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Isa Soares Tonight
NASA Moon Mission Set to Launch About Four Hours from Now; Countdown to Artemis II Mission to Orbit the Moon; Trump's Approval Rating on Economy Hits New Low; U.S. Supreme Court Considers Future Birthright Citizenship. Countdown is Officially on for the Launch of Artemis II into Space; President Trump Says Iran has Asked for a Ceasefire; Supreme Court Justices Appear Skeptical of President Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired April 01, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: And a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight, the countdown
is officially on for the launch of Artemis II. The rocket is now loaded with fuel, and this hour we expect the astronauts to board the spacecraft.
Stay tuned, we have our coverage of this historic mission. Then, ahead of an expected announcement later today, U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran
has asked for a ceasefire. We'll have the very latest on the war in the Middle East.
Plus, Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of President Trump's birthright citizenship order. We'll have details on that and much more
ahead. Now, to echo the words of Neil Armstrong, "mankind is about to take one more giant leap".
At this moment, four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian are just minutes away from climbing into the Orion spaceship on top of the Artemis
II rocket. You see them there; they will be strapped into place.
Their capsule will be sealed, and soon after, they will begin a journey to go further from the earth. Think about this than any human has ever been
venturing to the far side of the moon. It almost sounds like a piece of fiction.
NASA's mission to orbit the moon is scheduled to lift off a little more than four hours from now. At the moment, fingers crossed, the weather
forecast looks good for launch, even though there has been some rain in the area, it will be the first time in more than 50 years that mankind has
ventured beyond earth's orbit.
Now, just a short time ago, you see them there, we saw that four-person crew leave the so-called white room, where their suits were given a final
inspection. They are right now moving toward the launch pad and will board the capsule in about 20 minutes from now.
Now, you see them there where they have been saying hello, goodbyes to family. They've been in quarantine, they can't hug anybody, but this is
certainly a very important ritual as this gets underway.
We are going to bring you all the major moments leading up to launch this hour, and I'm pleased to be joined by retired astronaut Tim Peake, and he
joins us now. Listen, we're all going to take a deep breath here, right?
It is exhilarating, even for some people who might think we're a bit skeptical as to the importance of that mission -- this mission. And that's
why I want to bring you in. Why this mission? Why the moon again, and why now?
TIM PEAKE, RETIRED ASTRONAUT, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY: Yes, that's a good question. And it is an exciting evening. This is the cusp, a new era of
space exploration. And the reason why Artemis II is important is the first crewed mission on this new Artemis program.
And this time we are going back to the moon. But it's not like Apollo. Apollo were one-off missions. This time, it's to have a sustained presence
on the surface of the moon. So, Artemis III, Artemis IV, and so on.
We will eventually have a laboratory at the south pole of the moon where there's water ice. Now, the moon is rich in minerals, everything you think
is here on earth, well, we've got that on the moon as well. It was once part of earth.
So, it's not just a repository, like a pristine repository of 4 billion years of the solar system. It can teach us a huge amount about our own
planet.
And so, the intention here is to land on the moon, set up a base there, and in 10, 15 years' time, we'll have astronauts spending six months on the
surface of the moon, just like we see them going to the International Space Station for that period of time today.
NEWTON: Yes, incredible, when you think of everything that is to follow this Artemis II mission. I do want to bring in our Miles O'Brien; who is on
the scene for us. Miles, I cannot think of a better place for you to be at this moment.
And I am wondering what your feeling, given your experience, you have been through this so many times. Why this mission and why is it different?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: Well, I -- Paula, I counted it up. I think I've covered 40 shuttle missions over the years, but it's been a
while. It's been a while since the shuttle flew. It's been 15 years, and it's a moment of sadness when you think that we haven't been flying except
to the International Space Station all that time.
[14:05:00]
This is different. This sends human beings beyond orbit of earth to the moon on a journey to somewhere beyond 400 kilometers above us. And it
changes in a very fundamental way, the way we perceive it, the way we perceive the risk.
And ultimately, when you consider the fact that this is an idea of bringing people there to stay there this time, not just leave flags and footprints,
it is a very different kind of mission.
NEWTON: In the hours ahead, Miles, give us some insight into what we should be looking for. Of course, there's a lot of excitement, but a lot of
anxiety too. Everything has to go right.
O'BRIEN: Yes, there are no less than 500 launch commit criteria, rules of the road that have to -- the boxes have to be checked green in order for
them to light the candle, so to speak. By the way, behind me, you might hear the helicopters.
That is the -- passing behind me on their way about a 5-kilometer drive from here out to launchpad 39B. Apollo 10 was the first spacecraft to
launch -- to get a launch pad beside the cavernous vehicle assembly building, which was designed to hold four Saturn V rockets at once.
Although it never did. They are slowly making their way. There is a large van, the Astro van with a police escort and a helicopter overhead just for
good measure, to send them off into launch pad 39, and the -- to get strapped in.
You know, it's -- for them, it's a time of just staying focused. And frankly, Paula, every astronaut I've ever spoken to says what they do at
this point is the astronaut's prayer, which is, and I'll clean it up a little bit. Dear Lord, please, don't let me be the one to screw this up.
(LAUGHTER)
NEWTON: I'm glad you cleaned it up, I think we can all fill in the blanks, and perhaps Tim can fill in the blanks for us as well. You know so much
about what this is like in terms of any butterflies you have in your stomach.
And yet, I've been reading so much and listening to the astronauts themselves about all the detailed simulations. So, what happens here, Tim?
Take us inside their minds, their bodies. Is it as nerve-wracking as some of us may think, or does your training really fall into place here?
PEAKE: You know, I have to say, on launch day, I didn't really experience nerves. At that point, it's more about excitement and anticipation of
what's going to happen, and the crew will be going through a different change in mindset as well.
At the moment, they're in this transition phase. They've been in quarantine, yes, but they've been surrounded by the buzz, by the
excitement, by family saying the farewells and emotional period. And now, the team around them will start to get smaller and smaller and smaller.
And we've just seen them suiting up, just a few people there. And then shortly across the gangplank, and it will just be after they've been
strapped in, the four of them inside that capsule, and there will be a real mindset shift there, where they leave all of the buzz behind, and they just
have this focus, this clarity of thought as they sit there and they think about the mission ahead.
So, launch day is a wild ride of emotions, but I actually really enjoyed that phase where we just got into the capsule, just you and your crewmates.
The hatch gets closed, the harnesses are tightened, and it's all focused on what lies ahead. And that's excitement and anticipation more so than
nerves.
NEWTON: Absolutely. Although, I can't really understand how, given the position, Tim, I will say I've already heard several former astronauts
already say that they would switch positions with these men and women in a moment.
Miles, I know that you feel the same way. I don't even have to ask you; we will wait though with --
O'BRIEN: Me --
NEWTON: Anticipation --
O'BRIEN: Pick me, pick me.
(LAUGHTER)
NEWTON: You're all the same. You're all cut from the same mold. We will wait to see what happens here in the next few hours. Thank you to both of
you, and we'll continue to catch up with you with CNN's live programing that is going to continue here for quite a few hours.
Thanks so much to both of you. Now, to the latest in the war with Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump says Tehran has asked for a ceasefire. But in a
social media post, he wrote that he will only consider that request once oil tankers are able to move safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
Until then, the President said, quote, "we are blasting Iran into oblivion and back to the stone ages." Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard responded
by saying "the Strait will not be reopened through the theatrics of the U.S. President."
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Now, on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters the war could be over in 2 or 3 weeks. But Tehran appears to be digging in for a much longer fight. In
just hours from now, in fact, the President of Iran planning to update the nation on the conflict in a prime time address -- I should say, a prime
time letter from the President of Iran.
And then President Trump as well, saying in a few hours that he will have a live address. Alayna Treene is standing by for us from the White House.
Alayna, I do want to note that we kind of have dueling addresses here.
The President of Iran saying that he will have a special letter for the people of the United States, and the President himself, obviously
announcing yesterday that he would address the nation at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Alayna, what more are you learning about what the President will say in his
address tonight?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, look, the people in the White House have been very tight-lipped about this address. But what I am
picking up, and what I expect will likely happen is kind of what we've seen a lot from the President already thus far.
Which is this idea that the military operations in Iran have been incredibly successful, that the United States is winning the war. His
words, of course, and that they expect it to be finished soon. And I think part of this is because the President, I know he's hearing this from top
Trump advisors, but also from allies outside of the White House.
This need for him to really continue to ensure that Americans are bought in to this war, and that they recognize why it's important. And I think he's
going to do his best to try and spell out why the United States is in Iran.
Try to assure them that the United States is not going to be involved in a forever war, something he's been saying, and a lot of advisors have been
saying. But I think it's important for him to address the nation and to try and impart them -- that on them.
And it all comes at a time when we see growing impatience, really, with the American public, including many of the President's own supporters, at a
time when he's promising the war to be, you know, wrapped-up soon.
But then is also sometimes floating this idea of ground troops. And we know that is something that many people in administration have refused to rule
out and continue to consider. So, a lot of this is going to be public messaging at a time when there's been so much confusion about the war.
And also at a time when we know that the President himself is very eager to try and find some sort of diplomatic pathway here. Of course, we have to
see how the Iranians would respond to a message like that. But that, I think, is what we're expected to see from Trump this evening. Paula.
NEWTON: And Alayna, before I let you go, I know you have been speaking with Intelligence sources, White House sources for weeks now. Do you get
the sense that the goals here have changed over the last month?
TREENE: They have been shifting for sure. I think, you know, for example, and I will say the White House would completely refute what I just said.
They like to argue that the goals have been the same from the get go.
But one of the objectives that the President has complete -- has reiterated over and over again, is this idea that Iran can never have a nuclear
weapon, and that they cannot have enriched uranium. That is something that has also changed and different Intelligence assessments as well.
This idea of how can we prevent them from ever committing to having a nuclear weapon. So, there are certain things that I think have changed.
One, of course, is also the timeline of this and how long this could actually last.
And I think there's other calculations that have come up that also caught some of the administration off guard, including just how complicated and
problematic Iran's kind of tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz has been for the United States throughout this war.
That is something that actually we've reported, and you know, I've had many conversations with administration officials, people in the Intelligence
community about this, this idea that they might have to declare the end of the war with the Strait still being closed.
Of course, that is not something that I think many people in that building behind me, Paula, would welcome.
But it's also reality that the Strait is going to be a much more long-term problem they expect than actually some of the military operations wrapping
up in the timeline that they have consistently laid out. That 4 to 6-week timeline that Trump has said from the start of all of this.
NEWTON: And yet, that is so key to Americans in terms of really trying to get their cost of living down, the price of energy down. Alayna Treene for
us at the White House. Grateful to you. Now, Iran is keeping up its attacks on its gulf neighbors.
A drone strike on fuel depots at Kuwait International Airport caused a massive blaze, along with significant damage to fuel tanks. There were no
injuries. That's according to Kuwaiti state media. Bahrain and Qatar also say they were hit in Iranian attacks.
Meanwhile, a UAE official tells CNN, any efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz must strictly follow international law. That official called the
"Wall Street Journal" report that the UAE was prepared to help open Hormuz by force, misleading.
U.S. President Donald Trump, meantime, says he is absolutely considering pulling the United States out of NATO, telling "Reuters", European members
are not supporting the war effort against Iran. In a separate interview with the "Telegraph" newspaper, the President said those allies need to
learn to fight for themselves.
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French President Emmanuel Macron says France wasn't consulted before the U.S. and Israel launched their offensive, and won't be taking part in the
war. Britain's Prime Minister struck a similar tone while also pushing back on President Trump's criticism of NATO.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen. Whatever the pressure
on me and others, whatever the noise, I'm going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make.
And that's why I've been absolutely clear that this is not our war, and we're not going to get dragged into it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: All right, I can't think of no one better to go to now than former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Ivo Daalder; he is currently a Senior Fellow at
Harvard's Belfer Center. Good to see you. As we continue to parse comments, really, and news still moving this hour, I do want to start with the
situation in Iran.
Now, you write that the United States and President Trump in particular, is increasingly caught between two bad options, the unpalatable need to
escalate with ground troops or accepting a deal he probably could have secured without a war.
Do you expect that he will now do the latter, and that is, unilaterally declare the war over and leave the rest of the world to deal with the
consequences?
IVO DAALDER, SENIOR FELLOW, HARVARD'S BELFER CENTER: Well, with President Trump, you never know. You never know from one minute to the next minute.
But my instinct and everything that tells me that he is preparing for an announcement to declare victory and go home, as Senator Aiken put it in
1966, with regards to the Vietnam war.
And Senator Aiken at the time thought the war was lost. My sense is that the President will declare victory, will make the case that the war was
won, as he has been doing for the past 24 to 48 hours, saying that the nuclear program is destroyed and won't be anytime soon, reappear, that
there has been regime change because some of the leaders of Iran have been killed and walk away.
But the fundamental question is, will he only walk away after the Strait is open or before? Because the Strait -- as long as the Strait is closed or as
long as it is controlled by Iran, the global economic consequences will be severe, including for the American consumer.
NEWTON: We talk about the consequences for the American consumer, and obviously, the world writ-large. And yet, given any measure, Iran has been
degraded here. Do you suggest, though, that, you know, not doing this at all, that the world would have been better off?
DAALDER: Well, the interesting thing is that a seemingly important goal right now is to open the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the
bombing started. Clearly, there were negotiations going on in late February with regard to the nuclear issues.
The U.K. participants in those negotiations have now publicly indicated that they thought there was progress in those negotiations. It turns out
that our negotiators, particularly Steve Witkoff, may not have fully understood what the Iranians were prepared to offer.
And so, we went to war, I think, unnecessarily and more importantly, illegally. You can't just go to war just because you feel like it. There
was no imminent threat. There was a way to deal with the nuclear issue through diplomacy, or at least, to try to do that longer.
There was a way to bring our NATO allies into the discussion and have a discussion about how we can increase pressure on Iran. The President
decided to do none of that. He decided to go -- to start a war without talking to Congress, without talking to the American people, without
talking to our allies.
And he finds himself 31-32 days later in the position where he has to choose between either escalating, and getting involved in the forever war
or back -- frankly, turn tail. Yes, Iran has suffered significant military damage, and it will take a long time for that to be rebuilt.
But the Iranian regime, the hardliners are now in power, and their commitment to nuclear weapons is likely to increase rather than decrease.
NEWTON: And now, I do want to get to the NATO of it all. I mean, you say, this is by far the worst crisis NATO has ever faced. There is debate about
whether or not President Trump can unilaterally pull out of NATO anyway, whether or not he needs congressional approval.
Do you think this is something though, we are going to continue to see? And again, even if by the letter of the law or treaty, I should say, Trump does
not pull out of NATO, effectively, he could do a lot of damage still, though, right? In terms of really pulling away from the military alliance.
DAALDER: Yes, I'm worried much more on the -- on what he can do than what the legalities are. And the legalities will be debated by the lawyers. The
reality is that although, there is a legal treaty and a legal commitment, that legal commitment is quite vague.
[14:20:00]
The United States under Article 5, the collective defense article is committed to come to the aid of a -- of a country that has been attacked,
but do so with any necessary -- with any means of its own choosing to include military force.
So, in principle, one way to help a country that is being attacked, say, by Russia, say, Estonia or a Baltic state, is to send them helmets or night
goggle vision. He can also reduce the American military participation in NATO, in NATO command structure, in the number of troops that are in
Europe.
So, there are many things he, as commander-in-chief, can do to undermine America's commitment to NATO that are very much within the letter of the
law. And clearly, he has made very clear for many years that, he doesn't like NATO. He doesn't believe in it. And so, I think we're seeing part of
that now playing out.
NEWTON: Ambassador Daalder, we will leave it there for now as we continue to parse the consequences and await, of course, the address from President
Trump. Appreciate it. Now, we do want to go back to Florida, and we do have live pictures again, of those four astronauts.
There you see them right now, they're at the launch pad, and this is just hours away from lift-off on what is a profoundly historic event for NASA
and perhaps all of humankind. And remember, these four individuals will be going to the far side of the moon.
We again want to bring in former astronaut Tim Peake, who is with us here now, to try and guide us through what these three men and one woman are
doing right now, and what they might be going through. But I do want to get first to the technicalities. What is going on? What are we seeing here?
PEAKE: Yes, so, these crew, they've been suited up. They're getting ready to board that spacecraft. And this will be where the last-minute checks are
going on, to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect. There will be a slow, methodical process that will see them getting on board that
spacecraft.
Now, the whole rocket is fueled at this point. It's full of liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, cryogenic fuel. And so, this is -- you know,
unusual in terms of these heavy lift rockets that we see this happening. So, they'll be going through these last-minute checks and drills, and
getting ready to get on board that spacecraft.
And then they'll be going through that process of making sure everything is absolutely perfect as they begin that countdown sequence to launch, which
is in just over four hours' time. So, there's plenty of time for everything.
There are built-in holds along the way so that they do come across problems, then, that time is available for them to be able to troubleshoot
and sort that out. But we'll be looking at that two-hour launch window opening up in four hours' time.
NEWTON: And why is that so important? That two-hour launch window, as you said, we're now about four hours out.
PEAKE: Yes, launch windows are quite complicated. It ultimately all to do with the position of the earth and the position of the moon. You've got to
get a spacecraft out there. So, the two, the earth-moon have to be in the right place.
But also, you're thinking about returning ten days later, and you're thinking about, well, what were the -- what will the trajectory be like to
bring you back safely? So, there's an awful lot that goes into that window of opportunity.
And if they can't launch this evening, then they do have windows of opportunity going all the way out to the 6th of April. It gets an hour
later every evening, but we still have other opportunities to launch if any reason, they don't go ahead tonight.
NEWTON: Tim, I'm glad I asked, that was an important detail here. And speaking of details, I've heard from the astronauts themselves in
interviews before this, talking about all the simulations they have gone through, something you know a lot about.
You did speak about the splashdown -- I want to say, we do have pictures of you in 2016 touching down in Kazakhstan, and given this whole issue of the
return to earth, you talk about the splashdown here.
I know we are far away from that, but this test flight really was constructed to be one of the safest for these astronauts, at least, that's
what NASA is telling us, right? At every step of the way. They do have an escape hatch and are ready.
We're looking at pictures of you right now, Tim, actually from 2016. But they do have an opportunity to save themselves if things are not going well
with Artemis II.
PEAKE: Yes, that's right. There's a lot of redundancy built in. Now, you never want this to happen. But I was watching a Soyuz launch in 2018 with
two of my friends, Nick Hague, NASA astronaut and Aleksey Ovchinin from Roscosmos, and their rocket had a catastrophic failure about 60 kilometers
up when one of the boosters didn't separate and it caused an explosion.
Now, the launch abort system operated perfectly. On that occasion, it carried the spacecraft with the crew inside away from the exploding rocket,
and they were picked up by search and rescue.
[14:25:00]
So, the SLS has a similar launch abort system. If there were to be any problem with the rocket during its -- just over eight minutes launch
sequence on its way into space. And then once they're in space as well, they've got time to sort out any problems might occur.
They've got one orbit in low earth orbit, and then they'll go into a higher earth orbit that will see them go to about 70,000 kilometers away from
earth, and that will take them 24 hours.
Now, if anything isn't working with the spacecraft, then they've got the option of going around the earth once more again, before they actually do
that translunar injection to the moon. So, there's plenty of redundancy built in here.
NEWTON: Yes, they really have thought of that, although, it must still -- must have been nerve-wracking for these astronauts to say goodbye to their
families. Tim, I just want to remind everyone as well, who is -- it's three Americans, one Canadian.
We have the commander, Reid Wiseman. They call him Ike, as in, I know everything. Then, you have Victor Glover, who is a mission specialist,
Christina Koch, another mission specialist, and we have our Canadian, Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Jeremy Hansen.
I want to point out that Hansen himself, and they're making jokes about this already, Tim. He's never been to space. He's the only one of the three
who's never been to space. I'm not sure what kind of advice you'd have for anyone.
They keep making jokes that he won't exactly know how to -- how to perform, really, even though he's had tons of tests in space. But what does it mean
to have -- he is the first non-American, really to be going to what they call low -- to go out of low earth orbit. How important is that?
PEAKE: Yes, it's incredibly important. And these four-crew, they are amazing. They're all good friends of mine. Reid, Jeremy and myself. We
joined up in the same year, and Victor and Christina just a couple of years later.
And we've worked together for many years. But for Jeremy, yes, first mission to the moon. That's a fantastic mission. And he's waited a long
time for it, of course. But he is the most capable astronaut you could possibly meet.
And he's an amazing guy, and if I interviewed him last week, and was just texting him about an hour ago, just before he started getting suited up,
it's really important that we have this international collaboration.
The Artemis mission, yes, it's led by NASA, of course, but it is a much wider program. We have a European Space Agency module that is the service
module that is going to actually do that translunar injection burn.
And that has the power and the propulsion systems, the electrical systems that will keep the Orion spacecraft alive. We have a Canadian on this
mission, in future missions, we hope to see Japanese astronauts and European astronauts flying on these Artemis missions.
So, in that respect, it's really important that we recognize this international collaboration, and the Artemis Accords now have 61 different
nations that have signed up to this peaceful and sustainable way of exploring space.
So, I think it's a fantastic model for how we do things. And space seems to have the ability to transcend geopolitical differences. And I think we'll
see that continue.
NEWTON: Yes, and I think you make such a good point. And I think it's one of the reasons so many people are riveted and have a smile on their faces
today, hoping that everything goes well with this mission, because it really does have to do with humanity.
And at least, that's what you hear from these astronauts. Tim, I'm impressed you were texting with Jeremy just in the last few hours. I mean,
what do you text to somebody who is just about to blast off for an unprecedented mission on the far side of the moon?
PEAKE: Yes, I wasn't expecting a reply. I think it must have been one of the last messages he sent, but no, it was obviously just wishing them safe
and successful mission, but have an amazing time and take as many photographs as possible.
NEWTON: Now, I will note this is a North American mission, which, yes, I have looked into this. There is maple syrup on board. That's a given. In
terms of what goes on, I was kind of surprised, you know, that in terms of the food you guys eat when you're on board, I mean, they've got meal plans,
they've got a scheduled lunch, I believe tomorrow.
They made lots of toilet jokes, this foursome, I have to say already. That's -- is that the easy stuff, really?
PEAKE: Yes, it is, but it's also important because we've had the luxury of the International Space Station for 25 years now, always having humans on
board that. But we've got a lot of space. We've got a treadmill, we've got a bike machine, we've got a whole multi-gym up there.
We've got plenty of food. Now, these four are going to be living in something the size of a minivan. So, yes, they've got a flywheel to
exercise, much smaller. They've got one loo they'll have to share. But they have got a hot water dispenser to heat up their food.
But we are trying -- do space exploration in a much smaller environment as we go to the moon, but also thinking ahead, how might we do this on a much
longer, much more extended journey to Mars. So, that's another thing that Artemis is teaching us.
It's teaching us lessons as to how we can one day explore even further out into the solar system.
NEWTON: Yes, just incredible. As I said, we are riveted here just watching these live pictures. Tim Peake, grateful to you and all of your knowledge.
You filled in a lot of the blanks here for us. And we continue to look at these live pictures now coming in from NASA, from the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida.
I believe we have Miles O'Brien with us now who's on the ground there and remains there. Where else would you be, Miles, right? Where else would you
be on today --
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: Hey, Paula. Of course. Of course. Of course.
NEWTON: We're looking at these live pictures now. I mean, you know, in terms of what is the point where they, you know, that it's go time, when
they say, OK, we're in that two-hour launch window, what are they checking for before they get there?
O'BRIEN: Well, first of all, I've got to acknowledge, Paula, that you must be loving seeing the Canadian maple leaf there. On --
NEWTON: Oh, you know it, you know it.
O'BRIEN: Right? Oh, come on, a little old Canada for us.
NEWTON: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: This is a little bit of history. A Canadian has never gone to the moon. It's about time that they brought maple syrup and Molson up there,
right, or whatever. I don't think they're bringing Molson up there.
NEWTON: Now, careful, Miles, you're going to get the Vermonters angry on the maple syrup, OK? We know this to be true, but I'll let it go. No, but
you're so right. And I think it gives so much of the world to really look at this, as Tim Peake just told us as well, right, Miles, that this is
really a mission for humanity, not just for the United States.
O'BRIEN: Well, this is one of my favorite subjects, actually, Paula. If I were to ask you, I love looking at these shots going in, as they actually
have to climb over the toilet to get to where they need to sit, which is kind of an interesting thing, if you think about it. Anyway, yes, it's
going to be quite intimate, there's no question. This is tight quarters all the way around, but this is not meant to be, you know, a six-month run, as
you would on the International Space Station.
But hearkening back to what you were saying about the multinational nature, I would say -- I would submit to you that the greatest single
accomplishment of the International Space Station is the partnership itself, the 16 nations or so, give or take, that have been involved in it
and have built this thing.
And I cannot -- we could play a game on this, a little parlor game. Can you think of another peacetime enterprise that has brought that many nations
together in that manner? I can't.
And Victor Glover giving us a little bit of love here on the screen. You know, they call him Ike, and IKE stands for I know everything. So, he -- I
assume if anything's wrong in the cabin there, as he goes in, he'll let them know.
But you know, yes, these are the best of the best overachievers, but they do represent all of us, and you know, as we remember, those of us old
enough remember what happened in 1969, it was a race to the moon, U.S. versus Soviets, but when the U.S. finally got to the moon, it was a victory
for the whole planet. Everybody celebrated no matter where they were. It was humans, not just Americans on the planet
So, space has this ability to bring people together, and I don't have to say much about how not together we are these days, how fractured we are,
and in the midst of all that is going on in our world right now, to see something like this happen is -- you know, gives me a little hope for the
future. And it's very much parallel to the world in 1968 when Apollo 8 did this same virtual mission, a little different mission, but the world was
torn apart in various different ways.
MLK had been assassinated, RFK had been assassinated, riots in the streets, the Vietnam War, and yet that mission itself, just looping around the moon
as they're reading from the book of Genesis, brought the world together too, so -- to it.
NEWTON: Yes. And, Miles, you are so right, and I've been interested in how many astronauts really either, you know, were alive when that happened, or
were inspired by so much of what's gone on in space since. Now, Miles, I'm not sure if you can see the pictures right now, we are in the aircraft
still, the non-essential personnel --
O'BRIEN: I can. I can, yes.
NEWTON: OK. So, the non-essential personnel is still in there. So, they will stay in there for some period of time, but when they leave, right,
that's when we know it's go time. They're going to be strapped in, and then they will close the capsule.
O'BRIEN: Just do me a favor, Paula, if you see them at a bar, don't tell them they're not essential, OK?
NEWTON: I'm just reading from NASA's schedule here, Miles.
O'BRIEN: I know, I know, I'm just kidding. I consider them pretty essential. They are -- this is the closeout crew, Cape Crusaders, they
sometimes call them.
[14:35:00]
They go in before these, the team, the actual astronauts show up, make sure everything is just the way it should be. Every belt is the way it should
be, every switch is thrown, everything that should be on is on, everything off, off, the whole thing.
So, that -- when they sit in there -- and I was resonating with what Tim Peake was saying, when you get to this day, really, you just kind of show
up, and the world kind of picks you up and carries you onto that rocket, and that's the way it should be, right? We should take the worry away from
them.
There are people there to suit them up. There are people there to feed them. There are people there to wake them up. They drive them over there,
the people there to make sure they're buckled in tight. All they have to do is clear their mind and think about the audacious endeavor that lies ahead
and their role in it, and that's the way to set up a crew for success.
You know, it's a little bit -- I always make the analogy when I'm talking to people, Paula, when you're anchoring CNN and live coverage for a long
time, the anchor gets all the credit, but there's this entire team behind you working in, like, amazing capabilities, just kind of pushing you
upward, making it possible for you to look smart on TV, and that's what this team is feeling right now. They're feeling the push of tens of
thousands of NASA, ESA, and Canadian space agency individuals who have made this moment possible, and this is why they don't get nervous, because they
know. They know what it's taken to get here. They've done their training.
This is the moment where you're probably going to have a few butterflies. You wouldn't be alive if you didn't have butterflies, but there's a certain
clarity of purpose that comes through all of this that sets them up for success. And that's -- to me, that's the most exciting part about space,
that team nature.
NEWTON: Yes. And you're certainly correct here for live programming and otherwise, and these astronauts have really paid tribute to the teams
around them every time they have spoken, pretty much. Miles, as we're watching right now, they are going through those last-minute checks. I will
note, I've seen a lot of smiles, even some laughter. It is clear these four, and they're quite a foursome. I've been cracking jokes throughout
this as well.
Again, it goes to what you're saying, right, sure, they have butterflies, but they've prepared every inch of themselves for this moment. When we're
talking about what is actually happening, though, at liftoff, Miles, because I'm fascinated by this. I mean, talk about the power that it takes
just to be, and the unprecedented power right here. This is rocket science.
Remember, folks, unprecedented power it takes just to be able to begin this type of mission in its first few minutes.
O'BRIEN: All right. There's never been anything like it, full stop, OK? The Saturn V rocket had about six million pounds of thrust, shuttle about
six million pounds. This one's bigger, 8.8 million pounds, and I don't know what that translates into kilos. I'm sorry. I know I'm on CNN. I'm supposed
to do kilos. I'll let you do the conversion.
And in any case, the important thing to know is, whether it's pounds or kilos, the vehicle weighs right now six million pounds, and so I guess
that's about 3 billion kilos, right? Something like that. Anyway, so it weighs that, and so the difference between the weight of the vehicle and
the amount of thrust is what gets you from the launch pad to space, and when it's just like the shuttle architecture, the main engines, actually,
three of them, actually, three of the four actually flew on shuttle missions.
They are veterans of the shuttle program directly. The other one has shuttle parts used in shuttle flights, and then the solid rocket boosters
on the side are the same as was used in the shuttle, except they have one extra section instead of four. There are five, giving it that much more
oomph, and 80 percent of the oomph, I believe that is the technical term, oomph, you can look that up, folks. 80 percent of the oomph comes from
those solid rocket boosters, and I have to tell you this. When you light those candles, it is like a candle. It's a Roman candle. There's no turning
them off. You are going to space, full stop.
The liquid-fueled rockets, the ones derived from the shuttle -- the RS-25s, you can turn them off, but -- going for a ride for a couple of minutes
until you jettison them. And I will tell you this. As everybody watches this, as they get all strapped in here, you know, this has always been a
butterfly moment for me, and I have had some experience with shuttle missions that have gone awry.
[14:40:00]
This crew has a huge advantage over shuttle crews. They are sitting on top of the stack, so nothing is going to hit them and damage their vehicle, as
happened in Columbia's case, and they have -- there's a tower on top of the Orion capsule, which, things go bad with those solid rocket boosters or
anything else on that eight-minute ride up. All Reid Wiseman has to do is pull a handle, and it will separate that capsule entirely from the big
stack, and they will be able to come down under a parachute safely.
This is an element of safety we never had in the shuttle program, and it's worth underscoring that the shuttle had no viable crew escape. This one
does. And so, we should feel good about that.
NEWTON: Yes, and indeed we do, as do the families, and again, this goes to what these missions will look like in the years to come, because Artemis II
is almost just the beginning, right here, Miles? It is not the end by a long shot. They want a permanent base on the moon and then on to Mars.
Miles, we're going to leave it there for now. We are going to continue to follow this live. You've been so informative and entertaining, I might add,
and we're glad you're there for us. We'll continue to check in with you.
And we will be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Now, oil prices are dropping as President Trump talks of a potential ceasefire with Iran. We want to take a look at U.S. markets right
now. In terms of the markets themselves, they are still optimistic that they can see the end of this conflict, and that's why you see markets up
all three indices for a second straight day.
Now, Brent Crude, meantime, fell below $100 a barrel, somewhat briefly, but it's still good news. It is trading now above $100, but just by a bit. The
WTI, which is the U.S. benchmark, fell to $98 a barrel.
Now, meantime, watching all of this for us is Anna Cooban. She is CNN's business and economics reporter, and she joins us now from London. I dare
say, Anna, that markets are really trying to move beyond the next few weeks. Now, that might be dangerous on the part of the markets, but they're
pricing in a resolution here.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Yes, Paula. I mean, it's very positive looking at the green that we're seeing on those screens
there. We haven't seen that in quite a few weeks now. And yesterday, all three U.S. indices, they were posting their best dates. And it's May. Of
course, oil down as well, a relief to energy markets there.
But I think in to really get the measure of just how much progress we've got here, we need to zoom out and look at where we were before the war.
Brent, the global benchmark, is still up around 35, 36 percent. And there are still so many questions, Paula, about even if this war is to end, will
the Strait of Hormuz return to this sort of free and totally free navigable zone that it was before the war?
[14:45:00]
You know, we've seen Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, talk about this potential -- you know, Iran putting a toll on vessels going through. Will
there still be the threat of mines? Will there still be preferential treatment for certain countries' tankers like Chinese ships, for example?
There are still so many questions, Paula. So, despite this sort of relief we're seeing in markets today, we're not totally out of the woods yet.
NEWTON: Yes, and you wouldn't know it. The markets are optimistic here. But we will wait to see not just what the president says at 9:00 p.m.
Eastern, but obviously we're awaiting apparently a letter from the Iranian president to the American people. Anna Cooban, thanks for keeping an eye on
the markets for us today.
Now, President Trump's approval rating for his handling of the U.S. economy is at a new low. And it's issue number one, of course, as Congress heads
into midterm elections. A new CNN poll finds roughly two-thirds of Americans say Trump policies have worsened economic conditions. That's up
10 points, 10 points already just since January.
President Trump's overall approval rating held relatively steady at 35 percent, one point off his all-time low in CNN polling. However, there is a
noticeable erosion in standing within his own political party. The share of Republicans who strongly approve of his job performance has dropped to 43
percent from 52 percent in January.
Stephen Collinson, of course, joins us. He's been following all of this from Washington. I do wonder what you make of the latest poll numbers, also
because there has been some confusion about whether or not MAGA, right, which sometimes is different from Republicans, what they make of all this.
And, Stephen, let us know, how much is this all tied, you know, to the price of gas for sure? But I have to say it, mortgage rates are looking
quite bleak for Americans as well just in the last month.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, and there had been some hope that mortgage rates were going to dip. Lots of people are wanting
to move. They're kind of locked into a certain rate, and that makes it all very difficult too. I think what this poll tells us is that clearly the war
in Iran, worries about gasoline prices have worsened Donald Trump's standing on the economy. But he was starting on a pretty low base, and you
can see that in these numbers.
The fact that now two-thirds of people believe that it's his policies that are causing their economic anxieties, I think is very significant seven
months before a midterm election. And it directly contradicts the President's message. He is arguing, not only that Americans are enjoying an
economic golden age, which they clearly are not, if you look at this poll, but he's saying that any problems that are left over in the economy is
still the fault of former President Joe Biden.
This poll shows that voters aren't buying that argument. And that is going to be very difficult for Republicans as they head into the midterm
elections. There's not necessarily a great deal of confidence that Democrats have the answers either. But Donald Trump is now the incumbent,
and he looks like he's going to take a big share of the blame.
NEWTON: And as you've reminded us so many times before, Stephen, these approval ratings really go to enthusiasm about which base comes out and
whether it's Democratic voters or Republican voters that show up at the polls. I'm wondering what you're thinking now. Most conventional thinking
tells us that, yes, the Democrats will take the House. But there is some concern in the Senate now as well.
COLLINSON: Yes. And for a long time, it was believed that the Democrats have a very tough job here with the Senate because -- simply because of the
seats that are up in midterm elections, you only get a third of the Senate up for re-election, unlike in the House where all of the 435 seats are up.
So, that means it is very important which seats are up.
And this time, the seats that are up are not that promising for Democrats. They've got to defend some of their own seats. But the seats that they
could win to take the Senate back are in places like, for example, Texas, where it's been decades since a Democrat won a statewide election. But some
Democrats believe these figures are so bad for Trump that even some of those red states might be in play. I think it's still a long shot.
But, you know, when a president's approval ratings head into the mid-30s, when they lose the country on the economy and there's only seven months to
go, they don't tend to come back very quickly from those kind of numbers. So, the trajectory is clearly down. And I think when we talk about those
MAGA voters, Republicans are clearly, at least some of them, are starting to blame the president for their economic problems.
[14:50:00]
And it's, you know, will those voters come out? Voters generally don't come out to vote in such high numbers when someone, a president, a charismatic
figure like Trump is not on the ballot. That's already a problem. And there are a lot of Democrats who are very motivated to vote against him.
NEWTON: Yes. And as we are highlighting right now, three out of four Americans right now do not believe that the economy is in good shape.
Stephen Collinson, always great to talk to you. Thank you. And we'll be right back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And we are turning now to history at the U.S. Supreme Court with President Trump attending arguments for about 90 minutes. And remember, the
issue here is birth right citizenship. The key question before the court is the president's executive order limiting birthright citizenship
constitutional. This case could have an enormous impact on millions of people.
Mr. Trump's arguments facing a series of deeply skeptical questions, including this standout moment from Chief Justice John Roberts. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS, U.S. SUPREME COURT: The examples you give to support that strike me as very quirky. You know, children of ambassadors,
children of enemies during a hostile invasion, children on warships. And then you expand it to a whole class of illegal aliens are here in the
country. I'm not quite sure how you can get to that big group from such tiny and sort of idiosyncratic examples.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: We bring in our Joan Biskupic, who's going to discuss, like I said, these historic arguments of the Supreme Court. I mean, we heard from
the chief justice there. But, Joan, you heard a lot of skepticism during these arguments this morning.
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: You know, I did. And I wondered, Paula, when I went into it, whether the chief would tip his hand,
whether most of the justices would. And I have to say they did. They did. They did not seem receptive at all to the Trump administration arguments.
And it was so historic to have the president in there, too.
This is the first time in modern history that the president of the United States has attended a Supreme Court argument. And, you know, I wondered,
would that change the tone of things? But they were super serious, and they stayed focused on, really, Paula, what is a lot of history and tradition
that goes against the administration.
You mentioned the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868. And then there's an 1898 case in which the Supreme Court affirmed the notion that
anyone born here would automatically be a citizen, with very few exceptions like the ones that the chief justice there was just talking about.
[14:55:00]
And the other thing I would mention is that the solicitor general representing Donald Trump, his hand-picked solicitor general, John Sauer,
tried to make the case that things are different now because of our immigration problems here in the U.S. And he said, you know, it's a new
world. And the chief justice shot back at that point, new world, but same Constitution.
So, we won't see a ruling for about two and a half months. But I think at this point, at least, it looks like it's going against the Trump
administration, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And that line in and of itself, same Constitution, certainly puts an exclamation point at the end of this. Joan, we are happy to have
you there again watching history as we continue to watch history here in Florida.
We want to take you right now to -- back to Florida, where those astronauts now are strapped in getting ready for Artemis II mission. They are making
their final preparations. The hatch, we have to tell you, will be closing at any moment from now. There is much more ahead on CNN as we continue to
bring you this live coverage. Max Foster is next for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
