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Surging Gang Violence In Haiti Prompts The Government To Extend A Nighttime Curfew; U.S. Military Claims Progress In The Fight Against Houthi Attacks In The Red Sea And Gulf Of Aden; Russia's Presidential Elections Underway; U.S. House Passes The Bill To Ban TikTok; True Confidence Cargo Ship Takes Direct Hit From A Houthi Missile; Putin Expected To Extend 24-Year Grip On Power In Kremlin; Judge Denies One Of Trump's Motions In Classified Docs Case; SpaceX and NASA Celebrate Starship's Third Test Flight. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired March 15, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching around the world. I'm Anna Coren, live from Hong Kong, ahead on CNN Newsroom. Gaza's health ministry accuses Israel of targeting civilians waiting for food. What witnesses say happened and how the Israeli military is responding to the claims.
Plus, voting is underway in Russia's presidential elections, where Vladimir Putin is set to coast to the finish line with a fifth term victory. And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: Four-three-two-one.
COREN: A rocket designed to eventually send astronauts to Mars completes a successful test flight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Russians are casting their ballots in a presidential election where the outcome was practically settled before it even began. Voting got underway in Moscow about an hour ago as polling stations gradually open across Russia's 11 time zones. President Vladimir Putin is considered a shoo-in to win with many opposition leaders either dead, jailed, exiled or banned from running.
The widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny has urged voters to turn out and protest. Moving on now to the Palestinian health ministry again accuses Israel of targeting people waiting for food aid after an incident on Thursday. At least 20 people are reported killed and more than 150 others wounded.
Hospitals are struggling to deal with the volume and types of injuries coming through their doors. Witnesses say the aid distribution site was hit by what sounded like tank or artillery fire. Israel's military denies it was responsible for the attack and says it's, quote, "assessing the incident".
Separately, the Palestinian health ministry accuses Israel of attacking an aid distribution center at al-Nusriyat refugee camp on Thursday. Health officials say eight people were killed. Israel's military did not immediately comment. One of the volunteers at the distribution warehouse says people were handing out supplies when they were attacked.
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MUHAMMED ABU ABDO, AID DISTRIBUTION CREW VOLUNTEER (through translator): We were giving diapers to people, flour, spaghetti and other things. Suddenly, we saw missiles fired at us. Some young men were killed. Some people were wounded. This is not a rocket area or a place for resistance. Nothing is here. This is the resistance. They hit the flour bag and hit the people while taking it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The U.N. says it will take years to clear Gaza of any unexploded ordinances and to clean out nearly 23 million metric tons of debris. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says the war has killed more than 31,000 people in Gaza and more than 73,000 have been injured. More than 70 per cent of the victims are women and children.
The protesters in Tel Aviv are demanding the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza. They marched from a city square and blocked a highway on Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is doing it all it can but Hamas is clinging to unacceptable demands.
Also in Tel Aviv, thousands of people gathered to protest the exemption of ultra-orthodox Israelis from military service. A legal deadline to come up with an alternative arrangement now looms at the end of March.
Well, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate is criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling for new elections. Chuck Schumer says many Israelis have lost confidence in the vision and direction of the government and new elections are the only way to allow for healthy and open decisions about the country's future. Schumer says Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way, allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of the country.
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CHUCK SCHUMER, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER: As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me that the Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October 7th. The world has changed radically since then and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, Mr. Netanyahu's Likud Party responded, Israel is not a banana republic but an independent and proud democracy that elected Prime Minister Netanyahu. Contrary to Schumer's words, the Israeli public supports a total victory over Hamas and opposes the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza.
The U.S. military is claiming progress in the fight against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Central Command says forces destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Earlier on Thursday, Iran-backed Houthis fired two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf of Aden and two more towards the Red Sea. No one was injured and no ships reported any damage.
Well, Houthi leaders have vowed to continue attacking ships off the coast until Israel ends the war in Gaza. The militants have even hijacked some vessels and are holding crew members hostage. CNN's Scott McLean has the story.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the burning wreckage of the cargo ship True Confidence after it took a direct hit from a Houthi missile last week. Video from the Indian Navy shows troops winching the stranded crew into a helicopter and later tending to injuries. One had burns to his face, another later had his leg amputated, according to the Philippines' government. Most of the 23 crew members were Filipino and arrived back in Manila this week.
MARK DAGOHOY, CREW MEMBER OF SHIP ATTACKED BY HOUTHIS (through translator): It's saddening and horrible because we were all together and suddenly all this happened. It's very painful for us, especially for the families.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Three of the crew are still on board the ship, presumed dead. These are the first deaths after months of Houthi missile attacks in the Red Sea, targeting any ships with links to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. True Confidence is now somewhere in the Arabian Sea, slowly being tugged to the nearest safe port, according to Filipino diplomat Eduardo de Vega.
EDUARDO DE VEGA, PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: One family is still holding hope until they see the remains of their loved one, they continue to hold hope. Miracles do happen.
MCLEAN (voice-over): De Vega oversees his countrymen who make up one- fifth of the world's commercial seafarers. Filipinos also make up most of the Galaxy Leaders crew. It was hijacked by Houthi gunmen back in November. The crew has been held hostage ever since.
DE VEGA: The word we get from the Houthis is insane and they've been saying it, that they will keep holding the ship and all the crewmen until we see an end to the hostilities in Gaza.
MCLEAN: There's no point in negotiating. DE VEGA: We believe they may be expecting that governments recognize
them as the official government and it would be difficult for any government to recognize a government which attached ships on the sea.
MCLEAN (voice-over): New data shared with CNN by maritime security firm Ambri Analytics shows the extent of the Houthis attacks on commercial ships since November. Almost 100 incidents, at least 23 of them missile or drone attacks, that left physical damage to a vessel. One ship, the Rubimar, was sunk.
De Vega believes most of the Galaxy Leader crewmen are still being held on board the ship, which has become a local tourist attraction off the coast of Hodeidah in Yemen. In November, the Houthis promised to treat the crew members as their guests.
UNKNOWN: Don't worry about everything.
MCLEAN (voice-over): They're in weekly contact with their families, are being fed and there is no indication of abuse. But De Vega says the only proper treatment is to release them. Scott McLean, CNN, Istanbul.
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COREN: Surging gang violence in Haiti has prompted the government to extend a nighttime curfew until Sunday. Officials also banned all demonstrations on public roads in the western region during the state of emergency, which has extended through April 3rd. And the United Nations says it is reducing the number of non-essential personnel in Haiti because of the volatile situation.
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Award-winning actor and filmmaker Sean Penn, who co-founded a relief effort in response to the 2010 earthquake, talked to CNN about the situation.
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SEAN PENN, U.S. ACTOR AND FILM DIRECTOR: Some of the people, people who, you know, certainly opposed the gangs, are giving credit now to the fact that it was the gangs that were able to do this thing that so many wanted to have done.
Now, if that means that Haiti can look at it as a new beginning, then I would hope that the United States can look at it as a new beginning, and Canada and France and all those three in particular, so that we, you know, maybe all together for the first time, listen to what the Haitians, how they want to do it and what they need.
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COREN: Sean Penn speaking there. In the U.S., Florida has launched an online portal for Americans who may be trapped in Haiti. They can input their names and contact information. However, it's unclear what state officials plan to do with the data. Meantime, the Biden administration may use Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to
process Haitian migrants if they begin fleeing the country en masse because of the violence. CNN's Carlos Suarez has more.
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CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A U.S. official tells CNN the Biden administration is discussing using the American naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to process Haitian migrants if there is a massive exodus to the U.S. The site, which is about 200 miles from Haiti, has been used to hold and process migrants before.
Now, according to officials, the U.S. Coast Guard has not seen an increase in the number of Haitian migrants making the journey to the U.S. Since October, 131 Haitian migrants have been stopped off the coast of Florida and sent back to Haiti.
Now, despite those numbers, on Wednesday, the Florida governor's office announced more than 250 law enforcement officers and members of the National and State Guard will be deployed to southern Florida in anticipation of more Haitian migrants arriving.
As for the situation on the ground in Haiti, sources tell CNN that armed men attacked the home of Haiti's national police director, were told that they ransacked and set fire to the place. It's unclear if anyone was hurt.
Now, CNN has also learned that the country's airport could soon reopen, were told repairs in areas that gang members broke through last month are almost complete, and that 150 Haitian police and military officers are guarding the grounds. Now, exactly when air traffic could reopen is unclear.
It is also unclear if outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry will return to the country after agreeing to resign on Tuesday. His office told CNN that Haiti's constitution states that only he and his cabinet can appoint a council for the transition of power. Carlos Suarez, CNN, Miami.
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COREN: After the break, TikTok CEO says the app's potential ban in the U.S. could impact millions. We'll have the story straight ahead. And later in the hour, another legal setback for Donald Trump. A judge denies the former President's motion in the classified documents case. Find out why after the break.
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SHOU CHEW, CEO, TIKTOK: And there's a lot of misinformation out there. And I intend to clarify it. You know, there's a lot of noise, but I haven't heard exactly what we've done this wrong. As you know, it's very disappointing for us that the bill passed in the House of Representatives.
You know, we looked at it. This is a ban bill. You know, in this form, with this passing the law, this is a ban on the app in this country. It's going to impact 170 million Americans who use our app. It's going to impact seven million small businesses. And I hope their voices are heard. Okay. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, that was TikTok CEO who was on U.S. Capitol Hill Thursday trying to convince lawmakers that a potential TikTok ban is bad for business. Well, after the House passed a bill that could ban the app in the U.S. if the company fails to divest itself of Chinese ownership, the outcome is now in the hands of U.S. senators. If they pass it, owner ByteDance will have five months to sell the app, which already has potential buyers. CNN's Anna Stewart reports.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, TikTok may have an interested buyer, even if it's not actually for sale. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told CNBC earlier --
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STEVEN MNUCHIN, FORMER U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think it should be sold. I understand the technology. It's a great business, and I'm going to put together a group to buy TikTok.
UNKNOWN: You're trying to buy TikTok?
MNUCHIN: I am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: This comes a day after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it doesn't divest itself of Chinese ownership within around five months. The legislation heads next to the Senate, where the future is not yet clear.
Mnuchin hasn't revealed who the other potential backers are, but any possible acquisition would be under significant antitrust scrutiny. Other potential buyers said to be circling include Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision, "The Wall Street Journal", citing people familiar with the situation, reported that he floated the idea to buy TikTok to a table of people, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
TikTok's powerful algorithm could, in theory, be used to train OpenAI if such a deal existed. However, Dan Ives, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Wedbush Securities, told CNN ByteDance will never sell TikTok with the source code, the special source that makes the app so successful and valuable.
The algorithm has raised alarm on the other side of the Atlantic. Italian authorities issuing an $11 million fine for what they call unfair commercial practice. They say TikTok simply didn't do enough to stop damaging content spreading to young and vulnerable people. TikTok disagreed. The fine may not be the worst of TikTok's concerns right now, as the social platform is now facing scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
COREN: Well, let's go now to Alex Capri in Spokane, Washington. He is a research fellow for the Hinrich Foundation and a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore. Alex, great to have you with us.
It would appear an increasing number of Democrats and Republicans in Congress want TikTok sold as a matter of national security. But do you believe it is in fact a spying tool for the Chinese, accessing the data of millions of Americans?
ALEX CAPRI, RESEARCH FELLOW, HINRICH FOUNDATION: Well, look. It's certainly possible, although there's been no hard evidence to date that's been presented. But it is problematic for TikTok because of the national security laws that exist in China. You know, these laws require Chinese companies. And of course, TikTok is owned by ByteDance, Chinese company, it requires Chinese companies to cooperate with national intelligence gathering efforts. So it's possible that it could happen or it could actually be happening.
COREN: Alex, a recent poll in the U.S. found that only 31 percent of Americans are in fact in favor of a nationwide ban. This bill yet to pass the Senate doesn't seem to have the popular support.
CAPRI: It certainly doesn't. I mean, as you said in the lead in, you know, there's 170 million active users, seven million businesses. And there are First Amendment rights, you know, freedom of speech issues at play. And of course, courts have already ruled that this is an infringement of freedom of if this platform were to be banned.
[02:20:00]
So, it's clearly going to face headwinds. We don't know how it's going to turn out in the Senate. But there clearly are headwinds. And as you say, it's not that popular to ban this.
COREN: As we heard from the former Treasurer Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who now runs a private equity firm, he said he's trying to put together a consortium to buy TikTok. We know that Oracle and Microsoft in the past certainly have been interested. Who do you believe are the interested parties if in fact TikTok is sold?
CAPRI: Well, clearly, any investors with technology backgrounds would clearly be interested in this. But there are two things at play, I think here. The first is whether or not the parent company ByteDance will actually agree to the sale. That's number one. Number two is if they do agree to the sale, will they actually turn over that secret sauce, right? Those algorithms that make TikTok so potent, you know, as a video platform.
And that really remains to be seen. You know, that technology is actually considered a strategic technology by the Chinese government. So, you know, I think a lot of this is still up in the air.
COREN: Yeah, I wanted to ask you about the roadblocks in selling TikTok. You mentioned, you know, ByteDance, you know, having to come on board to sell it. But what about the role of the Chinese government?
CAPRI: Yeah, exactly right. I mean, the algorithms in play here actually have export controls on them, right? They are considered a controlled technology and have national security implications. So again, you know, it's anybody's guess whether the Chinese Communist Party agrees to actually sell those. And, you know, many would say that they won't do that.
COREN: It would be very surprising if they did. Alex Capri, great to speak to you. Thank you for your perspective. After the break, the charges still stand. A judge rejects Donald Trump's motion in the classified documents case. We'll tell you why.
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COREN: Well, Russians are casting their ballots in a presidential election where the outcome was practically settled before it even began. Voting got underway in Moscow about an hour ago as polling stations gradually opened across Russia's 11 time zones. President Vladimir Putin is considered a shoo-in to win, with many opposition leaders either dead, jailed, exiled or banned from running.
[02:25:00]
The widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny has urged voters to turn out at noon on the last day of voting on Sunday as a show of protest. But a prosecutor in Moscow is warning that unauthorized public gatherings during the election are punishable under the law.
Well, Clare Sebastian is monitoring developments and joins us now from London. Clare, it's ironic that we're even calling it an election. But tell us why this election, this vote, is important and the repercussions of those who may protest.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, and it's important because this is essentially a legitimizing exercise for President Putin. Obviously, as you say, there are no genuine opposition candidates. One of the sort of nominal candidates running against Putin actually told CNN's Matthew Chance that he is aiming to come second. So, I think that gives you a sense there.
But this is about Putin consolidating his power at home and getting at least the appearance of a mandate, which now that we're deep into the third year of this very costly war in Ukraine, is absolutely crucial for the Kremlin. And that is ultimately why this matters. If he secures this mandate, he can then continue with that war in Ukraine.
There are questions, of course, around whether this could lead to another round of mobilization. And the war in Ukraine in itself is about consolidating Putin's power on the world stage. He said it this week. He said, if we stop now, we'll be a third or fourth rate country. No one will take us into account. I think that is a crucial insight into the thinking of Putin. He wants Russia to be up there with the superpowers of the world alongside the United States.
Now, the other reason that we care in the shorter term about this election is because we may, as you alluded to that, get a sense of how strong opposition feeling is in Russia or how brave the Russian population is to show that opposition feeling in the face of the mounting repression that we've seen, especially since the start of the war.
Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has called for people to turn out at noon on Sunday at polling stations and either vote or spoil their ballots or simply just stand there. And the Russian authorities, which have basically outlawed all non-prearranged forms of protest, have made it clear that they would see this as illegal. So, that sets up potential tension. So we'll be watching that very closely, Anna.
COREN: Clare, let's talk a little bit more about what Vladimir Putin said about using nuclear weapons, you know, if the state of Russia is at stake, what else has he said on the matter?
SEBASTIAN: So, we've seen, obviously, throughout the course of this war, the nuclear rhetoric wax and wane. We, according to CNN's Jim Sciutto, came relatively close to a dangerous incident in the autumn of 2022. And it seems to be waxing again right now.
Some of it looks like image making, potentially pre-election, Putin flying a nuclear capable strategic bomber several weeks ago. But other parts of it seem to be in response to comments from the French President Emmanuel Macron about opening the debate on putting Western troops on the ground in Ukraine, the expansion of NATO now to include Sweden.
In his State of the Union address on February 29th, President Putin said that, you know, in any case of any sort of potential interventionists in this war, the consequences would be tragic. He said we have weapons that could hit their territory. And we saw that step up again this week, saying he would be ready to use nuclear weapons if the existence of the Russian state was at stake, though he said he didn't see a need for that yet.
That is, of course, in the Russian nuclear doctrine. They're allowed to use a first strike if there's an existential threat to the existence of the state. And now we see chatter, a public meeting from President Putin on Thursday talking about Russia's plans when it comes to the nuclear sphere in space. Take a look.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This sphere is important. We've gotten used to having skills that other countries do not have. But this sphere needs to get special attention from us for it firstly to develop and secondly to be used in the future in order to fill the tasks that require this technology.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SEBASTIAN: So, this is a posture, of course, from President Putin, but it does back up declassified U.S. intel that came out in the middle of February that suggested Russia was preparing an anti- satellite nuclear system in space. It wasn't clear how far along that road they've come serious enough for the U.S. to do that and declassify that intelligence. So, this rhetoric, it's bluster perhaps, but it is very closely watched around the world.
COREN: Clare Sebastian, watching closely from London, thank you. And as Russians head out to vote, CNN's Brian Todd looks into how Mr. Putin rigged the electoral system to make sure he always comes out on top.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's already the longest serving ruler of Russia since the dictator Joseph Stalin, and he could easily eclipse Stalin's nearly 30 years in power.
[02:30:03]
Is there any intrigue over whether Vladimir Putin will manage to win yet another election?
EVELYN FARKAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MCCAIN INSTITUTE: A hundred certain that Vladimir Putin will remain the president of Russia.
TODD: Analysts say the former KGB colonel has rigged the system, sometimes not so subtly, so that only he can emerge victorious starting with eliminating legitimate opposition like Boris Nemtsov, who has gunned down at the foot of the Kremlin in 2015? And Alexei Navalny, who recently died very mysteriously in an Arctic gulag, though the Kremlin has denied any part in it.
RICHARD LOURIE, AUTHOR, "PUTIN: HIS DOWNFALL": What Navalny decided to do was he was going to set a template, set an example for the Russian opposition that if you go to play this game, have no illusions. This is a game to the death.
TODD: One opposition candidate who did get approved later still got disqualified. Only three other candidates were ultimately allowed to appear on the ballot. Token opposition analysts say.
Their numbers and their fates are -- have already been decided and their presence on the ballot is really to make it have the appearance of an actual election.
TODD: Yet the Kremlin is making great efforts to promote the vote.
Ads for Putin running on TV, polling stations set up nationwide. There's even voting in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, which goes against international law.
JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: They're going around literally with ballot boxes to people's houses in some places, urging them to vote. TODD: The Kremlin may have little reason to worry with near-total
only control of the media and the voting. But the turnout of the funeral for Navalny showed that there are still Russians willing to take great risks to support reform.
FARKAS: Navalny before he died said that everyone should go at noon on that final day and just stand in front of the polling station. Now will be interesting to see how many people do that in what parts of Russia.
TODD: Analysts say Russian voter apathy from decades of being worn down by fraudulent elections helps Putin.
As to his messages to the public, appealing to their paranoia.
DOUGHERTY: He has to alternately say we are surrounded by enemies and they are external and they are internal in Vladimir Putin's mind, and that he is the person who can protect Russian.
TODD: Even if some votes against him gain critical mass --
FARKAS: If he has a maybe too few ballots, they'll -- they'll create some votes for him. So that's a very corrupt system. And three days gives them the leeway to do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (on camera): Given how heavily Putin has tip the scales, what are the most likely ways his rule will end? Analysts say the more realistic scenarios include a popular uprising, which is less likely a coup or Putin simply dying on the throne.
The most unlikely scenario they say is Vladimir Putin actually really being voted out of office.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: The latest developments on Donald Trump's legal issues. New York prosecutors say they're open to delaying the former president's hush money criminal trial until late April. The trial is currently set to start on the 25th of March in Trump's Georgia election subversion case. The judge will decide and the coming hours on the ethics allegations against D.A. 40 Willis.
And the judge presiding over the classified documents case has rejected one of the former president's motions.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Five hours in a courtroom in his classified documents case on Thursday, Donald Trump's team made two different arguments trying to get his case dismissed and has already lost one of those arguments. The judge here, Judge Aileen Cannon of the southern district of Florida, she has rejected Donald Trump's attempt to have his case dismissed because his team were trying to claim that the law was too vague.
But Judge Cannon very shortly after the hearing said that's not going to be the case. That's going to be a question in an argument that perhaps you could talk to her and to the jurors about at a later time, but its not enough of an argument that the national defense laws are so vague that he wouldn't have known what he was doing. It could be charged with a crime like this in this classified document, mishandling case.
Now, there's another arguments still out there that Judge Cannon has not yet ruled on. That's Donald Trumps argument that the papers that he had kept at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency, things about weapons, military plans, military responses in the case of an attack, foreign powers, all of those things Donald Trump wants to say where his personal papers and he had the ability to keep them because he could have chosen to do so as president.
That's something that Judge Cannon was also skeptical about. But she has a yet said exactly what she's going to do with that request from his team. It's only a small portion of what his team has been arguing to this judge to have his case dismissed.
[02:35:02]
And so there is a lot more to do both in court and then to await as the judge precedes toward trial here in this case against Donald Trump in South Florida.
Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Fort Pierce, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: A jury in Michigan has found the father of school shooter, Ethan Crumbley, guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
James Crumbley faces a maximum 15 years in prison. Prosecutors say he bought the nine millimeter pistol for his son days before the shooting, failed to secure it and ignored his sons deteriorating mental health.
Ethan's mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted last month on the same charges. The 15-year-old gunman killed four people in November 2021
Well, the SpaceX's Starship may have been lost, but still ahead, the company says it is still one step closer to carrying astronauts, I should say, to the moon. Those details after the break.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh, that's -- one coming right at us.
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COREN: That's one of seven reported tornadoes in Ohio and Indiana.
And a tornado watch has been extended for several hours for those two states and northern Kentucky. Officials in Ohio say, there are reports that are building has collapsed and people may be trapped under it. More than 10 million people were under tornado watches from northeastern Texas to central Ohio. The Storm Prediction Center says over 300 storms are reported from Texas to Pennsylvania on Thursday. And the number is expected to go up, as powerful storms continue to impact the region.
Well, Prince William and Prince Harry took part in a charity night in their late mother's name, but have done so separately. The Prince of Wales praised Princess Diana during a speech, marking the Diana Legacy Awards 25th anniversary in London. His brother Prince Harry only joined the event via a video call once William had left the event.
The brothers have had a fractured relationships since Harry publicly raised multiple complaints about the royal family, especially involving the treatment of his wife, Meghan.
SpaceX and NASA are calling Thursday's Starship test flight a success after the world's most powerful rocket achieved multiple milestones before likely breaking apart.
[02:40:01]
CNN's Kristin Fisher reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Starship flew further and faster than it did during any of its previous two flight tests. In this third flight test, which lifted off from Boca Chica, Texas, right on the border with Mexico, or as SpaceX likes to call it Starbase or the gateway to Mars, because this is the rocket that SpaceX hopes will someday land the very first humans on Mars will someday be used to perhaps even colonize Mars.
But first, NASA is hoping that SpaceX will be able to deliver on its contract to land the first NASA astronauts on the surface of the moon since the end of the Apollo program back in 1972.
So there are some big hopes for this starship rocket. What we saw was a successful stage separation of the super heavy booster and the Starship rocket spacecraft on top it then flew for 49 minutes.
And along the way, it beamed back these incredible HD live images. Thanks to some Starlink terminals that were on board, starship itself. Then we were able to see on entry as it was appropriate watching the splashdown site this incredible footage of starship like hitting the atmosphere and creating the plasma, this red glow around the spacecraft. I, id never seen in anything like it. I don't think anybody had really ever seen anything like it.
And then Starship broke up likely just above the Indian Ocean, falling short of its ultimate goal, which is a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. But I should note that the overall objective, the primary goal of this
mission was for Starship to reach orbital velocity or orbital speed. It did that and then some.
This splash down in the Indian Ocean was always kind of like a dream case scenario. In order to get your FAA license, you have to say what the ultimate target would be. And so that was really the case here for folks that say, is this success or a failure, you have SpaceX, of course, calling this a success, but so is NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and so as Blue Origin, one of SpaceX's primary competitors headed my fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.
So far more went right, than went wrong on this third flight test. And now, SpaceX says they have four more Starships ready to fly. They're hoping that the FAA can move quickly to work through this fairly routine mishap investigation and then granted, its next launch license.
Kristin Fisher, CNN, Washington
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COREN: Well, thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren.
"WORLD SPORT" is coming up next.
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