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NASA's Artemis 1 Flying to the Moon; Mississippi Bracing for Historic Flooding; Trump's Team Granted to Have Master; IAEA Team Heads to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant; Massacre Victims Buried Without Identification. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 29, 2022 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all our viewers joining us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Ahead on CNN Newsroom, we're less than six hours away in counting from the Artemis 1 rocket blasting off to the moon. We have a preview of what to expect.

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MAYOR CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA (D), JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI: We need our residents to take heed to these warnings and move up.

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CHURCH: An ominous warning from the mayor of Mississippi's capital as residents brace for dangerous floods.

And the IAEA says a team is traveling to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid a looming catastrophe. We'll bring you the latest on the attacks stoking those fears

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

Well, nearly 50 years since Apollo 17, NASA is taking its first steps to sending astronauts back to the moon. You are looking at live pictures of the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the scheduled launch window for the Artemis 1 rocket is just a few hours away.

The unmanned mission to the moon is the first of several in the years ahead for NASA. Eventually, the goal is to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972. And ultimately, NASA hopes to someday land the first humans on Mars. As of now, scientists are aiming for 2025 for that return to the moon

surface, a mission which would include the first woman to make the voyage.

CNN's Rachel Crane shows us the capsule that will take them there on Artemis 3.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION & SPACE CORRESPONDENT: The countdown clock is ticking for the launch of Artemis 1. Now that is an uncrewed test launch, but it has a capsule on top of it, Orion, much like the one that you see behind me, but this one here, this is for Artemis 3.

Now NASA hopes to send crew to the moon and land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface in 2025. And that capsule behind me, that's the one that will transport those astronauts to the moon and help them get to that lunar surface.

NASA already busy at work building those crewed capsules. But of course, the focus of today is Artemis 1. This will be a 42-day journey around the moon. This is a never before flown rocket. So, space enthusiasts around the world are eagerly awaiting the liftoff of NASA's SLS rocket, and the Orion capsule on top.

Rachel Crane, CNN, Kennedy Space Center.

CHURCH: And for more on the weather conditions for the launch, meteorologist Karen Maginnis is standing by at the CNN weather center.

All very exciting, isn't it. And I looking at the skies, how's it looking, do you think?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Rosemary, the success of this is really thrilling to anticipate. We've got this two-hour window between 8.33 and 10.33. The earlier is the better. We've already seen a couple of showers roll through. This is the expect -- exact spot of the launch site. There had been a few thunderstorms with some lightning associated with it.

So that kind of shut things down just for a little bit, but they are tweaking everything. The one thing you can't tweak is the weather. And what we're looking at, generally speaking on the positive side is an 80 percent chance of a go. There's a 20 percent chance we could see some isolated showers or some wet weather or something that will interrupt the flow of things, expected to launch at 8.33 or therein.

Well, we've got some cloud cover in the area that we're anticipating. The temperature 78 degrees, so that's not going to be a problem, but the combination of factors could be if we had a wind definition that could be problematic. Also, we're looking at cumulus clouds here, not stratus clouds. That's not going to be a problem. The cumulus clouds disrupt what they would anticipate.

Also, the potential for electricity in the form of lightning across this area. Also, precipitation. All of those are factors that are taken into consideration within about five nautical miles or just over five miles from that launch site. [03:04:58]

Let's shift now to the flooding situation across Mississippi. The Pearl River we've been watching. The Pearl River is historically, if I say a problematic river in that we frequently see flooding on the Pearl River. This in Jackson, because we've seen more than a foot of rainfall already for the month of August.

Now it looks like it is going to crest for Monday at just about 35.5 feet. That is still in this moderate stage where you see this pink, that's 36 feet. We're not expecting it to reach that much, but we've already seen some homes flooded. We've already seen some power outages here.

The Pearl River, we're looking at up and down the Pearl River, that there are going to be some stations, some river stations that will expect these readings to be in that moderate flood stage. There will be some scattered showers and some storms around the area, but for the most part, the heavier precipitation is going to be over Texas and into southern sections of Louisiana.

Also here, you can see some of the scattered storms across the Florida peninsula. We'll keep you updated on what happens here as well as looking forward to the launch. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. I appreciate that. Karen Maginnis, many thanks.

Well, Karen mentioned Jackson, Mississippi and neighboring communities keeping a wary eye on the swollen Pearl River. Water has already swamped parts of the city and some areas lost power on Sunday. The state is deploying drones to assess water levels along the river's path.

Jackson's mayor has been sounding the alarm for days now. He tells CNN the city learned critical lessons from flooding just two years ago, which took weeks to fully recede.

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LUMUMBA: If we risk the life of one individual, that's one individual too many. And so, we want to make certain that, that we know that both people and individuals, pets, and to the extent that some property can be saved, that it is -- that it is all spared due to early preparation.

Unfortunately, because we have seen these events as recently as 2020, we have a reference point and we know the damage that can occur. And so, we're asking those residents to heed the warnings that are being provided to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Nadia Romero is there in Mississippi's capital and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're on the Northeast side of Jackson, Mississippi. This is an area where you can see flooding has already begun and the Pearl River has yet to crest.

That should happen through the overnight hours into Monday. And we saw the third highest level of that river cresting back in 2020, where there was historic flooding in this neighborhood. We spoke with people who live here who say that they had sandbags of 50 were at this house next to me, but the homeowner tells me it's still flooded.

He had to rip up his subfloor, his carpet, the drywall, some $60,000 worth of damages. And then an additional 15,000 he had to pay out of pocket just to keep his family housed in a hotel for six months, they stayed at a hotel or apartment as the repairs continued on this home. He says, it feels like they just finished their repairs. And now they're preparing for yet another flood.

We spoke with another woman who says she's lived in this neighborhood for 20 years, and this is their second time now in just two years having to deal with flooding. Take a listen.

The experience that I had was when we actually did come back into our house and when we were able to get back in, it was the whole house was damaged. We had to gut it inside. All of the walls had to be out. We lost everything. And now that we are just starting back regaining things, we feel like we back in this same stage.

ROMERO: So, the mayor of Jackson says that he's trying to prepare his residents for the flooding that could come. And this particular neighborhood Entergy shut off power early in the afternoon on Sunday. And so, without power, that means that their food could likely spoil. It's also hot. So, there's no air conditioning.

Shelters are already opening, at least one shelter at a police facility being hosted by the American Red Cross. Some 100,000 sandbags have been made available to residents and they've already started mobilizing efforts for search and rescue with the Cajun Navy.

We've seen come through this neighborhood and with the city's fire and police departments and even the Fish and Wildlife Services, all helping out with those search efforts that could come over the next couple of days.

Nadia Romero, CNN, Jackson, Mississippi.

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CHURCH: We are following developments related to the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. A federal judge has set a hearing for this week to consider the former president's request for a special master to oversee the review of the material seized.

This, as the U.S. intelligence chief launches a damage assessment of those documents.

[03:09:58] CNN politics reporter Jeremy Herb has details from New York.

JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines has informed Congress that her office will be leading a damage assessment related to the classified documents kept at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. According to letters sent to House and Senate committees and obtained by CNN, Haines wrote that the intelligence community would conduct, quote, "an assessment to the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents."

In addition, Haines said that the intelligence community would be working with the Justice Department to conduct a classified review of -- classification review of the documents including those obtained by the FBI during this month's FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

Lawmakers have been urging the intelligence community to conduct the damage assessment since the search earlier this month. The letter was sent Friday, the same day the FBI released a redacted version of the affidavit justifying the search of the former president's residence.

The affidavit revealed that Trump had 184 classified documents in the 15 boxes handed to the National Archives in January. Of those documents, 25 were marked top-secret and some included information about human sources, foreign intelligence, and other highly sensitive material.

In a joint statement, House intelligence chairman, Adam Schiff, and House oversight chairwoman, Carolyn Maloney said it was critical for the intelligence community to, quote, "move swiftly to assess, and if necessary, to mitigate the damage done, a process that should proceed in parallel with the DOJ's criminal investigation."

Separately, a federal judge indicated Saturday she had preliminary intent to appoint a special master as Donald Trump has sought. That means a third party outside the Justice Department would review the materials the FBI collected to determine whether any of it is privileged and therefore could not be used in the FBI's investigation.

The next step in that case will come Tuesday when the Justice Department has a deadline to file under seal a detailed list of what it took during the search of Mar-a-Lago. Then on Thursday, the judge has a hearing scheduled on the matter.

Jeremy Herb, CNN, New York.

CHURCH: A number of Republicans have been demanding more transparency over the search of Trump's Florida home and what documents were taken. Some even suggest the move was politically motivated. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): You should be very careful with classified documents. I've been -- had access to documents like that for a long time. I'm incredibly careful. What I wonder about is why this could go on for almost two years and less than 100 days before the election. Suddenly, we're talking about this rather than the economy or inflation.

GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): If you're going to take unprecedented precedented action and raid a former president's house, well, you better have a strategy for unprecedented transparency. So, I think we're all concerned about what might be in those documents that were some were classified, some weren't, you know, what -- what the serious nature was.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): The hypocrisy of folks in my party that spit years chanting lock her up about Hillary Clinton because of some deleted e-mails, or quote unquote, "wiping a server" are now out there defending a man who very clearly did not take the national security of the United States to heart. And it'll be up to DOJ whether or not that reaches the level of indictment.

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CHURCH: Some mixed views there. And earlier, I spoke with CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein about the latest developments following the Mar-a-Lago search and what may come next.

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RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first, in the near term what this has done is help transform the landscape of the midterm election. You know, we, we think of midterm elections in the U.S. primarily have functioned as a referendum on the party in power. And that was certainly the dynamic earlier this year. But so many things have happened between the January 6th committee and the Mar-a- Lago search warrant and the reaction to it by both Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress to move the former president front and center.

And that combined along with the Supreme Court decision overturning the 50-year right to abortion in the U.S., as well as growing concern about gun violence following the Texas massacre have really change the playing field to the point where Democrats now have the possibility not to avoid all of the losses that they were facing, but to certainly put in a much better showing than anyone seemed, you know, thought possible a few months ago.

For Trump, himself, I mean, this guarantees that this is going to be going on for months and that -- and that Republicans are going to feel opinioned, I think by the pressure from him and his base to defend him at every turn even if revelations make the conduct more and more indefensible.

CHURCH: How worried should Donald Trump and his legal team be at this juncture, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, I mean, I, many people who, you know, have more legal expertise than I, have made the case already that this was anybody else they would be -- they would be indicted and arrested already.

[03:15:05] I mean, ultimately, the question of his legal culpability, I think above all, comes down to the choice, the kind of the social political legal choice of, is the Biden administration willing to indict its predecessor. And you know, that question is going to be just as pointed over his actions leading into the January 6th insurrection and all of the multi-tiered, multi-month effort to overturn the election. These are not easy choices.

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CHURCH: Our thanks again to Ron Brownstein for his perspective there. And you can head over to cnn.com for an even deeper dive into what the unsealed affidavit does and doesn't say. We have a page-by-page annotation that breaks it all down into language that's easy to understand.

Well, still to come, the urgent mission to ensure the safety of a Ukrainian nuclear plant in the middle of a combat zone.

And you are looking at live pictures of the Artemis 1 rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy's Space Center. We're just hours away from the launch window. And we will have more on the mission later this hour. Stay with us.

[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: Well, a team of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are now on their way to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog tweeted the news just a few hours ago. It comes amid continued fighting around the complex with Russian and Ukraine officials reporting more shelling on Sunday in a town about five kilometers from the plant.

A Russia installed officials says at least nine people were wounded.

Scott McLean joins us now live from London with more on this. Good to see you, Scott.

So, as we just reported, we're learning the International Atomic Energy Agency mission will visit the nuclear power plant this week. In the meantime, Iodine tablets are being distributed to some residents living near the plant, but just how much protection will they offer in a worst-case scenario?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. Yes, they're not a get out of jail free card, but they are certainly helpful. Obviously in extreme cases in the event of a nuclear accident, people who are in the immediate vicinity, they would face radiation levels that could kill them in a matter of days, perhaps even a matter of hours.

For people beyond the immediate radius, their health risks are cancer and a laundry list of other health problems that are associated with radiation poisoning. Now, one of the chemicals that's released in the event of a nuclear disaster is radioactive iodine.

Our bodies need iodine. We absorb it, but we don't actually produce it. So, these tablets essentially work by filling up your thyroid, the part that absorbs the iodine with good, non-radioactive iodine so that it actually can't accept anymore, hence, providing some level of protection.

What's important to keep in mind is that this only really works if these tablets are taken just before or just after any exposure to radioactive iodine or anything like that. And it's especially important for pregnant, breastfeeding women and people under 40, sort of less important for older people. And they only work for 24 hours. Hopefully then you've had a chance to actually evacuate and get out of the immediate area.

So, the city of Zaporizhzhia which is not far from where the power plant is actually located, they are now handing out iodine tablets to the local population. Here's what some people said about that.

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UNKNOWN (through translator): We bought it the first time in winter when the power plant was shelled the first time. We bought iodine with supplements in a pharmacy back then, so we still have it but it's supplemented with folic acid.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We were told that an adult should take one tablet. I have a seven to eight-year-old child. It should take half a tablet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: And so, Rosemary, you also mentioned that IAEA, a team of inspectors in route right now. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the agency tweeted out a photo of this team of inspectors, which seems to confirm the New York Times earlier reporting that it would be Grossi and a team of 13 other experts who would actually be headed there.

And that the photo there shows 14 people headed in that direction. It'll take them a few days to get there. Because while getting into Ukraine is a heck of an ordeal, even under ideal circumstances. If you're coming from the Ukrainian side of things, you're looking at, at least two days of travel to get there.

If you're coming from the Russian side, you could probably get there slightly quickly or slightly quicker. But remember, Enerhodar where the plant is actually located, it is right on the front line of the active fighting. The only thing separating it, which is in Russian held territory from the Ukrainian side is the Dnipro River. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Scott, what more are you learning about the actual shelling near the nuclear plant, as well as shelling reported in the Donetsk region. This is absolutely terrifying. So, the IAEA has confirmed for the first time that there has actually been shelling in the last few days on the site of this nuclear power plant. In fact, just within 100 meters of one of those nuclear reactors. Now they described this as hitting a special building, something that contained water treatment facilities, waste management facilities, things like that. And so, probably not that essential to the actual operation of the plant, but still, pretty scary nonetheless.

There's also been shelling reported. You're seeing the pictures of it here. Just on the outskirts of Enerhodar in the suburban areas about five kilometers or so from the actual site of the nuclear power plant. As you mentioned earlier, local officials there said that nine people were injured. They also said that some 25 cars were completely burnt out.

Remember, this is Russian held territory so it is logical that any shelling in that area would be coming from the Ukrainian side. And this is what the Russians are claiming, but the Ukrainians have a different story.

[03:24:59]

They say that the Russians are shelling their own territory, the territory that they hold in order to provoke a response. The way that they've described it is nuclear blackmail. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Scott McLean bringing us the very latest from his vantage point there in London, many thanks.

Well, it has been several months since the world saw the first horrifying images of the Bucha massacre, retreating Russian troops leaving behind mass graves and street strewn with bodies. Some of the dead impossible to identify now being buried with numbers instead of names.

CNN's David McKenzie has our story, and a warning the images in his report are graphic.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR 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, an unknown victim.

A life worthy of Father Andriy Havelin'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 their army retreated their 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 1,300 bodies in greater Kyiv alone.

"Everything changed on February 24th," says Kyiv 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."

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 and Klim (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. Ernie Alexander (Ph) lived.

"My oldest would've 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 there 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, millions of people in Pakistan are being impacted by deadly flooding. What we are learning about the scope and scale of the devastation.

[03:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is "CNN Newsroom."

Jackson, Mississippi is under water warnings or under flood warnings, I should say, this hour as the region watches the Pearl River and waits for it to crest. Water is already rising in neighborhoods near the river. The water is forecast to hit 35.5 feet, which is more than 10 meters high and well above flood stage.

State authorities have distributed tens and thousands of sandbags and are using drones to assess water levels. Jackson's mayor has been warning for days now that residents in flood-prone areas should get out while they can.

We're also tracking flooding in Pakistan where high waters are impacting at least 33 million people. More than a thousand people have been killed by flooding and monsoon rain since mid-June, and authorities say more than 350 of those killed are children. Crucial bridges and roads have been destroyed and the raging waters could wipe out more. The government is calling for international aid.

CNN's Anna Coren is tracking the flooding across Pakistan. She joins us now from her vantage point in Hong Kong. Good to see you, Anna. So, at least 33 million people impacted by this flooding. Pakistan calling for international help. What is the latest on this extreme weather situation and, of course, the impact it's having on so many people?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's quite extraordinary. As you say, Rosemary, 33 million people have been impacted. Millions now are homeless after months and months of rain and now flooding.

You know, Pakistan normally goes through three to four monsoon rains a summer. It has gone through its eighth cycle. It's going through it now, and that is why we are seeing this deluge, inundation of water across the country.

The north, you know, hit hard, the south in particular. This has been described by the government as a climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions. As we are seeing from these images, bridges and roads are being washed away. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed.

[03:35:01]

COREN: And then this, you know, agricultural country, you have these fields that are just under water. You know, these are people who have nothing. Let's have a listen to what some of these people have had to say about the impact of these devastating floods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN (through translator): I am flushing out water to retrieve any bedding or anything that is left intact. As you can see, nothing could be saved. I'm flushing out water to salvage anything dry and safe there.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Another storm is about to come. That is the water coming into the river in this. We are scared of the river. We don't know when the embankment will break, how much water is discharged, and we have no idea what the authorities are planning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: That man is referring to the Indus River which runs right through Pakistan. It is the communities around it that have just been absolutely devastated.

Now, the military has been mobilized. They are flying in helicopters to evacuate people who have been isolated and cut off from areas. So, those people are trying to be rescued.

But the government admits that it is completely overwhelmed, that it needs international help, international assistance. We know that China is willing to lend a hand but, you know, the pleas from all sides of the government, including the prime minister, is that Pakistan desperately needs help right now.

CHURCH: Yeah. I mean, the scale of this disaster is just extraordinary. Anna Coren joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.

An NFL rookie is one of three football players named in a new lawsuit. Coming up, the disturbing allegations against Matt Araiza, which caused the Buffalo Bills to release him.

Plus, fighting between rival factions has led to some of Libya's worst violence in years. How aide groups on the ground are responding, that is next.

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[03:40:00]

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(GUNSHOTS)

CHURCH: That was the scene in Libya's capital over the weekend. Gunshots ringing out in the streets as rival militias trade fire. The country's health ministry says at least 32 people were killed in clashes in Tripoli over the weekend. And International Rescue Committee says it had to suspend some of its humanitarian services for migrants and refugees due to the violence.

CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now from London with more on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So, good morning to you, Nada. So, what is the latest on these battles between rival militias and, of course, the ramifications of this?

NADA BASHIR, CNN JOURNALIST AND PRODUCER: The calm appears to have returned to Tripoli. At least, for now, it does appear as though those rival militias have withdrawn from the central parts of the capital.

But it is the innocent civilians in Tripoli who have been left to grapple with the devastation left in the wake of this latest round of violence. We saw yesterday Libyans taking to the streets, assessing the damage and the debris cleaning up the devastation that has been left behind from this latest round of violence sparked by ongoing rivalry between two parallel administrations in the country.

In the west, you have the government of national unity led by Hamid Dbeibah, the interim prime minister and recognized by the United Nations. But in the east, you have a parallel administration which has essentially appointed its own prime minister, Fathi Bashagha.

Now, we haven't seen the sort of violence there in Tripoli in the past. Back in May, Bashagha and his allied forces attempted to enter the capital to seize control of territory in Tripoli. Since then, tensions have really been bubbling in the background.

Over the last few days and weeks, we've seen those allied forces from the east attempting to mobilize in and around the capital. It was only over the weekend that we saw those tensions really come into a head.

Those allied forces from the east loyal to Fathi Bashagha are attempting to enter the capital from multiple directions using small arms fire, heavy machine guns, even deploying mortars in central part of the city populated by civilians.

So, there is real concern now over the security situation in Libya. This has highlighted how fragile the security situation is. Now, of course, it does appear as though those militias have started to withdraw from the capital. There was calm in Tripoli yesterday. That appears to be holding.

But we've heard from the genuine leader, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, last night, giving an address to the nation. He condemned the violence and expressed his condolences to those who have lost loved ones during the clashes. He also said that the government was committed to pursuing all of those who had taken part and participated in these clashes, be they military personnel or civilians, and prosecuting them.

So, the only way out of this current crisis that Libya finds itself in is a democratic election. Of course, we've also heard former United Nations secretary general deploying the violence, also calling for a return to peaceful dialogue.

But for many Libyans who have seen this sort of rhetoric in the past, time and time again, there is a real need now for those concrete steps towards peace in Libya. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, Nada Bashir, joining us live from London, many thanks.

Authorities in San Diego say they are reviewing allegations an NFL rookie raped a teenage girl last year. Punter Matt Araiza was released from the Buffalo Bills over the weekend after he and two other football players were accused of a lawsuit brought by the alleged victim.

CNN's Chris Nguyen has details now from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS NGUYEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Buffalo Bills making the decision to release Matt Araiza just days after he and two of his former college teammates were accused in the lawsuit. The team's general manager saying this was their best action to take and that their culture in Buffalo was more important than winning football games. Take a listen.

BRANDON BEANE, GENERAL MANAGER, BUFFALO BILLS: We try to be thorough and thoughtful and not rush to judgment. I would say it's not easy. You are trying to put facts around a legal situation. Sometimes, with limited information. NGUYEN: The NFL rookie and his codefendants, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko, were on the San Diego State football team at the time of the alleged incident last October.

According to a lawsuit filed last week by the plaintiff's attorney, the three men are accused of gang raping a 17-year-old girl during a Halloween party off campus. The complaint alleges that the girl was separated from her friends at the party, and then Matt Araiza, who could observe that she was heavily intoxicated, handed her a drink anyway.

The filing states that Araiza eventually led her to a bedroom where there were at least three other men, including Leonard and Ewaliko.

[03:45:00]

NGUYEN: The lawsuit alleges that she was raped for about an hour and a half until the party was shut down, and then stumbled out of the room bloody and crying.

According to the lawsuit, the girl reported the alleged incident the next day to the San Diego Police Department and underwent a rape exam at a hospital.

Araiza's attorney is disputing the claim, saying his client did not rape the accuser, never used any force against her, and maintains that she was not visibly intoxicated.

Araiza releasing a statement through his attorney, saying -- quote -- "The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight."

As for the two other men, Leonard's attorney declined to comment, but Ewaliko's attorney told CNN that he sees some issues with the accuser's credibility and the circumstances under which she reported the incident.

The San Diego County district attorney's office says police have submitted their investigation and they are viewing it, but did not say when a charging decision might be made. The university is also investigating.

Chris Nguyen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Still to come, as we await the launch of the Artemis 1 rocket, we will look at the new protective vests that will be tested during the mission to fly past the moon. You are watching "CNN Newsroom." Back in just a moment.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: You are looking at live pictures of the Artemis 1 rocker on the launchpad of Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The scheduled launch window is just a few hours away and it will mark NASA's first journey to the moon in almost 50 years.

Though this will be unmanned mission, the next manned mission would Artemis 2, which will hit the moon but won't land. And after that, Artemis 3 tentatively scheduled for 2025 will land on the moon.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout spoke with a former NASA official earlier. She asked him about the risks of today's mission even though there is no crew on board. Take a listen.

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DANIEL DUMBACHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS: As with any test flight, we are here to land. We want to make sure that we -- that we -- the systems are prepared and ready for the next mission with humans and the crew that we are going to take up to the moon.

And -- so this test flight, yes, it has a lot of risks to it, but that's why we do it as a test flight. That's why we do it -- that's why NASA does it without anybody on board, so that we land and make things -- improve things for the safety of the crew.

One thing I can say is there have been lots of ground testing done. There has even been an exploration flight test ran for the Orion crew several years ago. So, for the Orion crew capsule module. And we know how things work in those environments. Tomorrow, we start -- hopefully, tomorrow, we start the mission to go off and test it out over the next six weeks to make sure that we are ready to take the next step with astronauts and crew.

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CHURCH: Our thanks to Daniel Dumbacher for his perspective there.

One experiment of the Artemis 1 mission includes testing new equipment to protect astronauts from space radiation. Two mannequins have been outfitted with special vests. they will collect data NASA will use to allow astronauts, especially women, to spend more time and space.

CNN's Hadas Gold has that report.

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HADAS GOLD, CNN MEDIA AND GLOBAL BUSINESS REPORTER (voice-over): NASA's next moon-bound rocket is not just named after a woman, the Greek goddess Artemis, it is setting the stage for the first woman to walk on the moon and for more to explore deep space.

UNKNOWN: We want to spend more time there. That is riskier business. So, the more we learn about the moon itself and the environment where we will be operating, the better we can prepare. GOLD (voice-over): One major health concern for our astronauts in space is radiation, especially during solar storms. Research has shown it can be particularly dangerous for organs like breasts and ovaries, so much so that for years NASA male astronauts stay in space longer than female astronauts.

And so, Artemis will carry a joint Israeli, American, and German experiment that will test any protective vest called AstroRad, which could help humans, especially women, spend more time in space.

UNKNOWN: Do you like to try this?

GOLD (on camera): Yeah, let's do it, okay.

(Voice-over): Shirit Schwarz, director of product management for the team that created the protective vests, lets me try on one of their demonstration vests.

SHIRIT SCHWARZ, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT, STEMRAD: Around.

GOLD (on camera): I see that there are panels on my side as well --

SCHWARZ: Uh-hmm.

GOLD (on camera): -- for complete coverage all around.

SCHWARZ: Yeah.

GOLD (on camera): So, this is what the actual inside of the suit looks like and feels like?

SCHWARZ: Yeah. The material is high-density polyethylene (ph), which is high in hydrogen, and hydrogen is the most effective element in protecting from such kind of radiation.

GOLD (voice-over): The vest varies in thickness, from 6.5 millimeters to 65 millimeters, depending on the sensitivity of the areas it covers. Two mannequins called phantoms, made of special materials that mimic the inner organs of a female body, will be aboard Artemis.

SCHWARZ: One of the phantoms called the Helga will be unprotected while Zohar, the Israeli phantom, will be protected with our vests.

GOLD (voice-over): As NASA prepares to send the first woman to the moon, Schwarz said that being a woman leading the design on a female- focused experiment in a male-dominated field is adding extra significance to an already historic project.

SCHWARZ: It adds to the general feeling of doing -- being part of something very significant. And for sure, I am very happy that it contributes to the equality between the genders.

GOLD (voice-over): Hadas Gold, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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CHURCH: As the U.S. Open begins this week, it will be the final act for tennis legend Serena Williams's fascinating career.

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CHURCH: Earlier this month, the tennis star announced she would step away from tennis after more than two decades, and she will play her final matches at the same place where she won the first of her 23 grand slam singles titles. Fellow player Naomi Osaka spoke about how Williams and her sister changed the face of tennis.

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NAOMI OSAKA, TENNIS PLAYER: I think that her legacy is really wide to the point where you can't even describe it in words, like, she changed the sport so much. She has introduced people that have never heard of tennis into this sport. I think I'm a product of what she has done. I wouldn't be here without Serena, Venus, you know, her whole family. I am very thankful to her.

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CHURCH: Meantime, men's tennis star Rafael Nadal is hoping to secure a record 23rd grand slam title of flushing medals, but a recent injury may dash those hopes. But one thing is for sure, Novak Djokovic is not attending. America's vaccination laws for non-U.S. citizens meant the Serbian would not have been granted a visa to enter the country.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy added two new records to his pro-golf career on Sunday. He raised a six-stroke deficit to win the tour championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. With the victory, he claimed the $18 million FedEx cup prize and became the first golfer to win it three times. The 33-year-old also set a new record for the largest final round comeback in tour championship history. Well done.

And thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I am Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster, next.

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