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Affidavit: Evidence Of Obstruction Likely At Mar-a-Lago; Trump Legal Team Reiterates Request For "Special Master"; DOJ Finds 184 Classified Docs In 14 Of 15 Returned Boxes; California To Ban Sale Of Gas-Powered Cars By 2035; James Coddington's Execution Begins Oklahoma's Death Row Purge; Countdown Begins For NASA's New Mission To The Moon. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired August 27, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, open those sesame.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Jeanne Moss, CNN, New York.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We start with the release of the DOJ's affidavit about its investigation into former President Donald Trump. The document while heavily redacted is shedding new light on the unprecedented surge of Trump's Florida home Mar-a-Lago. It details why FBI agents had probable cause to believe that classified national security materials were taken to unauthorized locations at the resort.

The affidavit also gives news specifics about 184 classified documents retrieved in January before the FBI search in August. The former president is asking the court to appoint a special master, a third- party attorney to oversee the review of the evidence confiscated from his home. CNN's Marshall Cohen is here to break down all of this for us. So Marshall, there's a lot. So walk us through.

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Hey, Fred, this was a big day yesterday, when we got this document. We learned a lot, frankly, and you almost never get this level of transparency. These are documents that the DOJ wanted to keep secret. Thankfully, it was released yesterday with some redactions. Remember the timeline here. This was the warrant application that they submitted to get permission to search Mar-a- Lago.

That came months after the National Archives had already gone to Mar- a-Lago to retrieve 15 boxes of information that former President Trump voluntarily turned over, voluntarily. Once they looked in those boxes, they were alarmed with what they found. And here's why. Look at these numbers, Fred. 67 confidential documents, 92 that were marked secret, and 25 that were marked top secret going in order from the least serious to the most serious.

Not only that, Fred, this affidavit that we finally got to look at yesterday, it gave us new details about the classification markings on some of those documents. And this was very alarming. It's a ton of acronyms. So I'll break them down for you here and I'll explain it. But these markings were on the documents according to the FBI. Some of them said ORCON. That means the originator or the agency that created the document, like the CIA or whatever. They have to give authorization for that document to be shared beyond that agency.

Obviously, that's a tight control. HCS. This is really important, that relates to human sources or spies overseas that work with the CIA. Obviously, those are top national security secrets that our government does not want mishandled. No foreign. That means that the document is for American eyes only, can't be shared with any foreign governments or entities, even American allies which is something that happens all the time with our allies in NATO and other countries.

S.I. That's special intelligence. It's often signals, intercepts, the kinds of things that the NSA collects as part of its programs. And the last thing they're on the list is FISA. That's the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance. It's court ordered surveillance usually relates to counter intelligence or counterterrorism and other things like that. Highly sensitive materials that the U.S. government usually goes to extraordinary lengths to keep under wraps and locked down.

That's why once the FBI figured out that all this material was at Mar- a-Lago, they kept pressing to get access, they issued a subpoena in June. They took more documents away, but they thought that that wasn't everything. That's why they asked this judge to authorize the search.

WHITFIELD: And then, what did they have to reveal to the judge in order to justify the search in August?

COHEN: Well, of course, you can't just go, you have to prove a certain legal threshold here, which is the probable cause threshold. And they made the case that there was probable cause, that there were classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, presidential records at Mar-a-Lago and evidence of obstruction of the investigation also at Mar-a-Lago. So, they were telling the judge that there were classified materials still there and there even may have been proof of further crimes, obstructing the effort to get those classified materials at Mar-a- Lago.

The affidavit was highly redacted in those portions about obstruction. I wish we could have shared that with you. I wish that we could have seen that. We'll have to probably wait for another day. But on the classified parts, it really shed some new light. And Fred, as you know, after they did that search, they found more classified information. So their suspicions were confirmed.

[13:05:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Marshall Cohen, thanks so much for that. Former President Trump's allies are dismissing the affidavit that led to the search as politically motivated. CNN's Kristen Holmes has more. KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reaction from Trump World has fallen into one of three categories. The first one being that public outrage and pushback. And that's where you saw the former President Trump. Taking to his social media page saying a total and public relations subterfuge by the FBI and the DOJ. We also heard from many of his allies publicly saying this was political and a witch hunt.

Then you had the second category. And these were Trump allies who went through this. These are people we've been talking to the last several days, who are genuinely concerned that Trump is in legal peril. They're worried about the competence of his legal team. And they're worried that this time is different. And that this time, he doesn't have the same protections that he had when he was in the executive office.

The last category that -- and these were people that I spoke to about five of them, they were former staffers at both the White House and Mar-a-Lago who said that they were not at all surprised that in these documents that were newspaper clippings and photographs and presidential correspondence were classified documents. Documents that were unmarked, unfoldered that were in -- essentially the wrong place.

And they said this was because of Trump's record keeping in the White House and then again in Mar-a-Lago. He said he was known to walk around and pick stuff up from one box, put it into another that there was no rhyme or reason to it, he would rifle through papers, they also said that he was known to write on some of these documents. Even when he told them not to, he would pick up a piece of paper that was being set aside and then write notes on it to himself.

And so, none of this came as a big shock. Now, another source told me one other example of this and I thought this was a good way to look at the way the system worked, which was Trump would keep some of these records close to him. This way he could show them off and one of the examples were those love letters, the correspondence with Kim Jong-un. But again, another look at how there was not really a system in place.

And again, this goes to a larger picture here of what they discovered. The sheer volume of documents, but this is one part of that. That is former staffers, former aides were not surprised to see.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristen Holmes, thanks so much for that. I want to bring in now former federal prosecutor and host of On the Topic podcast, Renato Mariotti. So good to see you. So, we just heard there, Trump and many of his allies saying this FBI search was politically motivated, given what we can read in this affidavit and the judge signing off on it sounds pretty legit, doesn't it?

RENATO MARIOTTI, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. I have to say, Fred, this is such very bizarre charge in a case like this, because I think everybody who's watching at home knows that if they had top secret documents in their basement or in their garden, that the FBI would pay them a visit and take those documents back. It's pretty straightforward. Not rocket science. And frankly, I will say, you know, just from looking at this, it really -- the case looks very airtight to me. It really looks very strong. You know, and really, to me, it's almost like when, you know, people, I've seen some comments, well, this is all about the documents. It's like saying in a drug case or narcotics case, well, this is all about heroin or something. I mean, obviously, yes, it's a straightforward case. This, you know, you're not supposed to keep top secret classified documents when you're not entitled them.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean, it's a heavily redacted affidavit. But why is it so compelling to you? I mean, is it simply because some more than 180 documents classified, you know, were obtained? Or is there something else about what you did glean from that affidavit that heightens your awareness or your concerns about this case?

MARIOTTI: Sure. A few things, Fred. One thing is just from what we can see is it really looks like the Justice Department bent over backwards to treat the former president with kid gloves to give him special privileges? You know, for example, the former president's attorney wrote a letter to the Justice Department outlining his thoughts and he demanded that they present that to the judge if they wanted to get a search warrant.

And they did that. They actually provided the letter to the judge. I would love for my clients to have the opportunity to have my letters and my thoughts and be presented to the judge when they're under investigation. This is -- it was extraordinary.

And the letter that was provided from his counsel actually didn't have much of a defense at all. In fact, they talked about how he could have declassified things when he was president, but they don't even make some argument or assertion that he did that here. It's actually pretty weak. So, I don't know. It really looks to me, very much as advertised.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So in addition to that, you know, a letter that was sent, I mean, the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago really comes after months of behind the scenes kind of negotiations are back and forth between the federal government representatives and Trump's team.

[13:10:08]

And in the affidavit it says there's also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at Mar-a-Lago based on that alone. They wouldn't make that claim or make that statement without already knowing what they might be able to garner.

MARIOTTI: Well, not only that, yes. I agree with that, Fred, but also they would -- they wouldn't make that statement without having presented evidence to the judge to support that statement. In other words, that's not something that's not boilerplate that you would put in, that's something you put into an affidavit if there is evidence of potential obstruction in the large portions of the affidavit that are blacked out.

As you point out, most of this is blacked out. But it's just apparent from looking at this, there's a lot there. There's printers, you use a lot of toner, when you print that -- when you Print that --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: That's a lot in there. All right. All right. So, help people understand what this special master means that, you know, Trump -- his team is asking for a special master to oversee the review of recovered evidence. So as to, you know, be able to parse through what the federal government claims has to be there or what he claims is rightfully his. And what would that special master do exactly?

MARIOTTI: So special master is a third-party lawyer who takes a look at documents for privilege. And their -- it's a usually in the context of situations where you know you're going to have a lot of attorney - client privilege documents. For example, the search of a lawyer's office, when Michael Cohen's office at residence was searched, the special master was appointed in that circumstance.

It's -- here which makes this weird is that it's actually the Trump is asserting executive privilege which is really protects executive branch deliberations. And of course, the branch of government that seizing these documents is the executive branch. So, I don't -- I don't really expect this to go anywhere. There already is a taint team procedure set up in place regarding attorney client-privilege documents where the judge will be the ultimate decider there. So I have trouble seeing that being granted here.

WHITFIELD: Do you see that? It's just simply buying time or trying in some way to kind of color public opinion just by, you know, the former president putting it out there?

MARIOTTI: I think the latter, you know, it really that last filing regarding a special master really was the sort of thing that I would not let a junior lawyer in my -- under my supervision submit to the court. I mean, it was -- it was kind of all over the place. A lot of just, you know, P.R. statements, things that really weren't supported by -- and really didn't even have a basis in law. And the special master request, I -- it almost just seemed to me like Trump was saying, hey, look, we need to file something. We need to be on the offensive, we need to do something.

So they filed that, but I'm not even sure what it does for them, even if they got it grant. If a judge granted it. I'm not really sure how it moves the ball forward first.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there. Renato Mariotti. Good to see you. Thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead. It has been six grueling months of Putin's war on Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have been killed and now concerns of a potential nuclear disaster. Next, we'll look at how Ukrainians are recovering from the impact while still bracing for what's to come.

Plus, NASA is taking a major step forward, and the countdown is on for the highly anticipated return to the moon. Details on the Artemis mission straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Ukraine is accusing Russia of continuing to shell the territory around the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The latest attacks come one day after the plant was finally reconnected to the country's power grid avoiding a potential nuclear disaster. The facility lost the connection on Thursday for the first time in its history after fires damaged a key power line. The U.N. Human Rights Office estimates that more than 5000 Ukrainians have been killed during this war, which just surpassed the six month mark.

CNN's David McKenzie takes a closer look at how Ukrainians are reeling from the impact of past horrors and bracing for new ones. And we do want to warn you that the images in this report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Bucha, they lived in peace, had families and names. But they died in a war that no one here wanted behind each number and unknown victim. A life worthy of Father Andre Havilland's (ph) prayer.

Each person had their own life. And each had one and only one he says. It's not just bodies that we are burying. For us these are people who lived once. People to whom the Russians brought suffering and death.

Bucha is now synonymous with the horrors and brutality of Russia's war of choice. When the army retreated, the burnt out tanks were cleared. Bucha seems almost normal now. Almost, but not, not here, not anywhere in Ukraine. Because they are still discovering the dead.

A police forensic team gathers evidence at a shallow grave. They say a man was shot as he fled. They found more than 1300 bodies in greater Kyiv alone.

Everything changed on February 24th says Kyiv's police chief. They invaded our country and started killing people. It's very difficult for any country to prepare for this because you never expect such cruelty.

[13:20:01]

The cruelty, the sheer weight of loss for Alexander is hard to comprehend.

This is where the shots were fired, he says, and where the car was on fire. His family like others tried to flee the Russian advance. They came to Bucha from Ukraine's war in the east. They were happy here. Madvi (ph) and Clem (ph) were inseparable. The boys, a joy for their father. But as they escaped Bucha, he says a Russian armored vehicle struck

their car again and again. Everyone died. Only Oleksander lived.

My oldest would have been 10. My youngest five, he says. It's very hard. Justice must be restored. Everything must be done to destroy the Russians, to destroy the nation completely. Probably you can't say that but I want this whole nation to not exist at all. So that they would not be so much grief.

So much grief, too much for any nation to bear in a war that still shows no end. David McKenzie, CNN Bucha, Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: All right. With me right now is Volodymyr Omelyan. And he is the former Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure. And he left his job and family in the hours after the invasion to join Ukrainian forces on the front lines of the war. So good to see you. I want to start if we could on the attacks outside that nuclear plant. What are your worries about what might happen?

VOLODYMYR OMELYAN, FORMER UKRAINIAN MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE: I'm very happy that you're having me back. It's a great pleasure to be with you today on CNN. Concerning nucleus threat is real. Russia is ready to commit any kind of -- kind of crime because they already crossed all red lights. Definitely Putin and his gang is very much worried about themselves. And they do understand that strike by -- will be tough for them.

And that's why maybe the nuclear issue is the last one on the agenda. Plus, we should always remember that -- I presume that China would like to keep or reserve this argument for itself.

WHITFIELD: That -- inspectors are making plans to look at the nuclear facility. Do you believe that Russia has to be trusted to allow them in to see everything they need to see?

OMELYAN: Definitely not everything. And we know for sure that operators of this nuclear plants station are tortured right now by Russians. And they are forced to tell only one story designed by Kremlin. And I presume that inspection will not be allowed to enter those areas where Russian troops, tanks and artillery is concentrated. And they are very close to reactors.

WHITFIELD: So we also just heard in that very disturbing story looking back on the Bucha massacre. The details and how graves are still being found, remains are still being found. Are you at all confident that the Russian soldiers responsible for those war crimes will ever be held accountable?

OMELYAN: Absolutely, definitely. Russians would be happy to accuse (INAUDIBLE) crimes Americans, but it's stupid to say so. And for Russia it's not the ordinary war. It's a war of threatening other nations that look, what we do with Ukrainians we can do with anybody else. And we are very grateful for the unanimous support we have from United States and our allies in the West to stop this war by defeating Russia.

Because there is no as arguments, you cannot talk to many other criminal to behave in normal way. You can only defeat him in the battlefield. And then to try somehow resolve the issue of final collapse of Soviet Union which started in 1991 and should end in 2023.

WHITFIELD: You gave up your position as a Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure to be on the frontlines. It's been six months now. Can you describe how it has been for you, how you've been holding up and what do you see as the path forward?

[13:25:09]

OMELYAN: It's a new challenge in my life definitely. And it's brand new experience. But moral is very high among Ukrainian armed forces. And I'm very proud to be among this million who stand in arms against Russians. But we have also losses and I personally already burned more than five brothers in arms in my battalion. And it's a huge challenge for all the army and all the civilians because it's not about abstract war. It's real work.

But we do understand that without victories, there is no Ukraine and there is no option B for us available on the table. That's why we fight. And we hope that as a result of this war will be Ukraine joining NATO and European Union to forget the story about neutral lands or nobody's land between Russia or former Russia and European Union and NATO member states, but to have Ukraine and as a forecast of the Western civilization.

WHITFIELD: We'll leave it there for now Volodymyr Omelyan. Thanks for being with us again. All the best. Be safe.

OMELYAN: Thank you (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up. In just a matter of years, you won't be able to buy a new car that runs on gas in California. Details on the plan, next.

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[13:30:59]

WHITFIELD: Cars that run on gasoline will be as foreign to kids as rotary phones and changing the channel on a television. That is what California's governor is saying about his state's plan to ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2015. I'm sorry, 2035. So sorry.

Joining me now to discuss is John Voelcker, contributing editor at "Car and Driver."

John, so good to see you.

Not looking back, looking forward. Transportation among the biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. So how big is this change potentially to climate change?

JOHN VOELCKER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "CAR AND DRIVER": Over time, this will matter an enormous amount to the carbon that we emit in our transportation.

It is going to take time over the rest of our lifetimes to migrate out all of the old vehicles with tailpipes. And that is one of the things that this is looking toward in decades to come. WHITFIELD: So how do you see this speeding up the transition process?

I mean what states are likely to follow or possibly would follow California's lead?

VOELCKER: Right now, there are more than a dozen states that follow California's stricter emissions rules. Many of them are in the northeast, and some are in the Pacific Northwest.

And I expect that over time some or all of them will adapt similar mandates. Possibly another year, possibly in the same year.

(CROSSTALK)

VOELCKER: European countries are -

(CROSSTALK)

VOELCKER: Sorry.

WHITFIELD: No, go ahead.

VOELCKER: Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: Go ahead.

VOELCKER: I was going to say that European countries are more aggressive. Some are looking at bans as early as 2030. But they have higher percentages of E.V.s sold compared to the U.S. at the moment.

WHITFIELD: All right. So as it pertains to sales. California leads the sales in electric vehicles, 16 percent of the sales through April of this year were zero-emission vehicles. Compare that with 4 percent nationwide for all of 2021.

So, this transition process, might it be difficult for the rest of the country because really one of the things standing in the way, one of the very big things standing in the way of people leaning toward electric cars is the price.

VOELCKER: Indeed. Although if you look at the data, all cars have gotten massively more expensive. If I remember, last month or the month before, the transaction price was $48,000 in the U.S., which is just shocking to me.

And so electric cars are expensive but all new cars are expensive at this moment. And the prices will come down as battery prices do.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. True to all of that.

But then you also now have the other big concern, which is the power grid. You know, can California and other states keep up through heat waves, going through energy conservation efforts?

Could they keep up with trying to power all of these electric vehicles or at least the demand of more electric vehicles over time to meet these goals? VOELCKER: It is a great question. It is one that we get a lot. If you

talk to utility executives, as I have, the oldest and most scarred among those will say they're not as worried about electric cars as what they experienced when cheap, you know, massively inefficient air- conditioner suddenly started to arrive in the '60s, '70s and '80s.

And that put more of a strain on the grid because most electric vehicles get recharged overnight at very bottom of electrical demand.

Just like your cell phone. You plug in your car in the evening or when your done driving. For most people, most of the time. And they'll have plans, great plans to incentivize that.

WHITFIELD: So we've been talking about what this might do to consumers. Now what about the manufacturers of vehicles? Do you see more manufacturers are going to say we have to jump on the bandwagon and come up with electric vehicles?

[13:35:06]

VOELCKER: There are already there. It is very difficult to find any automotive exec anywhere in the world who doesn't say, yes, we are in the process of a transition to fully electric vehicles over the next couple of decades.

They all have dozens of products being planned. I would say a third to half of the stories in "Car and Driver" about-r about new models coming are about electric cars now.

WHITFIELD: Yes. About what about light trucks. Light trucks to semis.

VOELCKER: Trucks are a great question. Because Americans are buying more light trucks. Including your SUV, which you may not know is technically a light truck.

One of the things that is important to talk about with the new California rules is that they are not for what we call heavy duty vehicles. The 2,500 and 3,500 class pickups, that you find on farms, doesn't apply to tractors or garbage trucks, all of the heavier equipment, which are small in number but emit more.

It applies to the 17 or 18 million national cars divided by California. So you're talking a couple of million cars a year plus the other states.

And given the average car on the road, it is 12 years old now, this is something where the effect will be gradual. But the great part of electric cars is, as soon as the grid gets cleaner, which it is doing all across the country, the E.V. does, too.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. The road ahead not so far away. The road is right now, isn't it?

VOELCKER: Absolutely. We just picked our best electric car of the year, for "Car and Driver."

(CROSSTALK)

VOELCKER: Your timing is perfect. The issue is out right now.

WHITFIELD: Do you want to give me a hint? What's the vest in your view?

VOELCKER: It is on the cover. It is the i-Hyundai, which is a compact crossover. Has the high ride height, got the big load bay in the back and a --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: There it is. There's the cover.

Sorry, I hadn't seen it. See it now.

VOELCKER: Yes. And it has the little light in the center of the grill but actually tells you whether it is charging as I found out when I came out and looked at it the other night.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that is cool. These electric cars are starting to look really, really good for a host reasons.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: All right. John Voelcker, I'll give you a call and consult on what that purchase might be one day. Hopefully, one day soon.

VOELCKER: Absolutely. I'm that guy.

WHITFIELD: You're that guy. Thanks for being that guy.

Good to see you.

All right. Still ahead, Oklahoma began a series of death row executions despite concerns over the state's history of botched lethal injections. More on that straight ahead.

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[13:42:01]

WHITFIELD: Oklahoma has executed James Coddington, the first of 25 death row executions that officials plan to carry out in the next two years. Coddington was sentenced to die after his 1997 first-degree murder conviction.

He was executed by lethal injection on Thursday after GOP Governor Kevin Stitt denied his request for clemency.

CNN's Nadia Romero has bene following the developments and joins us now.

Nadia, critics say that questions remain about whether some of these inmates are innocent or have a type of mental fitness that should disqualify them being put to death. NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Those are some of the

arguments that we've heard from people who have been against the capital punishment or death penalty for a long time noting the racial biases in arresting and sentencing, noting the difficult backgrounds that people may come from or maybe they don't have the mental capacity to have the death penalty.

So all of those questions really surround this particular case as well. I want to talk about James Coddington, the man who was executed on Thursday.

His lawyers say he had a drug addiction and that led him to his violent crime of killing his friend by usings a hammer to steal money to pay for his drug habit.

But now his lawyers say that he is remorseful. As he was remorseful, and that he should not have been executed. They asked for clemency. And the state board granted that clemency. Approved it on a 3-2 vote.

But as you just heard Fred say, the governor denied clemency. And so he was the first execution out of about 25 that will happen over the next two years.

The lawyers also say that when you look at his particular case, he had a very difficult childhood and he was just set on this terrible path from the beginning.

That both of his parents had long criminal histories, that his father was an alcoholic and would rather by drinks than clothes and food for he and his siblings and his own brothers were incarcerated.

So it brings all of the question as long with the botched executions we've witnessed in the state of Oklahoma.

There have been cases when the state had used the wrong or the unauthorized drug during these lethal injections that caused plenty of complications that critics say is why the inmates were not executed humanly.

So despite all of that, the state is pushing forward with these executions again.

WHITFIELD: As scheduled.

ROMERO: As scheduled.

WHITFIELD: Nadia Romero, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much.

[13:44:30]

All right, still ahead, to the moon and beyond. The countdown is on for NASA historic launch to return Americans to the moon for the first time since the '70s. Details on the Artemis mission, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. Going through TSA these days always what is its challenges. Let's say "taking flight" had all new meaning for this go- round.

For some travelers in a North Carolina Charlotte airport, they got quite the sight. Clark, the bald eagle, and his handler went through the security check before their return flight. They were heading home to the world bird sanctuary in Missouri and had to spread their wings a little bit.

TSA says the airline notified them ahead of them before the pair's arrival so they kind of knew what was coming, so they could screen Clark and his handler before the flight.

[13:49:59]

Clark was returned to his travel carrier after passing through security. And everyone got quite the view there, a birds eye view.

The countdown is on for the first spacecraft design to carry humans to the moon in 50 years. It's about to take off, but without humans.

The Artemis I mission is expected to lift off Monday morning. NASA says the uncrewed rocket, which its most powerful yet, will eventually help put a person on Mars.

CNN's Kristin Fisher joining us now from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Kristin, how are conditions looking for this launch?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Fredericka, I'll tell what you, over the last few minutes or so the lightning protection system around this rocket surrounding this historic launch pad, 39B at the Kennedy Space Complex has gotten a workout.

There's been some big lightning bolt came very close to the tower. That's what this lightening protection system is designed to do, protect that all-important rocket.

Hopefully, we believe the weather will clear up in time for a first attempted launch on Monday. Space Force is expecting 70 percent favorable conditions by the time this rocket is set to lift off.

About an hour ago, all the Artemis mission managers got together and held a briefing to see if all systems were good to go to proceed with this launch and they said yes.

Fredericka, as of now, it's looking like this rocket is going to take off on its first test flight on Monday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FISHER (voice-over): It's been a long time since NASA has had its own candle to light.

NASA ANNOUNCER: Lift off.

FISHER: Eleven years since the last space shuttle launch, 50 years since the last launch of the Apollo program.

NASA ANNOUNCER: The Eagle has landed.

FISHER: But now, Apollo's mythological twin sister, Artemis, is on the launch pad and ready to fly.

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: To all of us that gaze up at the moon, dreaming of the day humankind returns to the lunar surface, folks, we're here.

FISHER: The Artemis rocket, or SLS, is years behind schedule, billions overbudget. But it's also the most powerful rocket ever built. It's designed to launch people even deeper into space than the moon.

REID WISEMAN, CHIEF NASA ASTRONAUT: Our sights are not set on the moon. Our sights are set firmly on Mars.

FISHER: But first, it has to pass this test flight with only mannequins on board. Artemis I will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But Mission Control is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

NASA ANNOUNCER: This is Mission Control, Houston.

FISHER: The same place that controlled every Apollo and shuttle mission.

RICK LABRODE, LEAD FLIGHT DIRECTOR, ARTEMIS I MISSION: This is where it all happens as far as human space flight.

FISHER: Rick Labrode is in charge of it all as lead flight director. He and his team have been training for this for years.

LABRODE: Flight day is a whole different ballgame. It's when it really gets real.

FISHER: After launch, the SLS rocket will separate from the Orion crew capsule on top. Orion will fly a quarter million miles to the moon and then go 40,000 miles beyond it. Farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans has ever flown.

LABRODE: We're going to swing by the moon. And when we swing by it on the way there, we'll be 60 miles off the surface. It will be incredible. The pictures we get as we go by are going to be really impressive.

FISHER: After orbiting the moon for two weeks, Orion will head back to earth, hitting speeds of 25,000 miles per hour and temperatures half the surface of the sun, something engineers can't replicate here on earth.

LABRODE: The number one highest priority for the mission is to test the heat shield. NASA ANNOUNCER: Liftoff of space shuttle Columbia.

FISHER: It was a damaged heat shield that caused Columbia to burn up on reentry, killing seven astronauts. Testing it before astronauts fly on Artemis II is crucial.

VICTOR GLOVER, NASA ASTRONAUT: For me, Artemis I is exciting. But it's really a steppingstone to get humans back to the moon.

FISHER: Victor Glover is one of 40 astronauts in the running to fly on Artemis II and Artemis III.

GLOVER: We explore for all people and now we can actually say with all people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FISHER: If the weather does not cooperate or if NASA runs into technical issues, they have two backup dates lined up, Friday, September 2nd, and September 5th. That's the schedule.

They're very confident they'll be able to launch on Monday in terms of the fact that they have done all they can to prepare for this moment.

But this is a test flight, the first time this rocket has ever flown. And so there's always some technical things that you can run into.

And of course, this is Florida in August, and they're really running up on the front end of hurricane season. So they've got that to contend with as well.

[13:55:07]

But, you know, Fredericka, there's just so much excitement for this launch. You cannot find a hotel room anywhere near the Kennedy Space Center right now.

WHITFIELD: A launch is always so incredibly exciting. Of course, it will be unmanned, but there will be mannequins on board, right?

FISHER: Yes, so the next -- this is a test flight, so it's going to be uncrewed. Artemis II, scheduled to launch in 2024, if all goes according to plan with this flight, that will be the first crewed mission.

Then Artemis III, which hopefully will launch in 2025 is kind of the Apollo 11 of the Artemis mission, that's when they hope to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good.

Kristin Fisher, thank you so much.

Coming up, another round of trigger laws going into effect in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, making abortion out of reach for millions of women. A look at the post-Roe landscape, straight ahead.

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