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Iranian Media Downplays Comment About Abolishing Morality Police; "Harry And Meghan" Trailer Drops: "We Know The Full Truth"; Same-Sex Marriage Returns To Supreme Court In Free Speech Bid; Trump Calls For "Termination" Of Constitution; Helicopter Ride Provides Spectacular Views Of Hawaii Volcano; Spacecraft Performs Crucial Maneuver 80 Miles From Moon. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 05, 2022 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:30:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Uncertainty in Iran. State media is now pushing back after a top official said the country's mandatory hijab law is under review and that the Morality Police who enforce it have been abolished.

Iran's government has faced months of nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab, or head scarf, incorrectly.

And I want to bring in CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, now.

Nic, Iran's attorney general is the one who said that the Morality Police had been abolished but state media says it hasn't. So which is it?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We don't know. And what we've heard from the U.S. State Department that the words coming from Iranian officials at the moment are ambiguous and vague really gets to the point.

The attorney general who has the legal review of wearing a hijab doesn't have legal responsibility for the abolishing of the Morality Police who essentially enforced the wearing of the hijab.

The Morality Police have become a real sort of symbol of government control, and more than a symbol, a violent outreach of government control enforcing the hijab.

And of course, just a couple months ago, when the protests began, protestors were calling for the end of the wearing of the hijab, the enforcement of it.

And it has morphed, the protests have morphed since then. The protests have become more about not just those freedoms but actually changing the leadership in Iran. So what we seem to be seeing is the government doing some signaling

that they are looking at some public concerns.

But in Iran, it is often a smoke-and-mirrors situation where they say that we're looking at a review. There's no indication whether this review of wearing the hijab will be enforced. We have no idea what it will say. We have no idea if the review will be rescinded and changed.

And then we have no idea if abolishing the Morality Police really means that there won't be another enforcement body under a different name and a different guise and a different uniform popping up.

So that is why I come back to what the State Department said that it is ambiguous and vague. It may mean something is coming, but really the substance of it, we don't know.

CABRERA: OK. Nic Robertson, with the latest for us, thank you

Is the royal family about to be rocked? You be the judge. Netflix just dropped a clip from the upcoming Harry and Meghan docuseries.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: There's a hierarchy in the family. You know, there's leaking but there's also planting of stories.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a war against Meghan to suit other people's agendas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is about hatred. It is about race.

PRINCE HARRY: It's a dirty game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: It is a dirty game.

CNN royal correspondent, Max Foster, is joining us now.

And this is just the trailer, Max, and there's already the accusation the palace plants stories. What is the reaction from the palace?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: No reaction because we haven't seen it. The palace haven't seen it. We haven't seen it. It's only been seen by a small group of people directly involved in the process. So we wait and see.

But certainly the trailer looks dramatic, doesn't it? And mentions of race as well after the story we had from last week. We've had different stories over the last few years in relation to accusations of racism within the palace.

And even if you look into the description on Netflix, it does deal with issues of discrimination. So these are all issues that are very sensitive. Clearly, this a story that Meghan and Harry really want to tell.

We just don't know exactly what's in it. But there are some issues there that they're raising that are clearly very, very sensitive. And we wait to see.

I mean, on the front page of all the tabloids here in the U.K., a lot of criticism of the couple is often the case here. Some suggestion that some of the pictures used in the trailer weren't an accurate representation of what was actually going on.

But we really need to wait until Thursday when the first three parts of the series get dropped so we can get a sense of what's actually in it.

CABRERA: That is when the first three parts drop and then the next three parts I believe drop the following week. Prince Harry's book is just weeks as well.

Is the expectation that he will review even more in his book than the docuseries?

FOSTER: The book is his real story. Again, they are saying this is his real story. The book comes out in January.

And these are -- you know, I think from their point of view, their chance to really say what happened as, not only buildup in their relationship during the whole time in their royal roles and when they left and their experience.

I mean, some of the accusations have been made before that there was almost a campaign within the -- certain elements in the palace working against Meghan specifically. And they didn't protect her against the bad press coverage.

[13:35:07]

So we'll see what specific examples they are talking about here.

But that is the thing that has always upset Meghan. And this is the big accusation made at the palace.

Behind the scenes, they will say that wasn't true, they were protecting the couple. But we'll wait to see whether anyone comes out more formally this time to rebut the accusations. Because you didn't have that after the Oprah interview.

CABRERA: I'm surprised that they are not trying to get out in front of this given what we've already seen in the clips, the fact that they're staying silent right now.

You're a royal correspondent. Does that strike you as odd?

FOSTER: Well, what do they do? It is just literally based on the trailers we had, the one last weekend and the one that landed today and they haven't seen that previously. So I think that they are literally just waiting to watch the whole

six-part series to really come up with something proper to answer back to.

Because the tradition is not that they answer accusations like this or respond to accusations like this, but it is getting to the point where perhaps they feel they should.

CABRERA: OK. We'll see. I'm intrigued, that's for sure.

Max Foster, thank you.

They're not talking much so what does that tell us? Few Republicans speaking out after former President Trump suggested terminating the Constitution. We're live on the Hill.

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[13:41:12]

CABRERA: We're back with a clash over religious views and same-sex marriage that has once again reached the Supreme Court. Today, the justices heard oral arguments in the case of a wedding Web site designer who doesn't want to work with same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs.

A short time ago, that designer explained why she is bringing this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORIE SMITH, PLAINTIFF: For the little girls picking up a paint brush for the first time. For the young photographer spending hours editing a photo shoot on his laptop.

For every artist like me who wants the right to decide without government threats or intimidation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Let's get to Ariana De Vogue who was in the courtroom for today's arguments.

Ariane, what did you hear?

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Once again, this court is at the intersection of LGBTQ rights and religious liberty. And here it seemed like those conservative justices were sympathetic to that graphic designer.

She wants to expand her business to celebrate weddings, but she doesn't want to work with same-sex couples out of religious objections.

And the courts, the conservatives really saw this as a free speech case. And they looked at this anti-discrimination law and they said, look, if a business owner is an artist or it's somebody creating something custom, then the state can't force her to express a message she doesn't agree with.

And the liberals, as you can imagine, pounced on that because they said, what is the limiting principle here? Justice Sotomayor said, what about someone who doesn't like interracial marriages? What about somebody who has a bias against people with physical disabilities?

And Justice Jackson asked about, what if a photographer at a mall taking pictures of children at Santa only wants white children to sit on Santa's lap? Can they say go ahead and no white children are allowed? They were really looking for that limiting principle.

And remember, a few years ago, the court did hear a similar case about a cake baker who didn't want to make a cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding.

But back this, this court got out of that case on very narrow grounds that were specific to the case at hand. This case here could be a much bigger decision with a nationwide impact.

And of course, it comes as supporters of LGBTQ rights, they are worried.

They saw last term that the conservatives overturned the abortion case. They saw that Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that maybe the court should take another look at the legality of same-sex marriage.

And they are worried about how far this conservative court is going.

CABRERA: So today was the oral arguments. Remind us, quickly, if you will, when would they make a decision or a ruling?

DE VOGUE: Right. Now they will go back behind closed doors probably for weeks. This is one of the biggest cases of the term. I'd suggest maybe by July we'll have an opinion.

CABRERA: OK, lots of time to wait.

Thank you, Ariane De Vogue.

Now a shocking statement, even by Donald Trump's standards. Just shy of six years after he swore to uphold the Constitution, the former president now says it should be torn up.

It came in a social media on Truth Social. Trump repeated his false claims about the 2020 election and then called for the, quote, unquote, "termination" of the Constitution.

So how are Trump's allies in Congress reacting? Many of them are Originalists or Textualists when it comes to the Constitution.

Let's go to CNN's Manu Raju on the Hill for the answer.

Manu, by this point, GOP lawmakers are used to be asked about outrageous Trump comments. These were chilling coming from a former president and a current candidate.

What are Republicans saying this time?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, not a whole lot right now.

[13:44:59:]

And that is part of the pattern over the Trump years that Trump will say something and they will not respond, hope that they can brush it at side and that the news cycle will move on and then they will move on to the next potential Trump controversy. This seems no difference.

This did occur over the weekend. Republican members are still getting back into town. The House and the Senate will be back later today. We'll see what Republican members say then.

Some who did appear on the Sunday shows yesterday did push back at the former president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LAWLER, (R), NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: I think that people are tired of looking backwards. I think that people are tired of discussing the grievances of prior elections. And they want to know what we're going to do to address the challenges.

REP. DAVID JOYCE (R-OH): I will support whoever the Republican nominee is. And I just don't think, at this point, he will be able to get there because I think that there are a lot of other good quality candidates out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Before this Trump social media post, Kevin McCarty, the Republican leader who wants to be the next House speaker, said on the first day of the new Congress, he said in a tweet:

"On the very first day of the new Republican-led Congress, we will read every single word of the Constitution aloud from the floor of the House -- something that hasn't been done in years."

But, Ana, in the aftermath of this Trump post, no comment yet from the Republican leader.

CABRERA: Wow. OK. Keep us posted, Manu Raju.

Talk about the best seat in the house. CNN gets the bird's-eye view of an amazing lava show as the world's largest active volcano erupts.

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[13:50:53]

CABRERA: "Molten rock flowing like water." That is how a pilot flying over Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano describes the scene. The spectacular lava flow continues to attract waves of visitors as it continues to creep down closer to a key highway.

CNN's David Culver got a bird's-eye view. Take a look.

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DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That lava you see over my shoulder, Ana, moving even closer to where we are, crawling but we're starting to smell the sulfur in the air. And it is a striking view, especially at night.

But to give you an even better look, we go up.

(voice-over): We go up in the morning dark. Paradise Helicopter's Darren Hamilton, our pilot and guide, giving us rare access.

(on camera): I assume we'll know when we see the volcano.

DARREN HAMILTON, PARADISE HELICOPTER PILOT: Yes. It's just off, kind of, The eastern side there. At about the 1:00 position that is the plume there.

CULVER (voice-over): Having flown in military hot zones, Darren even admits this is firepower like no other.

(on camera): What was it like the first time you flew over lava?

HAMILTON: Oh, it was a blast.

CULVER (voice-over): It can also be challenging, especially with heavy vog, or volcanic smog.

(on camera): There you can see the gases from Fissure 3.

(voice-over): Those acidic gases dangerous if the concentration levels are too high.

HAMILTON: That's 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit or about a thousand degrees Celsius. That's molten rock flowing like water.

CULVER: Which has already crossed one volcano road, power lines and all. A searing slice right through it.

(on camera): It's incredible the heat you feel as soon as you get close to it.

Look at this, the rushing flow. The river. You see the current of Lava.

(voice-over): Darren estimates it's moving 30 to 40 miles per hour.

(on camera): I mean, there's nothing like this, just spewing from the top.

(on camera): It really is just incredible to be up there, Ana, and to see that flow rushing so quickly, about 15 miles from where we are. It certainly slows down as it comes to flatter land and starts to span out and spread.

But still moving 40 feet per hour and inching closer to that major highway. Officials watching it very closely as it's now just over two miles from it -- Ana?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Incredible, that orange glow.

Thank you, David Culver.

NASA's Artemis 1 spacecraft has a close encounter with the moon. The Orion capsule performed a crucial maneuver just 80 miles from the moon's surface, a farewell flyby as it heads home.

CNN space and defense correspondent, Kristin Fisher, joins us with more detail.

Kristin, explain exactly what happened during today's mission and how this fits into the larger plan to return to the moon.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, first of all, the Orion spacecraft sending back truly spectacular images from this close flyby with the moon.

I mean just look at the detail on those craters. And a lot of this, these are a lot of the low-res versions. We haven't seen the high- resolution ones yet.

And then there were some other incredible images of -- once the spacecraft got to the other side of the moon. And you could even see a small crescent in the distance that was planet earth from all those miles away.

And so now the Orion spacecraft heading back to earth after what so far has been a very successful mission.

There's that earth shot I was telling you about. That little smile in the bottom right of your screen. It's all of us.

So now Orion is heading back to earth. It's going to be splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

And, Ana, the next big test here -- so far, Orion has done very well. The next big test is the testing of its heat shield.

Will that heat shield hold and someday protect astronauts who were on board on a future mission, will that heat shield be able to hold and protect them on a potential Artemis two mission?

So far, so good. But we'll see how it goes on Sunday -- Ana?

CABRERA: We have 30 seconds. But at this point, do they believe the mission has been a success?

[13:55:02] FISHER: Absolutely. They've had a few glitches, a few funnies, as they call it, but all very minor things. Nothing that would have hurt the lives or endangered the lives of any astronauts on board on an Artemis two or three mission down the road.

CABRERA: It is certainly exciting.

Kristin Fisher, thanks so much.

And that does it for us today. Thank you for being here. I'll see you back here tomorrow, same time, same place.

Until then, don't go anywhere. Alisyn and Victor pick it up after this.

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