from Colombia. So, Stefano, we know that more than 2 million Venezuelans have actually fled in recent years because

of the instability. Just talk us through how many people have fled as a result of the controversial election we've seen as well?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Zain. Well, 2 million people still in Colombia alone. It's almost 8 million Venezuelans who left the country

since Maduro came to power. That is about a quarter of the population. Imagine what would happen if, in the United States, over 80 million people

left in the space of a decade because of the repression from an authoritarian government.

Well, that's pretty much what happened in that crisis-stricken country called Venezuela. And this year is not any different. Every time we see

Maduro clinging on to power more and more, we see more people taking their bags, taking the streets and trying to leave to make ends meet in a better

place.

The ones who are leaving now and the ones that I've been able to speak with over the last couple of weeks are most involved with the opposition

efforts, with the challenge by the opposition to enforce and to push for a democratic change in Venezuela, which makes their migration even more

bitter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POZZEBON (voice-over): A month ago, we met Victor Medina campaigning for freedom in Venezuela. He was urging people to vote for opposition candidate

Edmundo Gonzalez, who was challenging authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro at the polls. But since then, a lot has changed.

Venezuelan electoral authorities declaring Maduro the winner of that election without showing any proof and the government detaining more than

2,000 people in a ferocious crackdown on dissent. Medina is now a migrant in Colombia. I never wanted to leave this way, he tells me, fleeing my

homeland as if I was a criminal.

[18:40:04]

His only crime, he says, was serving as an electoral witness for Gonzalez's campaign. While Maduro claims victory, the opposition has published more

than 20,000 voting tallies that show that Gonzalez won the election, collected by volunteers like Medina, who took his certificate all the way

to Bogota.

(On camera): Do you know that somebody from the opposition told me that these documents have become like kryptonite in Venezuela because the

government is hunting down everybody who was involved with the collection of the tallies.

(Voice-over): Electoral experts told CNN the results published by the opposition match mathematically and statistically, and several countries,

including the United States, have already recognized Gonzalez as the legitimate winner. Medina is not alone. Other dissidents have left

Venezuela in recent weeks in much more delicate circ*mstances.

Why does this interview need to remain anonymous?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ANONYMOUS VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT (through translator): After they put out an arrest order for me and I left, the police took my

wife and my daughter to make me surrender. We are safe now, but my family remains in Venezuela, and I'm worried for them.

POZZEBON: CNN spoke with several opposition activists who are now in Colombia, Ecuador and the United States. Fearing retaliation against their

loved ones, most asked for their identity to remain hidden. While Venezuelan authorities did not respond to CNN's questions surrounding these

cases.

Before the election, one poll suggested up to a third of Venezuelans would consider migrating if Maduro stayed in power, adding further pressure to

governments already struggling to contain the migrant flows to the U.S. southern border. Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was in

Colombia on Monday, pledging resources to address migration.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Regional challenges require regional solutions.

POZZEBON: Medina would rather be part of the solution, but his reading is clear. I thought this was the year we would welcome our loved ones back to

Venezuela. I feel instead we will meet together abroad, he says.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POZZEBON: And I think it's an understatement to say that this crisis is closely monitored in the White House, and the presence of the Homeland

Security Secretary here in Colombia is just to show how closely Washington is monitoring the situation in Venezuela, because the impact could

reverberate very much at the U.S. southern border.

Zain?

ASHER: That is a great point. Stefano Pozzebon, live for us there, thank you so much.

We'll have much more First Move after this quick break.

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[18:45:22]

ASHER: All right, welcome back to First Move. Our next guest is an entrepreneur who dropped out of university to sell candy. Tara Bosch

founded SmartSweets when she was just 22 years old. Now the company she started is worth millions.

Bosch learned her trade from YouTube, spending months testing out candy recipes in her kitchen. She wasn't just boosting her cooking skills, she

was also learning how to run a business.

Now SmartSweets is enjoying sweet success. The company sold $2 million worth of candy in its first year. And less than four years later, Tara sold

her company for almost $400 million.

And Smart Sweets have been popping up everywhere. They even received a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo appearance in the Cardi B music video,

Bongos. And here to bang her own drum, I'm joined live now by the Founder of SmartSweets, Tara Bosch.

Tara, thank you so much for being with us. I have obviously your candy in my hand here. I have to say that it's not every day that you hear that a

25-year-old has sold a business for just under $400 million.

And I remember when I first heard the story, this idea that you had sold your company at age 25 and made a whopping $360 million. I was honestly

more impressed by the 25 than I was by the $360 million. And that is because you think about what it takes to run a business.

You have to be able to manage people. You've got to be able to face rejection. You've got to be able to be scrappy, to think on your feet, to

pitch investors. The list goes on. How on earth did you learn to do all of that when you started out at just 22?

TARA BOSCH, FOUNDER, SMARTSWEETS: Yeah, I'm super honored to be here, so thanks for having me. Yeah, I mean, I think it really came down to me, for

me, to putting one foot in front of the other every single day. I would wake up paralyzed with fear and self-doubt and insecurity on, am I capable?

I don't know what I'm doing. All of those internal thoughts and struggles.

And so it was really just focusing on the immediate next step to put one foot in front of the other and then really, really be clear on the vision,

which I felt was serving something so much larger than myself in the sugar reduction movement. And that was what helped me to really keep going each

and every day.

ASHER: One of the things that is remarkable about your candy company is that you essentially attempted to launch a candy company that has virtually

no sugar. And I am a sugar addict. And when I tasted it, it tastes literally no different from any other candy that I've tasted.

So when you first pitch people the initial idea, listen, I want to launch a candy company without sugar or with very little sugar, it almost sounds

like an oxymoron. What was the initial reaction that you got?

BOSCH: Yes, it was very much an oxymoron at the time, because like you said, candy is 99.9% sugar. And when you make candy, you need all that

sugar in order to have it run smoothly on the machines. And so for me, it was really painting the vision for people of, you know, what does

tomorrow's world look like? And that was that low sugar is here to stay.

And that if we can kick sugar out of candy, people can actually enjoy candy as an everyday snack instead of a moderately enjoyed treat. So it was

really just painting that picture of, you know, this is what's happening, whether you like it or not.

And if you come along on the ride with me now, then we can be partners as we grow this new wave in the candy industry and the global sugar reduction

movement together.

ASHER: You know, one of the other things that I love about your story is just, I guess, how much of a hustler you are and how -- how scrappy you

are. I was reading that you cold message potential investors on LinkedIn, asking them to invest in your idea that you reached out to successful

entrepreneurs that you didn't know. Also on LinkedIn, asking them to mentor you and some of the people who agreed to become your mentor.

They literally would coach you on what to say to investors word for word. And you would read it to investors word for word to get them to invest in

your company. I mean, how do people for people who are just starting out in terms of building their own business? What can they learn from that, do you

think?

[18:50:02]

BOSCH: Yeah, you know, I think that it's really when you're clear on where you're going in your vision, that people have been down that road before

you and bringing a vision to life. They see a younger version of themselves often in you and are so willing to be helpful of you in your journey.

It's really just having the ability to step into your confidence to reach out and to try and to not be discouraged when people don't respond and to

not take that personally, but just to be really putting on your bullhorns on and cutting through the noise. And I think to really be grounded in

gratitude for those that support you on your journey and making sure that they know that.

ASHER: I love that. I love that. And congratulations on all your success. Tara Bosch, Founder of SmartSweets. Thank you so much.

BOSCH: Thank you so much.

ASHER: All right, still to come, thousands of athletes gather in Paris for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics. We'll show you some of the

sporting stars we're keeping an eye on as the games get underway.

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ASHER: All right, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the 2024 Paralympics open on Wednesday during a colorful ceremony in the center of

Paris. The event, firing the starting gun on 11 days of competition, more than 4,000 athletes are competing.

Let's get straight to Patrick Snell. Patrick.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi there, Zain. Yeah, we've had a really, really successful and really summer games, remember, recently, haven't we?

But now all the focus is on the 2024 Paralympics, officially up and running after Wednesday's opening ceremony in Paris, an occasion that would see us

witness history in the making as well on a wonderfully warm, actually pretty hot evening it was, too, in the French capital.

More than 50,000 spectators were expected to be there in place to watch the ceremony and expected 300 million TV viewers as well watching the

spectacle. Over 2 million tickets as well sold, Zain. And contrast that with the -- remember the wet, rainy conditions we saw during the recent

summer games there in Paris. This is the historical part of it. This was the first time a Paralympics opening ceremony actually took place outside

of a stadium. We had much pomp and ceremony, over 100 dancers and performances taking center stage.

The parade of athletes as well, starting at the bottom of the iconic Champs-Elysees before making their way into the famed Place de la Concorde

as well. The capital's largest square. We are expecting some really inspiring storylines, Zain, over the next 11 days of competition.

There is much to look forward to, I can tell you. And if it's half as compelling as the recent summer games, we're in for a big treat. Back to

you.

ASHER: And talk to us about some of the athletes that are competing, because these stories are so inspiring.

SNELL: Yeah, look, just take one athlete representing Team USA. USA will have over 200 athletes competing at the Paralympics, including Oksana

Masters.

[18:55:03]

Now, this is a really interesting, powerful story. This is a 35-year-old who was born in Ukraine with significant birth defects, believed to be

linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Really, really, when you consider the journey she's been on and all she's had to overcome. Oksana's become a

multi-sport star as well, Zain, winning 17 medals, seven of them gold as well, across the summer and the winter games.

And then there's a 25-year-old track star, Hunter Woodhall, set to compete in his third Paralympics and hoping to follow in the footsteps of his wife,

Tara Davis-Woodhall, who won gold in the long jump. That was just three weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTER WOODHALL, 3-TIME PARALYMPIC MEDALIST: I think one thing that we've really focused on this year is not having any expectations. I mean, this

whole year has been incredible. Training has gone really well. I've taken a lot of risks and relearned so many things, running the best I've ever ran.

So I'm just going to go out, have a good time, enjoy the moment, be in the presence of an incredible crowd and Paris 2024 and just do my best. And the

result will speak for itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Great storylines, Zain, everywhere you look, competition getting underway Thursday. Paralympics ending on September the 8th.

Back to you there.

ASHER: Patrick Snell, thank you.

All right, that wraps up the show. Appreciate you joining us. Stay with CNN.

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