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Blinken Returns To Middle East; Israel Top Court Delays Deportation of Palestinian Patients; Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Texas Immigration Law. New Docuseries Explores Abuse Allegations at Nickelodeon, Former Nickelodeon Producer Accused of Toxic Work Environment; Study Shows Finland is the Happiest Country in the World; U.S. Fell Out of the Top-20 Happy Country List to the 23rd Spot. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired March 21, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:27]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. America's top diplomat makes his sixth visit to the Middle East as Israel and Hamas inch slowly towards a possible ceasefire and hostage deal.
Whiplash rulings in Texas over the state's controversial immigration law. More details on the legal back and forth that's causing confusion at the U.S.-Mexico border.
And a surprise announcement upends politics in Ireland.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. U.N. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his way to Egypt for more talks to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held in the enclave. Blinken says negotiators are getting closer to reaching an agreement but stressed it's up to Hamas to accept the deal. Blinken met Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and underscore the need to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
This comes as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a ground operation in the southern city of Rafah would proceed "to complete the victory over Hamas." And an evacuation plan for civilians in the city would be approved soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): I want you to know that I have already approved the IDF's operational plan. And soon we will also approve the plan to evacuate the civilian population from the battle zones.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Meantime, the Israeli military is still surrounding the Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. It claims to have killed more terrorists around the facility and detained a senior Hamas operative allegedly involved in the kidnap and murder of three boys 10 years ago. Eyewitnesses tell CNN Israeli forces detained Palestinian journalists and health workers, blindfolded them and stripped them down to their underwear and the cold.
The Israeli military claimed senior Hamas terrorists were using the facility. CNN cannot independently verify the IDF statements.
Israel's Supreme Court has temporarily halted a government plan to send some Palestinian patients being treated in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv hospitals back to Gaza. The ruling comes after Israeli rights groups filed an appeal. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has details.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: About two dozen Palestinian patients being treated in hospitals in East Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. They were set to be bussed back to Gaza this week. But the Israeli Supreme Court now putting this plan by the Israeli government on hold. Issuing a temporary injunction after several Israeli human rights groups filed a petition to prevent these Palestinians from being sent back to Gaza as this war in Gaza is still very much ongoing.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel is one of those organizations. And Ran Yaron, the group spokesman told me this. Returning residents to Gaza during a military conflict and a humanitarian crisis is against international law and poses a deliberate risk to innocent lives. All the more so when it concerns patients who may face a death sentence due to insanitary conditions and hunger along with the unlikely availability of medical care.
Now, our producer Abeer Salman spoke with several of these women who we reported on earlier this week who were set to be sent back to Gaza along with their six-month old babies. They've had mixed reactions to this decision. One of the mothers Nima who we featured in our story, she was thrilled about this decision. Happy that she's able to stay in the safety of East Jerusalem. She was so concerned about what being sent back to Gaza might mean especially as the Israeli military is threatening a major military offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.
She hopes that she can stay here until there is a ceasefire. But the other women had more mixed emotions in part because they mentally prepared themselves to have to go back to Gaza and one of those women, Osma she was the one in our story who said that she wanted to go back to hug her daughter to be able to provide her daughter who remains in Gaza that sense of safety. She was crying as she received this news.
[02:05:01]
She was prepared to go back to Gaza and she still very much wants to despite the risks but certainly, a mix of emotions for these women and an uncertain future that lies ahead. The COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry organization that has been coordinating this plan to send these patients back to Gaza. It has now delayed the buses that are set to take them back to Monday. But what will happen next week, the Israeli Supreme Court set to weigh in major questions still remaining.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.
CHURCH: Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Senate Republicans at a policy launch Wednesday and also criticize the recent speech by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer who called for elections in Israel to form a new government. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he's considering inviting Mr. Netanyahu to address Congress and a Republican senator says he plans to stand by Israel during its time of need.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Bibi will hear from us that we stand behind them, we stand behind the Israeli people and we're not going to second guess. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback like Senator Schumer was last week. It's hard to lead in the circumstances that Mr. Netanyahu finds himself right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In Washington, the clock is ticking ahead of a Friday night deadline to pass a funding package and avoid a partial government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Congress is making good progress but admits it will be a tight squeeze to beat the weekend deadline. House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing pushback from other Republicans who are frustrated over the deal he reached with the White House and Democrats to avert a shutdown. Once finalized, the package will head first to the House floor for a
vote.
A federal appeals court will now decide whether to allow Texas to temporarily enforce its controversial immigration law after hearing oral arguments in the case. The law which is raising fears of racial profiling is now on hold. But judges have signaled that they could allow parts of the law to take effect.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now from El Paso in Texas.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): On El Paso's downtown streets newly arrived migrants blend in, police on patrol. The future of the controversial Texas immigration law looms over these daily street scenes. Some residents like Elizabeth Ponce Deleon shrug off the concern about being asked to prove she's a U.S. citizen.
ELIZABETH PONCE DELEON, EL PASO RESIDENT: They astound me, they asked me. Where are you from? I don't care. It doesn't bother me. Because I know I'm level and I'm not doing anything wrong.
DIEGO CARLOS, EL PASO RESIDENT: I'm just on edge more.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): Twenty-eight-year-old El Paso resident Diego Carlos fears the new law will mean he and his family will be open to constant questions and harassment.
CARLOS: I'm like -- all the time. I'm like looking over my shoulder. But the DPS officers those are the ones I, you know, I -- my hair stands up on the back of my neck whenever I see those black and white trucks.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): The fate of the Texas immigration law known as Senate Bill 4 or S.B. 4 is being hashed out in federal court. During oral arguments in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Texas officials argued the law should go into effect while the legal challenge plays out in federal court.
AARON NIELSON, TEXAS SOLICITOR GENERAL: Texas has decided that we are at the epicenter of this crisis. We are on the front line and we are going to do something about it.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): This law would give local law enforcement officers the ability to arrest migrants suspected of entering Texas illegally and allow state judges to deport migrants to Mexico. But one of the judges voiced confusion over how the law would work. Confusion partially echoed by the attorney representing Texas.
PRISCILLA RICHMAN, CIRCUIT JUDGE: I was just trying to envision how this all plays out. What -- a couple of things just because I'm not sure I understand the law totally. So, what if someone enters in, let's say from Mexico into Arizona and lives there for five years then moves to Texas? Are they covered?
NIELSON: I don't know the answer.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): That confusion and skepticism is a common theme expressed by law enforcement agencies across the state. The Laredo police chief says his officers will not focus on arresting undocumented migrants.
CHIEF MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ, JR., LAREDO TEXAS POLICE: He can be just by seeing somebody and thinking the officer thinking that he's not from here and then asking for documents. It doesn't work like that.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): The sheriff in San Antonio says he would require deputies to file a report explaining the circumstances of an undocumented migrant's arrest.
SHERIFF JAVIER SALAZAR, BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS: We don't want a deputy that thinks that they have authorities that actually don't exist, crossing the line over into racial profiling and getting themselves and the agency in a whole lot of trouble for again a misdemeanor.
LAVANDERA (voiceover): In El Paso, Sheriff's officials say they don't have the manpower and don't want their deputy's thrust into a fight between Texas Republican leaders and the Biden administration.
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COMMANDER RYAN URRUTIA, EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: This issue could quickly exhaust those resources for our community and cause extended response times absences in patrol areas.
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LAVANDERA (on camera): In the court hearing today, some of the judges expressed some openness to perhaps allowing parts of the Texas immigration law to go into effect, but we don't know for sure right now. So now we wait to figure out exactly what the federal appellate court is going to do. And whether or not it will allow the Texas immigration law to go into effect.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
CHURCH: Now to the ongoing tragedy in Haiti, where more U.S. citizens have been taken safely out of the violence ravaged nation. The U.S. State Department says chartered helicopters coward 15 American citizens from Port-au-Prince to Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
Flights organized by Florida's governor Ron DeSantis, are also bringing people from Haiti to Orlando, Florida. About 360 Floridians are still in Haiti, according to state officials, and the Dominican Republic said on Wednesday, it has helped nearly 300 people escape the escalating gang violence. The evacuees include personnel from the E.U., the U.N. financial institutions, and the Canadian and Cuban embassies.
Meantime, a deal signed weeks ago to reestablish order in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has stalled. It would have involved the deployment of a large Kenyan police force. Details from CNN's Larry Madowo in Nairobi.
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LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Kenyan President William Ruto marching ahead with a plan to send 1000 police officers to Haiti, despite strong opposition to the deployment at home. Elite units of the Kenya police are expected to lead the U.N.-backed multinational force to crush Haiti's gangs and restore order once a viable government is in place. Opposition lawmakers like Edwin Sifuna tried to block it.
EDWIN SIFUNA, NAIROBI SENATOR: Our police officers are going to harm's way in it. This is not a situation that our regular police officers are used to. They've never encountered something like that. That training does not extend to, you know, operations in fields of war.
MADOWO (voiceover): Kenyan police have been involved in peacekeeping missions for the past 35 years, including in Cambodia. The former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Croatia, East Timor and Sierra Leon. Kenya currently has police serving in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a parliamentary report.
CHARLES OWINO, FORMER KENYA POLICE SPOKESPERSON: In all those missions, Kenya has not lost a single police officer on any combat.
MADOWO (voiceover): They're ready for Haiti. This city a policeman believes.
OWINO: Kenya has well-trained paramilitary officers, from the general service here. They have well-trained officers from administration. Police Special Operations Group. These are officers who have both local and international training. Some of the best institutions in Israel, in U.S.
MADOWO (voiceover): Haiti would be the most challenging deployment yet for Kenyan police. With criminal gangs and militias controlling the capital Port-au-Prince and holding the nation hostage.
WILIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: It is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for peace in the world as a whole.
MADOWO (voiceover): President Ruto should push for a well-armed military Catania to take over, says their security analyst.
FRANCIS MAINA, SECURITY ANALYST: Our police officers cannot and can never be able to contain the threat of the criminality in Haiti. You need to send thousands of military personnel to come and disarm.
SARA KORERE PAULATA, RULING PARTY M.P.: Honorable members.
MADOWO (voiceover): The Kenyan parliament approved the planned police deployment to Haiti after acrimonious debate in November.
PAULATA: When Haiti is not safe. We are not safe.
OPIYO WANDAYI, OPPOSITION M.P.: You cannot use our police, women and men as guinea pigs at the altar of rent-seeking.
MADOWO (on camera): Civil society and opposition groups here in Kenya maintain that President Ruto's plan to send 1000 police officers to Haiti remains illegal and unconstitutional even after his government signed a reciprocal arrangement with the former prime minister of Haiti.
MADOWO (voiceover): The unelected Ariel Henry witnessed the signing of the legal requirement in Nairobi but he never made it back to Haiti and resigned a few days later.
SIFUNA: That agreement does not hold any water because you signed an agreement with an entity that does not have the mandate to call itself a government. Some of us think that it is because of the monetary incentive.
MADOWO (on camera): So you think President Ruto is doing this for the money?
SIFUNA: Absolutely.
MADOWO (voiceover): Kenya says the police are in the pre deployment phase, as it awaits the new Haitian administration.
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A top White House official goes to Kyiv and talks about unlocking additional U.S. military aid. But the timing of any possible weapons deliveries remains an open question.
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That's just ahead.
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CHURCH: We are getting word of a new Russian missile strike on Ukraine's capital. The city's mayor says at least 10 people were wounded after a residential area was hit Thursday morning. An official says Ukraine shut down about three dozen missiles but others damaged a multi-storey building and a preschool. This comes a day after a Russian strike on Ukraine's second largest city have Kharkiv.
Ukraine says at least five people were killed and seven others wounded after a Russian missile hit an industrial building. More victims may still be buried under the rubble.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pleading with allies again for more air defenses saying Ukraine was hit with more than 1300 missiles, drones and aerial bombs this month alone. On a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, the U.S. national security adviser said he's optimistic U.S. lawmakers will eventually approve more aid for Ukraine.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He's already taken too long. And I know that you know that. I'm not going to make predictions about exactly when this will get done. But we are working to get it done as soon as possible and President Biden is working this on a daily basis to try to deliver this package to the house. But I cannot make a specific prediction today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Sixty billion in U.S. military aid has been blocked by House Republicans for months. Ukraine is facing major ammunition shortages and Russia has recently captured the town of Avdiivka.
Well as the war in Ukraine grinds on the Kremlin is ramping up political crackdowns at home. On Wednesday to workers at an LGBTQ bar in the city of Orenburg were jailed and ordered to be held for almost two months for allegedly supporting extremist activities. It's the first such case since Russia's Supreme Court declared the international LGBTQ movement and extremist group last year.
Meanwhile, an anti-war presidential candidate says his campaign staffers are now facing attacks, arrests and detentions. Boris Nadezhdin was disqualified from last week's election because he reportedly did not collect enough signatures. He disputes that.
Rob Baer joins me now from Colorado. He is a former CIA operative and the author of the Perfect Kill: 21 laws for Assassins. Appreciate you being with us.
ROBERT BAER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE: Of course.
CHURCH: So, In the wake of Russia's predictable election results as well as the death of President Putin's biggest critic Alexei Navalny and the attack on the boundary spokesman Leonid Volkov last week, more attention is now being focused on Moscow and more specifically, the way of spy operations work today and have evolved over time.
[02:20:18]
So, Russian spies are back and apparently more dangerous than ever, if the reason why the United Services Institute report is to be believed. It claims Russian spies are learning from past errors, honing their skills and embarking on a new phase of political warfare against the West. What's your reaction to that?
BAER: Well, I don't think it's a question of honing their skills. But it's a question of using them. And I think we're seeing much more of it. We saw the assassination of a Russian defector in Spain a month ago or so. We've seen the attacks in the Baltics, and we're going to see a lot more as Russia picks up its offensive in Ukraine. And should Russia actually reoccupied Ukraine, you know, go back to 1990?
We're going to see I think of Russia on the offensive, and they do have capabilities and they can reach out and touch people around the world anywhere.
CHURCH: Right. And Rossi report also makes note of the claims that Russian operatives botched the poisoning of Navalny back in 2020. And just recently, of course, we know that he was found dead in prison. Putin denies he was killed. What do you think happened to Navalny? And are we likely to see more covert style attacks on the Kremlin's enemies?
BAER: We don't know what happened. There's not been a, you know, a proper forensic investigation to see whether he was poisoned. I've seen one report that he was put out in freezing weather and punched in the chest very hard, which is an old KGB technique for assassination. It will kill somebody if they're cold enough.
CHURCH: And now that Putin has been handed another six years in power, what do you think he plans to do next with his war and Ukraine and particularly if Donald Trump is voted in as the next U.S. President?
BAER: Well, I tell you what the Europeans are, they're afraid. He's going to move on Romania, Poland even. But more likely the Baltics or Moldavia, simply because there are Russians that are ready to follow Putin's orders or either military intelligence or the FSB. He is capable of causing a political strife -- in let's say, Estonia and then sending in special forces units and claim it's a --it's an internal problem and Russians coming to itself.
There's any number of scenarios he could -- he could follow. Also, there's the possibility he could assassinate Baltic leaders. I mean, he's tried that in the Ukraine to assassinate a president before and almost got away with it. I just think that Putin is feeling his oats at this point. And I -- the Europeans are correct to see Russia on the offensive.
CHURCH: And former U.S. President Donald Trump that he admires Vladimir Putin, he's made it quite clear. If he is voted in in November, if he becomes the next president of the United States, what could that mean in terms of the relationship between him and Putin and what ultimately happens in Ukraine and beyond?
BAER: Well, if Trump's made no -- he hasn't tried to hidden his liking for Putin. And I think that Putin's real objective if Trump gets back in is for the United States to find a pretext to pull out of NATO. And certainly, Trump will not support a Ukrainian -- independent Ukrainian government. No, I think of the politics, I think, you know, this is, as we like to say, in the United States, it's a game changer.
And I think Putin's objective will be if Trump gets in, you know, it's an inflection point. What can I tell you? It's -- we don't know what Trump's going to do. But it's not going to be good.
CHURCH: Rob Baer, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
BAER: Thank you.
CHURCH: Still to come a shock resignation. Ireland's Prime Minister steps down. His reasons why next.
Plus, a former child star reveals the abuse he received while starring on a hit television show. We will take a look at the new docuseries exposing what happened behind the camera.
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[02:27:55]
CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Leo Varadkar made history in 2017 when he became the youngest and first openly gay leader of Ireland. The former doctor turned politician led the country through seismic events from Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic to legalizing same sex marriage and lifting a long-standing ban on abortion. He resigned on Wednesday shocking many. CNN's Isa Soares has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEO VARADKAR, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: When I became Party Leader and Taoiseach back in June 2017, I knew that one part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to someone else. And then having the courage to do it. That time is now.
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voiceover): An emotional Leo Varadkar speaking in Dublin with.
VARADKAR: With the implement, I believe the reelection of this free party government would be the right thing for the future of our country, continuing to take us forward, protecting all that's been achieved and building on us. But after careful consideration and some soul searching, I believe that a new Taoiseach and a new leader will be better placed than me to achieve that.
SOARES: He's resigning as party leader immediately but he's still on as prime minister until a successor could be elected. He cited both personal and political reasons.
Varadkar's resignation coming on the heels of an embarrassing defeat earlier this month. When voters overwhelmingly rejected the government's proposed referendums. Varadkar helped expand Ireland's footprint on the world stage. Just last week during a meeting with President Biden at the White House he called for a ceasefire in Gaza and previously criticized U.S. weapons supplies to Israel.
Under his watch, Ireland also increased its diplomatic presence around the world, most recently announcing five new overseas missions. Varadkar leaves behind a more modern and socially progressive island but his legacy will also be marked with admitted defeats.
[02:30:00]
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
CHURCH: A new docuseries reveals allegations of child abuse, racism, and more behind the scenes at the children's television network, Nickelodeon. Quiet on Set, the dark side of Kids TV was made by Investigation Discovery, part of CNN's parent company, and features multiple actors who were once child stars on the network. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister reports
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A new docuseries on Investigation Discovery unveils explosive allegations behind the scenes at Nickelodeon, alleging that child sexual abuse and toxic behavior was occurring on the set of shows such as Drake & Josh.
Now, former childhood star, Drake Bell, who was the star of Drake & Josh has come forward to reveal himself as the John Doe, the anonymous teenage victim whose testimony led to the conviction of dialog coach Brian Peck, who was known for working with many child stars in Hollywood. He was convicted in 2004 and ended up serving 16 months in prison. Let's take a look at what Drake Bell had to say.
DRAKE BELL, AMERICAN ACTOR AND MUSICIAN: I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep, and I woke up to him. I opened my eyes. I woke up and he was -- he was actually assaulting me. And I froze and was in complete shock, and had no idea what to do or how to react. And I have no idea how to get out of the situation.
WAGMEISTER: Now, we have reached out to Nickelodeon about these new allegations from this docuseries and they told us that while they cannot corroborate or negate any alleged behavior that happened on the sets of their productions decades ago, here is what they did tell us. They said "Our highest priorities are the wellbeing in best interests not just of our employees, cast and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure that we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience." A Nickelodeon spokesperson also tells us that they are dismayed and saddened by the allegations from Drake Bell and that they support him in coming forward. Now, Dan Schneider, who was a prolific producer at Nickelodeon, who was responsible for discovering Drake Bell, Ariana Grande, Kenan Thompson, and many other young stars, he was also named in this docuseries and he has now come forward in a video message to respond to these allegations.
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BOOG!E, FORMER ICARLY STAR: Let's talk about the massages.
DAN SCHNEIDER, EX- NICKELODEON PRODUCER: OK.
BOOG!E: Watching the (inaudible) yesterday, that was disturbing.
SCHNEIDER: It was wrong. It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was a wrong thing to do. I'd never do it today. I'm embarrassed that I did it then. There's definitely things that I would do differently. One that I think would be really, really important is, when you're hiring young actors, minors to work in television, I would suggest that we have a licensed therapist there to oversee that process for the specific reason of making sure that those kids really wanted to do this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WAGMEISTER: Schneider, who worked with Nickelodeon for decades, parted ways with the network in 2018 and has always denied any allegations of misbehavior on set. We have reached out to representatives for Dan Schneider for further comment beyond this video, and we have also reached out again to Drake Bell for his reaction to what Dan Schneider had to say. Back to you.
CHURCH: And we'll be right back.
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CHURCH: Do you feel happy? If you live in Finland, the answer is most likely yes. According to the World Happiness Report, Finland is the happiest country in the world. A Gallup poll asked respondents to rate their current lives on a scale of one to ten. Overall, Nordic countries dominated the top ten. And for the first time, the U.S. has fallen out of the top 20 of the list, down to 23. Here in the U.S., happiness levels fell in all age groups, but especially for those under 30.
Joining me now is an editor and co-author of that report, Dr. Shun Wang is also a senior associate professor at the International Business School in Suzhou. Great to have you with us.
SHUN WANG, EDITOR & CO-AUTHOR, WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT: It is my pleasure to talk about the World Happy Report. CHURCH: Wonderful. So this year, Finland is the happiest nation on the planet according to your World Happiness Report. So, how do you quantify happiness and pin it down to just one nation? What's the process?
WANG: Well, actually, we do not construct those happiness index based on other factors. The happiness score for each country are simply comes from their survey data. So, the Gallup conduct the survey for more than 150 countries all over the world every year and they ask the happiness survey question for their several respondents. And this requirement (ph) is like imagine the life as a ladder, zero is at the bottom which represents the worst possible life and ten means the best possible of your life. And so, at which step you stand these days.
So, each respondent will give a number between zero and 10. Then we just calculate the (inaudible) the average for each nation. Therefore, we use that average number to -- as the national happy score to make the ranking.
CHURCH: And interestingly, Nordic nations seemed to always end up winning or being in the top-ten happiest countries. What is it about people in those nations compared to the United States, for instance, do they measure happiness in a different way?
WANG: Well, there are some discussions in research regarding whether people does respond differently to a question. It's like whether there can be some cultural issues in shaping the answer. Well, we cannot ignore that potential differences across countries but studies showing that there are actual factors which may account for the differences across countries in terms of their happiness score. In our research, in particular, chapter two, every year's world happy report, we propose a model with six factors to explain the international variations of the happiness levels.
While the six factors include income level, which means GD per capita and the (inaudible) life expectancy which represent the house. And in addition to these two objective measures, we also have four subjective measures, including the perceived corruption, social support, these -- also like generosity and freedom to make life choices. So, if you compare U.S. with those nations, we can see that U.S. is doing very well in terms of its GD per capita. However, in terms of house and some other aspects, U.S. is not doing that good. That may partially explain the differences.
CHURCH: So, what is your definition of happiness? And does it mean different things to different nations?
WANG: Well, happiness here, we use the same process to -- for every nation's research respondents.
[02:40:00]
WANG: Basically, we ask the same question to all of them. But we, of course, translate them into their local languages and it's like, they need to evaluate their own life based on a score of zero to ten. They pick a number for that, their score. So, we are trying to frame the questions the same way for all the respondents in all the countries. So therefore, we have collected data in a systematic way, so to avoid those potential differences in the way of answering the questions.
CHURCH: Do you do you see any pattern with the age of people? Do the older people tend to be happier because there've sort of got it all figured out?
WANG: Well, that really depends. I mean in general and in many countries, we will find something called a U-shape. That means younger people are happy but the middle aged people are unhappy. But then, when they turn older and older, they become happier and happier again. But it does not apply to all the countries, but we do find this kind of U-shape pattern in many countries. Well, so that means the old people actually are the most happy people in many countries.
CHURCH: Shun Wang, happy to have you with us. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
WANG: Yeah. Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, have you ever wanted to be a NASA astronaut? Now is your chance because the U.S. Space Agency is accepting applications. Obviously, not just anyone is eligible. You have to be a U.S. citizen with a Master's degree in science, technology, engineering, or math. You have to have at least three years experience in some kind of related profession. And you have to complete a NASA long-duration spaceflight physical.
Now, if you could do all of that and if NASA accepts you, you could be the first woman to walk on the moon or the next man to do that. So, that's something think about.
Thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is next, then I'll be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.
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