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Now: Artemis II Crew Inside Orion Space Capsule Ahead of Launch; Now: NASA Performing Final Checks Before Historic Moon Mission; Trump Again Slams Birthright Citizenship After Attending Arguments 3-3:30p ET

Aired April 01, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

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[15:00:33]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: I'm Boris Sanchez coming to you live from Kennedy Space Center in the Space Coast of Florida. In just a few hours, we are set to watch history being made as Artemis II takes off headed to the dark side of the moon with four astronauts on board. They are heading where no one has been before, faster than anyone has ever traveled on a shuttle like this before. It is going to be unreal.

Let's go to my colleague, Brianna Keilar, in the nation's capital though because a lot happened at the Supreme Court today as well. Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: That's right, Boris. Since the founding of the nation, a sitting president had never attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court until today. President Trump at the Court as justices heard the birthright citizenship case.

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

SANCHEZ: Breaking news to CNN as you can see on your screen, we are moving toward liftoff later tonight at about three and a half hours or so. The takeoff window is set to open here at Kennedy Space Center and the astronauts of Artemis II will be blasting off into outer space. You see there on your screen, this is inside the Orion capsule ahead of the launch.

The astronauts left an operation center here at Kennedy Space Center a short time ago. They waved goodbye to loved ones and team members (INAUDIBLE) help orchestrate this mission. They got on about a 20- minute ride on an astro van and then they headed to where you see them now. The launch pad strapped in for Artemis II. It is going to be a historic mission, one that we have not seen NASA partake in -- in about a half century. We're going to keep an eye on what's happening there as we go through a series of tests to ensure that liftoff can happen and that it can be successful.

But first let's go to my colleague, Brianna, in the nation's capital. Actually, let's go ahead and listen to Reid Wiseman, the commander of

Artemis II. He spoke earlier today about the significance of this mission. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) commander's ready for comm checks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: DC (ph) copies, commander (INAUDIBLE) ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) comm check.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: NTD (ph) hear you loud and clear here as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: HFD 194 (ph), thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commander ODC Reiner (ph) Earth 1 ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ODC (ph) (INAUDIBLE) loud and clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good comm. Welcome, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That was actually Reid Wiseman checking in with the communications center here at Kennedy as they make preparations underway. It's quite fascinating to watch the development of technology and to watch as NASA and the United States essentially return to a place they'd been some 50-plus years ago. Let's actually watch Apollo 11, that mission and the liftoff from Earth headed toward the moon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve, 11, 10, nine, ignition sequence start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Imagine the sight, the sound, and power we are going to witness tonight as 800 gallons of fuel. How many is it, 800 million?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think 700,000 gallons is what I ...

SANCHEZ: Seven-hundred thousand gallons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE:... and 8 million pounds of thrust.

SANCHEZ: Eight million pounds of thrust, that's what I was looking for. It is set to happen later tonight and there are folks that are going to be witnessing this from around the world, some in person. Let's go to CNN's David Culver who's live at a watch party for us.

David, the excitement obviously felt far and wide.

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm trying to see if I can see you from where I am, Boris, about eight miles northwest from where you are. You have somewhat of a view of the launch pad and you've got folks who, as you pointed out, it is a watch party on a bridge of course. This is the Max Brewer Memorial Bridge and it runs about a mile long full of people.

[15:05:09]

We walked it about an hour ago and it's getting more and more packed with folks who are just trying to take in this moment. You've got a group of university students behind me. Some of them may or may not be skipping class to be here, so I'll avoid showing them. But you've also got Summer (ph) and Steve (ph). They're in from ...

SUMMER: Marietta, Georgia.

CULVER: Marietta, Georgia, that's right. And she had her lunch out here too, which looked really good by the way. Some chicken wings and pralines for dessert. But I want to introduce you to the Halbach (ph) family. They're in from (INAUDIBLE) South Carolina.

And Carla ...

CARLA: Hi.

CULVER: Are you on a call right now?

CARLA: No, no.

CULVER: Okay. Oh, you're just listening to the live stream.

CARLA: I'm just listening to live stream, yes.

CULVER: Oh, okay, great. I mean, that's the other thing. I feel like folks around here could basically be mission control with all the radios I hear going and people monitoring on their own.

CARLA: Yes.

CULVER: You guys came in yesterday ...

CARLA: (INAUDIBLE) ...

CULVER: ... and you've got pretty prime seating here. How -- how are -- how are you feeling and what are you hoping, obviously, you want to see a launch, but what are you hoping to see from this perspective?

CARLA: We're hoping that it doesn't get scrubbed and we're hoping to feel the boom and see the, you know, the white big cloud. What else are we looking for?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see the rocket.

CULVER: (INAUDIBLE) ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see the rocket.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That was (INAUDIBLE) ...

CULVER: So, okay, let's -- let's say it does get scrubbed, I'm not going to put that out there, but let's say it does, are you prepared to stay for a few days? You've got a few days to try this.

CARLA: Oh, yes, we don't leave to go back to Charleston until Saturday. So, we're going to be here every day to watch it until Saturday. No Disney. Sorry, Disney. But yes, we're going to be here every day.

CULVER: I -- but you have the family Disney shirts, essentially, a family vacay. That's how we were able to identify them.

CARLA: (INAUDIBLE) yes, we do ...

CULVER: Because I see Richard has his, Bernard you have yours, Malia (ph) has hers.

CARLA: Yes.

CULVER: And so, you're prepared to make this a multi-day event if it needs to be.

CARLA: Yes. Yes, we are. We are. We're excited about it.

CULVER: Now things are looking good.

CARLA: It is looking good. They just did a sound check, actually. Yes, so they -- Houston heard them. All their radios are working. So, if you guys hear me, we're listening.

CULVER: You see, Boris, I told you. I mean, Carla could be mission control here. She's helping us keep tabs on what's going on. And I'm hoping that maybe I'll be around here when this -- when this takes off.

CARLA: I hope so as well. So, you'll hear us screaming as well. Like, it's going to be really loud. We've been here before, but never this many people.

CULVER: Yes.

CARLA: So, I'm excited. Very excited.

CULVER: I think one of the things that stands out to me, and Boris, you know this all too well. I mean, when we see crowds gathering these days, I mean, a lot of it can be tense and unfortunate moments. Not this. I mean, everybody's smiling.

CARLA: Everybody has been polite.

CULVER: Yes.

CARLA: They've been speaking. I mean, you know, it's just like -- it's just like being -- like it used to be. Like, no -- no animosity, no nothing, no division. There's no division out here. We're all here to see the same thing, which is that rocket go up and orbit the moon. We're glad to see NASA is back into it. So, we're very excited. Very excited.

CULVER: Thank you, Carla (ph).

CARLA: You're welcome.

CULVER: I'll be -- I'll be here with you guys and ...

CARLA: All right.

CULVER: ... I need to get a shirt, too, if you don't mind.

CARLA: Oh, don't worry. I'll get you one.

CULVER: All right. Thank you.

CARLA: All right.

CULVER: All right, Boris, yes, so as you heard Carla there say, we're -- we're going to stay out here. We're going to -- we're going to see the momentum build as folks are -- are coming on and really just feeling like this is a moment of unity.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's so refreshing to hear so many people describe wanting that kind of moment of unity to sit in awe of what mankind is capable of. Thanks so much to that family for sharing their excitement with you, David.

Let's talk about more of the Artemis II launch with Adam Frank. He's a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, also the author of the Everyman's Universe newsletter and former NASA astronaut Colonel Ron Garan, as well as Pete Muntean, who's here with us keeping track of the actual numbers on thrust. I blanked out there for a moment. I was trying to figure out ...

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I got you.

SANCHEZ: ... how powerful this thing is. And it is enormous, Pete.

Right now, we're seeing inside the Orion capsule. It -- it is just a feat to even be here at this point.

MUNTEAN: We have come so far here. And you heard Carla (ph) say, we'll be disappointed if it scrubs. But so many people are out here with plans that are rolling for several days. We have six days of launch windows, four chances to do that. Today is probably the best chance, though. And as we got the weather brief from the 45th Weather Squadron from the Space Force, they said that the chances essentially of a launch diminish from here on out. Today is the best case. Eighty percent go when it comes to weather.

As you're looking at the live feed, you can see the astronauts on their backs there. They have been strapped into their seats. You can see the iPads are out. This is really critical now as they do some key pressurization tests of their suits and of the Orion capsule that is about the size of a six-person tent that you might get at REI.

Seems that a couple, maybe a little water or maybe some food is being passed around right now as we feel a couple drizzles here at Kennedy Space Center. Later, the closeout team will secure the hatch there on the Orion capsule, which is critical. They'll do some tests for leaks and seals to make sure hatch closure is okay.

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And then, it's a long wait until 6:24 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time when this two-hour window today opens. Essentially, there are some outs here.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MUNTEAN: And we can take it up to T minus 10 minutes and pause and then reset. Can take it to T minus six minutes, pause and then reset. So, even if there is a hold due to weather, and I say this as I'm feeling a drizzle here at the Kennedy Space Center ...

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes, it's starting to pour down a little bit.

MUNTEAN: ... not far from launch pad 39B ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MUNTEAN: ... things could change a little bit. But there are some build in holds into the timeline here ...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MUNTEAN: ... that could make it so that we could reset and still launch today.

SANCHEZ: And -- and I want to get the perspective of our retired astronaut, Col. Ron Garan.

Colonel, when you're sitting there strapped in and you're running through all these tests, what is running through your mind?

COL. RON GARAN, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, excitement, for -- for one, you're getting ready to do something that's just amazing. But you also have, you know, you've trained for years and there's a lot of things that you're responsible for and you need to make sure that you're -- you're ready to go, that your head is in the game. But, you know, that excitement, you know, we're -- we're doing something that hasn't been done in 54 years. And we're changing the idea of going back to the moon to -- into a reality and this is -- this is really exciting. So, I'm sure they're all, you know, very, very excited about what's about to unfold.

SANCHEZ: Adam, to the astronaut's point, talk to us about the significance of Artemis II and NASA's grander designs for space exploration.

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: Yes, the important thing about Artemis II is that, yes, we're going back to the moon and we've been there before, but this time we're going back for good. This is really part of a -- a program where it's really about human beings becoming a true space faring civilization with work, you know, businesses, employment, exploration, all of it.

So, this is really quite different from what happened 50 years ago. We're going back and we're going back for good.

SANCHEZ: And it's significant, as I was speaking to NASA administrator Jared Isaacman yesterday, that we're now locked in a space race with China, Adam. Can you speak to the geopolitical aspect of why the United States is now returning to the moon?

FRANK: Yes. Well, one of the things that's amazing about Chinese space program is they've been hitting their marks. They have a very ambitious space program. They've been very successful with it, putting a -- a space station in orbit. They've been sending probes to the moon and to other places. And they are very much on track to getting to the South Pole, where we think there's water reserves there.

And like I said, going back into space now is not just for, you know, a medal on your chest. It's about economy. It's about building sort of the next phase of -- of human presence, of human expansion. There's a lot of money to be made out of -- out in space now. And we already see that in a vibrant space economy. So, it's about much more than just, you know, who gets there first. Now, it's about sort of who commands the high frontier.

SANCHEZ: Colonel, give us your perspective on the importance of space exploration at a time when I -- I've heard from a lot of folks that -- that I talked to about covering this story. There are a lot of concerns about what's happening here on Earth. And a lot of folks that feel that making space exploration a priority commands a lot of funds that they think could be used to at least alleviate some of the issues that we have domestically. What are your thoughts?

GARAN: Well, Boris, the -- the short answer is the investment that we make in the space program is the best, hands down, the best investment we can make for our future. We have so many benefits that we unfortunately sometimes take for granted that come from the space program. But there's also something bigger than that, I think, at stake here.

And, you know, back in 1968, on Christmas Eve 1968, when Apollo 8 came out behind the far side of the moon on their fourth orbit, they witnessed something never seen before by human eyes. They saw the whole planet hanging in the blackness of space. And they captured that image for the rest of us in the famous Earthrise image. Hopefully, in about four days, we're going to see that again.

And I think that that moment was an evolutionary phase shift for our species. It changed the way we see the world. It changed the way we see ourselves. The family that you just interviewed, talking about the unity, that's what happens when we engage as a species in -- on wonder, when we do something bold, we -- when we do something extraordinary, it brings us together. And I don't think there's been a time, at least in my life, where we need that more than ever. And this is -- could be a unifying moment for us, and I -- and I hope it is.

SANCHEZ: Cheers to that. We look forward to potentially witnessing the sublime alongside you. Colonel and Adam, please stand by, and Pete as well.

[15:15:07]

We're going to head over to my colleague, Brianna Keilar, who's in the nation's capital, tracking some very theatrical arguments at the Supreme Court, with President Trump watching the arguments in person, Brianna.

KEILAR: It was a very animated day today here, Boris. And still to come, Supreme Court justices appearing skeptical in those arguments of President Trump's executive order that seeks to end automatic birthright citizenship.

Plus, President Trump says that Iran is asking for a ceasefire. Tehran officials say that's just not true. We'll have the latest on the U.S. war with Iran. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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[15:20:05]

KEILAR: President Trump is lashing out after the landmark case heard here today at the Supreme Court on birthright citizenship. The President was in the court as he heard liberal and conservative justices voicing skepticism about his executive order to end birthright citizenship. And this is the first time that a sitting president has attended oral arguments. So, it was a really big day here at the court.

Birthright citizenship codified in the 14th Amendment establishes that nearly every person born in the U.S. is a citizen of the U.S. The Trump administration says the one line in it, quote, subject to the jurisdiction of, means that it should not apply to children of undocumented people.

The Chief Justice was among the first to express doubt that the administration should end it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's a new world, it's the same constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: About an hour after leaving the oral arguments, the President posted, quote, "We are the only country in the world stupid enough to allow birthright citizenship." We should note that is not true. There are 30 other countries that allow birthright citizenship. Joining us now is CNN Legal Analyst Elliot Williams, who's with us. The prompter just said Elliot. I know -- I know your name.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's like -- like Oprah or ...

KEILAR: Elliot ...

WILLIAMS: ... or Cardi B. or something.

KEILAR: ... Elliot joins us now -- Elliot W.

WILLIAMS: Okay.

KEILAR: He's a former federal prosecutor and senior Justice Department official. This was a tough day to be the solicitor general, John Sauer.

WILLIAMS: It was really a tough day and quite frankly, an embarrassing day to be the solicitor general to be -- to be frank. The arguments that he was making might have been serious arguments, but not grounded in any sort of American history or legal history in the United States. He -- to be clear -- and just -- let's look at it just as a matter of straight math, Brianna, the President had to win over the votes of three of justices Roberts, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch or Kavanaugh. That's -- that's a pretty tall order right there. And it seems pretty clear from what we saw, he just did not. Neither did John Sauer.

KEILAR: And so, it was interesting because there were a couple times where John Sauer got tripped up.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: He didn't really have the choice here, by the way. He had to come and ...

WILLIAMS: Right. Right.

KEILAR: ... and do this and -- and bring his point of view, the administration's point of view here before the court. But he got tripped up in particular on a question about whether Native Americans have birthright citizenship. And then there was also this really interesting question asked. That was one by Neil Gorsuch. This is one by Amy Coney Barrett. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY CONEY BARRETT, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: How would that apply to human -- the children of illegally trafficked people today?

SAUER: It would turn on whether the -- the parents are lawfully domiciled in the United States.

BARRETT: So, if they're brought in illegally, but then they choose to remain and they want to remain and they're domiciled, you would say that their lawful presence is not dictated by whether they were brought here lawfully or not. And that's different from someone who, say, crosses the border unlawfully.

SAUER: Yes, I think it would turn on whether their presence is lawful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And if we had a nickel for every time we heard domicile ...

WILLIAMS: Domicile ...

KEILAR: ... today -- but what did you think of these moments?

WILLIAMS: Yes. It's an important legal point. Let's just unpack it for a little bit. So, so much of the argument today depended on this notion of domicile. Where did parents live and intend to live and intend to establish their allegiance to the country? Well, you got a big problem because a lot of people in the country, slaves at the time, were granted citizenship even if they didn't intend to be here. They were domiciled. They were brought here by force.

Amy Coney Barrett's question was, well, what about today trafficking victims? They didn't choose to come to the United States. They were brought here criminally and by force. So, what -- if the -- if someone's trafficking gets pregnant and is here in the United States, are you to say that their children are not citizens? And that he just didn't have a good answer to that because it's a gray area question that the administration, in attempting to do a broad brush here, just didn't anticipate.

KEILAR: The executive order talks about this being prospective, right? Meaning it wouldn't affect -- it would affect future children born ...

WILLIAMS: Right.

KEILAR: ... to illegal immigrants ...

WILLIAMS: Right.

KEILAR: ... not the children currently in the U.S. ...

WILLIAMS: Right.

KEILAR: ... already born to illegal immigrants. And John Sauer was clear about that. Yes, that is what the executive order says. However, legal experts looking at this say, if the court were to rule for the Trump administration, there's just no way that it couldn't chip away at the whole thing.

WILLIAMS: Absolutely.

KEILAR: Is that right?

WILLIAMS: Yes, absolutely. And whoa, what a great time to be an immigration lawyer in America because think about the amount of litigation that would spring up on behalf of both the children who were here before or prospective -- it's like you create a legal quagmire, a mess of basic constitutional rights.

And in general, regardless of where the law is in America, we don't like extending rights to some people and not to others who are part of the same class, and these people are. So, what would you do? It would just create a mess and a ton of litigation.

KEILAR: It was uphill battle from the jump.

WILLIAMS: It's uphill battle.

[15:25:06]

KEILAR: But -- so, just remind us why we were here.

WILLIAMS: Well, because -- because of an executive order from the President with the stroke of a pen, doing away with birthright citizenship. Let's be clear, the language in the Constitution is unambiguous, Brianna. It's just not up for debate. There's all -- think about the Second Amendment. What's a militia? We've been debating that for 200 years. This one's pretty clear on its face. And even that subject of the jurisdiction thereof language, it's -- it's a fringe legal theory that was behind the administration's argument here. And it just wasn't going to win.

And as we saw today, you're -- you're looking at potentially even an eight-one decision. It may not go that far, but there was a clear majority on the Supreme Court not supporting the President and their position on this.

KEILAR: It was a fascinating day in court ...

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: ... no matter how you cut it. It was very interesting to listen to. Elliot W or Elliot ...

WILLIAMS: There we go.

KEILAR: ... thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.

President Trump saying that he is, quote, "absolutely considering withdrawing from NATO" as he is set to deliver remarks to the nation tonight about the war with Iran. Stay with CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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