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7 U.S. Troops Injured in Raid of ISIS in Iraq; Harris Campaigns Slams Trump's Flip-Flop on Abortion; Mississippi Bus Crash Kills Seven People, Dozens Injured; NHL Star Johnny Gaudreau, Brother Killed on Bike Ride; Ukraine Asks U.S. to Ease Restrictions on Firing into Russia; Police Arrest Neighbor in Suspected Nudist Ranch Deaths; First Full Saturday of College Football Underway; NFL Updating Safety Standards with New Equipment. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 31, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:49]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, thanks for joining me. I'm Alex Marquardt in this weekend for Fredricka Whitfield.

New details coming into CNN, seven U.S. troops are recovering after they were hurt in a raid that killed at least 14 members of the radical group ISIS. That raid happening Thursday in Iraq. And according to U.S. Central Command it targeted ISIS leaders in order to disrupt the group's ability to plan future attacks.

And you're looking at brand new images of the cache of weapons and other items that were seized in that raid in the Anbar Desert in western Iraq. The Iraqi militia just releasing these pictures.

CNN's chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is following these developments and has the latest from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: We'll be hearing more details from the Iraqi military as to exactly what's happened in frankly the middle of the Anbar Desert in western Iraq in the early hours of Thursday morning, only coming to light on Saturday through this American statement.

Now the Iraqis referred to how this month operation took two months in the preparation of intelligence and targeting and how they were after four specific hideouts in that area. This is a pretty sparsely populated part of Iraq, mostly desert as far as we can tell. And they seem to say that these hideouts were indeed camouflaged suggesting possibly some sort of camp.

Now this was hit by airstrikes at 4:00 in the morning local time on Thursday, followed up by it seems the airborne insertion of troops. Quite likely there were Americans involved in this raid because of the injuries we're hearing about. That's the Iraqi say led to 14 dead, one less than the American statement suggests and that the ISIS fighters there were found with explosive belts and hand grenades. Now they appear to have been, the Iraqis, following this raid up early

Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m., arriving at the site to sort of look at the damage, do an assessment and that resulted in two further people being arrested early Saturday morning as well, who appeared to be trying to leave that area with important documents.

The American statement more sparse referring to the seven injured and how two of those required further care. And in fact two of the seven having fallen during the operation perhaps not wounded as part of combat there. But frankly, this is clearly an example of an American raid with the Iraqis that did not go as according to plan and a sign I think of how ferocious ISIS can still be in certain parts of Iraq and indeed Syria as well.

In fact, CENTCOM recently have warned the defeat ISIS missions over the past six months, the first six months of 2024, causing 44 ISIS operatives to be killed and 166 detained. The majority of those operations in Syria but the majority of the ISIS dead operatives in Iraq.

So clearly, 2019 when the fall of Baghuz and the remnants of the caliphate has not heralded the end of the ISIS threat in neither Iraq or Syria, which continues obviously here with the Americans warning that they are at this pace looking to double potentially the number of ISIS operations they do compare to the same period in the previous year.

Why? Well, clearly there has been an issue in Iraq and Syria where the defeat of the caliphate itself was not followed through with lengthy political settlements or a bid to try and remove the societal grievances that allowed the warped version of Islamism that is ISIS to take root in Iraq and Syria. And so they appear to have found a space to regroup.

The repeated deaths through U.S. operations of ISIS leaders, as has been a pause now. Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi in charge for a reasonable period of time with some analysts suggesting that has enabled some element of stability and regrouping. But we see ISIS at times through ISIS-K or other groups associated with threats in Europe, often from teenagers, singular act as it often seems unclear, their relationship to the group in the Middle East.

But the Biden administration often suggesting that terrorism essentially as it used to be a threat 10 years ago has now mostly under control, yet we see in Central Asia, at times in Russia, at times at singular moments in Europe, the persistent notion of the ISIS branding having traction with some individuals and instances like this and Iraq and Syria. A reminder of how they retain an operating space in the Middle East still.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:05:07]

MARQUARDT: Thanks to Nick Paton Walsh for that report.

Now, to the race for the White House where reproductive rights are taking center stage. Vice President Kamala Harris blasting her rival Donald Trump for saying that he will vote no on an amendment to Florida's abortion law. The amendment is on the ballot in Florida this November. And if enough voters in Florida vote no that would pave the way for a six-week abortion ban to stay in effect.

The former president appearing to flip-flop on this highly divisive issue in recent days. Earlier this week he seemed to indicate that he planned to vote to overturn the Florida ban when he cast his ballot in November. Yesterday, he again reversed course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think six weeks, you need more time than six weeks. I've disagreed with that right from the early primaries when I heard about it. I disagreed with it. At the same time the Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation where you can do an abortion in the ninth month. And, you know, some of the states like Minnesota and other states have it where you can actually execute the baby after birth. And all of that stuff is unacceptable. So I'll be voting no for that reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Now, of course, we need to point out it is illegal to execute a baby and no state anywhere in this country are you allowed to kill a child after it is born. There is no basis for that claim there by the former president.

I want to bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. She is covering these developments for us as well as the Harris campaign.

So what is the campaign now saying about this changing position by Trump over abortion?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're using it as another data point in their argument that the foreign president has flip-flopped on this issue. And reminding voters that he has previously boasted about the overturning Roe v. Wade because of the justices that he put on the Supreme Court.

Now in a statement from the vice president herself yesterday, she said the following, quote, "Donald Trump just made his position on abortion very clear. He will vote to uphold an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they're pregnant." She goes on to say that he is not done and concludes with the choice in this election is clear.

Now of course, the campaign has seen abortion, reproductive rights as a galvanizing issue among voters. It's one that they feel that they have the momentum and they're going to launch a reproductive rights tour on Tuesday in Florida, where it's on the ballot and what the former president Donald Trump was replying to there on Tuesday. So they're going to have at least 50 stops. It's going to be mostly surrogates, elected officials and celebrities.

But what it indicates to us is just how much they see it as an issue where they have the upper hand, one that they can bank on and one that is clearly resonating among voters simply by the fact that we're seeing the former president and as vice presidential nominee have to answer questions about this as well as infertility and IVF.

Now, the vice president had been put as the voice of this issue earlier in the year when it was the then-Biden campaign. She had her own reproductive rights tour at the start of the year. It's one of those stops where she called them the Trump abortion bans when referring to restrictions across the country. So clearly now at being the Harris campaign, it is an issue that they are going to consistently put front and center and often also frame as freedoms and protecting freedom.

So it's not only the issue, but also them taking sort of a broadening out of that and putting it under this umbrella of multiple freedoms that are at risk if former president Donald Trump were to take a second term.

MARQUARDT: So seizing on this on the campaign trail, emphasizing his change position, which will almost certainly be brought up in the debate on September 10th, which we assume is going to happen. Both sides say that they want this debate to happen, but they're still quibbling over the rules.

ALVAREZ: One rule in particular, and that is whether the microphone is staying on or off. The reason that this has become a sticking point is because when it was then Biden campaign, they have wanted the microphones to be off when another candidate was speaking. That was how the rules were for the CNN debate. That was the expectation for the ABC debate.

Now, ABC says that they're going to use similar rules, but the quibbling behind the scenes is whether or not they change the one rule about the microphones. Now, the former president said this week that he doesn't care either way, but behind the scenes, that is not what is happening between the Trump campaign officials and the Harris campaign officials. And the vice president has been needling Trump on this, even taking to Twitter or now X earlier today, saying that let's debate in a transparent way with the microphones on the whole time.

So this has not been resolved yet. There are still ongoing discussions. That's what I'm being told. But certainly it's clear that each campaign here is trying to strategize to put their candidate in the best position. And the Harris campaign sees it as a winning position for them if they were to have the microphone.

MARQUARDT: So the Harris campaign is essentially saying we agreed to the September 10th debate, but we are a new campaign so we want to discuss the rules.

We are going to see Kamala Harris on the campaign trail on Monday in Pennsylvania with President Joe Biden. We're also going to see Governor Tim Walz on the campaign trail. ALVAREZ: Yes. And campaign officials tell me to watch that because he

is an interesting, you know, what they're watching essentially how he boost the ticket.

[15:10:05]

Pennsylvania is a really important state and they are wanting to see how he plays, how he resonates with voters. This is going to be his first time in the state alone. He's going to have multiple political events over the course of the week. And it's not only Pennsylvania, when I was in Georgia, strategists were saying, well, let's see how Tim Walz Is with the voters in South Georgia, with his rural upbringing, with his backgrounds and football, and the military. So clearly, they're trying to see how they can strategize how -- what he brings to the ticket and how that can boost them going into these states.

But of course, President Joe Biden being there with the vice president on Monday is also a clear indicator that he is supporting her and that he is going to do what he can especially in that state to make sure she has the votes come November, but there's a lot of attention being paid to Pennsylvania and Tim Walz going there this week is going to be one to watch to see how it is that voters take to him.

MARQUARDT: Yes. Very interesting dynamics in this absolutely critical state, not just for the Democrats vote, for Republicans as well.

Priscilla Alvarez, thanks very much.

Breaking news from Mississippi, from earlier today, seven people were killed and dozens injured in a bus crash near Jackson, Mississippi. Officials say that the bus was on its way to Mexico and the crash is now under investigation.

Let's get right to CNN correspondent Rafael Romo with the latest.

Rafael, what are you learning?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alex, the National Transportation Safety Board announced in the last hour, they will be investigating this crash in coordination with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and one of their teams will be arriving in the next few hours. The NTSB said the accident involved a motor coach road departure and rollover after experiencing a tire failure while on Interstate-20 near Vicksburg in Mississippi.

CNN affiliate WAPT citing Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace is reporting that it was around 12:30 a.m. local time when the bus traveling westbound on Interstate-20 went off the side of the road. The sheriff also told WAPT the bus turned over on its side leading to passengers being trapped. Six passengers were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash that happened near Bovina over 30 miles west of Jackson.

A seventh passenger died in the hospital, according to the highway patrol. Another 37 people were injured. We have also learned that some of those who died were children, according to the Warren County coroner. Siblings aged 6 and 16 are among the victims. Tow truck driver Keith Allison also told CNN affiliate WAPT it took a long time for authorities to recover some of the victims because the bus ended up in a ditch and many passengers were ejected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH ALLISON, TOW TRUCK DRIVER: I don't even think about time, but probably a couple hours by the time they recovered the bodies and some of them were pretty hard to drag up the heel. So we helped with that and get them to the coroner. Other than that, it was just a long process of getting the bus, keep it from flipping and get it all the way up down in the ditch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Alex, we have also learned more about the bus company and the services it provides. According to its Facebook page, the company called Autobuses Regiomontanos, that's the name in Spanish, provides transportation services between American cities like Nashville and Memphis and Tennessee, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio, and Raleigh in North Carolina as well as from here in Atlanta to cities in Mexico.

A Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesperson told us that there were several Mexican identification documents that were recovered, but we don't know if they were passports or any other type of identification. An employee with the company told me that all of the passengers go through proper immigration checkpoints and must show their passports or visas to enter either Mexico or the United States -- Alex.

MARQUARDT: Rafael Romo, big thanks for the reporting on this very sad story.

Still to come, the world of hockey is mourning the tragic death of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother, killed by a suspected drunk driver on the eve of their sister's wedding.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:42]

MARQUARDT: An unimaginable tragedy. The sports world is in mourning this weekend after NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver on a bike ride in New Jersey. Teams across the sports world honoring the brothers on Friday following their tragic deaths late on Thursday.

A spokesman for the Columbus Blue Jackets where Gaudreau played announced that Matthew, the brother's wife is pregnant and a GoFundMe was set up to help his widow, Madeline, and their unborn son Trip. The fundraiser has raised almost -- sorry, more than $350,000.

CNN national correspondent Gloria Pazmino has been following the story and joins me now from New York. So, Gloria, how are fans and teams remembering the brothers this

weekend?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Alex. It seems that Johnny Gaudreau touched people's lives even if they weren't particularly big fans of hockey. Even if they didn't follow the sport, they've been bringing flowers and jerseys and their hockey sticks to Nationwide Arena. That's the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets where Johnny Gaudreau played.

Now we are also hearing for the first time from Johnny's a widow. She took to social media today to talk about Johnny and the impact that he had on their lives, sharing pictures of their family and their two young children.

[15:20:06]

She talked about their love for one another, about their relationship. She said that Johnny was the best dad in the world and that the years that she had spent with him were the best years of her life.

Now, Johnny and his brother, Matthew, as you said, Alex, were killed on Thursday night by an alleged drunk driver. The tragedy of all of this, you have the wife of the brother who was expecting a child, and Johnny and his brother were out riding motorcycles on the evening before their sister's wedding. They were supposed to be participating in the wedding as her groomsmen. So just a tragedy on top of tragedy here.

This family now planning a funeral instead of being able to celebrate a wedding. We heard from Johnny's uncle Jim Gaudreau, who said that the family has lost two sons, two brothers, two nephews. They said that they appreciate everyone's messages, that they want to let them know that they are receiving them and that they appreciate their continued thoughts and prayers.

Now Johnny Gaudreau had earned the nickname of Johnny Hockey and not just because of the way that he acted while he was on the ice, it was because of how he was when he wasn't playing a game, how he connected with the fans, with the community and the people of Columbus, Ohio, who all said he made them feel like Johnny was just one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He loved Columbus, spoke highly of Columbus. He wanted to raise his family here, talked about that all the time. And so as a community, I thought it was important for him to -- for us to back him up and show him support and his family support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Johnny was so important to Columbus and so important to hockey community. Just wanted to take a walk down here and pay our respects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: I read and heard from sports writers today who talked about Johnny had just as different quality about him. He was just a regular guy and it was part of what helped people gravitate towards him. He was incredible on the ice and off the ice. He played 763 games. He scored more than 200 points and had 500 assists. He was also a seven- time NHL all-star.

Now, Alex, the man who is accused of driving that vehicle that killed Johnny and his brother is 43-year-old Sean Higgins. He has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, I should say, and according to court documents, Higgins also admitted that he had been drinking on the night of the accident. He is currently in custody and is scheduled to appear in court next week -- Alex.

MARQUARDT: Just so horribly sad. Gloria Pazmino, thanks very much for that reporting.

We are taking a quick break, but when we come back, senior Ukrainian officials are asking the White House to lift restrictions on the use of American-made weapons. Why they say Ukraine wants to use U.S. missiles deeper inside of Russia?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:44]

MARQUARDT: In Russia's latest strikes on Ukraine, at least six people were killed and nearly 100 more injured when rockets hit a residential building in the city of Kharkiv near the Russian border. The strikes came as Ukraine's defense minister visited Washington meeting at the Pentagon as well as the White House petitioning administration officials for the right to target various high-level assets inside of Russia with U.S. made weapons.

I spoke with Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umarov yesterday about his meetings here in Washington and he talked about the Ukrainian military's needs right now. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSTEM UMEROV, UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER: We've provided the situation on the battlefield. We have explained the needs. We have explained what kind of capabilities we need to protect the citizens against the Russian terror that Russians are causing us. So I hope we were heard. Our partners should understand that we are protecting our land. We are protecting people against the violation of Russian federation, who is launching the missiles towards the cities, towards the civilian objects. And that's why we want to protect them to hit the legitimate military targets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Let's bring in Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. He is the former director of European Affairs at the National Security Council.

Colonel Vindman, thanks so much for joining us at a really interesting moment in this conflict. You have these Ukrainian officials coming all the way to Washington to make the case to use these long-range American missiles deep inside Russia. But they're facing American resistance. Why?

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN, FORMER DIRECTOR FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: Thanks for having me on, Alex. I think the fact is that the only way oftentimes issues move are through principal engagements. So Zelenskyy with President Biden, secretary of defense to minister of defense, he's having a whole host of meetings. He's not just meeting with our secretary of defense.

And they're trying to make a case as to why Ukraine should be able to employ weapons that are under its sovereign control. When we give something to a country, it's no longer our U.S. weapon be employed against, you know, whatever adversaries is being fought but it's a sovereign weapon of Ukraine. And there is no real risk of those weapons, the blowback from the employment of those weapons falling back on the U.S.

[15:30:02]

I mean, the case that somehow Russia would lash out at NATO or the U.S. because Ukraine employed weapons to strike military targets is pretty darn flimsy. One of the most powerful, it's strange to call out a meme, one most strange and kind of impactful memes I've seen is the no-fly-zone that is Russia being enforced by the U.S. and the West by our limitations on what they can do with the weapons that are in their possession, now sovereign weapons of Ukraine.

So the Ukrainians are trying to make that case, are trying to lift these remaining prohibitions that the U.S. has, and trying to see what other support they can get with a window that might be closing in a lot of ways funding lapses on September 30th, with the fiscal year and the $60 billion that are appropriated should run through the end of this year. But a lot of that is influx and less predictable, especially since we don't know what the next administration is going to be. So they're pushing really hard for support now.

MARQUARDT: Right. Defense Minister Umerov told me that they want to go after airfields with these long-range missiles known as ATACMS. He said the administration is still analyzing this list of targets. We've also heard U.S. official saying that those ATACMS would be better used elsewhere, say, in Crimea or in Russian occupied Ukraine. So this is really a difference in terms of the strategy, right?

VINDMAN: Well, it's not. It's actually a bit of politics frankly, and, you know, kind of sleight of hand I would have to say by elements of the Biden national security team that are trying to make the case that, you know, F-16s won't make a difference, ATACMS won't make a difference as they did to restrict ATACMS in the first place late last year, early this year. The fact is that they will make a difference. They will have an impact.

The idea that the Ukrainians will be able to employ them against airfields housing these bombers that are launching these glide bombs from 60, 70 kilometers way to devastating effect, including the strike that they had on Kharkiv. It would force the Russians to draw those aircraft further back degrading the amount of time that they're actually flying in support of a Russian military operations.

The ability to use F-16s with long-range weapons inside Russia will force those bombers even further back or potentially neutralize Russia's capability to strike out with this weapon that really the Ukrainians don't have an answer to right now. So I think it's a bunch of, frankly, I'm just going to say it's a bunch of nonsense. These weapons would make a difference. We should lift this restriction. We should not enforce a no-fly zone over Russia.

The Biden administration in its waning days, you know, months left in term, should make a bold decision, but a correct decision to support Ukraine properly without restrictions, without, you know, this idea that somehow we'll be able to get back something to sort of normal with Russia and without this idea of a risk of escalation. These things have been proven to be hollow arguments.

MARQUARDT: Ukraine has made a very impressive push into the Kursk Region of Russia. But at the same time they have been losing ground in Eastern Ukraine. You have the Russian forces making an advance on a very important city called Pokrovsk. Is this a trade-off? Do you think that Ukraine made the right call?

VINDMAN: You know, I think everybody that was watching this carefully was always going to judge the success or failure of this Kursk incursion on the consequences with regards to Russia's gains in the Donbass in this direction towards Pokrovsk. If Ukraine is able to draw forces, thin out Russian lines across the front line, including the area where they're actually gaining ground, this will have been declared a master stroke.

Right now that's not played out. Right now it's a limited incursion. It's had moral impact on -- the morale impact on -- building the morality of the Ukrainian people, the military. It's embarrassed Putin, but it hasn't had tangible effects on the battlefield yet. I think it's too early to say so far that that has not been the result. So the consequence might be that this was a mistake, in the long run didn't help Ukraine defend itself, but it's too early to judge right now.

MARQUARDT: Yes, a lot more needs to play out.

Colonel Alexander Vindman, thank you very much for your thoughts this evening.

VINDMAN: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: After the break, human remains were found underneath the California home of a man accused of killing his neighbors at a nudist resort. The latest on that investigation. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:39:09]

MARQUARDT: Now to new developments in the suspected deaths of an elderly couple missing for nearly a week from their home at a nudist ranch in Redlands, California. Police have arrested the couple's neighbor, Michael Royce Sparks, after cadaver dogs indicated the presence of human remains under his house. He's being held on murder charges.

CNN's Camila Bernal is tracking the latest developments in this case and joins me now from Los Angeles.

So, Camila, what are you learning?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Alex, truly a gruesome discovery for authorities and a very dramatic arrest. Authorities now saying that what they're doing is leaving it in the hands of the coroner's office who will now identify those remains that were found underneath the home in bags.

What police is saying right now is that he had this bunker and they described it as being five-feet underneath the house. It was made out of concrete and they had to get in there to try to figure out what was in there.

[15:40:05]

And they found now just the remains, but that's also where they found 62-year-old Michael Royce Sparks. And authorities saying that he was barricaded inside of the home. He was arrested and charged with murder. They believe he's responsible for killing this couple, Daniel and Stephanie Menard. And it was actually a neighbor who called authorities.

They were last seen on Saturday and authorities say that they didn't show up to church. A neighbor reported all of this and once they didn't show up to church, she actually went to their home with a spare key, was looking, found a lot of their belongings. Authorities also found their car that was unlocked nearby. And again, you mentioned this was a nudist ranch, but this was also a community that was close knit, that is shocked and really saddened by this laws.

Take a listen to some of the neighbors and friends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMIE WILKERSON, NEIGHBOR: It just breaks me. I can't believe somebody would do something like this to them, and it hurts my heart.

SANDY MARINELLI, FRIEND: I just want them back. They don't deserve this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: So of course a lot of emotion, and taking a step back, it was Thursday that authorities were at the suspect's home and they had to use cameras to try to find him and to try to figure out what was underneath the home. They used Stewart cameras, the ones they used to essentially put underneath the sewer. And once they were able to do that, they saw that he was in there. They actually used heavy machinery and knocked down the front wall of the property. And he was barricaded in there. Authorities say he actually was armed.

He had a rifle, and tried to shoot himself. That rifle misfired. So there was a long period of negotiation and eventually they got him to surrender. But authorities saying that after he was arrested, he is just not talking to police at this point, not cooperating. He is expected in court on Tuesday. He is not eligible for bail. So he will remain behind bars.

And it's unclear who is his attorney. We have not been able to identify one in all of this, as again, this community is just coming together to try to figure out why this happened and how this happened. Authorities right now, Alex, do not have a motive yet.

MARQUARDT: Just a remarkable effort by those forces in armored vehicles to get inside that house.

Camila Bernal, thanks very much for that reporting. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:04]

MARQUARDT: The FAA has cleared SpaceX's Falcon Nine rocket to fly again just two days after it was grounded when a part of its rocket booster exploded while attempting to land. It's now back on track for two high-profile missions. One is taking a crew of civilians to attempt the first ever commercial spacewalk.

And then SpaceX is also planning to take a pair of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station as well as bringing Boeing's stranded Starliner test crew back to earth. That's in early 2025, much later than they were expected back here on earth. Both missions have been hampered by technical issues and bad weather.

Moving on to college football. The season is now fully underway. This Labor Day weekend, several big games have already kicked off, and there are dozens of exciting games on tap today.

For more on today's big matchups and the big changes in college football this year, let's bring in Morgan Moriarty. She's a college football reporter for "The Bleacher Report."

Morgan, thanks so much for joining us today. It's a big day in the world of college sports. Top rank Georgia Bulldogs are opening their season today against Clemson. Of course, they've won their fair share of national championships. What can you tell us about this remarkable showdown?

MORGAN MORIARTY, BLEACHER REPORT COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORTER: Yes. So Clemson and Georgia facing off earlier today. No problems for Georgia winning 34 to 3. That came in Atlanta. This was really important for Clemson to kind of get off on the right foot, but they cannot fail to do so. Cade Klubnik not looking as comfortable as maybe he should, and Garrett Riley is here, too. So Clemson -- or excuse me, Georgia meanwhile looks like they're

picking off right where they left off. They're favored to not only win the SEC, but to win a national title. So, you know, we'll see what happens for Clemson. They're not out of anything yet. Obviously with the 12-team playoff, but not the best showing when you have so much pressure on you for Dabo Sweeney and a critical season for the Tigers.

Elsewhere across the country, Penn State is currently leading West Virginia, 20-6. They're actually in a lightning delay right now, have been since halftime. Drew Allar looks really, really great, 199 yards, three touchdowns already.

Elsewhere happening across the country, Florida in Miami kicking off right now in Gainesville. That is a huge matchup, kind of a non- conference tune-up game for both of these schools, but critical for both of these third year head coaches, Billy Napier and Mario Crystal Ball. Billy Napier and the Gators haven't cracked 500 yet in his two seasons.

Miami meanwhile haven't really done much in the ACC, but they come in with a lot of talent. It's led by Cam Ward, their transfer quarterback from Washington State. Interesting to see how this game will happen, will play out because Florida is a really tough place to play. Miami has a lot of talent surrounding them and hype. They're in the mix to win the ACC this year.

But I do think for Florida, it'll hurt them down the line to lose this game because I think for Florida to keep Billy Napier in Gainesville, Florida will have to make a bowl this year and they have one of the toughest schedules in all of the country so I think if you lose this game, start 0-1 at home.

MARQUARDT: Right.

[15:50:08]

MORIARTY: That's going to make the rest of the year a lot difficult. Whereas Miami, they still have a lot to play for in the ACC. The big one tonight, Texas A&M hosting Notre Dame, a playoff team. A lot of buzz and optimism surrounding this Texas A&M program. Their first-year head coach, Mike Elko, coached through to nine wins two years ago. His first season with the Blue Devils. They have a transfer quarterback, and interesting story line there. Riley Leonard, Duke's quarterback the last two seasons, is now at Notre Dames. So that's kind of an interesting scouting matchups to keep an eye on.

For Notre Dame if they lose this, again, they're not out of anything, but I'm interested to see how the committee kind of looks at the rest of their season. They only have two-ranked teams on their schedule the rest of the year in Florida State.

MARQUARDT: Right.

MORIARTY: And USC,

MARQUARDT: Right. MORIARTY: So a loss I think will hurt them in the long run, especially

when you have a lot of teams in the mix at the end of the year. The big one on Sunday night, LSU playing USC in Las Vegas. It's going to be a lot of fun. Look for the defensive turnaround for both of these programs. It's critical. Should be a fun one.

Then on Monday night, Florida State hosting Boston College at home. We saw how the Noles struggled last week against Georgia Tech. Interested to see how they come out because if they come off flat, expect more questions surrounding Florida State and its Mike Norvell team. So should be a really fun weekend. Already got some great games going on right now.

MARQUARDT: And Morgan, you mentioned the end of the season. When it comes to college playoffs, they're often highly debated, but this year the playoffs are expanded. It'll include more teams. Why were those changes made?

MORIARTY: Yes. So playoff expansion has been something that has been talked about really for the last five or so years. And basically four teams just is not enough. There are really, really talented teams across the country worthy of making a bid. So essentially the sport has the money and the means. The fans love an expanded playoff. So it really was a no brainer for them to transfer to this system.

The one thing that I think is really interesting about the playoff is, although there are kind of set parameters for things like seating and conference champions that get first-round buys, you really have no limit to what -- how many 18 certain conferences can get in. So I think that's interesting to keep in mind. But the money was there, the athletes in court was there, so really a no-brainer for expanding alright.

MARQUARDT: All right. Well, the beginning of a long and certainly exciting season.

Morgan Moriarty, thanks very much.

With the three recent deaths of three teenage football players, there's a new push to make Guardian Caps as they're known. Mandatory for kids who are playing football. Those are the soft protective shell helmet coverings that are used by players sometimes in the NFL.

CNN sports anchor and former NFL star Coy Wire explains.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, Alex. Lots has changed since the last time I played. The helmet I wore my last year with the Falcons is now banned by the NFL because it doesn't meet the league's safety standards. There have been 50 rule changes in the last two decades, all aimed at making the game safer and the advancement of technology and equipment have accelerated inventions like Guardian Caps weren't around when I played.

We wanted to take a closer look at their potential to make the game safer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Each football season sporting cathedrals like this, Mercedes- Benz Stadium, are full of excitement about the game. But each season also brings concerns for families and players about the dangers that come with it.

There has been a recent uptick in efforts to make the game safer. One of them, these protective helmet covers called Guardian Caps. But do they work?

(Voice-over): The Georgia-based company aims to reduce damage that can be caused to the brain by the sudden stopping or rotation of the head.

The NFL's research led them to make these caps mandatory for all players during practices, aside from kickers and quarterbacks who are off limits for contact. Players can also choose to wear the caps during the games.

NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller says the statistics show the caps increase safety.

JEFF MILLER, NFL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: As a result of the last two seasons, we saw about a 50 percent decrease in concussions in the positions that we're mandated to wear them. So of course, we said, OK, all positions will now wear them in this preseason.

WIRE: Now NFL rule changes and advancements in the helmets themselves could also be leading to a decrease in concussions.

(Voice-over): The company says that more than 3,000 high schools and more than 750 youth programs currently use the caps. One question is, if the NFL is making them mandatory for the pros, why aren't they mandatory for kids?

One potential drawback could be cost. Each one of these runs about $70, $56 when bought in bulk for a team. Many schools are already struggling with funding.

(Voice-over): And the National Athletic Trainers Association has said that such products come with little to no independent scientific evidence showing that they actually work.

STEVE ROWSON, VIRGINIA TECH HELMET LAB: The helmet and head protection is really the last line of defense. The first thing to do is minimize the number of head impacts that kids and other athletes are experiencing.

[15:55:01]

WIRE: One other potential drawback is the way it feels. Some NFL players saying it makes them feel top-heavy at times. Well, the research will continue to be done and the push to make the game safer continues.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WIRE (on-camera): Now, Alex, even if inventions like Guardian Caps make the game 1 percent safer, it's a step in the right direction. While there is no question it's still a violent game, all our reporting shows that the game is safer now than it's ever been.

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Coy Wire. Such an important issue for everyone playing football from kids all the way to the pros.

That'll do it for me. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Alex Marquardt in the CNN NEWSROOM. The next episode of CNN NEWSROOM starts with Jessica Dean after a quick break. Take care.

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