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Tehran Votes on Historic Nuclear Deal; GOP Candidates Gearing Up for Super Tuesday; Trump Talks Nevada Win; U.S. Skeptical of Syria Cease-fire; South Africa's Most Notorious Prison; Kesha Gets New Show of Support During Lawsuit; Chris Rock's Take on Academy Eagerly Anticipated; Astronaut Scott Kelly Preparing to Return to Earth; Late David Bowie Honored at U.S. Brit Awards. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 25, 2016 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(HEADLINES)

[02:00:38] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin in Iran, where people are getting ready for a crucial vote on Friday. Iranians will elect their lawmakers to parliament and to the assembly of experts, which will appoint the official supreme leader. The elections will indicate the type of future Iranians want for their country and how they feel about a deal reached to limit Iran's nuclear program.

Our senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, joins us live from Tehran.

Fred, how is this election likely to play out? And what are people telling you on the street? Are they tending towards change? Or more of the same?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The people that we're speaking to are aware of the significance of this election. This election could do a lot to determine how this country moves forward in the future, whether or not they'll continue on their course towards closer to the West or whether or not there could be some backlash or some stoppage. At this point in time, it is unclear how people are going to vote. It appears as though you are taking this election very, very seriously. We went all around Tehran yesterday, to speak to people here, about how they feel. Here's what we saw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Campaigning Iranian-style. Volunteers for the reform movement hand out flyers in Tehran's traffic. They say they're confident, but not certain they will win.

"It's unclear what will happen because the Iranians only make up their minds in the last minute, he says. But the moderates' position is much better than that of the conservatives."

Tehran is plastered with election posters, as the fierce battle with the conservatives around the powerful clergy unfolds.

(on camera): Many observers view the elections as extremely important and also, as a referendum on Hassan Rouhani's policies of opening Iran up to the West.

(voice-over): The divisions were exacerbated by the recent nuclear agreement, designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief.

"We support the Rouhani government and the nuclear deal," this reformist says. "We should have a parliament to support and not block Rouhani's policies."

But many conservatives view that as a threat.

(CHANTING)

PLEITGEN: "Death to America," they chant, at this hardliner rally. They believe Iran has opened itself to American infiltration with the nuclear agreement.

"Consider the nuclear deal to be American interference," she says. "And we will fight against it and hopefully defeat it. Our nation will not allow America to influence our affairs."

The decisions Iranian voters make this Friday could do more than alter the makeup of parliament. They could influence the country's course toward the West, and some believe, the stability of its political system.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: As you can see, the people aware of what this election means. And deep divisions in this political landscape. It will be interesting how voters will decide on Friday. Certainly, the supreme leader of this country and said everybody here should go and vote. They realize this is an election that is different for many others in the past. It's very important and it comes at a pivotal time in this country. When you come in here now, Rosemary, and I flew in days ago, you can feel how foreign investors are coming in, foreign companies are trying to come in. A lot is changing here in this country. Some feel it's going too quickly. Some feel it might be going in the directions. Others see this as a huge opportunity. And the election of that contest is important to this country moving forward -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: Fred, I wanted to ask you this. How free and fair will these elections likely be?

PLEITGEN: You know, one of the things that we have to say about Iran, few people realize, Iran actually does have a lot of elections here in this country. People will be able to vote freely. The big problem with the election here, so far, has been the vetting process of candidates leading up to the election. A lot of the candidates that wanted to run, the moderates say a lot of their candidates were disqualified before running. There were some backlash against that. And certainly, that is something that people do criticize. In the run-ups to these elections, they will vet candidates and not allow candidates to run. There are some problems. You think back to 2009. But the people here who go to the polls, when they go and vote, they don't feel they're being pressured in any way -- Rosemary?

[02:05:46] CHURCH: Fred Pleitgen, we will talk to you again next hour. Many thanks.

The U.S. presidential candidates are gearing up for a decisive day next week, the Super Tuesday primaries. Before that, the five Republicans will meet Thursday at a CNN debate in Houston, Texas.

Donald Trump is celebrating his big win, Tuesday's Nevada caucuses.

CNN's Phil Mattingly reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(APPLAUSE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, Donald Trump on a victory lap.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We polled fine. And we really won big last night.

MATTINGLY: An air of inevitability, setting in for the Republican field. For Donald Trump, three-straight contests, a to-do list for his first day of office.

TRUMP (voice-over): The first thing I would do is knock out some of the executive orders. We're going knock out Obamacare and we'll start taking care of the vets and our military.

MATTINGLY: And his wife, Melania, stepping on to the public stage and offering this about her role in the front-runner's campaign.

MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF DONALD TRUMP: I'm on the phone with my husband a few times a day. He calls me. I call him. He's on the road. And I give him my opinions.

MATTINGLY: For other Republican candidates, a furious sprint to cut Trump's momentum, which is across groups.

TRUMP: We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.

MATTINGLY: Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, picking up endorsement of his home state government, Greg Abbott, just days before the crucial Texas primary.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have six days. Six days to lead in Texas, to lead the country. Let's get to work.

MATTINGLY: Florida Senator, Marco Rubio, with big-name endorsements, trying to convince voters there are states he can win. SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-F:), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to tell

people who I am and why I'm running. I'm going to be someone that grows this party, governs this party responsibly.

MATTINGLY: And John Kasich campaigning today in Mississippi and Louisiana.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not what the score is at the first quarter. It's the score at the end of the game.

MATTINGLY: While also setting his sights on other march contests, in Michigan, his home state of Ohio, vital to his hopes for survival.

Now, each candidate is mapping out a crucial week ahead in the lead-up to Super Tuesday. Trump, starting in Virginia today and moving on through a swing of the Deep South. Rubio and Cruz targeting their own must-win states.

RUBIO: I didn't become a conservative like a year and a half ago. I'm as conservative as anyone in this race.

CRUZ: The only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump. And the only campaign that can beat Donald Trump is this campaign.

MATTINGLY: Amid new suggestions, the race might already be over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Phil Mattingly reporting there from Virginia Beach.

And Donald Trump spoke with Anderson Cooper about his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 360: Mr. Trump, congratulations. An enormous win in Nevada. Your third in a row. Beating your opponents, nearly every category. Do you see the race for the nomination ending sooner than maybe pundits predicted?

TRUMP (voice-over): I don't see it going to the convention. I think we're going very well.

COOPER: You've been modest going after Senator Rubio. I want to get your reaction to something that Rubio said this morning about your win in Nevada. I'm going to play a sound byte from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: The majority of Republican voters in this country do not want Donald Trump to be the nominee. The P.R. problem is, they're divided among four people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Do you buy that argument? There's a divided field going against you? TRUMP: No, I don't. I think I would do well one-on-one. I'd like

that. It would be a simplification. When you get up to 46 percent and 47 percent, and that's in a five-person field, that's a very high position. I laugh at the pundits when they say, well, if you add up all of the rest, it's 53. Well, when people leave, I pick up a lot of votes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:10:07] CHURCH: Joining me now to talk about the race for the White House, is "The Washington Post" political writer, Philip Bump.

Thanks very much for being with us.

PHILIP BUMP, POLITICAL WRITER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Of course.

CHURCH: Anti-Trump establishments Republicans are likely panicked in the wake of Trump's big win in Nevada. How do they stop him and what sort of horse trading might prevent him from becoming the party's nominee?

BUMP: I think the problem is no one knows how to stop him. Everyone thought for months, he would fall apart. And people wouldn't vote for him. He wouldn't be able to campaign. That's been proven incorrect, obviously. And no one has any idea what to do at this point. There's pressure on candidates like John Kasich to drop out of the race. Hoping his support goes to Marco Rubio. There's probably pressure for Jeb Bush to support Rubio. With three in the race doing well, they're all going to split enough of the vote that Donald Trump, with 40 percent of the vote, if he keeps getting that, can wrack up delegates and win the nomination.

CHURCH: Which candidate is better positioned to fight Trump in a two- man race? Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio? And can they realistically stop him? Some say Trump has this in the bag.

BUMP: Well, both of them. If you look at head-to-head polling. Trump versus Cruz and Trump versus Rubio, both of them beat him in polling. But the problem is, doesn't seem like we're going to get to that point. If we do, it will be too late to stop Donald Trump. He keeps adding delegates. Ted Cruz is going to drop out before March 1st. Marco Rubio is not going to drop out by March 15th. By March 15th, half of the delegates will be allocated. It's a lot of winner take all states.

CHURCH: I do want to ask you this, too. 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney has entered the phrase, suggesting there may be a bombshell in Trump's tax returns. Trump talked back. What do you make of this? Is there anything to it?

BUMP: I have no idea if there's anything to it. And the irony, during the 2012 then-Senate majority leader Harry Reid accused Mitt Romney of things in his tax return. Mitt Romney is the establishment Republican. He embodies the establishment wing of the Republican Party. And what he's doing is he's stepping back in. Starting to take this fight on. As something that the Republican Party needs him to do. But I don't think Trump supporters are going to be people who will be swayed by what Mitt Romney has to say.

CHURCH: Just finally, if this race for the White House comes down to Trump versus Hillary, who will be president?

BUMP: If you asked me who was going to win the Republican nomination, I would never say Donald Trump. Me predicting nine months in the future is not going to work. Donald Trump will pull in a lot of white voters. But a lot of Republicans don't want to vote for him. There will be a lot of people of color that don't want to vote for him. It will be hard in the general election. It will be hard to get over that hump.

CHURCH: Philip Bump, thank you so much for talking with us.

BUMP: Thank you.

CHURCH: Appreciate it.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer will moderate a Republican debate in Texas. It is the last chance for Republicans to face off on the issues before the Super Tuesday contest next week. And that is Friday at 9:30 in the morning in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.

Apple's CEO is not backing down from his refusal to crack a terrorist's iPhone. A judge ordered Apple to help federal investigators to unlock a phone that belonged to one of the shooters in the deadly attack in San Bernardino in California. But Tim Cook says doing so would undermine the privacy of hundreds of millions of iPhone users.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: This case is not about one phone. This case is about the future. What is at stake here is, can the government compel Apple to write software that we believe would make hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: In your quiet moments, do you have any concern that you might be able to prevent a terrorist attack by breaking into that phone?

COOK: David, some things are hard. And some things are right. And some things are both. This is one of those things.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: In this case, you think there are some things that should never be created?

COOK: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:14:53] CHURCH: The U.S. attorney general says the mission to protect public safety is threatened by legal disputes between tech companies and the government. Apple has until Friday to respond to the court order. A cease-fire is set to take effect soon in Syria's civil war. Up

next, a live report from Jordan on this deal. And what it could mean for the region. Plus, big news from FIFA, just days ahead of the world football

governing body's presidential election. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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(SPORTS REPORT)

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Stocks in China plunged on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite closing down more than 6 percent. Japan's Nikkei and Australia's ASX 200 finished higher. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong has 40 minutes or so to go. And there, you see the numbers from Shanghai. European markets are set to open at the top of the hour. We'll look at them when that happens. The U.S. and China have agreed on a strong response to what they call

recent North Korean provocations. Reuters say the U.S. will present a draft resolution on Thursday. The options could include restricting North Korea access to international ports or tighter restrictions on banking. The move comes after Pyongyang's nuclear test in January and a satellite launch earlier this month.

[02:20:14] The United States says it may be forced to consider a Plan B in Syria if Friday's cease-fire does not work. President Barack Obama met with Jordan's King Abdullah Wednesday at the White House. And Syria was high on their agenda. The king seemed optimistic about the cease-fire, although, not all fighting parties have agreed to it.

President Obama remains skeptical but hopes for the best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are very cautious about raising expectations on this. The situation on the ground is difficult. But we have seen modest progress over the course of the last week or so, with respect to humanitarian access to populations that are threatened. If over the next several weeks we can see some lessening of the violence in that country, that gives us a basis to build a longer-term cease-fire in the north and the south, and allows us to move forward on the political transition that will be necessary to bring an end to the civil war in Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joins me now from Amman.

Jomana, we will get to the cease-fire in a moment. You are receiving details about aid deliveries getting to besieged areas. What have you learned?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you heard there, Rosemary, President Obama and world leaders are talking about the success in these aid deliveries we saw taking place in the past week in Syria, which is seen by many as a test on whether this cessation of hostilities could work. This is a first step. This we heard from Steven O'Brien, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs briefing the Security Council on the -- what is going on with aid deliveries. So far, they have reached 110,000 people with the aid deliveries. As you recall, Rosemary. We're talking about 400,000 people living in besieged areas of Syria besieged by the regime, by rebels or by ISIS. So far, they reached 110,000. They have approval to reach 230,000. They want to try and seek approval to reach another 170,000. Although he's talking about achievements, reaching people in need, delivering some of this aid, the process, he says, has not been straightforward. There's been serious delays, bogged down by paperwork, bureaucracy, in many cases by the Syrian government trying to reach areas. One example he gave is the area about 15 to 20 minutes from central Damascus. And he says it took more than 48 hours from the moment their trucks left, loaded with the aid, because of paperwork, because of delays at checkpoint where's aid workers had to sleep in their trucks waiting to access to deliver the aid. Something he says is unacceptable and they need to change this. All sides need to facilitate the aid that people are in desperate need of.

And one significant development has been under ISIS siege. Yesterday morning, the world food program, one of its planes managed to deliver 21 tons of aid. That was air-dropped into the city. Aid agencies will tell you air-drops are a last resort. There's significant risk when it comes to air drops, whether it's the air space risks they are taking to try to deliver it, or the situation on the ground. Making sure it goes to who it is supposed to go. That is delivered to people in need, that the Arab Red Crescent on the ground confirmed that the deliveries were made. One significant development, people under siege by ISIS. They say the United Nations is hoping for the next, the second round of deliveries to begin tentatively on the 28th of February. That will depend on the situation on the ground. That coming, Rosemary, on Sunday, a day after that cessation of hostilities is meant to take place. How that happens, the situation on the ground, will impact the aid deliveries going forward.

[02:25:53] CHURCH: Many thanks to Jomana, joining us from Amman, Jordan.

FIFA's appeals committee has upheld a decision to ban Sepp Blatter and UAFA President Michele Platini from football. But both men had their suspensions reduced from eight years to six. Platini says he will appeal. He and Blatter were suspended over ethics violations. Both denied any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, FIFA elects its new president on Friday.

Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, an exclusive look inside a South African prison, accused of mistreating its prisoners. See if the allegations of abuse and neglect really hold up.

And a deadly storm system tears across the eastern United States. A look at the aftermath in our weather.

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[02:29:19] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

Want to update you on the main stories we have been following this hour.

(HEADLINES)

[02:30:32] CHURCH: Now, to South Africa, where CNN was given exclusive access to one of its most notorious prisons. It once housed Nelson Mandela and has been dogged by years of scandal and allegations of inhumane conditions.

David McKenzie joins us from Johannesburg with a closer look.

David, you have this exclusive access to the prison. What did you see? What did you find?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, there's been rumors and allegation and scandals around this prison that housed Nelson Mandela in the '80s for many years. We went inside to see whether those rumors held up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Walls designed to keep dangerous prisoners out of sight, also hiding allegations of disease outbreaks, severe overcrowding. Until now.

We've been given exclusive access inside.

(on camera): We're headed to D-1 section. That's the most overcrowded section. Some of the cells over 300 percent over capacity.

(voice-over): Statistics can be hard to grasp. The horrific reality is not.

(on camera): This single cell, crammed with 86 detainees. It was designed for 19.

(voice-over): They all share one shower and a toilet. But often, it's just a bucket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No mattress.

MCKENZIE: The smell, this many bodies in such a small space, is suffocating.

(on camera): The filth is so extreme, skin disease is endemic.

(voice-over): Contracting tuberculosis. Inhumane conditions for the most hardened of convicts. But most of these men have yet to be convicted.

(on camera): How many have been here for more than two months?

UNIDENTIFIED PRISONER: The worst thing to see is people on the floors. And even on the night, when we want to go to toilet, we have to climb over them.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Clive has been stuck here for two years and two months awaiting trial.

UNIDENTIFIED PRISONER: Not human beings.

MCKENZIE (on camera): That seems very unfair to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand that. But unfortunately, we don't invite them here. We don't invite any offender here. They come here because they do alleged crimes.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): He says this prison was designed during apartheid when prisons were meant to break black inmates not rehabilitate them.

(on camera): It's inhumane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's inhumane.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Jacobs wanted to show us what wardens were up against. Today, like each morning, hundreds of remanded intimates head off to court. Some will be let off. Some convicted. But the majority will just be brought back, where hundreds more will join them each week inside this prison hell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Rosemary, to put it in perspective, South Africa has one of the largest prison populations in the world, despite much bigger countries, in terms of population, have a much smaller prison population. This country, really, it's one of the key challenges of the young democracy of South Africa. And the problems in that prison have been going on for decades. So much so that a human rights group is now suing the South African government to try and affect change. And certainly, those allegations appear to stack up, based on what we saw inside those prison cells -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: David, why are the prisons so overcrowded?

MCKENZIE: There's endemic problems in South Africa, in terms of unemployment, crime. Really, the feed area of this prison in the Cape Province are beset with gang violence. One thing we don't talk about in that report but was shocking to see, is entire floors of the detention center were effectively controlled or populated 100 percent by gang members. There are gangs in prison that then put their feelers out into the communities to continue crime. So, instead of rehabilitating potential, detainees, they get sucked into the world of crime. While this is one of the more notorious prisons in South Africa, certainly, there's more problems at the big facilities. They were built during apartheid uh for the apartheid regime and not trying to get people out of a life of crime -- Rosemary?

[02:35:13] CHURCH: Horrifying.

David McKenzie, live from Johannesburg. We will chat again next hour. We'll take a short break. Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Kesha gets a

new show of public support from one of her record label's biggest stars. The details to come.

Plus, this year's Oscar host may be between a Rock and a hard place, as he navigates the controversy surrounding the Academy Awards show. We're back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, singer, Kesha, is getting more shows of support after her sexual assault allegations against her record producer, Dr. Luke. Adele, who won big at the Brit Awards, used some of her time on stage to give Kesha her public support. Adele is one of Sony's biggest stars. And Kesha is locked into a six- album contract with the company, despite her claims that Dr. Luke mentally, physically and sexually abused her.

Amara Walker has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pop star, Kesha, is suing her producer, Dr. Luke, alleging he raped and emotionally manipulated her. The artist is looking for the courts to terminate her deal with Dr. Luke and Sony Records. Kesha signed the deal when she was 18, in 2005.

(CHANTING)

WALKER: A first blow to Kesha's case was issued by a New York court on Friday, when a judge ruled that Kesha could not record with another label while the case is ongoing.

[02:40:01] Social media was quick to responding to the decision. #freeKesha was trending worldwide. Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus came out in support of Kesha.

The biggest show of support came from Taylor Swift, who donated $250,000 to help Kesha pay for her legal fees.

Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lucas Gutwald, has already denied the allegations and claimed to be a subject of a trial by Twitter. The famed music producer released a series of tweets rejecting allegations of rape, and accusing the pop star of turning a contract negotiation into something horrendous and untrue.

Kesha's legal team claims keeping her with her current record deal and making her record with Dr. Luke will cause irreparable harm on her career. Dr. Luke's lawyer says that Kesha is already free to record with

another producer.

The trial is scheduled to start next year.

(SINGING)

WALKER: Amara Walker, CNN, Atlanta.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. A late summer heat wave is baking southeast Australia as the temperature soars to over 40 degrees Celsius.

Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more on this.

And it's certainly a land of extremes.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. This February going to be one of the warmest Februarys in Australia. The temperatures have been remarkable. And in Australia, they observed the autumn season, beginning March 1st. Just around the corner from that. Look at the temperatures. Well into the 30s. 33 in Sydney. Made it to 37 degrees. Temps across Sydney, to what is happening. A short few hours across Bondi Beach. And a burn ban. Look at the temperatures in place in Sydney. Today marks the 19th-consecutive day that Sydney has exceeded 26 degrees. This is the longest stretch of days for any year in Sydney to go with temperatures that warm or warmer. Tomorrow's forecast is 26 degrees, which would break a record. An incredible stretch there. Since the 4th of the month, Sydney has been warmer than 26. And notice the seven-day forecast, continues to keep it warm, as we head toward the first day of autumn. Going to wrap up the month with incredible warmth.

Look at what's happening across the eastern United States. Millions of people have been impacted by severe weather. But also, winter weather on the U.S. at this hour. We have watches in effect at places like Boston. Over 2,400 flights were canceled on Wednesday afternoon. And 52 tornadoes reported Tuesday into Wednesday. Certainly, a wide, impacting storm system. 52 reports puts it in one of the more prolific February outbreaks. The fatalities are lower than previous Februarys that spawn multiple tornados. A superbloom taking place in one of the driest and hottest places. El Nino in full effect. Heavy rainfall has occurred. The seeds are always there. But the temperatures are so extreme they're buried beneath the soil. Because of El Nino rains, they're bringing the seeds up to the top. And millions of flowers are blooming in California.

CHURCH: It is amazing how beautiful deserts can be. Isn't?

JAVAHERI: Absolutely.

CHURCH: All right. Great image, Pedram.

Many thanks. We'll talk again soon.

JAVAHERI: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Movie lovers are eagerly awaiting to see how Academy Awards host, Chris Rock, will handle the race controversy at the Oscars show on Sunday. The Academy is under fire for not nominating a single person of color for a top acting award for the last two years.

As CNN's Stephanie Elam reports, some say the African-American comedian's appearance, some say, comes at just the right time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's known for his political comedy.

CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: If a bullet costs $5,000, there will be no more innocent bystanders.

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: And for telling it how it is --

ROCK: One month your mortgage is 900. Next month it's 9,000.

(LAUGHTER)

You have to look outside and see if you moved.

ELAM: Now, Chris Rock is bringing his brand of comedy back to Hollywood's biggest night as host of the 88th Academy Awards, a job he last took on in 2005.

ROCK: You try to approach it like another show.

ELAM: And with the lack of diversity in the Oscar nods and the ensuing Oscars So White blowback, some say the timing of Rock's return is perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris Rock is going to be merciless. People speculated he would drop out. No. This is the best opportunity he's had for amazing comedy.

ELAM: Rock has made it clear, he will not shy away. Tweeting, quote, "The Oscars, the white BET Awards."

[02:45:16] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I hope happens is Chris Rock goes in and secures everybody, those who are complaining, those nominated, those passed over.

ELAM: Spike Lee, among if first who said he will not attend the Academy Awards, say he will check in on the show to see how Rock handles it.

SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR: I think Chris should do what he wants to do. I've said this already. I support Chris, whatever he wants to do. ELAM: In the midst of all of the attention on the lack of diversity,

is it possible that Rock ends up being the reason some people tune into the live show?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Chris Rock is absolutely a draw of people to watch the show. The criticism of the Oscars is that it's a flabby and boring exercise. Chris Rock changes that equation.

ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And some of the biggest names in music were in London for the Brit Awards. More on the big winners and the performances everyone will be talking about.

We're back in a moment.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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[02:50:12] CHURCH: Google's most famous robot now acts more like a human. The company released a video of Atlas showing off its updated skills. It can pick up a box with ease, after being knocked from its hands. And when Atlas is pushed over from behind, it picks itself back up. Atlas uses sensors in its body to keep balance and lasers in its head to navigate. The robot was created for disaster recovery job that are not safe for people. Pretty cool there, huh? We are getting to see the most detailed images of ever captured of the

Milky Way galaxy. The stunning new images were used to map our galaxy at high quality. And they show the areas where stars are born.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Gorgeous images there.

And Astronaut Scott Kelly is getting ready to come back to earth. He has been living for the past year inside the international space station.

Kelly says he is looking forward to heading home, but tells our chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, he will miss what has become his home in space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KELLY, ASTRONAUT (voice-over): Leaving this amazing facility will be tough because I'll probably never see it again. I've flown in space four times now. It's going to be hard in that respect. But you know, I certainly look forward to going back to earth. Been up here for a really long time. Sometimes when I think about it, I feel like I've lived my whole live up here.

And we have the ability to bring stuff back. We can bring about a kilogram and a half of stuff on the Soyuz in personal items and things that people have given us. Most of the stuff I bring on Soyuz is the stuff that flew up with me on the Soyuz. And we get to bring some items back on Space-X. We return garbage on the Space-X, too. We have to get rid of the stuff on the space station somehow. We have a significant capability to bring back stuff on Space-X that you might not imagine.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Psychologically, sir, when you think about this landing, obviously, there's a lot of things that are going on at the same time, from your perspective, as well as the mission's perspective. How are you doing as you start to think about that and get into that mind space?

KELLY: You think about the fact I'm looking at the earth right now and it's 250 miles below me. And only a small portion of that is the atmosphere. And when the Soyuz hits the atmosphere going 17,550 miles per hour, a lot of things have to be just right when we touch down and parachute safely. When you look at the space between us and the speed involved, it's pretty serious. That's something you think about and consider. This is my second time, flying the Soyuz and my fourth time flying in space. It's something I signed up to do. We'll be ready for it next Tuesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Scott Kelly, preparing to come home.

It is one of the biggest events in the entertainment industry, the Brit Awards, the U.K.'s annual celebration of the best in music, and the late David Bowie was on everyone's mind.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin reports.

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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the 2016 Brit Awards, and some of the biggest names in the music industry are here tonight. The headlining act? A tribute to David Bowie.

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[02:55:-5] MCLAUGHLIN: The iconic singer influenced many of the artists here. We asked them to sing some of their favorite David Bowie lines.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't remember the words. Can you believe it? He's that kind of a David Bowie fan.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Growing up, having that as an inspiration, about being different, and being who you are, and not caring what people think because you believe in yourself, that's one thing that I, you know, I live by.

MCLAUGHLIN: Adele, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, ColdPlay, just some of the big names to play here tonight, celebrating not only remembering the successes but the greats of the past.

Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: Adele was the big winner of the night. She walked away with four awards, including the global success reward, best British album and best British single.

I'm Rosemary Church. You can get in touch with me on Twitter anytime @RosemaryCNN. Want to hear from you.

More CNN NEWSROOM after this very quick break.

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