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Russia Pushes to Take Full Control of Severodonetsk; 15 Former McDonald's Reopen as Vkusno & Tochka in Russia; Putin Invokes Peter the Great to Justify Ukraine Invasion; Video of Woman Being Attacked Sparks Outrage in China; U.S. Senators Announce Bipartisan Deal on Gun Safety; Many 'Stars' in the Night Sky May Be Satellites. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired June 13, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome, live from Studio 7 at CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:25]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleads for a modern defenses system as Russia pummels the Eastern part of the country.

U.S. Senators take their first meaningful step towards gun safety in decades. But much remains to be ironed out.

And later, the pollution problem in space that could change the night sky.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: And we begin in Ukraine, where Russian forces appear closer than ever to taking total control over a critical city in the East of the country.

The grinding battle for Severodonetsk is central to Russia's efforts to seize control of the wider Donbas region. Ukraine says Russia now controls most of the city and plans to cut it off completely in the coming days.

Fighting there has raged for weeks, with Russian forces unleashing the full might of their artillery power to try to pummel the city into submission.

Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling also caused a fire at a chemical plant in the city, where hundreds of civilians are still sheltering.

In his nightly address, Ukraine's president pleading with Western allies to send more heavy weapons to help counter those Russian attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Today is the 109th day of a full-scale war. But it is not the 109th day as we tell our partners a simple thing. Ukraine needs modern missile defense systems.

The supply of such systems was possible this year, last year, and even earlier. Did we get them? No. Do we need them? Yes.

There have already been 2,606 affirmative answers to this question in the form of various Russian cruise missiles that have hit Ukrainian cities. Our cities, our villages, for the period from February 24. These are lives that could have been saved. These are tragedies that could have been prevented if Ukraine had been listened to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, Russia's war is also fueling a global food crisis, of course. This is the aftermath of an attack on a grain warehouse. This is in the port city of Mykolaiv.

Millions of tons of grain shipments are stuck inside Ukraine due to Russian blockades on key ports.

On Sunday, Ukrainian officials said they have established new routes for exports, but they're facing bottlenecks which have slowed progress.

Right now, the future of this war appears to hinge on the brutal fight for Severodonetsk and the Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Every day we're seeing reports coming from Severodonetsk, which is the last city that is nominally under Ukrainian government control in the Luhansk region. Luhansk is half of Donbas, remember? And Donbas is what the Russians say is their military priority at the moment.

Every day, we're seeing reports coming out of it, a little bit more Russian advancing. There's a bit of to-and-froing on the ground. But it seems, a question of when, not if, that that important key city will fall completely under Russian control.

Ukrainians, for their part, seem to be making it as difficult as possible, bringing the fight to a street-to-street level, to, on the one hand, neutralize the artillery advantage that the Russians have, but also to make it as painful as possible for the Russians to declare what would be a big political victory for them, when they take eventual control over that city.

And of course, to divert Russian resources. This is a battle for that Luhansk region that has cost not just the Ukrainians, but the Russians enormously. And of course, the more military personnel and materiel they put into that battle, that fight, the less they're able to defend other areas that they've conquered elsewhere in Ukraine. And to some extent, the Ukrainians say they've been exploiting that by launching counteroffensives in the South of the country, for instance, over the past several weeks.

But also, it's depleting Russia's sort of energy, as well. And so, I think the sense is, is that when this phase of the battle, of this conflict, comes to a close, when it eventually does that, there may be a natural pause, as both sides regroup and work out what they're going to do next and gather forces in order to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:05:10]

HOLMES: CNN's Matthew Chance reporting from Kyiv for us.

Now, Sunday was Russia's national holiday commemorating the declaration of state sovereignty of the Russian Federation back in 1990. President Vladimir Putin handing out medals and awards for achievements in science, literature, and the arts.

Russia Day also marked in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. A Ukrainian official alleges that people celebrating in the occupied city of Kherson were lured there with the promise of food and then used as propaganda. CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

Now, McDonald's was once one of the many U.S. and global brands to leave Russia because of the war in Ukraine. Coinciding with Russia Day, a company which took over the McDonald's stores has launched its first 15 restaurants in the Moscow area, with more to follow across the Russian Federation.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen with that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So Russia now has its own version of McDonald's. It comes under a different name here. It's called Vkusno & Tochka. It essentially means, "Tasty and that's it."

It also has a different label or different logo. You can see it right there. It's supposed to symbolize, the company says, fries and a hamburger.

Other than that, a loth of the things are actually very similar to McDonald's. However, there is no Big Mac, and there also is no Happy Meal either.

As you can see, this place is pretty much jam-packed. There's really a lot of people who came here. We spoke to some of the customers, including some actually wearing the symbols of Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, which of course, the Russians call a special military operation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Food and politics have nothing in common. Like come on, man, keep things separate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, it's important for me to have a McDonald's feel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's not a good idea, because McDonald's, it's a history. It's a brand. It's a great idea. It's not classical McDonald's.

PLEITGEN: As you can see, the Russian version of McDonald's looks a lot like McDonald's. They have the double cheeseburger here, fries, and this is a nine piece, not McNuggets. It's nuggets. And some sort of soft drink. Let's see how it tastes.

So the packaging is also very, very similar to McDonald's. You can see the cup here. Everything except the branding. Same goes for the fries. And if you look carefully, you can see the sauces even seem to have the McDonald's logo blacked out.

You could see what looks like -- McNuggets look like nuggets. Taste pretty much exactly the same as McDonald's.

(voice-over): This is a very historic place, also. This is where, in 1990, back then during the Soviet Union, the first McDonald's restaurant was opened.

Now, that of course led to a huge success story of McDonald's here in Russia.

(on camera): And the Russian company that's now bought these franchises from McDonald's say they hope they'll be able to replicate that success.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Jill Dougherty is a CNN contributor and former CNN Moscow bureau chief. She's also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and joins me now. Always good to see you, Jill.

Let's talk about Putin and Peter the Great. I mean, Putin's rationale for the invasion was always about, you know, fighting nationalists, or Nazis, or saving Russian speakers from oppression.

A lot of people did think he had grander designs, and now this comparison with Peter the Great, from 300 years ago seems to confirm that. What did you make of it?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Pretty much the same thing, Michael. And I think this is pretty clear. You know, the president seems fixated on history.

And here he is, reaching back to his hero, who really is Peter the Great, 300 years ago. And saying, essentially, that Peter the Great, you know, fought this war against Sweden. He took that land, but that land was ours, was Russia's. So actually, wasn't taking it; he was returning it, and he was fortifying Russia.

And the message is very clear, I think, which is this all applies to Ukraine. I mean, it's what Putin said at the beginning of the invasion. That's ours; we're going to take it, protect it, et cetera.

And this is really, this message, Michael, has been picked up on all the Russian state media, and I think they -- they feel that they found a winner.

HOLMES: I was going to ask you that. What is state media saying?

DOUGHERTY: They are saying, you know, this is our historic destiny. President Putin is, you know, like Peter the Great, bringing back what we deserve.

[00:10:08]

And I think it's really -- at this point, Putin probably believes this. Because I really do feel he thinks that he has an historic mission. But there could be a lot of elements. He could be threatening, and he could also be sort of trolling the West.

HOLMES: I guess that -- that whole rationale, certainly would give pause to any sort of promise Russia might make to end the conflict, wouldn't it? I mean, he's stated his goal clearly, and that is not stopping with Donbas and Crimea. It sort of destroys any facade of bargaining, doesn't it?

DOUGHERTY: Yes, I think it really does. And that's the kind of worrying part about this. You know, he was talking -- I watched that video, by the way, in Russian, the entire thing with these young entrepreneurs.

And I think, you know, he kept going back to Russia's destiny. And probably what he feels is his destiny, to return it. So I didn't see any, you know, about-face on this. I think he's continuing full steam ahead.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. And that talk, you know, it rattled nerves elsewhere, and I know you sort of have talked about this, too. He also referred to Peter the Great's assault on Narva, which is now in Estonia, and Estonians aren't happy.

On top of that, you've got a Russian lawmaker introducing a bill saying recognition of Lithuania's independence should be withdrawn. Obviously, that increases the regional concern.

DOUGHERTY: Absolutely. You know, I was just in the Baltics a few weeks ago. Both Estonia and Latvia/Lithuania. And they're always worried about what Russia might do.

And I've actually been to Narva. I've looked at -- you know, you can look across to Russia across the river. So there's grave concern. And when he starts specifically using that name, and saying, "Narva," it is understandable, I think, that the Estonians called the Russian ambassador in to complain about it. HOLMES: I also want to ask you about the new Russian McDonald's. Those

stores have now been taken over, re-branded locally. It's not about McDonald's but speak to the optics of what was an iconic moment for Russia, now gone, and what it says about the broader post-invasion changes for Russians, the sanctions starting to bite, the Western stores and goods disappearing.

DOUGHERTY: Yes, I was thinking about that, Michael, because I think, you know, right before the war, you know, Moscow was a very nice city. You could get everything. And I think a lot of the people, especially the middle-class people, got used to that.

All of a sudden, companies are pulling out. About a thousand Western companies have pulled out. McDonald's is gone.

And so, bringing back their version of McDonald's and trying to brand it, I mean, this happened really fast. They want to keep, I believe, they want to keep the middle class happy, and they want to brand it with something Russian. But it looks kind of Western, too. It looks pretty sophisticated.

And that's their idea, keep people happy so that they will not begin to worry about this war and about the effect of sanctions, which are really beginning to bite.

HOLMES: Yes. I've got a minute or so left, but I want to ask you this, too. The Russian Duma has started the process to establish, I think they're calling it a national children's and youth movement called the Great Change. Kids joining from age 6. What does that look like to you?

DOUGHERTY: Well, it's under the care of President Putin. So, I think it looks to me like the old, you know, Pioneers Council (ph), the communist youth organizations, and the children's version of that, the Young Pioneers.

I mean, legitimately, I think they do want to somehow, you know, give activities to young people. But there's a real effort by the Kremlin, and President Putin personally, to inculcate what he thinks of as patriotism. And especially at this moment where the country really is at war, that becomes extremely significant.

HOLMES: Great analysis, as always. Jill Dougherty, appreciate it. Good to see you, my friend.

DOUGHERTY: Thanks, Michael.

HOLMES: South Korea says North Korea fired multiple rocket launcher shots late on Saturday night and early Sunday morning. The South Korean joint chiefs of staff didn't give many other details, though.

Multiple rocket launchers usually fire shorter-range munitions and are not like long-range ballistic missiles.

All of this coming as Seoul announces a dramatic boost to its defenses. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE JONG-SUP, SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): The South Korean government will strengthen capabilities to better implement the U.S.'s extended deterrents. And we will strengthen the response capabilities of the South Korean military to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: South Korea's joint chief said its military has strengthened surveillance measures and is cooperating closely with the U.S.

[00:15:00]

Now, in the hours ahead, the British Court of Appeals will issue a ruling on an asylum appeal that could see dozens of people deported to Rwanda.

On Friday, the high court ruled the deportation could go ahead after denying an attempt by human rights groups to get an injunction.

If the appeal fails, some 50 people could be on the first scheduled flight to Rwanda on Tuesday.

Under the controversial government plan, anyone who arrived in Britain illegally since January 1st of this year could be relocated to Rwanda.

The Iraqi Parliament is now short dozens of members. Lawmakers belonging to the Sadrist movement submitted their resignations after the head of the party, the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, told them to do so on Sunday.

The group, which is part of the Saving the Homeland Alliance, has reached a stalemate with the Shiite Coordination Framework, which is made up of Iranian-backed parties.

Sadrists said the resignations are a sacrifice aimed at finally getting a government formed.

A violent attack against women caught on video prompts public outcry in China. Now, some are saying that it is a bigger issue throughout the country. We'll have the latest from Beijing when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A viral video showing a man brutally attacking women in a restaurant is fueling new discussions on women's safety in China. Nine people were arrested following a fight that broke out at a barbecue restaurant with hat least four people injured.

And we do warn you that video of the incident is very disturbing, difficult to watch. But it has triggered nationwide outrage in China and is important for us to show.

CNN Beijing bureau chief, Steven Jiang joins me now.

Steven, tell us how it unfolded and what the fallout's been.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Michael, it is indeed extremely difficult to watch this video, especially as parents of young daughters, myself included. But as you mentioned, it is also very important to show this, at least a portion of this video, to illustrate what happened and why it has enraged the nation.

So in this surveillance video from last Friday, you can see a man in green walking past a group of women, eating there, and making unwanted advances to the woman in white.

And when she rebuffed him, more than once, not only did he not give up, he started hitting her in the face. And as a result, this woman and her friends were trying to get him away by trying to hit him with what appear to be beer bottles.

And that's when this man and his cohorts escalated their violence against these women by punching and kicking them in the restaurant. And throwing a chair at them.

[00:20:04]

And, then, they even dragged the woman in white out of the restaurant and continued to pummel and kick her and throwing her and her friends to the ground, littered with broken beer bottle glass.

And then, of course, as a result, two women suffered serious injuries, and two other women suffered some minor injuries. As you mentioned, now, all nine suspects have been arrested.

But still, this understandably has not only enraged the nation but also, of course, stirred serious debates and conversations about violence and harassment against women, which are increasingly a taboo subject in this country, as the authorities have been cracking down on many of these conversations and especially, feminist activists, who they view as subversive forces instigated by anti-China elements from overseas.

That's why, even after this incident, we've seen authorities seeming to try to steer the focus away from gender-based violence to something akin to more isolated incident involving local gangsters.

Some Chinese social media platforms even announced they have blocked and censored posts and accounts because they deemed them to be, quote, unquote, "stirring gender-based confrontations."

So, it is really, in this context, why this -- the ensuing debate and the conversation is even more important, because people are saying, despite the government's best effort, this incident has really redrawn the focus in the minds of many people back to what the issue of women safety and rights in this country in terms of the systematic problems they face in very much a patriarchal society, as well as the impact of Internet censorship and very sporadically support for female victims of violence that may have resulted in this kind of incident. But just to show you, Michael, how sensitive this topic is, as I'm

talking to you, the censors here have blocked CNN's signal in this country -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Not surprising. What a horrible story. I think one of the worst parts of it is who did not step in to defend these women. There were a lot of men standing around doing absolutely nothing.

Steven, appreciate it. Thanks so much. Steven Jiang there in Beijing for us.

Still to come here on the program, U.S. senators reach a bipartisan agreement on gun safety legislation. But one senator says there's still a lot more work to do. We'll have the details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: U.S. President Joe Biden says a framework on gun safety reflects important steps in the right direction. His comments coming after a bipartisan group of senators announced an agreement in principle that could lead to the biggest gun reform legislation in decades.

Now, that news coming, of course, just 19 days after a gunman opened fire inside an elementary school in Uvalde in Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers.

CNN's Daniella Diaz has more now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: The bipartisan group of senators that has been working on some sort of framework on gun safety reform in the wake of the Uvalde shooting, announced on Sunday that they reached a framework. They reached a deal.

Now, they do not have the legislative text, bill language yet. That is incredibly important. It's just an agreement on principle.

It will have measures that support state crisis intervention orders; investment in child and family mental health services; protections for victims of domestic violence; funding for school-based mental health and supportive services; funding for school safety resources and telehealth investments; and also important and notable, an enhanced review process for buyers under the age of 21. And there's also going to be a measure that includes penalties for straw purchasing.

I want to emphasize, too, that there are ten Republicans who signed off on the announcement for this framework. And, remember, because of that 50/50 split in the Senate, 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, if every single Democratic senator supports this, there still needs to be ten Republicans to break that 60-vote threshold for the filibuster.

Now, Republicans are saying an aide actually told our Dana Bash, a Republican aide told our Dana Bash earlier today that they have not agreed yet. Once they see the legislative text, those details are going to be important. They said, quote, "This is an agreement on principles, not legislative text. The details will be critical for Republicans, particularly, for the firearms-related provisions. One of more principles could be dropped if the text is not agreed to."

So, really, really important as we continue to see once they start writing the text to this bill.

But I do want to note that the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, put out a statement on Sunday after this announcement on the framework, praising the top negotiators, John Cornyn and Chris Murphy. He said, "I appreciate their hard work on this important issue. The principles they announced today show the value of dialogue and cooperation." So, there is some praise from the top Republican in the Senate, very, very notable.

But Senator Chris Coons was actually on CNN on Sunday after this announcement. And he told our Dana Bash that, while they do have this framework, it's not a win yet for Democrats, for this bipartisan group, because there's still a lot more work to happen that needs to take place before they vote. Take a listen to what he said.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR: It's very delicate, still.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): That's right. There's a lot of work still to do, to take this framework agreement and reduce it to legislative language. We shouldn't take a victory lap yet.

But I'm so grateful for the leadership that senators like Chris Murphy and John Cornyn have shown in getting us to this point. And I'm optimistic that the pressure that we are all feeling from our constituents to act and to deliver real results will get us to the president's desk with legislation this time.

DIAZ: I want to emphasize that, while this framework is incredibly important, that it just came out super notable, it is narrow in its scope.

But Democrats were hoping that they could at least have some sort of incremental change on gun safety reform. That was the goal in these bipartisan talks, to find something, find consensus with Republicans to make progress on this issue that has been a stalemate for more than 30 years. So that is why it is so notable that they are now doing this.

But there's still a lot more work ahead for this bipartisan group to get it over the finish line.

Daniella Diaz, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Gun control activists are voicing their support for the proposed reforms. Among them, March for Our Lives, a movement focused on gun violence prevention. One of its founders is a survivor of the Parkland school shooting, who is welcoming the Senate plan. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID HOGG, PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVOR: This is something. This is substantially more than we've seen in decades from Congress. Is this everything that I want? Definitely not. But it is something.

[00:30:00]

You know, it's going to take a long time for us to address this issue, the same way it did with cigarettes in terms of addressing it in a public health and evidence-based approach and manner.

But if this stops the next Parkland from happening or even just one more Parkland from happening or one more shooting from happening, it's progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Joining me now from Los Angeles is CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, also a senior editor at "The Atlantic."

Good to see you, Ron. I guess, of course, a deal struck doesn't mean laws are passed. But what does it say that even incremental measures like this, well short of what gun safety advocates say is really necessary, is seen as so significant?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's a measure of how great an obstacle the Senate has presented to executing the will of the people on gun control.

I mean, you look at -- you look at the polling, not only in the aftermath of terrible tragedies like the ones we've had in the last month, but pretty consistently over the last few years, there is a majority of the country that want to go much further than this deal, you know, envisions on a whole variety of issues.

And yet, because of the Senate, the malapportionment of the Senate, the disproportionate influence of small, rural states where gun culture is most powerful, and magnified by the filibuster, that is all off the table.

So this is progress. As analysts have noted, this will be the first bill that does anything to advance gun control since the assault weapon ban in 1994. But it is pretty meager on that front, compared to what there is broad public support to do.

HOLMES: Yes, I mean, the proposal include, like, incentivizing states to introduce red-flag laws.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes.

HOLMES: But no requirement to do so, no federal laws. A lot of mental illness plans, but most mass shooters aren't mentally ill. Nothing on high-capacity magazines. Access to high-powered weapons and ammunition. I guess it's not nothing, but do you feel at the end of the day, yet

again, time has passed, attention turns elsewhere, and nothing truly substantive gets done?

BROWNSTEIN: Look, it's clear to me that nothing substantive is really going to get done, as long as the filibuster is in place. I mean, it just -- it just empowers the states where gun control, where the gun culture, and the gun lobby is so powerful that Republican elected officials won't combat it.

Let me give you one example, though, of what we're discussing. You know, you mentioned the red-flag laws. What this compromise does is try to give states incentives to pass their own.

There was a poll last week for the National Public Radio and PBS by Marist College in which 73 percent of Americans, including 77 percent of Republicans who don't own guns, said they would support a national red-flag law. And that is just indicative of something that we've talked about before.

On most of these issues -- raising the age for buying assault weapons, banning assault weapons, banning high-capacity magazines, national red flag law -- there is support, not only among Democrats who and don't own guns. There is support among independents who do and don't own guns. There's a majority support for all of those things, even among Republicans who don't own guns.

The only group that opposes these ideas are Republican gun owners. And yet, they have a veto in the party. And because of the filibuster, the states that they dominate, politically, have a veto over the rest of the country.

HOLMES: Representation in action.

I wanted to get you on this, too, before we let you go. Another televised January 6th hearing on Monday. What are you expecting?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, one of the things that I think they did most effectively in that first hearing was establish that Donald Trump knew, or should have known, that he lost the election; that he was told, repeatedly, by people around him that he lost the election. And he proceeded in his months-long, multi-pronged effort to subvert the result, despite that.

Now obviously, that's critical from a legal point of view, in terms of establishing his state of mind. And I think the testimony tomorrow is going to be more along those lines.

To me -- and I think for most people watching, the overwhelming takeaway of that first hearing was changing the frame of how we should be thinking about this.

Most of the debate in the 18 months since January 6 has been, Did Trump's tweets and words ignite the mob?

The committee's asking a different question. They're asking, did Donald Trump engage in a multi-pronged, multi-month effort to subvert the election? And I think that they are answering, clearly, yes. And it was not only wrong; it was not only a broad violation of his oath to the Constitution, as president to ensure the laws are faithfully executed, it was a crime.

HOLMES: Right.

BROWNSTEIN: And I think they are trying to build that case, and we're going to see something like that over the next couple of weeks.

HOLMES: We're almost out of time. But I have to ask you, to that point, more and more, the question is being asked whether, if the hard evidence is there, Donald Trump could or should be charged or indicted.

Do you think, even if there is compelling evidence, there would be the political will to charge a former president, even in these extraordinary circumstances? I mean, members of Congress were asking for pardons, apparently.

[00:35:07]

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, we don't know. You know, I mean, Merrick Garland, in many ways, was an attorney general choice by Joe Biden that reflected a desire for a return to normalcy, as they, say in American politics. This will be the decision that defines his career, ultimately.

But I think that the committee is both aiding a path and pointing a finger at Merrick Garland in making a very strong, sustained and evidence-based case that they believe Donald Trump not only acted improperly but illegally. And, ultimately, this will be, you know, the decision of Garland's career.

And I don't think we know which way he will come out. But I think the pressure after these hearings of seriously considering legal action is going to be enormous, because they seem to have a lot of the goods.

HOLMES: Yes. Lack of accountability paves the way for the next guy. That's for sure.

BROWNSTEIN: You know what they say, Michael? They say a coup without consequence is practice.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. Yes, it's a good saying. Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure. Good to see you, my friend.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, the night sky might never be the same. Thousands of satellites make it hard to see the stars. Why there's no solution in sight. That's coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Now, if you look up to a glittering sky and think you're enjoying an especially starry night, well, perhaps think again. Thousands of small satellites are orbiting the earth, threatening our view of the real night sky.

CNN's Kristin Fisher reports from Western Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here in this remote stretch of Saskatchewan --

SAMANTHA LAWLER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY, UNIVERSITY OF REGINA: Wow, a whole lot of stars.

FISHER (voice-over): -- a chance to see the brilliance of the night sky.

LAWLER: That's so cool.

FISHER (voice-over): But astronomer Samantha Lawler says it's changing, and fast, as more and more satellites get in the way.

LAWLER: For the first time in human history, we're not going to have access to -- to the night sky the way that we've seen it since, as long as we've been human.

FISHER (voice-over): It only takes a few minutes of looking up with the naked eye to see what she's talking about.

FISHER: There's one. I see a satellite. Right up there.

LAWLER: Yes.

FISHER: There's another one. I see a second satellite, right up there.

See, there's one. There's two.

LAWLER: Yes.

Wow, that one's really bright.

FISHER: Where?

LAWLER: And really low.

FISHER: Oh, yes.

FISHER (voice-over): An assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, Lawyer's been watching from her farm as the number of active satellites has exploded, from about 1,000 in 2017 to more than 5,000 today.

LAWLER: This is a lot worse than I expected. It's changing fast.

FISHER (voice-over): And it's about to get much worse. Lawler and her colleagues created this simulation based on the recently published predictions about satellite pollution.

LAWLER: This is the number of satellites that are in orbit right now. The ones we're seeing in the sky. And this is adding in the tens of thousands more that are planned without any regulation.

[00:40:03]

FISHER: That's crazy. It covers the whole earth.

LAWLER: Yes.

FISHER (voice-over): In less than a decade, Lawler predicts that one out of every 15 stars in the sky will actually be a moving satellite. It's the dawn of what's called, the mega constellations. Tens of thousands of small satellites, only about 300 miles above earth, launched by private companies --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one --

FISHER (voice-over): -- to provide global high-speed Internet access.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lift off!

FISHER (voice-over): Elon Musk's SpaceX is responsible for a third of all active satellites.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parent separation, confirmed.

FISHER (voice-over): More than any other company or country, including the U.S. government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And off they go.

FISHER (voice-over): SpaceX has already launched more than 2,000 satellites, with plans to launch at least 42,000 more for its mega- constellation called Starling.

SpaceX has said, "We firmly believe in the importance of a natural night sky for all of us to enjoy, which is why we have been working with leading astronomers around the world. And the company has made changes, by adding a deployable visor to the satellite to block sunlight from hitting the brightest parts of the spacecraft."

But astronomers like Lawler say it's not enough. As of now, there are no binding international rules monitoring these mega constellations.

LAWLER: We're already seeing so many now, today. And there's going to be ten times as many.

There's one. That's another satellite.

FISHER (voice-over): Kristin Fisher, CNN, Saskatchewan.

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HOLMES: NASA's new effort to study hurricanes suffered a setback on Sunday when a rocket failed to deliver its payload to orbit.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, there.

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HOLMES: The Astra rocket carrying two hurricane-tracking satellites came back down shortly after takeoff on Sunday. Authorities believe engine failure is to blame.

The satellites were to be the first of six that will study the formation and development of tropical cyclones. NASA says it's investigating, and the so-called TROPICS mission will continue.

In golf, Rory McIlroy successfully defended his title at the RB Canadian Open on Sunday. McIlroy held on for a two-shot victory over American Tony Finau, winning one and a half million dollars.

It was the second consecutive win at the tournament for McIlroy, which was last played in 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so they skipped a year.

However much of the focus in golf this week, of course, has been on the Saudi-backed Liv golf series, which teed off in England. The PGA tour suspended more than a dozen players for joining the rival league.

Thanks for watching, everyone, spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more news, but WORLD SPORTS coming your way next.

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