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New Details Emerge on Tiger Woods Crash; Iran War Timeline Remains Unclear; Gas Prices Hit $4 a Gallon; Artemis II Set For Launch. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The countdown to NASA's most ambitious mission in decades is on, Artemis II sending humans toward the moon and potentially further than anyone has ever gone before. We're going to hear from NASA officials just moments from now.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: The cost of war. As gas prices hit $4 a gallon, President Trump lashes out at U.S. allies for not doing more to help in the conflict with Iran. And he suggests that, with the Strait of Hormuz closed, they should just go get their own oil.

And an affidavit reveals new details about Tiger Woods' arrest after his crash last week in Florida, the pills found in his pocket and the sobriety test that he failed after the accident.

We're following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We are at T-minus 29 hours and counting for NASA's next historic mission to the moon, a mission more than 50 years in the making.

Moments from now, NASA will be giving an update as they make final preparations for the launch. Right now, all systems are go for the Artemis II crew, who will be blasting off tomorrow evening from the Kennedy Space Center, as NASA engineers are checking for any issues that could jeopardize the launch after a series of previous delays.

The 10-day journey around the moon will mark an important stepping- stone, as NASA soon aims to put astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions and aims even further with future plans toward Mars.

The press conference is set to start at any moment, but there is a lot of news here on Earth.

Actually, let's go ahead and listen into this press conference starting now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... senior NASA test director.

JEFF SPAULDING, SENIOR NASA TEST DIRECTOR: Good afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Mark Burger, our 45th launch weather officer with the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

MARK BURGER, NASA LAUNCH WEATHER OFFICER: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're going to provide some brief opening remarks and afterwards we're going to take some questions from media here in the room, as well as online.

For those joining us over the phone, you can press star one to ask your question.

So, without further ado, we will kick it off with you, Jeff.

SPAULDING: Thank you.

All right, and good afternoon everyone and welcome. Thanks for joining us today. We are a little over 29 hours from our opening of the launch window tomorrow. And I am very excited myself. And just coming from the firing room just a little bit ago on my way over here, talk to a bunch of members of the team.

And I will say, normally when we're in the firing room working over there, folks got their heads down and they're working and they do -- doing all the business that we do in the space business. But I will say there was a lot of smiles today, so I felt really good about that.

As the team is preparing, I think everybody's pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch. We did talk to the flight crew last night. We had a briefing with them. We had another one just a little bit before I went down to the firing room. We had another briefing with them.

Last night was just to kind of go over the day launch routine with them and kind of a refresher for ourselves and for them. And that went really well. They were in great spirits. And then we had another briefing today just to talk about how the launch countdown was going, and, as we will talk here in a little bit, it's been going really well.

Let's see. Since Charlie spoke to you yesterday, we have got quite a bit of work done. We started out yesterday. The first thing we do usually is fill up the sound suppression systems with water, and then we start working on getting the liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen systems ready for our propellant loading that's coming up in the future.

We did power up all of the vehicles. We powered up the Orion core stage, as well as the ICPS yesterday. We did communication checks, RF checkouts on the systems. And then, after that, we got through all of that work. Then we went ahead and powered down the ICPS, because there was no more work for them until later tonight, when we power ICPS back up. But, of course, the core stage in Orion stayed powered up through our

remainder of the count. Today, we got launchpad ground system configurations in work. We're doing closeouts in a number of areas. We're doing walk-downs as we work through the pad to make sure everything is configured for launch.

We're also in work on the late stow right now. We should be getting the avatar and the bags that we're doing in the late stow going up. They were prepping them in the PTCR down below the pad, the pad terminal change out room, which is the area where -- the pad, where we have some rooms, and getting those ready to go up. And they should be being installed as we speak.

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And then let's see. Tonight, we're going to be doing a whole lot of other work as we get ready to clear the pad. We do have some work associated with the Orion ground equipment and systems that we use to do the leak checks on the crew suits.

And so we will be working those later tonight to configure those and check them out and make sure they're ready for when we hook up to the crew on launch day. We will be firing up some of the Orion guidance systems later tonight as well.

We do intend to clear personnel from the pad at about 3:00 in the morning at that point. And then we will get ready for our air to GN2 changeover at about 4:00 in the morning. We do that. We purge the vehicle with air routinely for the whole flow.

Once we get to this point where we're getting ready to add hazardous propellants like hydrogen, for example. We change over to GN2 to have an inert environment for safety purposes on the vehicle and all of the volumes are on there.

Let's see. Later, once we get through the air to GN2 changeover and all the other work is done, our launch director will have a final weather brief. And once we get out of that, she will signal the team that we are ready to start our propellant loading. And that's scheduled to occur at about 7:34 tomorrow morning.

That loading takes a little over 5.5 hours. We will work through that. As mentioned yesterday by the launch director, we have inserted some time in front of that propellant loading time frame so that, if we are in fact done with all of the work and are ready to go, and we can start a little bit early, like a few minutes, we will try to take that and take every bit of time that we can to get ready and prepared for the crew and be prepared for anything else that might happen.

So we did that purposefully to give ourselves a little bit of room in that time frame based on the launch director's guidance. Let's see. During the propellant loading, the flight crew will wake up at about 9:45 tomorrow morning. They will have breakfast and start working towards their preparations for launch day getting their suits on and doing all the other work that they have to get ready to head out to the pad. And then once we get to all stages replenish, which is a little after

1:00, almost 1:15 in the afternoon tomorrow, we will send the closeout crew to the pad. All stages replenish is when we're done tanking, essentially. We have filled all the propellant onto the core stage and the upper stage ICPS.

And, at that point, we're only just replenishing the propellant that's boiling off at the same rate. So, we keep it full. We do lose quite a bit of propellant during that time frame. So we will continue to just work that throughout. After that, we will send a flight crew to the pad. They're going to head out a little before 2:00, and to get into the spacecraft.

As I mentioned, the closeout crew is going to go out before them. So they will have been working that time to prepare the capsule for the crew arrival.

SANCHEZ: We have been listening to Jeff Spaulding. He's the senior NASA test director for Artemis II.

What you can see is on the launchpad there at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, we're T-minus some 29 hours from liftoff. And there, Spaulding was saying that he took part in several briefings with the flight crew. They are in great spirits as they're now preparing for a 10-day trip to the dark side of the moon.

Let's discuss now with retired NASA astronaut John "Danny" Olivas. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. Just first, talk to us about what this crew might be thinking right now, processing as they're getting ready for a historic mission.

JOHN "DANNY" OLIVAS, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, the crew's definitely getting into the fine count, their own personal fine count, basically going over their last-minute procedures that they're going to be responsible for once they light the candle, going over last- minute items that -- just double-checking and triple-checking everything, maybe making last phone calls to their family and wishing them farewell.

But the crew definitely is getting their head in the game right now, as is everyone around them. This is an important mission. Lots of things could go wrong, and everyone is focusing on the systems that they're responsible for.

SANCHEZ: Yes, no doubt. Aside from the four astronauts, there's teams of thousands of people that have worked on all aspects of this mission to help it take off.

On that note, NASA hasn't sent a crew on a moon mission in more than 50 years. Help us understand why space exploration slowed down back then, and why, obviously, now it's picking back up.

OLIVAS: Well, I wouldn't say that space exploration slowed down as much as it evolved.

If you recall correctly, during the Apollo era, we explored the moon, and we went to an on-orbit space station with Skylab. And then, from that, space shuttle ruled for 30 years, as it continued its work in low-Earth orbit, science and engineering technology.

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Also, we flew the first International Space Station that has been in orbit, a colony in space, since the year 1998, I believe, the first module was actually flown, 2000, that human beings that lived there. And now we're ready to go back to the moon because, of course, it's about exploration.

This mission is going to be different. But the Artemis architecture is different in us landing on the south pole of the moon, which is different from Apollo and the equatorial landings. And that comes with a unique set of challenges, as well as all the challenges associated with the new hardware we're flying.

SANCHEZ: Yes, no doubt.

Also this Artemis II is sort of a table-setting mission, right? Because it essentially sets the stage for Artemis III. Talk to us about what the crew is going to be testing in order to do that, to get us to Artemis three in 2027.

OLIVAS: Well, as part of the Artemis program, we have flown two test missions, EFT-1, which flew in the 20 -- I'm sorry -- 2019, I believe. 2022 is when we got the Artemis I back, but both -- those were uncrewed missions. This will be the first crewed mission, and it'll be testing life support systems to basically keep astronauts alive for the duration of the mission.

This is a 10-day mission. It'll be four days to get to and from the moon. And so things like just systems that human beings interface with all the time, everything from galleys, to the potty, to life support systems like oxygen and CO2 scrubbers, and then obviously the integrated systems of Orion, the spacecraft itself, and to make sure that it can not only complete the journey out in space, but come back home safely.

SANCHEZ: Yes, got to make sure the potty's working. It's a 10-day trip. That's an important component.

John "Danny" Olivas, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate your expertise.

OLIVAS: You bet. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: And make sure to join CNN for this historic moment, starting at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, a CNN special event. I'm headed to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to see this launch in person. So you should tune in for that.

Also, CNN All Access is here to answer your questions about the historic mission to the moon. You can send your questions to AskArtemis@CNN.com. Space experts and former astronauts are going to be answering them during CNN's All Access coverage of the Artemis II mission. Tune in at CNN.com/watch.

Also, a lot of major news here on Earth. We're following breaking news on Wall Street and Main Street, the Dow jumping on hopes of an end to the war with Iran, but, at the gas pump, a very different story. Prices there are soaring. We're following the latest impacts on the economy.

Plus, the Supreme Court ruling against a Colorado law banning conversion therapy. Why one justice says today's decision is catastrophic.

And, later, a protest payout. Demonstrators who were at the Capitol on January 6 demanding millions of dollars for -- quote -- "physical and emotional injuries."

We have that story and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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KEILAR: We have breaking news in the war with Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivering an update for the first time in nearly two weeks. He did that this morning, saying that regime change has occurred in Iran.

And while President Trump negotiates with words, Hegseth says the U.S. military will continue to -- quote -- "negotiate with bombs until a deal happens." And he also left the door wide open for American troops on the ground in Iran.

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PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are. The point is to be unpredictable in that.

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KEILAR: CNN's Natasha Bertrand is with us now.

Natasha, what were the highlights from this?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there wasn't a ton of new information provided about the war itself and the objectives that have been achieved so far.

But one of the big topics that kept coming up over and over again was the question of the Strait of Hormuz, of course, and whether that is a key objective of the United States to open that strait, or whether this is something that the U.S. simply wants to leave to allies after, of course, launching this war against Iran.

Secretary Hegseth seemed to shift responsibility to the U.S.' allies, very much in line with what President Trump has been saying over the last few days. And he suggested that it wasn't actually a key objective of the U.S. as part of this war itself. So here's a little bit of what he said.

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HEGSETH: I think the president was clear this morning. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well. This is an international waterway that we use less than most, in fact, dramatically less than most.

So the world ought to pay attention to be prepared to stand up.

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BERTRAND: Now, of course, another big topic of discussion was whether the U.S. is prepared to send ground troops into Iran and whether perhaps they might take or try to take Kharg Island, which is in the Persian Gulf, a key export hub for Iranian crude.

He -- again, he was saying that the point of the U.S. military operations, of course, is to be discreet, to be unpredictable. He really wouldn't touch that, other than to say that all options are on the table and the Iranian regime should be aware that the U.S. is prepared to put boots on the ground if necessary.

One other point he did make, of course, was calling the new regime a new regime. He did say that there is regime change and that the U.S. is now negotiating with a new set of actors., again, similar to something President Trump had said earlier in the week, saying that essentially they hope that these people are more reasonable.

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But it does seem like all signs are pointing right now to them wanting to get a deal. And what that looks like, of course, remains to be seen.

KEILAR: Really high on the snark meter there for a U.S. ally.

Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much for that report -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: We're following breaking news on Wall Street. The Dow is up after a wild month, one that coincides with rising gas prices. For the first time in four years, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded is above $4.

But while Americans are paying up, the White House is playing this down, calling it a momentary disruption.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is live for us at a gas station in New York.

Vanessa, how are drivers that you're speaking with there reacting?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they're feeling it Boris, the national average now $4.02 a gallon. That is up 3 cents from just yesterday and up more than a dollar from a month ago.

Here in New York City, folks here at this gas station are paying $4.09 a gallon. This is a gas station that has really been mostly trafficked by people who use their car for work, so Lyft drivers, Uber drivers, taxi drivers and people who own small businesses.

And really there's no way around not paying these prices unless they stop driving altogether. I caught up with a bunch of them just to see how they're feeling about these gas prices that have now crossed four dollars for the first time since 2022. Here's what they said.

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ROCKY GREEN, MOTORIST: They're unaffordable, especially with big trucks. It's crazy money.

YURKEVICH: So it's 409 here today. Is that expensive for you?

GREEN: Yes, it's very expensive. I feel like we was at $3 like two months ago.

DANIELLE ELLMAN, MOTORIST: They're out of control. It's crazy.

BERTRAND: You're still actively filling up and you're at $83. Where are you going to...

ELLMAN: Yes, I think we might hit $90.

JIM BURNS, MOTORIST: We don't really know what the mission is. Are they going to get out of there soon? Or this could go on for a long time. And then it would really get bad as far as keep paying and paying and paying, without really having to gain something. We don't really know what the gain is going to be.

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YURKEVICH: Now President Trump has said that this is short-term pain at the pump for long-term gain with Iran.

But many of the drivers that I have been speaking with here today say they just don't really see that end in sight. And the majority of economists believe that oil prices will not fall and gas prices will not fall as a result until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, again, that critical passageway where 20 percent of the world's oil is currently locked up.

As far as gas prices, analysts we spoke into today believe we could see a 10-cent jump over the next couple of days. That's because oil prices are back over $100 a barrel and really have been lingering there. The biggest concern is, do we get back up to $5 and break that record that we set in 2022, when the war with Ukraine and Russia broke out?

That was $5.02. That was an all-time record. Some analysts suggest we could be approaching $5. The more this war goes on, drivers here, I can tell you, when I brought up $5, Boris, they were not happy with that number -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, not many people would be happy with $5 a gallon.

Vanessa Yurkevich live for us in New York City, thank you so much.

Still ahead: Police reveal new details on Tiger Woods' arrest. See what investigators said about the crash and what was found in the golf legend's pocket.

And a terrifying takeoff, passengers calling for the pilot of a Delta flight to turn around as witnesses spot flames shooting out of the plane's engine. More of this video when we come back.

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KEILAR: Lethargic with bloodshot eyes. Some new details about golfing legend Tiger Woods' DUI arrest. Woods rolled his SUV after hitting another vehicle on Friday.

Let's go straight to CNN's Isabel Rosales.

Isabel, what are you learning?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're expecting to get body camera from the Martin County Sheriff's Office here at some point, but we did get our hands on the police report just this morning.

And there's some interesting facts that we learned from it, starting with Woods telling the arresting deputy that he looked down at his cell phone. He was changing the radio station too and did not notice a car in front of him had slowed down. He ultimately ended up clipping a truck in front of him, lost control and flipped his car.

Nobody was injured. Now, the officer noted several signs of impairment, that he was sweating profusely. He was lethargic, slow. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils extremely dilated. Woods noted to him some physical limitations, seven back surgeries, 20 operations on his leg.

And that officer allowed him to do a field sobriety test sitting down, which Woods agreed to, but later ended up failing. While they were arresting him for DUI, they found two white pills noted to be prescription hydrocodone inside of his pant pocket.

Now, this is his fourth high-profile crash, the most serious of which happened back in 2021, where he was hospitalized after a rollover crash that shattered his leg and he required emergency surgery. And then you might remember back in 2017, where he pleaded guilty to reckless driving after he was found asleep at the wheel.

In a statement at the time, he indicated he had a bad reaction to prescription medication. Now, in this case, in Friday's arrest, he refused a urine test. And that's notable, because Florida has a new law back in 2025 that it passed where, if you refuse a breath, blood or urine sample, a test, well, that's an automatic misdemeanor and a one-year license suspension.