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Democrats, Republicans Want Biden To Ease Ukraine Weapons Restrictions; Israel Commits Another Massacre In Gaza Safe Zone; Hurricane Francine Batters U.S. State Of Louisiana; Harris Campaign Chair Calls For Second Debate; Peru's Ex-President Alberto Fujimori Dies At 86; SpaceX Crew to Attempt Historic and Risky Spacewalk; NATO's Outgoing Chief Calls Afghanistan Mission a "Catastrophe"; Eels in the Classroom; Pope Francis to Celebrate Mass in Singapore; Desert Communities Don't Fully Embrace Energy Source. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 12, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Lynda Kinkade, live in Atlanta. Ahead on CNN Newsroom, fresh calls for the Biden administration to lift restrictions on how Ukraine can use Western weapons in its war with Russia.
Israel carries out another deadly airstrike on a designated safe zone, this time, yet again, on a school being used as a shelter.
And people along the U.S. Gulf Coast are hungered down, many in the dark at this hour as Tropical Storm Francine continues to war ashore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: We begin with the war in Ukraine and the growing sense of urgency from the government in Kyiv to turn the tables and take the fight deeper into Russia. Ukraine has been urging its allies to loosen restrictions on using Western provided weapons to strike military targets inside Russian territory.
And in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden is feeling the pressure, now facing calls from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to do just that. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Kyiv, but Ukraine's brand new foreign minister echoed the appeals for fewer restrictions.
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ANDRII SYBIHA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The key mission is to strengthen the air shield with all the necessary contributions. We must remove all obstacles and limitations on the use of British equipment and American weapons against military targets in Russian territory. We also need decisiveness when it comes to downing Russian rockets,
missiles and drones over the territory of Ukraine, that will provide sustainable peace and a strong position for Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: It's unclear, though, whether those plays will move the needle in Washington just yet, we get more now from CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: long distance weapons for Ukraine, and the use of those weapons certainly was topic number one, as Secretary of State, Blinken, visited Kyiv together with his British counterpart in what can only be described as a diplomatic show of force and show of support for the Ukrainians. Of course, Ukraine now also has a new foreign minister as well.
However, as far as that topic of those long distance weapons is concerned, there really wasn't much in the way of substance. One of the things that the Secretary of State said is that he did have that discussion with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that he would take the points that were made in that discussion back to Washington, talk it over with President Biden, that President Biden would then debate all of this with his British counterpart when they meet later this week.
However, the Secretary of State did reiterate that the United States wants Ukraine to win, and is in it for the long haul.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE" We want Ukraine to win, and we're fully committed to keep marshaling the support that it needs for its brave defenders and citizens to do just that. Our collective message to Putin is clear. Our support will not wane. Our unity will not break.
PLEITGEN: Both the Secretary of State and his British counterpart announced substantial new aid packages for Ukraine, the Brits in terms of military support, the U.S. in terms of civilian support for Ukraine, especially in terms of repairing damaged energy infrastructure, which, of course, can be very important when the winter comes.
But one of the things is also clear is that this visit comes as Ukraine remains on the back foot, especially in the east of the country. And one of the things that Ukrainian forces have been telling us on the ground is that right now, they're not only out manned by the Russians, but they are also outgunned.
One of the big problems that they have is Russia's aerial campaign, not just against Ukrainian cities, but of course, also against Ukraine's frontline troops. And that's why the Ukrainians say it's absolutely important for them to be able to strike Russia deep inside Russian territory with those Western weapons. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: U.N. officials are condemning a deadly Israeli air strike on a U.N. school that had been sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza. Gaza Civil Defense says at least 18 people, including six U.N. staff, were killed and 44 others wounded. Israel claims the mass terrorists were using the location to plan and execute attacks.
The U.N. Secretary General called the strike a, quote, dramatic violation of international humanitarian law. UNWRA says more than 12,000 displaced Palestinians have been sheltering at the (INAUDIBLE) school, and it's the fifth time the compound has been targeted since October.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Most people sought refuge in schools, but the schools were bombed, and the majority of the martyrs were children and women. Where can the people go? They fled to the Mawasi area, which was also bombed, then to the schools which were targeted as well. What are we supposed to do? Where can we go? Where is the Arab and Islamic world?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There is no safe place in Gaza. And what have the children, the elderly and the women done to deserve being turned into casualties and martyrs? There's nowhere safe for people to seek refuge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: And Israeli officials floated the possibility of offering the leader of a mass safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages. Israel accuses Yahya Sinwar of being the key architect of the October 7 mass terror attack on Israel.
A diplomat briefed on ceasefire talks tell CNN, there's no indication that Sinwar wants to leave Gaza as he believes he's safer there. The diplomat says ceasefire hostage release talks are ongoing and the parties involved awaiting for a new proposal from the U.S. on bridging the remaining gaps.
But the diplomat adds that talks are unlikely to progress without a resolution on a key sticking point, the presence -- the presence of Israeli forces at the Philadelphi corridor.
Israeli military operations are still ongoing in the West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah says Israeli airstrikes killed at least eight Palestinians in two separate incidents on Wednesday. Local officials say some of the victims were as young people -- young people in their teens and 20s, who were sitting unarmed near a mosque.
Israel's foreign minister says the raids are meant to target terrorists and fought and alleged Iranian attempt to establish an eastern front against Israel. Palestinian residents say civilians are paying the toll.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The shops and homes in the first row, along with the street, were destroyed by the Israeli military. Suddenly, they came, for two to three hours, dug up the entire street and deprived the camp of water by cutting the water lines. They destroyed the light poles, the shops, and as you can see, this supermarket was completely demolished with a D9 bulldozer. They also destroyed the shop next to it, the pharmacy, the clothing store, and the homes there. All of this was significantly damaged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Meantime, Israel carried out multiple strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours. The IDF says one of the strikes killed a senior Hezbollah commander. In response, the militant group fired dozens of rockets and drones towards northern Israeli. Israeli military says it intercepted some of the projectiles and struck some 30 Hezbollah launches and infrastructure sites.
Well, Francine may have weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, which is still packing a punch. The storm is marching into Mississippi with torrential rain and strong winds, and it continues to lash parts of Louisiana hours after landfall.
Right now, Francine has winds near 70 miles an hour, and it is expected to continue to lose strength overnight as it moves off to the northeast. The storm water (ph) shore is a category two hurricane in southern Louisiana, about 30 miles from Morgan City, dangerous winds and heavy rain pounded the area, leading to flooding, downed trees and power outages.
Right now, more than 370,000 homes and businesses across the state are without power. Earlier. CNN meteorologist Eric Van Dam witnessed the strength of Francine firsthand.
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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: My anemometer is just peaking with hurricane force gusts, and you can see some of the turbulent waves behind me. The Gulf of Mexico is still 10, 15 miles behind me to my south. This is actually part of a lake that we've been reporting from all day today, but this is just complete whiteout conditions.
And what I've noticed is that the water has come up, and it's approaching this berm. And if it does, every time I hit one of those strong bands, it feels like you're getting the backwash. I've said it before, the backwash of a jet engine, and it stings your face those little, tiny wind droplets.
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KINKADE: Derek Van Dam out there amongst it in New Orleans, a flash flood warning is in effect. The National Weather Service says between six to eight inches of rain have fallen in the area. CNN's Michael Yoshida joins us now from New Orleans with the latest there on the conditions. Michael, how are things looking now?
MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Lynda. At this point, with Francine moving past New Orleans, you can see the winds have started to come. We don't have that heavy rainfall anymore. In fact, this area where I'm standing right next to Jackson Square for most of the evening, as we were giving our reports, we couldn't be here just because of how strong the winds were coming off of the river.
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If we look this way along the sidewalk, looking further down, you can see a sign hanging down there, that Walgreens sign, that's been kind of our unofficial gage for how intense it was throughout the night. It was getting tangled and being bashed up against the top and the sides.
So obviously, at this point, things starting to calm. But even with that, officials in this area urging people to still stay home, to still hunker down. You mentioned some of the power outages we're seeing across the state, as well as here in the New Orleans area, officials saying, obviously, don't be out on the roadways. There were those flood concerns as well that you discussed.
And the big thing there is you could be driving along not be able to even see some of those flood waters. We know there's been some big issues. Some of the areas outside of where we are, we're in the French Quarter, right near popular Jackson Square, but some of the outer edges. There's been significant flooding in some of the underpasses on some of the roadways.
So, lights out, you won't be able to see what maybe is in front of you. They obviously don't want people getting stuck in those high water. So, even though it seems like we are maybe in that calm after the storm, the message here early this morning now is, is for those residents and those tourists here to still hunker down and stay inside.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. A good warning. Michael Yoshida on the streets of New Orleans for us. Thanks so much.
Still to come, SpaceX crew will attend to make history, the first private spacewalk. But the challenge won't be without potential risks. Also ahead, Peru remembers former president Alberto Fujimori, a man who was admired by some, vilified by others.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. The reviews are in on the first and possibly on the U.S. presidential debate, and allies of former President Donald Trump say it was a wash at best and a loss at worst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., TRUMP ADVISER: Vice President Harris clearly won the debate in terms of her delivery, her polish, her organization and her preparation. TREY GOWDY, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I know the President listed
several people that he had fired during his administration. He may want to add to that, the people that prepped him for the debate last night. He -- it was the land of missed opportunities.
MIKE BRAUN, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: I don't think you should say stuff that maybe may make it harder for people to vote for you.
UNIDENATIFIED MALE: Do you think Trump took the bait on occasions?
THOM TILLIS, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well Kamala Harris's campaign could it be more pleased with her performance already suggesting a second debate. Still they continue to call the vice president an underdog in the race for the White House. More now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With their first and potentially only debate in the rearview mirror, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are returning to the campaign trail on Thursday. Harris is going to North Carolina with two stops, one in Greensboro, one in Charlotte.
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North Carolina has emerged as a key battleground state, and here is why. There are 16 electoral votes in North Carolina. Think of it as an insurance plan, if you will. If Pennsylvania does not go her way, but she would need one more state in addition to North Carolina to reach the number of electoral votes that Pennsylvania has, of course, which are 19.
But North Carolina is shaping up to be a very competitive race throughout the campaign and other races as well, a very competitive governor's race there is also making it more appealing to Harris.
Now it's been since 2008 since the Democratic presidential candidate has carried the state. Barack Obama was the last one, but I talked to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper after the debate, and he said that he believes that Harris's answer on abortion and health care really will resonate in the state and help her win.
The question, of course, is if Donald Trump is able to also show strength there, but he is going to be campaigning on Thursday in Arizona and then off to Nevada, a west coast swing campaigning as well as fundraising.
Now heading into the final 54 odd days or so this election campaign, there is no doubt this is as close of a race as it can get. Both sides realize that. So winning the debate, as most observers agree that Harris did, does not guarantee winning an election. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, for more, we're joined by CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, good to have you back in the fall. Brian, good to see you.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Thanks so much. Good to see you.
KINKADE: So I appreciate it throughout the debate that we saw fact checking in real time. Trump as you'd expect didn't like that. Just how many people tuned into this debate, and what did they learn?
STELTER: In the digital age we can never fully estimate the audience for a big TV event, but we know that via television, at least 67 million people watched on TV in the United States. Then add on top of that, an unknown number who were streaming the debate via various streaming sites like YouTube and then add on top of that, people who listened on the radio or in other formats. Then add on top of that, people who watched outside the United States. The total number is impossible to know.
But what we do know is that this was a higher rated debate than the Biden-Trump matchup in June, and we know this was the biggest TV event in America since the Super Bowl in February. So to say, very simply, this was a massive TV event, and many tens of millions of people were able to see Kamala Harris kind of introduce herself to the country in the world for the first time.
KINKADE: And of course, Brian, post-debate, a major endorsement for Kamala Harris. Superstar Taylor Swift, who is enormously popular. She was born in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Just how much impact will her endorsement have, and will it translate into votes?
STELTER: In swing states where every vote really literally does count, Taylor Swift is going to matter, but we will never know for sure. We won't be able to measure how many tens of thousands of 18, 19, 20-year olds decide to vote for the first time because of Swift.
But here's what we can measure. We know that hundreds of thousands of people clicked the link on Taylor Swift's Instagram page and went to vote.gov. That's a website that helps you register to vote. We also know that other outside voter registration organizations say they have seen an uptick in interest in the past 24 hours.
We know that Taylor Swift's post has had basically about 10 million likes on Instagram, so let's assume she's reached many tens of millions of people with this announcement. If even 1 percent of the people who paid attention to her announcement actually follow through and vote, that's a very big deal.
But you know, given the way the politics works, we will never know for sure just how impactful Swift's endorsement was. I think we can confidently say, however, the Harris campaign is very, very happy to have the Swifties on board.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. It was interesting. She posted holding a cat given that J.D. Vance has gone after childless cat ladies, as he calls them. He weighed in. I just want to play some sound from Trump's running mate.
STELTER: Yes.
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J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We admire Taylor Swift's music, but I don't think most Americans, whether they like her music or fans of hers or not, are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: A billionaire celebrity. I mean, it sounds very similar to how critics have described Trump, an out of touch billionaire. He talked about the price of milk and eggs out the front of his New Jersey Golf Club just last month, which reportedly charges upwards of $350,000 just to join before any annual fees.
What will anyone make of a comment like that, calling Swift out of touch because she is, in fact, a self-made billionaire?
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STELTER: It's funny you said that I live right near Bedminster, and the other day, one of my neighbors said, so do you belong to Bedminster? And I said, No, I can't afford it, right? The reality about Donald Trump is he's always been an aspirational figure. Yes, he's a billionaire, but to his supporters, he is something to aspire to. You know, also a traitor to his class, someone who has become very wealthy but now is telling the truth about the elites. That's how they view him.
But I do think that given the reality of Trump and his status as a billionaire celebrity, it is very weird to see Trump allies and Trump fans try to downplay the Taylor Swift endorsement, because certainly Taylor Swift is someone who is going to persuade people in the same way that Trump persuades people about politics and about how to vote. That's why Vance's argument just doesn't really ring very, very persuasive to me.
KINKADE: Exactly. And speaking of billionaires, SpaceX and Tesla found Elon Musk is thrown his support behind Trump. How much sway does he have?
STELTER: This is a very interesting situation, because Musk is using his social media platform to draw attention toward Trump. You know, users of X, know the site has taken more of a right-wing bent in recent months, I would say, the last year, but especially in recent months, ideas, especially false ideas, like this story about Ohio and about pets being stolen. And even in Ohio, these are what bubble up on Elon Musk's website.
He sometimes promotes and helps encourage these ideas, even though they are not based in reality. So we have to keep an eye on this I think, in the weeks and months to come. Musk is putting his thumb on the proverbial scale. And if Trump wins, Musk is going to become like an American oligarch, where he will probably be serving in the government in some capacity, at least that's what Trump and Musk have indicated he will do.
KINKADE: Interesting. We'll be watching closely. Good to have you with us. Brian Stelter, CNN chief media analyst, thanks so much for your time.
STELTER: Thanks.
KINKADE: Well, Wednesday, Harris and Trump met again, this time in New York, and this time for a far different reason. CNN's Julia Benbrook reports.
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JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The day after their first face to face meeting, the two candidates are back together, this time in a much different setting, putting politics aside for a moment to mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
BENBROOK (voice-over): Hours after meeting on the debate stage, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris meet again. This time for a somber moment the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, surrounded by other leaders, including President Joe Biden and Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, the two candidates shook hands before the ceremony at Ground Zero in New York.
Putting political hostilities aside for a moment as the nation remembers the tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know a lot of us are feeling very strong emotions, and it's a political time. This is not about politics. Thank you for having this service for our beloved family members.
BENBROOK (voice-over): Nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners on September 11, 2001. Two planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Another plane was crashed into the Pentagon and the fourth crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers tried to thwart the hijacking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you to the first responders, the United States military, and those who continue to fight the war on terror every day. Please pray for those still suffering from the effects of 9/11 and the families left with the void. God bless America, united we stand.
BENBROOK (voice-over): After their rare joint appearance in the morning, Harris and Trump each made other visits to mark the 23rd anniversary of the attacks.
BENBROOK: Four years ago then-candidate Biden and then-President Trump managed to avoid each other while attending Memorial events at Ground Zero. They then traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and managed to avoid crossing paths there as well. Reporting at the White House, I'm Julie Benbrook.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Peru has lost a former president who is considered both a hero and a villain in his country. Alberto Fujimori died Wednesday, the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer. That's according to his daughter. To his supporters, Fujimori was a strong man the country desperately needed when he took office in 1990 but to others, he was an autocrat, who cracked down on anyone standing in his way. CNN's Paula Newton looks back.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An outsider in politics, Alberto Fujimori would become a controversial figure with a legacy that still divides Peru.
ALBERTO FUJIMORI, PERU FORMER PRESIDENT (through translator): I had to govern the country from hell, not a palace, but from hell. But those who accused me didn't live like I had to live.
NEWTON (voice-over): Elected President of Peru in 1990, Fujimori inherited a country in economic chaos.
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During his early years, he imposed economic reforms known as the Fujishock, which paved the way for economic recovery and growth.
With his authoritarian style, he also dissolved the parliament and the judiciary in 1992, an action condemned in the international community, but welcomed by many Peruvians. Fujimori also imposed new measures to defeat domestic terrorism, which had plagued the country for more than a decade.
His government captured Abimael Guzman, leader of a guerrilla group responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, and years later, ended a four-month hostage siege by another rebel group at the Japanese ambassador's residence.
Many saw Fujimori as the strong leader the country needed, known as El Chino, even though his roots were Japanese, Fujimori reached out to the poor, traveling across the country, building schools and roads in remote towns, obtaining high popularity levels, but allegations of human rights abuses, corruption and abuse of power brought shadows to his achievements.
FUJIMORI: Some of them were crime, isolated crimes that has been proceed through military court or civilian court and then condemned. This is not a political policy of the state.
NEWTON (voice-over): Fujimori won an election for an unprecedented third time in 2000 despite allegations of irregularities and fraud. The country, though, was split. Supporters said he boosted the economy and brought an end to terrorism, while opponents said Fujimori built an autocratic and corrupt regime that controlled the media and abused human rights.
Months after taking office a bribery scandal that involved his intelligence chief started the end of his regime. Fujimori denied any wrongdoing, but fled to Japan and claimed Japanese citizenship as the son of Japanese immigrants to avoid extradition.
When he attempted to resign from office, Peru's Congress instead declared him morally unfit and fired him. Years later, while preparing for a political comeback, he was arrested in Chile and extradited to face charges of human rights violations. He also faced charges of corruption, bribery and abuse of power. In 2007 the former president was sentenced to six years in prison. Two years later, he would face another tribunal.
FUJIROMI (through translator): I'm innocent, and I don't accept this sentence.
NEWTON (voice-over): And receive another 25 years for the human rights violations, including murder and kidnapping. Fujimori constantly argued he did what was needed for the country, but his health was already suffering, and in 2017 he was unexpectedly pardoned on Christmas Eve, decision that sparked more protests and continued to divide public opinion.
But his pardon was overturned, and in 2019 he went back to prison. In 2023 he was released from prison on humanitarian grounds.
FUJIROMI (through translator): I am aware that what resulted during my administration, on one hand, was well received, but I recognize that on the other hand, I have also disappointed other compatriots. To them, I ask forgiveness from the bottom of my heart.
NEWTON (voice-over): A request for forgiveness that wasn't enough for many. One thing everyone agreed on despite his declining health, Fujimori was defiant till the end.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.
An all-civilian SpaceX crew will attempt a historic but risky spacewalk very soon. Members of the Polaris Dawn mission blasted off into space on Tuesday but the spacewalk will be the ultimate test to their brand-new suits designed specifically for this mission when the mission commander Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis will exit the crew dragon capsule.
They're ship doesn't have an airlock, so all crew members will be subject to the vacuum of space. CNN aerospace analyst Miles O'Brien joins me from Falmouth, Massachusetts. Good to see you, Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: Hi, Lynda.
KINKADE: So next hour, two of the four civilians on board will take the world's first spacewalk -- commercial spacewalk rather in suits never tested in space. This is an exciting but daunting prospect, right?
O'BRIEN: It is when you think about what a spacesuit is, it's like the world's smallest space craft.
The NASA version of this called the EMU Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit class, or national kind of kind of parlance or spacewalking suit is a $15 million suit and it is able to sustain the life of the astronaut, has all the heating and cooling necessary, and of course, the air and it's water-cooled and so forth. It's very complex, tiny space vehicle.
What SpaceX is hoping to accomplish over the long run in line with Elon Musk's long-term goals of sending huge numbers of people to Mars, and who knows where else is to create these kinds of suits, the spacewalking suits that can be created much more cheaply and more or less mass produced.
And so this is the first step in that effort. Billionaire Jared Isaacman has written a big check. He won't say how much for this five- day mission, this is day three and they've already set an altitude record. And now they're going to attempt the first commercial spacewalk to see how well these suits do perform in the void.
KINKADE: Yes, it's interesting.
You mentioned the mission commander, the 41-year-old billionaire Jared Isaacman. He was obviously the billionaire founder of this online payment company, his bankrolling this entire mission, but he's also a high school dropout who turned -- he became a tech entrepreneur, now a space tourists.
You mentioned the record already broken so far, you know, more than 50 years since any human has ever reached this kind of level of altitude, the furthest any human has gone.
Explain the significance of that. Well one of the things you have to consider as you leave the confines of where we sit on earth as we are protected from a lot of the radiation bombardment that exists in space.
And there is a phenomenon called the Van Allen belt which are super- charged kind of highly-radioactive particles and this spacecraft actually went high enough to be in that environment.
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O'BRIEN: The idea was to subject the crew, the human guinea pigs here I guess, to this dose of radiation which would be equivalent to the amount of radiation you'd receive over several years here on earth to see how much of an adverse effect that might have on future space travelers.
So that is a risky endeavor, no question, and it's something that has to be addressed over time as we consider long-term missions to Mars, where a crew might be in a spacecraft for a number of months facing the possibility of solar flares, which contain high amounts of radiation.
For example, how would you shield a crew from that level of radiation? All these are open questions which really haven't been answered and are important to -- to get settled before we gets serious about putting people on Mars.
KINKADE: It's amazing how much -- rather, how much were going to learn from this mission. And Isaacman did say that he wasn't alive when humans walked on the moon and he'd certainly like to see his kids or his kids at least to see humans walking on the moon. What do you think we'll learn from this mission that will help aid that future space travel?
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, in addition to the information about the radiation exposure, they're going to learn a little something about these spacesuits very shortly and we'll be able to watch that and see how that goes.
They're also testing a novel communication system. You know, if you're going to go and truly think about colonizing the moon and Mars coming up with ways to get robust bandwidth is an essential thing.
Elon Musk's company Starlink has created a satellite system that allows for good bandwidth using space assets and they're going to attempt to communicate using those satellites, which will actually be below them. So that'll be an interesting idea using lasers and so forth.
And then there'll be a host of other medical experiments that they'll be conducting on themselves. All of this, you know, is a step-wise approach toward learning a little something more about what it would take to do these long-term missions.
KINKADE: So less than -- less than an hour from now, this spacewalk by two private citizens set to take place. What is the biggest risk, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, there is no space -- excuse me, no airlock on this particular spacecraft, Lynda. And so that means that really for all intents and purposes, all four crew members are part of this spacewalk.
Two of them will not be poking their heads outside the hatch. But two of them will, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis.
The idea is to depressurize the entire crew compartment. In other words, you're dumping out all the air. Everybody gets suited up and is in a self-contained suit that has everything you need to stay alive. So clearly on the face of it, that's a risky proposition. You want to make sure that all those suits are working fine. You want to make sure that you have purged a lot of nitrogen out of your system.
Anybody who is a diver out there is familiar with the bends or nitrogen narcosis and see you want to make sure you don't have bubbles that are created inside your blood system. So they are breathing pure oxygen right now to get ready for this.
And then the whole idea of just easing out into the void. They will be attached to the space station the whole time, they're not going to free float. But they will be testing to see how the joints of these spacesuits work.
When a spacesuit for a spacewalk is pressurized it becomes extremely stiff. It's like blowing up a balloon and it becomes problematic just to squeeze your hands and so forth.
And so a lot of time and energy is put into the idea of making the fabric hardy enough to resist the rigors of space.
And the temperature swing is several hundred degrees plus or minus whether it's daylight or darkness. And understanding how to make that fabric hard enough to withstand all that and yet pliable enough is an interesting engineering challenge.
KINKADE: Yes, it certainly is. And we're just hearing Miles that they have postponed this space walk by a few hours, pushing it back to 6:00 a.m. East, that's 5:58 a.m. Eastern, to be precise.
So hopefully there's some good news come 6:00 a.m. and we see that spacewalk happen.
Good to have you with us, Miles O'Brien. Thanks so much.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Mexico's controversial judicial reform plan is expected to win approval from a majority of the 32-state legislature. It's after protests led to chaos in the Senate.
[01:39:53]
KINKADE: The upper house adopted the reform early Wednesday, forcing Mexicans to elect all judges by popular vote instead of being nominated by the president or selected by a judicial commission.
Critics call it a power grab that will compromise one of the last checks on presidential power. But outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says the overhaul is needed to end judicial corruption.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We will move forward in Mexico and set an example for the world because the judiciary as has been more than demonstrated does not administer justice.
Judges with honorable exceptions, magistrates and ministers are at the service of a predatory minority that has dedicated itself to plundering the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Before the vote, lawmakers are forced to evacuate as protesters broke down the doors and push their ways -- their way into the Senate chamber. One person was injured in the unrest.
NATO's outgoing chief says the mission in Afghanistan was a catastrophe for the military alliance. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour as he prepares to step down at the end of this month.
The U.S. and its allies pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021 after almost 20 years of fighting the Taliban. The militant group is now back in power despite all efforts by the U.S.-led coalition and $2 trillion spent by Washington alone.
Stoltenberg says NATO's ultimate goal in Afghanistan was simply a step too far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: Afghanistan, (INAUDIBLE) that is more painful because we tried something that we didn't achieve. We tried to build a democratic, free Afghanistan with equal rights for men and women. We realized after some years, that that was too ambitious.
That was something that required too much because reality was that we didn't have the resources, the will to do that for decades.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And yet it was more than 20 years. There was like trillions of dollars spent, lots of people, and now and we can safely say that its gone 360 back to Taliban 1.0. I mean, that is a catastrophe in fact.
STOLTENBERG: Yes. Extremely bad and a catastrophe, not least for the people of Afghanistan, and in particular, women. And I met many women members of parliament, journalists who begged us to stay. And for many years, I promised that we will stay. We were going to live on a conditions-based approach.
AMANPOUR: Yes.
STOLTENBERG: But after 20 years and after paying a high price in blood and treasure, we realized, NATO allies realize, the United States realized that we could not continue this. And therefore we made the decision to leave Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KINKADE: You can see the (INAUDIBLE) for the full exit interview with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, that's at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. in London.
Still to come, see how a network of British school children are protecting thousands of eels.
[01:43:03]
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KINKADE: Well, Britain has a history with eels that stretches back to the 11th century. But in recent decades over-fishing and blockages in the water have seen a number of eels returning to British rivers fall by 95 percent.
Well, this week on "Call to Earth", we join a school in Somerset at the forefront of the grassroots movement to protect the eels' future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNAH STRODE, PROJECT COORDINATOR, EELS IN THE CLASSROOM: Can you see? Already where the orange and the yellowish is where there's eels. So there's lots and lots and lots of eels a few hundred years ago.
And then this is a picture of today. And the blue means that there's no eels.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of them are dying easily.
STRODE: Why might they have died? Go on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think because people keep putting like these barriers in the water and then the eels can's get to where they want to go.
ANDREW KERR, CHAIRMAN, SUSTAINABLE EEL GROUP: In the story of Britain, William Conqueror in 1086 started to collect taxes in eels. That's how significant it was.
Everybody was eating it. Eel was so close to humankind. And really we gradually lost that relationship where all this sort of engineering has strangled the life out of the eel. Not just in Britain, across the whole of Europe and North Africa. And now its critically endangered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've got it (ph), barriers that the eels can't get over and (INAUDIBLE) they can't grow (INAUDIBLE) as they began (ph) to die.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's not that many of them left and they're close to being extinct.
STRODE: Where we live in Somerset, that used to basically be a bog. But humans have done something very clever, which is to help us to live on it by draining it. But if you're a tiny little baby eel, you need to swim past all of these barriers. Well, lots of eels can't get over these barriers in the water. So that is why we have got them in your classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) to keep them healthy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the start, they kept hiding in the filter machine and under the (INAUDIBLE) where we couldn't really see them.
They need time to start adapting to the tank and we like to see them and they like this (INAUDIBLE).
STRODE: Young people have a really beautiful awe and natural wonder for the world. The children might never have encountered an eel before, unlike some other sort of more charismatic, big species that you see a lot of.
I think there's something really special about them having that actual personal interaction with the eels.
It's all part of a bigger restocking project.
You've been amazing eel parents and I really appreciate you looking after them for a little while.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can go back to the river, get over one of the barriers so they can get to where they want to be.
(CROSSTALKING)
KERR: The eels are a key component in that freshwater. Everything eats eel. It's the basis of the food chain.
STRODE: You can see this one's heart beating
Hopefully I'm inspiring some children to be conservationists in the future, wouldn't that be amazing? They can then go on and spread the word and we can really get a community movement going on.
Well, it's time for these guys to go back into the river.
I think if you want to engage a community, a really good place to start is with the young people.
(CROSSTALKING)
KERR: We've already started to turn the corner and we're making a difference. So eel is a story of hope. If enough of us want to make a difference, we can band together and make positive change happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now that I know more about European eels, I actually really want to help them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I see our eels getting stuck behind barriers, I'll go help them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Do let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag, "Call to Earth".
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
[01:49:39]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back.
Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate mass in Singapore in the coming hours. It's the Pontiff's last stop in his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific and the first time any pope has visited Singapore since the 1980s.
CNN's Christopher Lamb is traveling with the Pope and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis, on Wednesday, arriving in Singapore. The Pope in Singapore likely to emphasize inter-religious dialog. Singapore has a strong record of good coexistence between religions.
And the Pope while here will be meeting with young people to discuss inter-religious cooperation.
Also in the background for this trip, the Vatican's relationship with China. The Vatican signed a controversial deal with Beijing in 2018 over the appointment of bishops. And they are hoping to renew that deal next month.
Whilst the Pope is here, he'll be meeting with leaders of Singapore and will have the chance to exchange notes with those leaders about relations with China. Of course Singapore and the Vatican, both small city-states with global interests and for whom their relationship with China is very important.
The Pope on Thursday will be celebrating a mass for an estimated 50,000 Catholics. Some Catholics from Hong Kong will be there too.
The Pope departing for Rome on Friday in what will have been the longest trip of his pontificate.
Christopher Lamb -- Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Northern Nigeria is experiencing some of its worst flooding in decades. Parts of the capital of Borno State is still underwater after a dam overflowed. Authorities have not confirmed any deaths there, but a wave of flooding in the past few weeks has killed more than 200 people in other parts of the country. The U.N. says flooding in Borno State has affected about 280,000 people and forced another 200,000 from their homes. The floodwaters also engulfed the zoo, sweeping snakes, crocodiles, and other animals into residential areas.
Video posted on social media shows an ostrich wading through the water.
India is the third largest energy-consuming country in the world, and it has some ambitious goals for clean energy, pledging to get half its energy from renewable sources by the end of the decade.
But getting there won't be simple, as CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports one alternative energy source is already stirring up some trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These windmills in the desert are capable of powering millions of homes in India impacting many people's lives and the environment for good.
But some local herders here in Jaisalmer say that they are against it.
NENA RAM, LIVESTOCK HERDER (through translator): The big companies have come here and built the windmills. But they're useless to us.
STOUT: Big companies like the Adani Group and Suzlon, who own many of the turbines, say they are committed to the prosperity of the community with the goal of supporting India's push for renewable energy.
The wind turbines have made this area one of India's largest onshore wind farms. But it's also on the community's grazing land. And herders say the construction work is damaging the water sources crucial for their livestock.
Meanwhile, some environmentalists say the power lines are causing harm to animals, including one on the brink of extinction.
PARTH JAGANI, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: The great Indian bustard had a population of over 600 before the year 2000.
[01:54:47]
JAGANI: Once the windmills and the high-tension wires were installed, their mortality increased. Breeding decreased and now only around 150 remain in Jaisalmer.
STOUT: Climate change brings heavy flooding and heatwaves and windmills can cut down on the carbon emissions that scientists say fuel climate change.
But the benefits of the windmills are not being felt by many living near though. They say the windmills are mostly benefiting the bigger cities while they continue to see power cuts. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even a small child in our home suffers in the heat without a fan because we only have electricity for two hours. The power is unreliable.
And none of the windmills are supplying electricity to the western region of Rajasthan (ph). We are desperate for light.
STOUT: As the climate crisis continues and scorching temperatures rise, local herders feel their frustrations are going unheard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have thousands of gigawatts of electricity from Jaisalmer that we are supplying, but we are still struggling for electricity today. There's no one listening to our plight.
STOUT: As the third largest consumer of energy in the world, India plans to raise non-fossil fuel power to 500 gigawatts by 2030. That means even more energy plants and wind turbines are on the horizon, all while facing demands from local communities.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi, found himself in the right place at the right time to help save a life. That place was a pedestrian bridge in Nashville, Tennessee where a woman was standing on the other side of the railing appearing ready to jump.
Bon Jovi was filming a music video when he noticed the woman. The singer and another unidentified person helped lift the woman to safety and gave her a hug. Police say the woman was taken to hospital and they thanked the singer for coming to her aid.
Well, call it the best of biking and jet skiing.
What you're looking at is a motorsport competitor from Georgia riding his bike on water. He used a modified motorbike equipped with small skis but it only works if the rider maintains a high speed and dodges any wave that can topple him.
The Georgia daredevil road 33 kilometers between two coastal towns on the Black Sea.
Incredible vision there.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. That does it for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM.
Stick around, Kim Brunhuber has much more news after a short break.
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