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CNN International: Trump Arguing Entire Classified Docs Case Should Be Tossed; U.S. Held Indirect Talks With Iran Over Red Sea Attacks; Aid Ship Nearing Gaza With 200 Tons Of Food. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired March 14, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:20]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNNI HOST: Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. This is the CNN Newsroom.

Straight ahead, Donald Trump is expected to appear at a court hearing later today over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. He and his legal team plan to argue that the former U.S. President had the right to take any document he wanted. We'll have the details. Then, a new front in the battle for TikTok, China hits back at the U.S., saying that the bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok is the opposite of fair competition. Plus, the eighth annual My Freedom Day is here. CNN is partnering with young people all around the globe for student-led day of action against modern day slavery and bonded labor.

All right. Donald Trump will be back in court in just a couple of hours, and if he gets his way, the entire classified documents case could go away. Trump is planning to attend a hearing at the federal courthouse in Florida, where his lawyers will argue that all the charges in this case should be dismissed. Trump's lawyers say he had the authority to designate those classified documents as his personal papers. Legal scholars say the arguments are long shot, but Judge Aileen Cannon is giving Trump's lawyers a chance to make their case.

CNN's Kristen Holmes is tracking this story for us. Kristen.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Fredricka, I mean, this is one of their tactics that we've seen time and time again. Do they think 100 percent that this is going to work? No. But, are they exhausting every single avenue that they possibly can to try and delay these various trials? Yes. That is absolute what they're doing. And when you talk to Donald Trump's team, they say why wouldn't lawyers do this? This is what they get paid to do. And they are now trying to navigate how they're going to handle these various trials with running a general election campaign.

Today, Donald Trump doesn't have to be there. He is choosing to be there. He is not expected to be seen on camera at all. He is not expected to give any remarks. He is clearly not using this, as we've seen traditionally, as a campaign stop. And we are told that he wants to be participating in his defense. He also wants the judge to see him participating in his defense, that he is a willing participant, that he wants to be part of this, because they think that will go a long way, they being Trump's legal team, with these judges, and eventually, when he goes in front of a jury.

Now, talking about juries, we know the next trial, actual trial coming up, today is just a hearing, is that case that hush money case in New York on March 25. And I have a little bit of new reporting as to how exactly Trump's team is planning on handling this. Now, it is a criminal case. So, Donald Trump will have to be there for every day of the actual trial. But, I am told he wants to be there even at the beginning for the procedural stuff, as though talking about jury selection. He wants to be in the room. Same thing. He wants the jury to see him as a willing participant in his defense.

So, how does this work if it's a months-long trial that he has to be there every single day with running a general election campaign? Well, they say they're looking at ways around this in terms of Wednesdays and Saturdays. Those are days that they are not in trial. Those are days that they plan on actually going on the campaign trail. The other part of this is Donald Trump is going to go to the camera every opportunity he has when he is in New York, to try and spin this, to try and turn these into campaign stops. We are also told that Donald Trump himself has said he wants to go to court in the morning. Night, you go campaign trails. We were talking to senior advisors. They acknowledge that that would be very difficult.

But, it does go to show you that we are now entering into another phase of this legal and political that they are trying to navigate as he inches closer to the White House.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kristen Holmes in Washington, thanks so much.

All right. We'll have much more on Donald Trump's legal battles coming up a bit later on in our program, and we'll look at a key ruling that could come at any moment in the Georgia election interference case.

All right. We're getting word that the U.S. has held indirect talks with Iran in a bid to stop the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. A U.S. official familiar with the talks held earlier this year in Oman says the two sides have not moved ahead with a second meeting. Back in January, CNN reported there was indirect back-channeling to Iran to try to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.

CNN's U.S. Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood joining me live from the State Department. Kylie, tell us more about what was discussed and how the talks were actually carried out.

[08:05:00]

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Right. So, these talks were carried out in January in Oman. They were indirect talks between U.S. officials and Iranian officials, meaning that they were in the same building, according to a U.S. official familiar with this dialogue. But, there were Omanis that were passing the messages back and forth between the two sides. And this is significant, because this is the first known interaction between the two countries, diplomats from the two countries since September, when there was that major prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran. And of course, there has been back-channeling to Iran by U.S. officials, of course, as tensions in the Middle East have risen. But, it's significant that they were able to pass channels, though, indirectly to one another in January.

We should note that there were a number of things that were discussed in these conversations. I'm told that they discussed Iran's nuclear program. They also discussed, as you said, the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Of course, Iranians are known to have been the proxies that back those Houthis. So, that was a major part of the discussions. And this doesn't seem like it was a highly productive engagement, because the U.S. has carried out a number of attacks on Iranian proxies in the region over the course of the last few months, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen. And so, we'll have to watch and see if there is any further engagement between the two sides, like this dialogue that happened.

But, we should note that we heard from the State Department last night, saying that they're not going to comment on the details of communications with Iran. They said they have many channels for passaging messages with Iran. But, their engagements with Iran, whether through interlocutors or through back-channel conversations, is to try and push down any possibility of escalating tensions in the Middle East right now.

WHITFIELD: And then, Kylie, I mean, while this contact between the U.S. and Iran is unique, does it in any way signal a type of change in the relationship?

ATWOOD: It doesn't. So, the U.S. and Iran don't have diplomatic relations. So, it would be typical that any interaction between U.S. and Iranian diplomats would go through an interlocutor. So, this is typical in that sense. But, it is noteworthy that they are coming back to the table with one another after what had been months of none of this type of dialogue. So, we'll have to watch and see if the U.S. felt that that was productive enough to sit down again, perhaps later this year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kylie Atwood, thank you so much.

All right. Israel says a Hamas commander was killed in a strike that hit a UN food distribution center in Rafah. The UN Relief and Works Agency says at least one staff member was among five people killed. Meanwhile, the first shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea is just hours away. A temporary jetty is being built for the ship to dock, and this comes amid international calls for Israel to open additional land crossings for more aid, as fears of famine are growing.

CNN's Nada Bashir brings us the plight of people in Gaza as seen through the eyes of an American woman living there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Small but vital pockets of peace of a war-torn Gaza, yet another round of humanitarian airdrops from international donors. Civilians on the brink of famine, desperately scramble to see what has arrived today. Yet, amid each delivery, the war continues, more homes destroyed, more people killed. Deborah, an American woman living in central Gaza, says she has lost count of the number of wars she has lived through in the besieged strip. But, this time, she almost did not survive. An Israeli strike, she says, left her crushed in the ruins of her home for hours. Rescued and treated without anesthesia, she now wants answers.

DEBORAH DROLL, AMERICAN CITIZEN LIVING IN GAZA: I'm not throwing bombs. I'm not shooting anyone. Why did they come and target me? I need an answer for that. Joe Biden, I need an answer. Why are you letting them target Americans in Gaza?

BASHIR (voice-over): The English teacher says there was nowhere safe left in Gaza. Some of her neighbors being buried, as she speaks.

DROLL: Yes, I could run. I could go back to America. But, I would feel like it was not right to do that. I should stand beside them. I should try to help them.

BASHIR (voice-over): A voice of solidarity with those in Gaza trying to survive the unthinkable.

Nada Bashir, CNN, London

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:10:00]

WHITFIELD: CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Abu Dhabi with the latest on the Israel-Hamas war. And Paula, I mean, this -- let's talk about the humanitarian shipments, the aid, that isn't making its way in. This first shipment that is on its way to a new temporary aid port in Gaza, how long before that is up and running?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we are expecting this to be later this Thursday, arriving at that jetty. It's been built by hundreds of local staff from this NGO "World Central Kitchen" in Gaza overnight for the past couple of days. They have been on the Gaza beach trying to build this. And then, once the food is there, we understand there could be around half a million meals that will be pulled off the ship and onto that jetty, put in trucks and then taken to where it's needed, notably northern Gaza. Now, we understand there will be rice flour, beans, lentils, canned meats. And this is just the first one, we are being told.

They have said that they have already had countries around the world approaching them, saying if this works, we want to be able to send food this way. We also know the U.S. is going to build its own maritime corridor, and will be building a pier in order to do that, but that could take some 60 days.

So, it shows the frustration. It shows the desperation that the land crossings are simply not fast enough that the Israeli restrictions on what can get into Gaza by land is simply starving the enclave and it's just not enough. So, we're seeing this three-pronged attack by land but also now by sea, and as we heard there, by air as well, more airdrops taking place. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And this as the Israeli Defense Forces say that it plans to move some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians from Rafah to what is being called humanitarian enclaves. What does that mean? Where would that be?

HANCOCKS: These are the details we don't have at this point. We're hearing this from the Israeli Military spokesperson, saying that some 1.4 million, 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, so half -- almost half the population, more than half of the population, I should say, will be moved to these, as they say, humanitarian enclaves. No more details on what that means. But, they do say that this will be created by Israel with the international community, also saying that they will provide them with temporary housing, food, water and field hospitals.

So, Israel here clearly expecting the international community to be very much involved in this as well. We had heard from Israeli officials that it could take two weeks to move people to a safer, as they put it, area. It does appear that it would take a lot longer. And of course, you've got to take into account that many world leaders have said that they do not think a Rafah operation is acceptable. There have been countless calls for this not to go ahead because of the danger to the people on the ground. And we've also heard nothing about the timing of when this would happen, the spokesperson saying when the conditions are right, and when it is best for Israel.

So, there are great concerns for the people of Rafah at this point. And also, bear in mind that even though the humanitarian aid infrastructure is effectively collapsed in Gaza that that is still working is also based in Rafah. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Extraordinary. Alright. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much.

All right. The UN says it's establishing a humanitarian air bridge to safely deliver aid to people in Haiti, as the Caribbean nation descends further into chaos. The White House, meantime, may also have a plan to deal with the worsening situation. According to one source, discussions are underway in the Biden administration to use Guantanamo Bay to process Haitian migrants if there is a mass exodus to the U.S. Haiti's long simmering political and security crisis exploded into a full-blown violence earlier this month with the UN claiming 80 percent of Port-au-Prince is now run by gangs.

China calls the U.S. House vote on TikTok the opposite of fair competition. The House voted Wednesday to force TikTok's Chinese parent company to divest within six months or face a ban. The company's CEO says it will cost the American people more than just money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHOU ZI CHEW, CEO, TIKTOK: This bill gives more power to a handful of other social media companies. It will also take billions of dollars out of the pockets of creators and small businesses. It will put more than 300,000 American jobs at risk, and it will take away your TikTok.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:00]

WHITFIELD: TikTok's CEO adds there is a lot of misinformation surrounding the vote, saying TikTok is committed to keeping user data safe from manipulation.

CNN's Steven Jiang has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Chinese officials from both the commerce and foreign ministries on Thursday blasted the passage of this bill that could see TikTok potentially being banned in the U.S., accusing Washington of resorting to stealing to keep its competitive advantages, saying this kind of actions is both unjust and unfair, and vowing to take all necessary measures to protect China's legitimate rights and interests.

Now, interestingly, the Foreign Ministry spokesman was asked about the difference between TikTok being banned in the U.S. and almost all of American social media platforms being banned in China for years, himself said it's very different that he said, as long as these U.S. companies are willing to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, they're welcome to have a presence here in this country. But, these laws and regulations, of course, especially those passed in recent years, under strongman leader Xi Jinping, also in the name of national security, have become an increasingly sweeping, giving Chinese state security apparatus broad powers to obtain, seize and inspect any data from companies operating here.

That, of course, is one major reason why U.S. government officials and lawmakers trying to have TikTok divested from its Chinese owners in a way the Chinese have not been helping themselves with that strategic shift under Xi Jinping to reassert the ruling Communist Party's absolute control over every aspect of society, not to mention one of their strategic goals in recent years has been to spread the so-called China narrative to have Chinese values and positions and perspective being heard around the world.

In the past, they had to use Western and U.S. social media platforms. For the first time with TikTok, they have a China-owned and China- developed platform to do so. So, it's just very difficult to see them to give that up ever. And with this kind of latest development, a lot of people say it really, this fight, goes beyond just one app, and it's extremely secretive, but effective algorithms. It's really about this fight for control of technologies between two competing superpowers.

Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, we're watching for the big blast off in a huge test for Elon Musk. His "SpaceX" company is gearing up to test the world's most powerful rocket again. Plus, Donald Trump is headed to a Florida courthouse in what could be a major day in the classified documents case. A legal expert talks about the arguments his lawyers are making, when we come right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right.

[08:20:00]

As we mentioned earlier, Donald Trump will be in a federal courthouse today where he hopes to get the entire classified documents case against him dismissed. Legal experts say the arguments his lawyers are making are a long shot. Meanwhile, we await a key ruling that could throw the Georgia election interference case into turmoil. The judge there has promised to make a ruling by Friday on whether District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from the case. Already this week, the Fulton County judge dismissed six charges in that case because he said the indictment did not spell out the crimes clearly enough to help us sort through all of this.

Let's bring in CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen. He is an esteemed legal scholar, and was Special Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee when it brought impeachment charges against then-President Donald Trump. Great to see you. All right. So, let's tackle the Florida documents case. Donald Trump doesn't need to be there, but he will, and his attorneys are trying to make the argument that that entire case needs to be thrown out. What do they need to say to establish that there is no merit in this case?

NORMAN EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, & FMR. HOUSE JUDICIARY SPECIAL COUNSEL IN TRUMP'S FIRST IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: Fred, it's great to be back with you. And there are two issues that are being argued today. The first one, the more important of the two is Donald Trump's claim that the Presidential Records Act, a federal statute governing how presidents when they -- including when they leave office can have access to and possession of their documents, that that law gives him the power to hang on to all of these hundreds of classified documents. It does no such thing. I was in charge of that administration of that law when I worked in the White House Counsel's Office, and it does not allow a President to hang on to classified documents. It just doesn't say that. So, this is the longest of long shots.

There is another law, an executive order governing classified documents that does apply. And that is the rules. I also worked on those. Those are the rules that apply here. So, long shot number one. Long shot number two, he says this very detailed indictment of him is void for vagueness, that it doesn't spell out with sufficient detail what he did wrong, again, not going to work in an ordinary court of law. But, Judge Cannon has been very favorable to Donald Trump. She is sitting -- presiding over this case. So, we'll see.

WHITFIELD: Right. Well, why is Judge Cannon even entertaining this kind of argument? Because on the surface, just as you spell it out, it just seems like a delay tactic, to be able to argue that he has the right to do this when it's already been established that the way in which the President -- the former President took these documents and handled them, is contrary to the protocol on how these kinds of documents are handled. So, his attorneys already know this. But, they're being given the green light to make the argument. Why would Judge Cannon allow this argument?

EISEN: Not just allow it but schedule a whole day for these two flimsy arguments. Judge Cannon has had a history of really outrageous partiality to Donald Trump. She is a judge who was appointed, pushed through in the last days of his administration, and she has acted as if she owes him a favor. Don't take my word for it, Fred. The extremely conservative 11th Circuit Court of Appeals which oversees her has slapped her down not once but twice for showing special partiality to Donald Trump during the investigative phase of this case.

So, look, I could understand entertaining these arguments. That's the American legal system. Defendants get to test. I could understand deciding either based on the motions without a hearing or a short hearing. But, setting an entire day for these flimsy makeweight arguments? If Judge Cannon violates the law here, she should expect the 11th Circuit will look over her shoulder again for a third time because there is no basis to these legal arguments.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's move to the Georgia case, the Fulton County case where Judge McAfee has tossed out several charges on Wednesday. He didn't throw out the entire case, but a small handful that impact the former President and many of his allies. What does that say about the other pending decision about whether to dismiss the DA Fani Willis? It would seem if he was going to dismiss her, he would dismiss all of these cases.

[08:25:00]

So, is this kind of a signposting that the case will carry on with Fani Willis? It just means that there will be fewer charges against the former President and his allies?

EISEN: Fred, it's a mild indication that the judge might be leaning in favor of leaning -- of leaving Fani Willis in place of not disqualifying Fani Willis, because it's true that the judge pared back a few of the counts in the case. He left the top charge, the most important, the big RICO charge, in place, and most of the other charges remain in place. All of the defendants who were there before this decision are still part of the case, just with a handful of fewer counts. And by the way, he had some good reasons for paring back a couple of these counts. Observers tend to think, myself included, that he wouldn't hit Fani Willis twice in one week.

We're expecting a disqualification decision later in this week. And also that this is a kind of baby's splitting where he can say, well, I decided something to benefit Trump. Now, I'm going to reject his qualification to benefit Willis. But, it's only a mild indication. It could be -- he is going to disqualify Willis.

I will say a third factor, the most important of all, the law and the evidence strongly lean against disqualification. The defendants just did not make their case of an actual conflict. So, once again, there are indicators, but we won't know for sure until we get the judge's decision. WHITFIELD: OK. The clock is ticking still, just over, what, 48 hours or just under 48 hours to go before the end of this week, and Judge McAfee said that he would be making a decision probably by week's end. All right. CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen, thank you so much.

EISEN: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, lend a hand to end child labor. These students in Kosovo are showing their support for My Freedom Day. More on all of this straight ahead. And are watching for a big test of the world's most powerful rocket, while a lot is riding on the SpaceX starship for Elon Musk. That's straight ahead. Plus, Russia comes under new military pressure as voters head to the polls for presidential elections. Details straight ahead.

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[08:30:00]

WHITFIELD: Russians will head to the polls for three days beginning Friday to a vote in a presidential election that has Vladimir Putin seeking a fifth term. President Putin is urging voters, including those in the annexed Ukrainian regions, to cast ballots as a show of patriotism. Ukraine is stepping up drone attacks before the election, striking oil refineries deep inside Russia, according to a Ukrainian defense source. And this comes amid reports of attacks in southern Russia by pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call themselves the Siberian Battalion, one of several Ukraine- based Russian paramilitaries that are striking across the Russian border. We can't verify their video. But, the group says it shows their latest assault on Russian soil ahead of a presidential vote that Vladimir Putin is certain to win. Never mind voting at the ballot box, says this fighter, taking cover. Join us and vote with the gun, he says.

More dramatic video from another group, the Freedom of Russia Legion say they assaulted Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions. Two Russian villages, they say, were captured. Russian officials say all the attacks were pushed back with dozens of invaders killed, as well as several tanks destroyed. It is Ukrainian election interference, according to the Russian President, who is set, regardless, to secure a fifth term in the Kremlin.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to if not disrupt the presidential elections in Russia, then at least somehow interfere with the normal processes of expressing the will of citizens.

CHANCE (voice-over): But, human rights groups say that normal process has already been distorted in a Kremlin crackdown on dissent, including hundreds of detentions at memorials for opposition leader Alexei Navalny who died suddenly last month in an Arctic penal colony. Just this week, his former Chief of Staff in exile, Leonid Volkov, said he was brutally attacked by a man with a hammer outside his home in neighboring Lithuania, left with painful wounds and a broken arm.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin strongman is already looking beyond the Russian election to the U.S. presidential race, insisting he will work with whoever, in his words, is trusted by the American people. But, he warned U.S. forces to stay out of the war in Ukraine.

PUTIN (Interpreted): The U.S. has said it's not sending troops to Ukraine. But, we know what American troops would be on Russian territory, interventionists. This is how we would treat them. Even if they appear on the territory of Ukraine, they understand this.

CHANCE (voice-over): But for now, it is Ukraine doing the fighting, unleashing a barrage of drone attacks across Russia, like this one in Belgorod. These images show a drone flying near a Russian oil facility in the city of Ryazan. Russian authorities say at least 25 Ukrainian drone attacks have been thwarted. But, as Russia's presidential election nears, the impact of its war next door is being increasingly felt.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Kidnappers in Nigeria are reportedly demanding more than $600,000 in ransom for the safe return of nearly 300 school children being held captive. Last week, police say armed men stormed this school in Kaduna State and abducted the students, while Nigeria's President says the kidnappers will be brought to justice. His government is refusing to pay the ransom. The kidnappers have threatened to kill the children if the money is not received. That's according to one resident who lives near the school.

All right. Next hour, will it be third time lucky for the latest Starship launch from SpaceX? The third flight test of the world's most powerful rocket is set for liftoff in the next hour from the SpaceX Starbase in Texas. Two previous attempts to launch the starship ended in explosions.

Let's bring in Space and Defense Correspondent Kristin Fisher. So, tell us about this mission and why they feel so optimistic.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, says he gives this mission about an 80 percent chance of success, which is higher than what he said for the previous two flight tests. So, we'll see. I mean, this could very end in another explosion.

[08:35:00]

But, what we will see, if this is successful, is that SpaceX, this Starship launch rocket, the largest rocket ever made, will launch from Boca Chica, Texas, at about one hour from now, if all goes according to plan, and then we'll see the super heavy booster separate from the Starship rocket itself. That booster will then splash back down into the Gulf of Mexico, while the Starship rocket will travel for about 45 minutes and then splash down somewhere in the Indian Ocean, which is different from the previous two flight attempts.

So, Fredricka, one of the most amazing things about this is, the FAA just granted SpaceX its license, its launch license less than 24 hours ago, at about 5 p.m. This has been a very quick turnaround for SpaceX. They've had to contend with some slightly higher than usual winds and some fog down there. But, as of now, the weather appears to be go for launch. They have started fueling this rocket, and they've actually pushed back the liftoff time just a little bit, twice now, because there have been some boats in the area that have gotten too close to the launch pad. So, as of now, we're targeting about 9:25 a.m. Eastern Time for liftoff, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Keep us posted, as I know you are watching very closely. Thank you so much, Kristin Fisher.

All right. Starship's potential is truly out of this world. Its reusability and large payload capacity will allow much cheaper satellite delivery. The huge craft could carry 100 people to Mars, a huge increase from SpaceX's four-person Dragon capsule, and Starship could also carry large amounts of cargo directly to the moon's surface, allowing the construction of a permanent moon base. And here on Earth, SpaceX says point-to-point trips outside of the Earth's atmosphere would allow most international trips to be completed within 30 minutes. That's the potential.

All right. Still to come, class is in session and the topic of the day is combating modern day slavery. It is My Freedom Day, and we will be live at schools in London and Lagos.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The eighth annual My Freedom Day is here, and students around the world are posting to social media about what freedom means to them. It's a student-led day of action against modern day slavery and a celebration of freedom. This year, the focus is on combating forced labor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me, freedom means being heard and understood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me means having the ability to show self-expression, not suppress my emotions and speak up.

[08:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom is having an education and the potential to be super. Freedom is knowing I will eventually work for my pain and put on my workplace up. But, freedom is not being classed aside and forced into labor.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Oh, these brilliant students. We're live in the UK and Nigeria as well, by the way. Elliott Gotkine joins us from Queen Anne's School in Caversham, England, outside of London, and Stephanie Busari is at Corona Secondary School, Agbara Estate in Lagos. All right. Good to see you both.

So, Elliott, you first. How are the students at Queen Anne's school taking part in today's My Freedom Day?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Fredricka, all day the 400 pupils here at their skill school just west of London have been taking part in activities to mark My Freedom Day. There have been art projects. There have been speeches from survivors of modern day slavery. They've heard stories about things like gold miners in Ghana and child soldiers in Congo. There has been singing performances and there has also been dance performances as well. And in fact, we're about to be treated to another dance performance here at the school.

I'm very delighted to be joined by Issy Kelly, who is the captain of the Twilight Dance Company. Issy, great to see you. Thanks for joining us. Tell us a bit more about the dance that we're about to see.

ISSY KELLY, STUDENT, QUEEN ANNE'S SCHOOL: This is our dance company. We've got students from age seven to 13, and we're going to be performing a jazz dance called "One Night Only" (ph).

GOTKINE: OK. And what does freedom mean to you and to your fellow dancers?

KELLY: I think having the opportunity to express yourself have you want to be and be whoever you really want to be.

GOTKINE: OK. And is there anything that stood out for you throughout the day in terms of what you've been seeing and hearing about modern day slavery?

KELLY: So, I haven't actually been taking part in these bits, but yeah, just hearing everyone's story I think it's really good.

GOTKINE: OK. Well, without further ado, I'm going to let you get back to your dance company, which I'm very pleased to see is in lovely CNN red sequins, and we'll let you take it away. So, off you go.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

GOTKINE: OK. Well, Beyonce's "One Night Only" is playing, and the Twilight Dance Company is still dancing. We are going to wrap things up here. Of course, modern day slavery affecting some 50 million people around the world still. And it's not just in countries far from here. But, even here in the UK, some 3,500 children exploited every year. All of these events designed to raise awareness of the issue to help inform the pupils and hopefully have an impact, so that if we come back here next year, things may be just a little bit better. Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, Elliott, I love these Twilight Dance Company ladies are so passionate and talented. Thank you so much. And thanks to all of them for their performance. Please convey that for us.

All right. Stephanie, to you in Lagos, what are students telling you at the Corona Secondary School there?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: They are so excited to take part in these activities. And they've actually spent a whole week preparing. They've had songs of freedom. They've had dance performances. And also later, a 500-strong march around this day. This is a boarding school in Agbara Estate, just on the outskirts of Lagos. And they're going to march around this stage to raise awareness, all 500 students in this boarding school.

But, these students have been telling me that they believe that they are the leaders for today, not just for tomorrow, and they think it's really crucial to give back and raise awareness about the theme of forced labor. Nigeria has issues with forced labor, very high incidents of children working in farms and other places. And these children are really, really determined that they should lend their voice.

Let me bring in one of them, the school's head girl who has been coordinating some of the activities here. So, tell me, Neri (ph), what does freedom mean to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Thank you. Normally, people are limited to their own anxiety, to their insecurities, and to their own perspective of how people perceive them.

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And I have been in a situation like that before, and that forced me to come out of my shell, and made me climb the ranks to being the head girl of a prestigious school like Corona. With this, I have the influence to even bring people -- to make people come out of their own shell as well. I like bringing that spirit and make them -- make their voice heard just -- that's just how I perceive freedom.

BUSARI: Absolutely. So, how have you been preparing for My Freedom Day? This is something that the school does every year, actually. So, how have you been preparing this year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, like you said, we have done dance performances, drama, spoken words. We have read a lot about child labor. We are going to do a walk this evening. And all over the school, there are posters talking about freedom, child labor, and all of that.

BUSARI: Yeah. Fantastic. It's been great to spend time here with you guys.

So, let me bring in another student who has actually, as the students have been telling me that freedom to them means giving back. And this student, Jennifer (ph), come -- let's meet Jennifer. Jennifer is the embodiment really of what we're doing here today. She grew up in less privileged circumstances, had to stop education for many years, but came to this school and has really blossomed, and her life has changed, she told me. So, Jennifer, tell us about what freedom means to you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom is to coming from Italy. (Inaudible) losing my dad, at the same time my sister. That's my freedom. I mean, making that decision upcoming year, that's the freedom for me. Freedom means, Corona giving me this wonderful education, giving me this education that I never expected, losing hope after losing my dad, and everything, that's freedom for me.

BUSARI: Yeah. So, I mean, this -- they're so passionate here, just walking around, they are putting up signs saying that little hands are not to be exploited but are to be free, and really they embody that sentiment very much here. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Stephanie, you are so right. I mean, also so passionate, but exemplifying right now that they are leaders of today, not just tomorrow, but today as well. Thank you so much. Stephanie Busari and Elliott Gotkine, appreciate it and appreciate you bringing us the point of view of those beautiful aspiring young people.

All right. And how about, here is a challenge for you, post your message to join the fight against forced labor using the #MyFreedomDay on social media, and go to cnn.com/myfreedomday for more information.

All right. Still to come, excitement is building at the SpaceX Starbase in Texas. Its massive Starship rocket faces a third test flight. We'll ask an astronomer from the Greenwich Observatory what's at stake, next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. A quick update on that scheduled Starship launch from SpaceX. The third test flight of the world's biggest rocket is just moments away. Liftoff is set for early, the next hour, from the SpaceX Starbase in Texas.

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Two previous attempts didn't go as planned with both missions ending in explosions.

I'm joined now by Tom Kerss, an astronomer and author. Good to see you, Tom. So, do you feel a little bit more optimistic about this mission today?

TOM KERSS, ASTRONOMER AND AUTHOR: It's funny, because we're talking a lot today about what happened in those two previous missions. We had the first flight test of the Starship back in April of last year. The second flight test was in November of last year. If you look at what people say about those, you'll get mixed opinions. You'll hear the space launch vehicle community, people such as me, perhaps saying that they were failures, and you will hear SpaceX saying that they were successes. That's probably a bit of marketing. The reality is that everybody is sort of right and wrong, because when it comes to a launch test like this, there is an opportunity for both success and failure. SpaceX is not just testing one vehicle here. They're really testing

two vehicles. They have the super heavy, which is their huge first stage rocket system that will attempt to make a water landing, and they also have their Starship vehicle, which everybody gets really excited about, because that is the vehicle that ultimately could deliver people and cargo to the moon and beyond. So, there is an opportunity for this to be very exciting. It may still end in some aspects of the flight test failing to meet expectations, but SpaceX will learn a lot, regardless what happens, just as they learned from the previous two flight tests.

WHITFIELD: I mean, in a strange way, they want a little bit of failure. Right? I mean, nothing catastrophic. But, you learn from your failures to fine tune for the next mission, right, and especially on such kind of unmanned devices. So, what do we think they learned, and what kind of adjustments were they able to make, as a consequence?

KERSS: Well, that's a good question. I mean, SpaceX isn't always overly transparent about what adjustments they make internally. They are producing a product, which down the line they want to be able to sell as a launch service. So, they're not going to perhaps disclose everything that they're doing or --

WHITFIELD: True.

KERSS: -- looking at. But, we have learned that in the past they've tried to be quite ambitious and introduced new aspects to their flight tests. So, in the second flight test, for example, they added what we call a hot staging maneuver, which means activating your rocket engines before actually separating the two vehicles. I suspect they'll do the same again today. And they're actually adding even more challenges today.

So, even as they learn from the failure, they are making it, if you like, more difficult for themselves. But, it is an opportunity to keep learning new things. We have seen that I think we can chalk (ph) up some of what's gone wrong previously to the extraordinary tolerances that are required when dealing with such an enormously powerful vehicle moving at such tremendous speed. So, hopefully, they will have tightened up those tolerances and that the vehicle can complete at least the full flight test.

WHITFIELD: OK. What's the kind of cooperation that might be -- that might have taken place or continues to take place between a SpaceX and National Space Programs like NASA?

KERSS: Well, SpaceX is very valuable to NASA, because SpaceX is not just a rocket company, a space services company, but also very rapid R&D company. And so, SpaceX has made very fast improvements to its rockets, which has allowed it to bring the cost of rocketry down. Rocketry is exceptionally expensive. Launch vehicles are very expensive. And so, it's valuable for NASA to have a partner in the U.S. that can deliver those services. So, I think we'll see continued tightened cooperation.

But, of course, SpaceX is not the only company on the playing field. We are seeing Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' company, and others starting to pick up and offer launch services. So, I think SpaceX is trying to be quite shrewd about its own future here and to bring the Starship online as quick as they can, because ultimately, that just now allows them, if you will, another line of products and services that they can offer to NASA, this super heavy lift, the ability to deliver an enormous amount of cargo into orbit, or even to the moon or perhaps one day, also to Mars.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, I'll be watching next hour to see if third time is a charm. Tom Kerss, astronomer and author, thank you so much.

All right. The Boeing plane which suddenly plunged in mid-air on Monday during a flight from Australia to New Zealand is now in Chile. The plane left Auckland earlier Thursday and it just landed in Santiago. Officials say that's where the plane is registered, and why Chile is taking the lead on the investigation. A team of Chilean aviation officials went to New Zealand on Thursday to examine the plane. Dozens of passengers were hurt in what's being called a technical event during Monday's flight. Chile's aviation team will look at the plane's cockpit voice recorder and its flight data recorder to try to figure out what caused that incident.

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All right. It would be nice to have your name in lights. Right. Well, how would you like to have your name on the moon? NASA is offering it etch, an offering, making an offer, rather, to etch your name into a microchip that will be sent to the moon. It will be part of NASA's first ever robotic moon rover named VIPER. Later this year, VIPER will travel to the lunar's South Pole region to explore the surface. Go to nasa.gov/viper for more information.

All right. Before we go, we want to give you a bird's eye view of the Concorde jet floating down the Hudson River in New York much slower than when it flew at the speed of sound, of course. The jet has just finished a seven-month restoration and is now on its way back to its permanent home. It will be lifted by a crane and then placed back at Pier 86 in Manhattan, which is the home of the Intrepid Museum.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.

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