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Connect the World

Israel Expands Operations Against Hezbollah in S. Lebanon; Iran Claims Photos Show Downed U.S. Stealth Fighter Jet; President Trump Fires Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General; Artemis II Astronauts Flying Away from Earth Toward the Moon; Artemis II Crew Sleeping After Successful Moon-bound Burn. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired April 03, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well U.S. intelligence believes Iran still has plenty of missile launches in its arsenal enough to

wreak absolute havoc across the war zone. It's 09:00 a.m. in Washington, it is 05:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson this Friday from our Middle

East programming headquarters.

You are watching "Connect the World". Well, we start with CNN exclusive reporting on Iran's military capabilities. A U.S. intelligence assessment

indicates roughly half of Iran's missile launches remain intact, though some may be inaccessible. And Iran's military still possesses thousands of

one way attack drones.

All this, according to three sources familiar with the Intel. Another big takeaway, a large percentage of Iran's coastal defense cruise missiles

remain intact. They play a key role in allowing Iran to threaten shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The assessment offering a more nuanced

view of Iran's military capabilities than the claims of near total destruction given by the U.S. President and defense secretary.

Well late on Thursday, Donald Trump posted video on social media of an attack that destroyed a newly constructed bridge in Iran with the words

bridges next then electric power plants, exclamation mark. New regime leadership knows what has to be done and has to be done fast, he wrote.

Well, Iran says the attack killed eight people and injured nearly 100 others. Meantime, Iranian media has released images that appear to show

debris of a downed U.S. fighter jet, saying the fate of the pilot is unknown. Well, Matthew Chance is in Doha, covering of some of this latest.

Matthew, let's start with what we know about this downed jet in Iran. State media certainly saying it's a U.S. F-35 we've seen the images that they've

posted. What do we make of those?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that, I mean, look, it's a confused picture at the moment. I mean, yes, you're right.

State media is touting this idea they've shot down a very advanced U.S. fighter jet and F-35 but what a lot of military experts are talking about

right now is that the parts of the wreckage of the plane that have been shown look more like an F-15, still an American plane that the face of the

pilot not clear.

What we know at the moment is that the Americans and CENTCOM are the people that have been speaking about this central command. They've said so far

that all of their planes are accounted for, and that, you know, the Iranian military authorities often make claims like this.

And so, you know, details, I say, very sketchy at the moment, but you know, those images are very compelling, and we're hopefully going to get a bit

lighter shed on this in the hours, perhaps even in the minutes ahead, Becky.

ANDERSON: We know that Iran continues to target Gulf nations. We've got new reporting from CNN about the extent of its missile and drone capabilities,

debris just today in the past few hours causing casualties in the UAE, and water and gas facilities impacted both here and in Kuwait, for example.

Bahrain condemning an attack this week that targeted an Amazon data center. They are putting forward a resolution at the United Nations due to be voted

on lightly now on Saturday, that is very specifically about the Strait of Hormuz. Just tell us about that. What have we learned?

CHANCE: That resolution is a real sign of how much anger and fear there is in this region about the fact that Iran continues to control access through

the Strait of Hormuz, which is that essential waterway through which most of the oil and gas in the region goes out.

[09:05:00]

It's a U.N. resolution that would essentially authorize what it calls defensive actions, but military action, if Iran does not open that waterway

to all shipping, something that has so far refused to do. I've just actually come off the phone from a senior Iranian official who's given me a

first Iranian response to the fact that, that U.N. resolution has been proposed at the United Nations, that has been submitted by Bahrain.

I think that was your reporting. He said that the resolution, the draft resolution, is irrelevant. As he says that the resolution fails to

consider, this is his key point. It fails to consider the root cause of the crisis that causes, of course, the United States and Israeli aggression --

U.S. and Israeli aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran.

And so, what this senior Iranian official appears to be saying is that so long as that U.S. and Israeli conflict war on Iran continues, which he says

should be condemned by the United Nations, then the country isn't necessarily going to listen to what the U.N. Security Council says, or the

U.N. General Assembly says about opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

So that's the sort of situation we're in right now with Iran, with that strangle hold around that strategic strait, and it's going to do everything

it can, because it's one of the few cards it has to play to maintain that control over that strategic waterway, Becky.

ANDERSON: That's really important, and we'll do more on that resolution as we get more and through the weekend, the French, of course, have seen push

back on the language, the original language in that U.N. Security Council resolution that might have been used to justify a wider war.

So there seems to be no sort of real consensus as of yet about exactly what this sort of wide coalition that might try and protect shipping in the

Strait of Hormuz may actually be required to do. Thank you, Matt. Let's bring in Jim, who is available to us from Tel Aviv.

And Jim, I want you, if you can, to turn to the exclusive CNN reporting on the U.S. intelligence assessment that I reported on at the beginning of

this show. What more can you tell us about that.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: So, what we're finding is that the U.S. military has assessed that despite close to a month now, of

U.S. and Israeli strikes, that Iran maintains a significant ballistic missile capability, specifically that some 50 percent of its missile

launchers remain intact, 50 percent of its one-way attack drones as well as a significant portion of its coastal defense missiles.

Those are crucial because that allows Iran to continue to threaten shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. And of course, the broader

assessment contradicts the somewhat rosier readings that we've heard from President Trump and the Defense Department, talking about how dramatically

reduced those capabilities are certainly reduced as the U.S. has hit more than 12,000 targets in Iran since the start of hostilities.

But despite that Iran -- ability, and what we're told that this assessment is found that the U.S. and Israel have had some trouble hitting mobile

missile launchers, which Iran has had some success moving around, but also launchers hidden underground in bunkers, et cetera.

Sorry, as we're talking here, Becky, we're getting an air alert, which -- to something experienced quite frequently here in Tel Aviv over recent

days, which is Iran's continued ability to send missiles this way, and we've seen an uptick -- air raid signals and the firing of those missiles

in recent days.

I'll have to go because in a couple of minutes, we'll have to go into the shelter.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

SCIUTTO: But those alerts speak to that assessment that even after all these weeks of war, Iran still has an ability to strike out against its

neighbors.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and Jim, 18 ballistic missiles for cruise missiles, and 47 drones engaged in the UAE this morning. I'm going to let you go seek some

shelter, and we'll speak to you, I hope next hour. All right, well, let's connect you folks to Lebanon now, where an aid group is warning of a

widening humanitarian catastrophe.

More than a million people have been displaced in the country as Israel expands operations against Hezbollah in the south, project hope is warning

that tens of thousands of people are living in overcrowded shelters, and say many people lack clean water and vital medication.

[09:10:00]

Look, I want to talk more about Lebanon about Israel's on the record plans in that country and its impact on the Lebanese Fouad Siniora is the Former

Lebanese Prime minister joins us now from Beirut. Sir, thank you for making the time today. I must just start by asking you how concerned you are about

this massive displacement of civilians and growing humanitarian crisis in your country?

FOUAD SINIORA, FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: Well, good afternoon, Becky. Thank you for hosting me. Definitely, we are passing through very difficult

times, and we are really very much concerned because Lebanon now is practically between Iraq that is Israel and a hard place that is Hezbollah

and Iran.

And in fact, what Lebanon has done so far, is it has condemned what Israel is doing in terms of occupation, bombardment, destruction, killing, then

and displacement, as you said, of over 1 million Lebanese out of their homes. And what Iran is doing in submerging Lebanon in such a war that is

not the war of the Lebanese or the war of Lebanon, and it is beyond its capabilities.

So far, I can say that what Lebanon has done. I believe that the Lebanese government has made its position clear in addressing the problem of with

what we are passing through and putting in making steps towards the disarmament of Hezbollah. Effectively, the Lebanese government has taken

major decisions, and it has shown that it is really concerned and serious about taking this position in line with the initiative that was taken by

the Lebanese president.

ANDERSON: Right.

SINIORA: And the Lebanese President has suggested that we should start by really giving support to the Lebanese government in order to really move

towards having a cessation of hostilities in order to prepare for the second steps towards this disarmament of Hezbollah.

ANDERSON: Right.

SINIORA: So, this step has been made by the Lebanese government. On the other hand, the Lebanese army has made a significant effort, and

effectively what I have heard personally from U.S. and British military officers that they confess that what the Lebanese army has done is quite

significant and beyond their expectations.

And let me really give you another example. What you have been mentioning just now is that the Israeli, they have been in Lebanon for quite a long

period of time, and they could not really eradicate Hezbollah in a very short period of time. That is really assigned for Lebanon to do it.

And the U.S. over the past 12 months, they have been engaging with Iran for about over 45 days and what you have said that still Iran has significant

quantities of arms and missiles and drones and swords.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

SINIORA: What I really want to say in this --

ANDERSON: Sir --

SINIORA: Yes. Yes, go ahead, Becky, if you want to ask questions --

ANDERSON: No, go on, finish your thought. Finish your thought.

SINIORA: Yes. Go ahead, yes. What I really mean by this is that there is some support. I mean that has to be done in order to move on all on more

different forms and levels. One to extend and some support to the Lebanese government in terms of the cessation of hostilities and recognizing what

the Lebanese government is doing.

On the other hand, extending support to the Lebanese army in terms of equipment, in terms of all what's necessary to enhance the capabilities of

the Lebanese army.

ANDERSON: Yeah, So --

SINIORA: On the other hand --

ANDERSON: Let me stop you there then. Let me just stop you there for one second, because Israel says it's targeting Hezbollah.

SINIORA: Yes, go ahead

ANDERSON: The Lebanese government had promised to disarm it, but the Lebanese government, and very specifically, the army, doesn't have anything

like sufficient means, as I understand it. There will be Lebanese who say that the government, frankly, has acted too late on this.

But it's the laugh the Lebanese Armed Forces don't have sufficient means to act against Hezbollah. What are they supposed to do at this point? And what

is your message to the international community at this point, about providing the sort of support that Lebanon needs.

SINIORA: Exactly, is that the Lebanon is needs the support of the international community and the U.S. in order to help Lebanon to get out of

this quagmire.

[09:15:00]

That it is now. And despite by doing so, it is through what you call political support to the Lebanese government, recognizing what it has been

doing and expecting from the Lebanese government to do further steps. The same thing from the Lebanese army. It has shown the commitment and the

intention, the determination to go ahead in this process.

But what can be done in this disregard, there should be some real support in providing the Lebanese army with the necessary equipment and the

abilities to do that. On the other hand, I think that every single effort on terms on the military side, has to be complemented with an effort on the

political side.

And this is what we expect from the Lebanese government in terms of extending a hand to the Shiite community. The Hezbollah has been trying to

convince the Shiite community, that they are supporting this community, and what they are doing, it is in their interest.

What, in fact, has been done during the past month or so is that there has been a great destruction that has taken place in the south and other parts

of the country, and more than 40 villages have been eradicated, actually. So, what it can be done in here is that the Lebanese government has to

have, has to develop a certain narrative.

And to show so clearly to the Shiite community that it is extending Iran and what it is doing now it is in the interest of the Shiite community and

in the interest of all the Lebanese people. So that this is the only way where the Lebanese who have been displaced over a 1 million, they can go

back to their villages.

And there will be a program for the reconstruction of these villages.

ANDERSON: Right, so --

SINIORA: They have to really make them believe that there is a commitment, that there is after the war, there is somebody who is going to really save

them. This is the process. What I think is the only way how we can save Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Right.

SINIORA: It is not by continued war and continued destruction that is needing to know where actually and this is what we are seeing, what the

mightiest country in the world is doing, Iran, and at the same time, it is trying to really engage with the Iranians to find the solution.

So, I believe that this is something has to be done. And as well, in Lebanon, that the Lebanese government has to really engage in finding a way

how to talk to the community of Hezbollah and to address as well the problem in front of all the Lebanese that this is the only way where we can

really achieve the result in order to save Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Right. And there are, of course, members of the Shiite community who are not Hezbollah supporters at this point. They need the support, I

think, is what you're saying from the government.

SINIORA: Exactly the government.

ANDERSON: The sitting Lebanon, plenty has made overtures towards Israel, wanting to talk to end this conflict, but we've seen no real sort of

movement on that. There are reports that Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out ending Israel's actions in Lebanon, even if a deal were made in the U.S.,

Iran -- U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

SINIORA: Exactly.

ANDERSON: So how do you see this developing? I mean, what is the latest as you understand it, on those efforts to seek some sort of peace or

resolution to this between Israel and Lebanon.

SINIORA: Yeah, you see what we are seeing in Lebanon, as if exactly in some other places, the same thing, is that there are micro ambitions and there

are serious and macro consequences. We have the ambitions of Netanyahu is that his interest in the continuation of the war, and this is not leading

anywhere, actually, what is necessary now is that, there is a way to save Lebanon and to save the region from further escalation.

That will not lead to anywhere, I believe. It will lead to further complication of the matter and extending the problem towards other regions.

And this is not in the interest of the United States and not in the interest of the international community. And as you know, the international

community is suffering from the economic consequences of what has been going on.

So let me repeat by saying that we have now a way how to extract an opportunity out of this crisis. This is a situation where we have to have a

collective effort made by the international community on the one hand.

[09:20:00]

And in particular, by the United States, in order to really help Lebanon, to really address the problem in a different way, but at the same time,

leading towards the end result, which is the disarmament of Hezbollah that can be done with the help of the Shiite community.

ANDERSON: Right.

SINIORA: The Shiite community, many of them are not supporting anymore the Hezbollah.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

SINIORA: But they need to really be comforted that their Lebanese government is have the real intention and the commitment that they will go

back to their --

ANDERSON: Understood.

SINIORA: And they are going to rebuild back their communities and to be able to participate in the effort -- of the effort to save Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Understood.

SINIORA: Actually, nobody can really contribute to this if they are not to feel, they are not going to feel that they are going to be part of the

prosperity, the future prosperity of the country and not to be left alone - -

ANDERSON: Yeah. So, Lebanon's economy was already in bad shape. Its people caught in what many say feels like an endless proxy war.

SINIORA: Yes.

ANDERSON: I've heard your message to the international community who, of course, talk about Lebanon, but it seems rarely to the people of Lebanon,

let's see what happens next. Fouad Siniora, it's good to get your thoughts this morning, Former Prime Minister of Lebanon thank you. And we are back

after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, just a short time ago, the U.S. government released the country's latest jobs report. It showed the American labor market beating

expectations, with 178,000 jobs added in March, and the unemployment rate easing to 4.3 percent. This is one of the first big measures of the U.S.

economy since the war with Iran began.

CNN's Matt Egan joining us now from New York. Explain those numbers, if you will.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well, Becky, this looks like a pretty solid report, a lot stronger than expected job growth went up, unemployment went

down. That's exactly what you want to see. But there is a bit of an asterisk here, because this report is based on surveys of households and

businesses in early to mid-March, long before $4 gas, $110 oil.

This is really a snapshot of how the economy looked in the early stages of a war that may ultimately hurt the job market. But with those caveats in

mind, let's run through the numbers. So, as you mentioned, the U.S. economy adding 178,000 jobs in March. That's about triple the forecast, which was

for about 60,000 jobs.

This is a significant improvement from February, which was revised lower. It was previously negative 92,000, look at this negative 133,000 jobs in

February. And so, when you look at the trend for job growth over the last month, a year or so, you can see it's been a really bumpy ride in the

economy.

[09:25:00]

There's been a number of months with job loss, some significant job loss. And then a number of months with significant job gains. And I just talked

to RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas, and he told me that he thinks that a lot of his volatility, especially recently, has to do with some statistical

changes that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has made as they try to capture how many jobs are at companies that went out of business, and how many jobs

are at companies that have recently been launched?

And so that's why economists like to look at the three-month average. But even by that measure, the economy added about 68,000 jobs over the last

three months on average. That's pretty solid, and that is why the unemployment rate went down to 4.3 percent now.

That's down from 4.4 percent in February, where it was expected to stay. There were some whispers of a tick higher to 4.5 percent but that didn't

happen. It came down to 4.3 percent. So, when we look at where the jobs are, one of the biggest factors in March was health care.

Right, health care adding 76,000 jobs, about half of that reflects the return of workers at Kaiser Health Care who had been on strike in February,

and they've returned to work. But that's not the whole story here. Construction also adding 26,000, leisure and hospitality 44,000 economists

were looking for that kind of a rebound because of warmer weather in March.

Construction had lost jobs in February, again, rebounding in March, manufacturing adding 15,000 however, some sectors lost jobs. 15,000 jobs

disappearing from finance, 18,000 from the federal government. But you put it all together, and it does look like the job market was in pretty solid

shape in March, and that is a relief, because we do know the economy is likely to come under some pressure in the coming weeks and months because

of the war in the Middle East, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Matt, good to have you. Thank you.

EGAN: Thanks.

ANDERSON: All right, you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still to come we are following another shake up in President

Trump's cabinet. Pam Bondi is out as U.S. Attorney General. A look at what led to her firing and who might be in line to replace her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". Well, these are your headlines. U.S. Intelligence

assessment indicates Iran still has significant missile launching and drone capabilities. In a report exclusive to CNN, sources say the Intel shows

roughly half of Iran's missile launches remain intact, as well as thousands of attack drones.

Well, Iranian state media released images said to be a downed U.S. fighter jet. Iran claims it was an F-35 stealth fighter.

[09:30:00]

Analysts say, the wreckage photos released appear to be from a U.S. Air Force F-15. CNN has reached out to U.S. Central Command for comment. U.S.

President Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi as U.S. Attorney General. Sources say Mr. Trump had been frustrated with her on multiple fronts,

including a handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will replace on the temporarily. Well CNN's Alayna Treene is following this story for us, and she joins us from

the White House. What are you hearing from the Trump Administration this hour?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, Becky, this was one of the most important roles that President Trump knew when he was

selecting who he wanted to serve at the top of his justice department because of course, all of the backdrop he has had from his first term about

the investigations against him and him really wanting to seek some retribution as well.

And from our conversations with people here in the West Wing suddenly said that the president had been extremely frustrated with Bondi for some time.

The first thing that really, I think, was core to that was her handling of the Epstein files, which many people throughout the Trump Administration,

many Republicans on Capitol Hill as well, blame her for.

It's really been something of a weak spot for this White House. But the other part of this, we're told, has been about what he thinks is her

inability to go after some of his political enemies. I'd remind you back in September, when the president, in a now infamous post, directed her to be

harder and be more aggressive in some of her indictments against some of his political foes.

People like the Former FBI Director James Comey, or the New York Attorney General Letitia James. Now I will say one of the most notable things about

all of this is that the president, when he announced this, said that she is going to be taking a job in the private sector.

The reason I find that notable is because Bondi is now only the second cabinet member that he has fired, the first being DHS Secretary Kristi

Noem, earlier this year. But he also had ousted last year someone in a top role as well. Mike Waltz, he was the National Security Adviser.

The president, making him instead U.N. Ambassador, and with Waltz and Noem, the president gave them soft landings elsewhere in the administration. He

did not do that with Bondi. Instead, she is going to be leaving this administration altogether to seek a role on the outside.

I want to get into kind of what you said. The person who is going to be filling her role temporarily is Bondi's Former Deputy Todd Blanche, but

also the president's former personal attorney. Has a very close relationship with President Donald Trump, but we are told that this is

likely to be a temporary role for Blanche.

Instead, some of the names that we've heard floated, I should say this is not decided. There are a lot of names going around that building behind me,

but the person who seems kind of in the number one spot right now under consideration is Lee Zeldin. He is the President's EPA Administer

Environmental and Protection Agency.

He's someone who was previously a member of Congress but also unsuccessfully ran for governor in New York, but the president has often

said that Zeldin is someone who's kind of defended him, particularly through a lot of the investigations he faced, not only in the first term,

but when he was out of office as well.

So, we'll have to see whether or not that really materializes. But I think a big point here is that Bondi has consistently tried to show loyalty to

the president. She's tried to follow, you know, a lot of the different things that he has thrown at her. She has had a very, you know, aggressive

role as attorney general within the Justice Department.

But even then, that wasn't enough. And so we're going to have to see really what comes next and who her replacement is, whether or not they can live up

to the high standards the president has.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Alayna, thank you for that. Well, there is no turning back now, the Artemis II astronauts have officially left the Earth's orbit and

have begun their long trek to the dark side of the Moon. Right now, they are catching more shut eye, but we'll tell you what's on tap when they wake

up today, this Friday down here on Earth, that is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:00]

ANDERSON: Financial markets in many parts of the world are taking a holiday today after an intense and volatile few days. Wall Street had a mixed

session on Thursday on reports that Tehran and Oman are working on a way to get traffic moving again through the Strait of Hormuz.

The price of Brent crude oil, the global benchmark spiked Thursday, after President Trump threaten to bomb Iran back to the Stone Age. And I quote

him there, that is translating into more pain at the pump in the United States, the average price of a gallon of gasoline now $4.09 a jump of 37

percent since this war started.

Some analysts are warning that the worst is yet to come, and we could be looking at $5 a gallon by the end of May, seen as the start of the summer

driving season in the United States. And this is our Asia markets closed this week, mixed. These economies really taking a hit, because they get so

much of their energy out of this region, where I am in the Gulf.

Well, I've been speaking to the Norwegian Foreign Minister who participated in a meeting of more than 30 countries over the -- yesterday who were

discussing plans to try and get the Strait of Hormuz reopened and to sort of ring fence shipping to get it moving again.

He tells me that the economic fallout from Iran's effective closure of that waterway is already hitting Europe, but he says it is even tougher in Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESPEN BARTH EIDE, NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The immediate effect is higher prices, but also even more exports of energy to Europe, because we

are a major exporter to Europe of oil, gas and renewable electricity. But we are also feeling the indirect costs, because when the world economy

comes into trouble that will affect any globally oriented economy, including ours here in Norway.

But I have to say that our problems are minuscule compared to what I hear from colleagues in Asia, in the Pacific Asia, where you have rationing,

where you close down schools and public services, and where the social effects are already very alarming, and where everybody who understands this

market.

And also, will tell you that the law effects will continue even after the war is over, the rate is open because of the disruption that has already

happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You can see more of my interview with Espen Barth Eide, including his insights on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the next hour of

"Connect the World" right here on CNN -- for history, the crew of the Artemis II mission have set off on their flight path to the Moon.

These are live views from the Orion spacecraft. Right now, the astronauts are getting some well-earned rest after successfully executing a key

maneuver last night, the trans lunar injection burn, in which Orion's main engine fired up, setting the craft enroute to its destination and making

the first humans to leave Earth's orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

CNN's Randi Kaye joining us live from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. You always think these astronauts are sort of, you know, beyond the

likes of ours. They do need their sleep, though, of course, they are set to wake up, as I understand it to 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time today.

That's about three hours from now. So, what are we watching for, on day three of this mission?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, they're getting a little more sleep today than they did yesterday. They were they were sleeping on in

four-hour nap time.

[09:40:00]

So now they'll get about eight hours or so, they'll wake up at 12:30 Eastern Time, as you said, and then at 06:30 today, they're going to do

another one of those burns. This is called an OTC one burn, and it's really to just fine tune their path to the Moon. So, they'll do a couple of these

along the way.

And then at 11:00 p.m. they're going to be doing a lunar fly by cabin configuration. It's basically, Becky, rearranging the deck chairs from when

they launched so they can get ready for this lunar fly by that's expected to happen on day six of this mission. But of course, the big success story

is this trans lunar injection burn, as you mentioned, that was a six-minute burn that they did yesterday evening, and it was really to increase the

velocity of the Orion capsule.

It was a propulsion maneuver as they set their path to the Moon. And what it does also is it changes the orbit from circular as they were going

around the Earth to elliptical, and will set them up for this figure eight path that they will take around the Moon and then back to Earth.

And Reid Wiseman, the commander, was saying that they got a view of the entire globe, from pole to pole and how spectacular it was.

He also said that this trip to the Moon is sort of starting to settle in with him. He said that it's taking a Herculean effort, and that there is

nothing normal about this. But on day six, Becky, that's when they're going to hopefully do their lunar fly by, and they will be further from Earth

than any human before.

And they, if the light is right, they are expected to see more of the far side of the -- of the Moon than anyone has seen. They'll see craters and

slopes that hasn't been seen by the human eye. And also, a bonus, they're expected to see an eclipse on day six while they're there as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Wow. What are the biggest risks or uncertainties as this crew continues its journey towards the Moon?

KAYE: I guess everything you know, but they really, I mean, they say they were ready. They said that they had preparation with that expectation, but

the plan is to go all the way. But there certainly are risks along the way, whether it's their computers failing or they had a toilet issue.

And certainly, there are bigger risks along the way. But they also have -- plans to abort along the way as well, but now they are committed to the

Moon on this path, so hopefully they'll get there.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Randi, thank you very much indeed. All right. That's the latest from Orion. "World Sports" up next. We will be back in 15

minutes with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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