Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Artemis II Expected to Take Off This Evening in Historical Launch. Trump Sits in Supreme Court for Case on Birthright Citizenship. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired April 01, 2026 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

MANU RAJU, HOST, CNN HOST: I thank you so much for joining Inside Politics on this very, very busy news day. CNN News Central starts right now.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar in Washington, and my colleagues and I are following three major stories this hour. I am outside the Supreme Court where justices just heard arguments about who is an American and who is not. At stake, the constitutional right to citizenship for those born in the United States. And watching from the gallery, President Donald Trump, the first sitting president to witness arguments in person. Also weighing on the president, a speech he's expected to give just eight hours from now.

And Jim Sciutto is live in Tel Aviv. Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: That's right, Brianna. We do not know what the president will say in this wartime message this evening, but he did say earlier this morning that Iran is asking for a ceasefire, something Iranian officials publicly are denying. The President said a ceasefire is not on the table, however, until Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has now become a choke point for the global supply of oil and a pressure point for U.S. consumers who've seen the price of gas rise to more than $4 a gallon. Also today, unfolding far away from here in the Middle East, an historic moon mission just hours away from liftoff. Our Boris Sanchez, he's following that.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yeah, Jim, I'm here at Kennedy Space center where in just a few hours we're going to witness a spectacle, a mission unlike any we've seen in over half a century. Artemis II set to take four astronauts around the moon and further than any person has ever been before. It's an historic mission not only for NASA, but also for humanity. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news. SANCHEZ: All systems -- All systems are a go for the first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years. We're here at Kennedy Space Center where a short time from now the four Artemis II astronauts are going to make their way to the Orion spacecraft, which likely will carry them further than any person has ever been before to the dark side of the moon. Right now, NASA is making their final checks. The SLS rocket is fueled. The weather looks great.

And that means that in just over five hours from now, we will have ignition and the next giant leap for mankind. CNN's Randi Kaye is now standing by, where within the hour, we are going to see those four astronauts emerge. Three Americans, one Canadian. A lot of firsts on this voyage. And their family, Randi, is standing by to bid them good luck.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is the moment, Boris, very exciting here. We are at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and -- at Kennedy Space Center. And this is the door that the astronauts are going to walk out of. And if you see these gates here right behind me, their families are going to be able to give them a long distance hug because remember, these astronauts have been in quarantine, so they'll be able to see their families and then they'll board that Artemis II silver bus that's right there behind them after a few moments to see and spend some time with their families.

But this is, as you said, the first crewed mission to the moon, a lunar mission in more than 50 years. The commander is Reid Wiseman. And then we have pilot Victor Glover and two mission specialists, Christina Koch, as well as Jeremy Hansen, who is a Canadian. And it is a mission of first, even though the crew likes to say it's a mission for all. But this will be the first Canadian to take part in a NASA lunar mission. That's Jeremy Hansen, also the first woman, as well as the -- the first person of color, Victor Glover, the pilot here.

Now, the families will be here, as I said, they've been in quarantine. They say that they are excited, but they -- they call this preparation without expectation, because they hope that they launch at 6:24 when the window opens for launch, but they just don't know. And they want to make sure, of course, that it's safe for all.

Just a note about what they're bringing with them, Boris. Reid Wiseman, the commander, is bringing blank note cards to take some notes. Victor Glover is bringing a Bible and some family heirlooms. Christina Koch is bringing some handwritten notes from her loved ones that she can read while she's in space. And Jeremy Hansen is bringing moon pendants that he had given to his wife and children.

Now this team, this crew has been training for about three years. They stayed in a stateroom together on a naval ship. They've really been trying to get to know each other.

[13:05:00]

One funny bit is that -- is that Jeremy Hansen has never been to space as a Canadian. And he said that he's going to need to learn how to float. Orion is very tight quarters. He's also 6'2", so a large guy for an astronaut. And he's asking for patience from his fellow crew members. Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Heck of a mission for this to be your first time in space. Randi, thank you so much. As Randi laid out, though the history is not lost on these four astronauts, they try to make this about the mission itself. We actually heard from one of them, who talked about being the first African American to go to space. Here is some of what he shared with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR GLOVER, PILOT, ARTEMIS II MISSION: That's awesome. And that young brown boys and girls can look at me and go, hey, he looks like me and he's doing what? And that's great. I love that. But I also hope we are pushing the other direction that one day we don't have to talk about these first. That one day this is just, and listen to this, that this is the human history. It's about human history. It's the story of humanity. Not Black history, not women's history, but that it becomes human history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: We're joined now by CNN's aviation correspondent Pete Muntean, as well as former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger. Pete, let's start with you. It's going to be a historic mission. Ten days to go further than anyone ever has.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: And we just heard from launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, and she says that things are looking extremely good for this launch. The iconic launch clock, 5 hours, 17 minutes, 55 seconds to go. What is looking so good for Artemis right now is that the fueling has now completed, which is so significant. This is something that has really dogged these missions, since there was a wet dress rehearsal about eight weeks ago.

And you're looking at live pictures now of the astronauts suiting up. That was the next significant step here, as these astronauts meet with the closeout crew. These are the final people that they will see before boarding the Orion spacecraft. They were only able to do this because of the fueling that was so successful early today. Started about 7:30 a.m., here's my SLS model here, four tanks on board. There are -- There's one hydrogen and one liquid oxygen tank in the core stage, and then in the upper stage, a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tank. The issue has been hydrogen. Hydrogen is an incredibly leak prone molecule. It's actually the smallest molecule.

And so now NASA has been able to confirm that there aren't many leaks. They can continue to go for launch. This has really been the X factor up until now. They were so, so concerned about this. And many of us were watching the updates as they were coming through today, to see the status of the fueling.

SANCHEZ: It looks like it worked.

MUNTEAN: And -- And that was the big huge hurdle that they were able to clear. And because of that, now they're able to board. SANCHEZ: Still a few more hurdles to clear until we make sure that we hit that launch window later tonight. Jerry, I wonder, as you're watching live images of the astronauts getting suited up, what is going through your mind when you are in that process, knowing that in a few hours you're going to be blasted off into space?

JERRY LINENGER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: It is so awesome. I just feel, you know, I wish I were suiting up with them. We got two Navy captains have flown off the back of aircraft carriers, you know, Reed and Victor. So they are calm, they know what they're doing. They've been training for two years. But I'll tell you, you finally get to that moment and it's like going to the Super Bowl, and we're about to move humankind forward. And so I just, you know, I'm in awe of what they're about to do.

SANCHEZ: As we all are. So obviously Artemis II, a precursor to Artemis III, which could see mankind return to the moon. Talk to us about the significance of this mission in the broader spectrum of what NASA and the United States is trying to achieve in space.

LINENGER: So they've done a bit of a change. I actually talked to the NASA administrator yesterday, and Artemis III will be around Earth and we're going to work with the lunar landers and do some rendezvous docking. Check out that in kind of a step fashion. That'll be next year. And then Artemis IV, hopefully going back toward the moon again and set up that moon base. Not just like in Apollo, where you kind of went there and touched it. Now we're trying to go there.

And the way the administrator described it was to get a train to go there. We've got some big rockets. And by the way, Boris, brace yourself because 8.8 million pounds of thrust is about to hit you hard when that rocket takes off. And it'll be something you'll never forget the rest of your life.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. These astronauts are supposed to experience something not only in distance that no one ever has, but also in speed. They will be going faster in this rocket than anyone ever has before.

[13:10:00]

Jerry and Pete, please stand by. We have plenty more to bring you, not only from here in the Space Coast in Florida, but also in the nation's capital, where Brianna is following a major story out of the Supreme Court. Brianna?

KEILAR: That's right. Still to come, Boris, a landmark battle here at the Supreme Court. Justices appearing skeptical during oral arguments over President Trump's attempts to end birthright citizenship, all while the President himself looked on in person. We're following the latest there. And ahead of his major primetime address, the President claims Iran is asking for a ceasefire. We are live from the region. Stay with CNN News Central.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:00] KEILAR: Welcome back. I'm Brianna Keilar outside of the Supreme Court. And today we're following a landmark case about what makes a person an American. President Trump sitting in the courtroom for some of the oral arguments as the nine Justices heard the case regarding his executive order ending automatic birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is codified in the 14th Amendment.

With a few exceptions, a person born in the U.S. is an American citizen according to that amendment. From the start, both liberal and conservative justices voiced skepticism about the administration's argument opposing it. Among the government's points is contending birthright citizenship has generated an industry of selling U.S. citizenship overseas.

Listen to this exchange between the Chief Justice and the government's lawyer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

D. JOHN SAUER, U.S. SOLICITOR GENERAL: Of course, we're in a new world now, as Justice Alito pointed out to, where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a -- a child who's a U.S. citizen. Well, it's a new world.

JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF SUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: Well, it's a new world. It's the same Constitution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: With me now, CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid and Sabrina Rodriguez, who is a political reporter for the Wall Street Journal. And Paula, it was a tough day to be John Sauer. There was a lot of skepticism coming even from the conservative justices.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. President Trump's presence here today during arguments clearly did not do much to make the justices more sympathetic to his case. It appeared that the majority of justices are not buying his interpretation of the 14th Amendment. Even the three justices that he appointed seem to reject what John Sauer, his top litigator, was arguing about who is and is not a citizen when they are born here. Let's take a listen to what some of the Trump appointees asked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEIL GORSUCH, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test and under your friends' test?

SAUER: I think so. I mean, obviously been granted citizenship by statute.

AMY CONEY BARRETT, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I can imagine it being messy on some applications. What if you don't know who the parents are?

SAUER: I -- I think there are marginal cases. That one I think has the benefit of being addressed in 1401(f) where it talks about --

CONEY BARRETT: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But what about the Constitution?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Now, of course, the other Trump nominee, Trump Justice, is Justice Kavanaugh. And look, he's been in and out of favor with President Trump. Right now he's in favor after the tariffs decision. He barely said anything during this part of the argument. But he did press the government on one important issue, and that is the fact that they're not only asking the court to overturn its interpretation of the statute for over a century, but also Congress has twice passed laws that really support this interpretation.

Now, President Trump left after his lawyer wrapped his argument. When the ACLU got up for the other side, they also faced some tough questions, but they clearly had an easier time. I mean, even the conservative justices were asking questions that seemed like they were trying to inform how to write their opinion, not how -- how to rule.

Look, you know, President Trump is the one who has made this court behind us a conservative super majority. He has enjoyed a lot of really important victories, but based on what we heard today, it appears highly unlikely they're going to hand him one on this -- this key campaign issue of birthright citizenship.

KEILAR: I think it's clear the quote of the day was, It's a new world, but it's the same Constitution, from Chief Justice Roberts. But that, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But what about the Constitution? Might -- Might be runner up there for that. It was stunning that the President was here, Sabrina. Just really interesting, especially at this time where he just has so much on his plate.

SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, POLITICS REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I mean, it tells us so much about the President's priorities, the fact that he's here today. Let's keep in mind tonight he's supposed to be addressing the nation about the ongoing war in Iran. We're in a midterm election year where we're hearing Americans facing an affordability crisis every day. And you have, you know, we're right here outside of Congress where there is still a partial shutdown going on.

So, the fact that he is here today, it is clearly a historic moment for him to be coming to the Supreme Court. But it also just tells us a lot about the President's thinking, and it really reinforces in 2024, he spent so much of his time on the campaign trail talking about the crackdown that he was going to have on immigration. Him being here today shows he's full force on that.

KEILAR: And that's, this idea that was discussed in there of there being an industry of people coming and having babies in America. That was pointed out by one of the Justices, that that's more of a policy argument than a legal argument. Just on the political topic, there was actually a tweet that Stephen Miller put out in the middle of these arguments. He said, birthright citizenship means the children of illegal aliens can vote to tax your children and seize their inheritance. This is a huge political debate. That certainly wasn't one of the legal arguments today.

RODRIGUEZ: No question. I mean, ultimately, the Justices and the Supreme Kort are not going to factor in what the political argument is today and the politics around it. But Stephen Miller was saying the quiet part out loud for the administration in that tweet.

[13:20:00]

You know, we've seen that this is a lose -- has become a losing issue for the President, that this was his strength. His talk about immigration, his talk about the border and what he wanted to do on that. And with everything we've seen this year with the crackdown from ICE, it's become a vulnerability. But again, it's still a primary focus for him when you see him here today.

KEILAR: And Paula, the outcome of this, there are many different ways the court can go. Right? And it sounds like this was almost part of the discussion today in court. Take us through that.

REID: Yeah, there are some off ramps that they could take, but I didn't really hear them opting for those in this argument. The other question out there was, okay, if they do side for the government, logistically how does this work out? Because the opponents argue that this actually could impact millions of people, a far broader group than what the government is saying. How does that work in terms of passports, legal -- legal citizenship for people who are already here under temporary visas.

Really the Supreme Court, though, has been perfectly happy to just leave the logistics and the details to people, but based on what we heard today, I don't think that's going to be a problem. It appears that this will likely be a complete loss for the administration. And look, this is going to be one of the first of really big losses. Of course, he had one with tariffs, but this is going to be one of the first really big cases. But I can tell you, as soon as this executive order was signed last year, people inside the administration, they were very confident that they could get through a lot of the policies that the President was implementing through the Supreme Court. This was the one where they said, but I'm not sure about this.

KEILAR: Yeah, it's a really tough uphill battle, as you've been emphasizing all day. Paula, Sabrina, thank you so much to both of you. Really appreciate your analysis.

And here in just a few hours, the President will be addressing the nation on the war with Iran. His remarks coming on the 33rd day of what has been projected by the administration to be a four to six week operation. And as the President says, he is, quote, absolutely considering leaving NATO. We are live from the Middle East right after this.

And some live pictures from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, where the Artemis II mission is set to launch just hours from now. They just completed checking the astronauts' spacesuits for any leaks, and they are ready to go. We have much more on that mission to the moon ahead. This is CNN News Central.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:25:00]

KEILAR: Tonight, President Trump will deliver remarks to the nation on the war with Iran. Today, the President telling Reuters he plans to criticize NATO in his speech after again threatening to withdraw the U.S. from the alliance. Trump told the right leaning British newspaper The Telegraph that he was, quote, never swayed by NATO and always knew they were a paper tiger. And Russian President Vladimir Putin knows that too. In the meantime, Iran's Foreign Minister is denying Trump's claim that Tehran has asked the U.S. for a ceasefire, which Trump said would only happen after the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.

Let's go now to CNN chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto. He is joining us from Tel Aviv. And if people want to know where you are, Jim, I understand you were taking shelter there. There's actually a missile threat in the region. Tell us what's going on.

SCIUTTO: That's right, Brianna. For about the 10th time in the last several hours, I've lost count, frankly. Multiple incoming missiles from Iran. In fact, there was a period a few hours ago at sunset when it was the busiest period of incoming fire, really, since the start of the war. This most recent one came with almost no warning. Not enough time to, typically there's a couple minutes warning to get to the shelter, and that implies it's coming from Iran. This one had no warning, so we're thinking it might have come from Lebanon.

But what's important there, right, is that that level of fire contradicts President Trump's rosy words about progress in negotiations. Iran certainly still taking shots at Israel, and crucially, is still able to do so because, of course, despite the U.S. and Israeli campaign, which has been devastating for Iran for Iranian capabilities, Iran does clearly still maintain the capability of firing back.

And beyond these incoming missiles, you've had public comments from the Iranian Foreign Minister denying that negotiations are underway. And the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is saying that as it relates to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will continue to exercise control there no matter what the U.S. demands. Now, that could be part of their own negotiating strategies. At this point, at least, the words from Iran and the fire from Iran contradicts the President's sense of progress in those talks.

KEILAR: Alright, Jim, thank you so much for that report from Israel. As you are taking shelter, we'll know that -- we know that you'll keep an eye on things there. Let's go back now to Boris. He is at the Kennedy Space Center, where any minute, Boris, the crew of Artemis II is expected to head to the launch pad on this very exciting day.

SANCHEZ: Such an exciting day. Anticipation is building here in Florida, and so far, NASA has passed every check for Artemis II, meaning we are getting closer to that window of liftoff. Even the youngest stargazers are getting excited about Artemis II's launch. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Why do you want to be here? Why do you love space? Why do you love being a part of history?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going back to the freaking moon. That's why.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:00]