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Isa Soares Tonight
The World Waits And Watches Ahead Of U.S.-Iran High Stakes Diplomacy Meeting In Pakistan; Election Campaigning In Hungary Enters Its Final Stretch Ahead Of Sunday's Election; Countdown Is On For The Artemis II Return To Earth; Melania Trump Blasts Lies Linking Her To Jeffrey Epstein; Artemis II Just Hours From Risky Return To Earth; Sunday's Vote Could End Viktor Orban's 16 Years In Power. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 10, 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]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, the world waits and watches ahead of
high stakes diplomacy in Pakistan between the United States and Iran.
We'll have the latest on those peace talks and what's happening on the ground. Then campaigning in Hungary enters its final stretch ahead of
elections on Sunday. Could this be the end of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year rule?
Plus, the countdown is on for the Artemis II splashdown. Just a few hours, in fact, from now, we'll have that and much more ahead this hour. But first
tonight, a new statement from Iran. New regional attacks are underscoring the major challenges facing negotiators now heading to Pakistan, of course,
for those critical ceasefire talks.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is sounding cautiously optimistic. He is leading Trump administration's team that also includes Steve Witkoff and
Jared Kushner. Vance left for Islamabad with these departing words. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES DAVID VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. We'll, of
course, see as the President of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the
open hand.
If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. So, we're going to try to have a
positive negotiation. The President gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, just after Vance's plane took off, Iran's parliament speaker, who is also expected at the talks, by the way, said negotiations can begin
only after two conditions are met. That's the release of Iran's blocked assets, and a ceasefire in Lebanon.
But Israel is still attacking Lebanon today, insisting Hezbollah is not part of the U.S.-Iranian temporary truce. Lebanon's President says an
Israeli strike in Nabatiyeh has killed 13-state security personnel. Hezbollah fired shots of its own.
Israel's military said, dozens of projectiles were launched in northern Israel today, some of them causing damage. Sources tell CNN, ambassadors
from Israel, Lebanon and the U.S. will hold preliminary talks in Washington today, separate, of course, from the Pakistan negotiations to lay the
groundwork for future diplomacy.
So, as we set it up, there are plenty for us to cover this hour. I want to bring in our Nic Robertson, who is with us from Islamabad. As you can see
there, Kevin Liptak joins us this hour from the White House. Nic, let me start with you first in Islamabad.
We do expect these negotiations to, you know, to be fraught. And I say that because we really just set that up for our viewers. We know both sides are
kind of galaxy apart right now. And obviously, we heard those statements from the Iran's parliament saying that negotiations can only begin once
these two conditions are met.
One, Lebanon, we mentioned, the other, these blocked assets. What do we know first of all, Nic, about these blocked assets? Because it is the first
time, we're hearing from them on this.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Iran on its 10- point list has really pointed towards the economic strictures that have been put on Iran, whether they are U.N. sanctions, International Atomic
Energy Agency sanctions, primary sanctions, secondary sanctions and blocked assets have always been at the heart of one of the sorts of core pieces of
economic relief that Iran has wanted, that it has floated it up the table.
Now, perhaps they begin to feel that it might be achievable. Perhaps, they begin to feel that President Trump is looking at this through an economic
prism, and therefore, that's what they need to be doing as well.
Look, we've heard from the Iranians, and I should say -- I should caveat all of this by saying at the moment, we know that the U.S. Vice President
is on his way, do know that the Iranian delegation is on the way.
We understand that, that delegation is the Speaker of Parliament, Ghalibaf, and the Foreign Minister of Iran, that's the delegation believed to be
inbound here. But despite sort of having those details, precisely what they're going to talk about, how they're going to talk about it, that's all
shrouded in secrecy.
[14:05:00]
A lot of security in the city here as well. The Iranians are saying that their 10-point plan, which includes Lebanon as being part of the ceasefire
deal, which includes elements of sanctions relief, is going to be the sort of discussion focal point here.
There's a sense in the White House that J.D. Vance's trip is a relatively short one. I'm hearing from sources here; a lot of praise being directed at
the U.S. Vice President for the -- for the diplomacy that he's bringing to the situation here.
Certainly, from understanding from other sources in the region that Steve Witkoff at the moment isn't trusted by Iran. So, the real skill in
diplomacy here is going to be able to bring these two sides that don't trust each other right now, and are very clearly saying it to get them to
find agreement.
And I think the sense from Pakistan would be, this can't be a quick thing done in the space of a day that will make the ceasefire secure, that the 10
points, if 5 or 6 or 7 of them could become sort of agreed between the two sides, then that could sort of be the basis for something that will get
some stability.
And that's not going to happen in a short space of time. So, it may be that the U.S. Vice President, who is clearly key and critical to the talks, gets
to be involved here longer than maybe he anticipated.
Again, none of this is clear, but I think when we look at the situation and the rhetoric going into this, particularly from the Iranian side and the
high bar they're setting on points of issue, like Israel striking Hezbollah, their proxy in Lebanon, wanting that included in the ceasefire.
Just getting the two sides inside the same building and beginning to have talks take shape, maybe not face-to-face, even that in this context is
something of a success, real success, though, comes from delivering a lot more --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Than just getting them here.
SOARES: Nic, stay with us, let me pick up with Kevin. And Kevin, Nic was talking about the crucial role, and perhaps the most challenging job, I
think for J.D. Vance since he became Vice President. What is the narrative and the expectations then from the White House ahead of these talks?
Because we have heard from the Iranians, as Nic was laying out, we have heard in the last few hours also from President Trump on Truth Social
saying the Iranians have no cards ahead of the negotiations. Speak to that.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, he said he had -- they had no cards except the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, which is a
pretty big card when you think about --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: What it's done for the President's political prospects and the global economy, which I think just underscores what a big chip that remains
in these negotiations. And certainly, Vice President Vance is acutely aware of that, as he now makes his way to Pakistan.
You know, I think in the White House's view, his presence leading this delegation is meant to lend a degree of formality, of credibility to the
talks. You know, Steve Witkoff is someone who sort of enters these -- he furiously types up these multi-point proposals.
The papers go back-and-forth. I think that J.D. Vance's presence there is meant to sort of tighten things up a little bit, to suggest that he is now
a high-profile emissary of President Trump himself. You know, he is the Vice President, he is the number two.
He is the only person who can actually step into the job of President if needed. Having him there, I think is meant to signal to the Iranians that
this is serious, and that President Trump is very much engaged in all of this.
It is his first high profile diplomatic assignment. He has not been someone who has been at the forefront of the President's foreign policy over the
last year or so. And it's also, you know, quite well known at this point, that he was opposed in a lot of ways to starting this war in the first
place.
You know, he's someone who is considered to be an anti-interventionist. And all of the reporting over the last several weeks suggests that he was one
of the voices in the situation room who was warning the President about some of the consequences of this war.
And certainly, the Iranians know that, the Pakistanis know that. And they, I think, want him at the table because he represents someone who they don't
view as someone who is --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: A completely pro-war.
SOARES: And let me go back to Nic, stay with us, Kevin. And I'm guessing Nic -- you're a diplomatic editor, you probably know this better than most
of us. Trying to achieve everything may not be the goal of this first meeting, right?
What would -- for example, you came from the gulf just recently. What would gulf states be wanting to see here? What are the priorities for them?
ROBERTSON: Yes, they want to see stability. They want to be able to get their oil products and gas products to --
SOARES: Yes --
ROBERTSON: Market. They don't want to have their sort of economies devastated and shattered. They don't want to have to spend any more money
on rebuilding. They don't want the idea that the gulf is a safe place for global business.
[14:10:00]
All of that, as quickly as the war can be finished. But I think, you know, one of the perceptions I picked up in the region here is that, Iran is not
sort of perhaps itself buying into the narrative that's coming from the -- from the Pentagon, from the White House that they've been militarily
defeated.
There's an assessment that they still have a significant percentage of drones, more than half their ballistic missiles, and that there's a
perception as well, that Iran could be prepared to weather more rounds of conflict.
So, the diplomatic lift to get them to the table and get them engaged is not -- is perhaps not as simple as they're beaten and they're walking to
the table because they need to. And so, the potential -- you know, again, the potential for unraveling and getting worse really exists.
SOARES: That last point crucial, of course, as we look ahead to these talks. Nic and Kevin, thank you very much indeed. Well, as we mentioned at
the top of the show, Lebanon is a critical component as you heard of the ceasefire. Nada Bashir is in Beirut.
Well, Nada is actually up, Nada, so good to have you live, apologies. I thought you weren't live, so, I'm glad you're with us. You and I spoke
yesterday, Nada, and this was just -- you know, we're 24-hour -- 24 hours or so since that ceasefire, of course, was floated.
Where -- what's the situation on the ground right now? Because politically, as you heard from Nic, and as you heard also from Kevin, Iran still insists
the ceasefire talks only begin once there is a ceasefire in Lebanon.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Isa. And obviously, on the political front here, the Lebanese government has been insisting quite
consistently that there can't be any progress or any attempt to really enter into negotiations and peace talks between the Lebanese government and
the Israeli government directly while under fire.
And Lebanon is very much still under fire. We have seen continued Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon. Of course, Hezbollah has also continued to
fire rockets into northern Israel as well. So, we are still seeing that conflict on the south, and the southern border certainly raging on.
Here in Beirut, we have had some calm after that large-scale deadly attack on Wednesday, which left 300 people killed, at least, hundreds more
wounded. But of course, many people here are on edge.
There continue to be warnings from the Israeli military for areas of southern Beirut, an expanded area of southern Beirut warning civilians to
evacuate. These include areas that haven't previously been under evacuation orders.
And right now, above us, we are hearing the drone once again flying. It is very loud, and for many people in this city, they will be on edge waiting
to see what does happen next, whether the city will continue to come under attack.
And of course, as I mentioned, many are still attempting to wrap their heads around what happened on Wednesday. There are many families, of
course, who have lost loved ones. There are families still waiting to identify the bodies of their loved ones killed in those attacks on
Wednesday.
And we have been speaking to some of those families who were impacted. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(TODDLER CRYING)
BASHIR (voice-over): The pained cries of one of Lebanon's youngest casualties. She was injured after an Israeli airstrike hit a college in
Beirut, where she and her family had been sheltering. We're not identifying them as they have requested privacy.
This little girl is one of the hundreds of wounded patients that were brought into hospitals across Beirut following Wednesday's devastating
attack on the city. But her mother considers her one of the lucky ones. She was able to survive the attack, but there are more than 300 who were
killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When I heard the first strike, I ran out screaming, my daughter, my daughter, I couldn't see anything. Just
black everywhere. I could hear her voice. She was calling for me.
Mama, I was digging through the debris with my hands. I could just see her face, her head. I pulled her out with my hands and carried her. I was in
shock.
BASHIR: At just three years old, her daughter has now lived through two wars between Israel and Lebanon. Israel claims it is targeting Hezbollah
forces, but across the country, civilians are paying a heavy price.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What have our children done to deserve this? What have they done? Why should my daughter have to cover her
ears for fear of the sound when she goes to sleep?
BASHIR: Doctors and nurses here at the Makassed Hospital say they were inundated with casualties. Civilians, they tell us, poured into the
hospital, many of them in a critical condition.
SABEEN ABOU AWDEH, EMERGENCY ROOM MANAGER, MAKASSED GENERAL HOSPITAL: There were like very bad injuries. And of course, our own psychological needs
were not met as well. We had no time to see if our parents are OK.
[14:15:00]
We didn't know where the blasts were. It was all over Lebanon. There's no place safe anymore. Like the last war, there were no targets. Now, we don't
know where there's going to be a bombing.
BASHIR: Nurse Sabeen Abu Awdeh has reason to be fearful. The military has accused Hezbollah forces of using ambulances for cover, warning that they
too could be targeted. And now, an expanded evacuation warning in southern Beirut has placed the nearby Rafic Hariri University Hospital in the line
of fire.
Doctors here say they have received dozens of bodies, many of them still waiting to be identified by their inconsolable families. Mohammed
Nasreddine(ph) tells me, his friend Abbas(ph) was killed in a strike which hit a local grocery store. He was just 19.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR: And these are just some of the victims of that large-scale attack on Wednesday. Of course, the fear for many here in Beirut and across
Lebanon is that, the death toll is only going to continue rising as a result of the attacks we are still seeing in the south.
And of course, the humanitarian crisis could only get worse with more than a million people already displaced. Isa?
SOARES: Yes, we continue to hear the drones just above you there, Nada, thank you very much. Important reporting there from you and the team. Nada
Bashir in Beirut. Well, on Thursday, I spoke to the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland explained the conditions in
Lebanon and the increasing humanitarian crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: We need a ceasefire immediately. The population in Lebanon where I have 400 aid
workers on the ground, the population cannot take it more.
I mean, 1 million of the 5 million people have already fled. Tens of thousands of housing units have been destroyed or damaged. There has been
intense Israeli bombing in Shia, Sunni and Christian neighborhood. It's been indiscriminate.
There has not been the precaution that international law prescribes, and there is no clear distinction between military and civilian targets. So,
Israel, that has entered into an increased campaign of bombardment of civilian infrastructure and civilian areas in Lebanon are committing grave
violations of humanitarian law at the moment.
SOARES: And we have been hearing from reporters on the ground, from our reporter on the ground, Nada Bashir, who said that what she is witnessing,
clearly, residential areas. Of course, for context for our viewers, Jan, we saw on Wednesday the IDF hit 100 sites in what, a period of ten minutes?
And this is just staggering, putting into context. I was also looking at data from estimates from NRC, that says that Israeli evacuation orders
currently cover about 14.6 percent of Lebanon's total territory. I mean, where have people been --
EGELAND: Yes --
SOARES: Staying, and how is NRC supporting them?
EGELAND: People are herded from south to the north. And of course, Lebanon is a very small place. It's the size of a Norwegian county. It's a densely-
populated place, which means that all of the people in southern Lebanon have been driven now into areas where they have not been well received
because people are afraid that they will be bombed.
These poor people fleeing will be bombed again by Israel again and again. Now people are fleeing into war-ravaged Syria even. So, we need the
ceasefire now. We need it. The war is senseless. Hezbollah should send no missiles into Israel. They are --
SOARES: Indeed --
EGELAND: Completely random and et cetera. But I thought Israel was a little bit better than Hezbollah. Well, they're not now. Of course, they have --
this has become a horrific mud-wrestling match with the civilian population is the real victim.
SOARES: And I'm guessing for those civilians on the ground and NRC has been helping, as you hear, obviously, the lines coming out of Israel of direct -
- of direct peace talks. What are you telling them? Are you telling them to stay put, stay safe?
Because I'm sure people will want to try and go back home or whatever is left of their home. Jan.
EGELAND: Yes, they woke up to the news of the ceasefire in Iran, and they were packing their bags --
SOARES: Well --
EGELAND: To try to go back to their villages. When Israel launched the most intense and most indiscriminate bombing campaign so far in the war, 300
people, probably many more dead, because there are many under the rubble.
Now, they cannot go back home. Israel also says that they have lost their ancestral land forever, which again would be a war crime.
[14:20:00]
The forced displacement, relocation of civilian populations is a what -- is an atrocity crime, according to international law. And I see Europe is
saying the right things. I think America will follow because if you don't, America will also be complicit, given the arms sales to Israel in these
systematic violations of humanitarian law.
SOARES: Let me ask you about Iran, because I know you also have teams. Last time you spoke, you told me you also had teams inside Iran, and I know many
people there have also been holding their breath ahead of the negotiations that are taking place over the weekend. Jan, what are you learning from
your teams, so from the people from NRC on the ground in Iran?
EGELAND: That, there is a respite now. Very clearly, people sleep, can sleep at night again. There is not this constant bombardment in Tehran and
other urban centers, but people are wary. Many are still not returning home.
The 1 million -- more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon, more than 3 million in Iran, which is a much bigger country. We have started now relief
work. It isn't easy to work in a place like Iran with that kind of a government.
But we've been allowed now to do free distributions direct to people in need, do our own needs assessments, but we're not getting much funding.
We're getting funding from Norway and from Sweden as the only countries willing to give us funding in a -- in a situation where there was easily
billions --
SOARES: Yes --
EGELAND: Of dollars for warfare every single month.
SOARES: I am glad you -- I am glad you brought up funding because when I received the press release from NRC that hit my inbox, what? Twenty-four
hours, 48 hours ago, I was reading your statement and it said, "in a world that has found many billions of dollars to wage wars, we do not even have
the minimum 6 million we have asked for in emergency relief for 50,000 people in Iran who have lost everything."
You then add, "this lack of international support is also echoed in Lebanon, where less than a third of the required funding has been
delivered." I mean, Jan, what is driving this indifference or this apathy?
EGELAND: I think we're now in a very difficult moment in human history, really, with enormous armaments, enormous belief in military solutions. I
mean, look at this most recent war. It solved no problem. It brought no solution to the issues that were actually close, apparently, to be solved
through diplomacy.
In Lebanon, there will be more people yearning for revenge. There will be more extremism. There is more bitterness. So, it really invests in hope,
and the way to invest in hope is education, homes, future development for people in great need across the Middle East, all need to now have a chance
to live in peace and to have development.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And our thanks to Jan Egeland. And still to come tonight, the Iran war had pushed a major scandal out of the headlines. That is until now, why
Melania Trump is speaking out about Jeffrey Epstein and calling for Congress to act.
And then later this hour, twice as hot as a volcano. With just hours to go until that moon mission returns to earth, we will look at the technology
designed to protect the astronauts. Those two stories after a very short break, you are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:00]
SOARES: Well, an unexpected extraordinary statement by the U.S. first lady has suddenly pushed a major scandal back into the spotlight, one that her
husband calls a Democrat hoax. Melania Trump's office says she decided to speak out and deny speculation about her ties to Jeffrey Epstein, because,
quote, "enough is enough".
Mrs. Trump also told reporters that she is not a victim of the late sex offender. She also said she never had a relationship with him or his
convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. She did acknowledge attending some of the same parties with him years ago along as you can see there, with
Donald Trump and e-mailing with Maxwell.
But this story goes far beyond the personal. Mrs. Trump said Epstein did not act alone and called for public hearings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with the public
hearing specifically centered around the survivors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, some survivors are pushing back on Mrs. Trump's focus. In a statement, this is what they said. "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have
already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports and giving testimony.
Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice. First lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors under
politicized conditions that protect those with power. The Department of Justice, law enforcement, prosecutors and the Trump administration, which
has still not fully complied with the Epstein files Transparency Act."
An attorney for Epstein survivors said this to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY FOR EPSTEIN SURVIVORS: I think it should be a choice for the survivors, whether to testify or not. They should not be
subpoenaed to testify. They should be invited to testify, and to say whatever they want to say about their abuse by Jeffrey Epstein or anyone
else they care to name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes --
ALLRED: But I don't think they should be forced to answer questions. It should be their voice. It should be their day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, let's get more on this. Our Kristen Holmes joins us from the White House. So, Kristen, the first lady's words retook everyone, including
us, which just happened roughly by surprise. How her words and the timing, of course, of this public statement being received where you are.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, the West Wing was surprised. And remember, you said they have been trying to get
away from this story for the better part of a year. I mean, this is totally dominated President Trump's second term.
And they had finally been able to eek away from the Epstein files, really with only the distraction of a war in Iran. And yet, Melania Trump stood
there and brought it right back into the forefront. Now, many people said that they were surprised by the timing.
They weren't sure why she would do this. There was rampant speculation here at the White House, that there was -- some story was going to drop or some
lawsuit. But what I was told by people close to Melania Trump is that, even though the story might have died down in national media, for her, it
didn't.
That she exists in a somewhat of an echo chamber within media, and that a lot of these kind of smaller, obscure blogs were still passing around
theories about her and Epstein, and she was seeing it.
And for her, it felt like this story was still very much happening, and that she needed to push back, and she needed to get a denial on the record.
This is the first time she's actually gone out there and given a straight denial on the record.
And of course, it was in a -- in the White House as part of a speech. But it was shocking all around. Again, some White House officials said they
were completely unaware. They were blindsided by this. Others were just surprised because Melania Trump herself is such a private person.
[14:30:11]
She's not out here doing statements on a regular basis, doing a lot of social media. She's somebody who really sticks to behind the scenes and
very calculated and planned out speeches. And this seemed much more passionate. It felt like something just given the timing was off. But
again, these sources close to her say she felt like she needed to actually get out there and react to this because quietly behind the scenes, she'd
been growing more and more frustrated.
She's not out here doing statements on a regular basis, doing a lot of social media. She's somebody who really sticks to behind the scenes and
very calculated and planned out speeches. And this seemed much more passionate. It felt like something just given the timing was off. But
again, these sources close to her say she felt like she needed to actually get out there and react to this because quietly behind the scenes, she'd
been growing more and more frustrated.
SOARES: And you heard what the survivor, the Epstein survivor said in this statement, right? That the First Lady is now shifting the burden onto
survivors under politicized conditions that protect those with power. Where does this then, Kristen, where does that leave Pam Bondi and calls for her
deposition, of course?
HOLMES: I mean, of course, that's still been the big question is whether or not she would show up. I mean, they have said she is not going to come and
that she doesn't -- some Republicans are saying she doesn't have to because she is no longer the attorney general. It's obviously a very different
standpoint than what we just heard from the First Lady, which again is also why these remarks were so striking. It goes against everything we've heard
from this administration.
And I don't mean just the White House, just the president, who again, it goes against everything he said, but also just what we're hearing from Pam
Bondi, what we're seeing from the administration, not putting people out, trying to tamp down this story. Again, she's out here bringing it up in
front of everybody.
SOARES: Yes, they left us all scratching our heads. We should see where this go. Kristen, I appreciate it. I'm glad you're there for us making
sense of it.
And still to come tonight, the countdown is on. We are just hours away from the Artemis II mission returning to Earth. A live report from mission
control about re -- how re-entry works in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the Artemis II mission is in its final hours, and the crew is hard at work as you can see there from these live images from inside the
capsule. They are all working, as you can see, the astronauts stowing all the gear right now, getting the cabin ready also for reentry. They're stow
-- basically what they're doing, they're stowing items no longer needed for the remainder of the mission, removing -- netting around cargo and lockers.
And crucially they are -- they will install and adjust the crew seats and make sure that all the items they have are secured before, of course, they
return to Earth.
[14:35:33]
And that will happen less than six hours from now. They will hit the Earth's atmosphere at speeds so fast by the way they could travel from New
York to Tokyo -- this is for context -- in less than 20 minutes. And as you can imagine, traveling at that speed generates a lot of friction as well as
heat. The Orion spacecraft effectively turns into a flying fireball as it falls. As you can see there, it is the most dangerous part of the mission.
One of the most dangerous parts of the mission.
A system of parachutes will slow it down, allowing Orion to splash into the ocean off the coast of San Diego, where U.S. Navy helicopters will pick up
the crew.
Our Randi Kaye is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. And we -- and Randi, good to see you. We are looking at these live images, of course,
inside the capsule, trying to get a sense of how they are preparing because there is so much excitement not just for this moment but in fact for the
entire mission. And not just excitement I imagine, tension too, right? As we -- as we mentioned there about re-entry.
Talk us through what we're likely to -- what we can expect here.
RANDI KAYE, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are going to be feeling it on re-entry for sure. that's about all really going to get
started around 7:30 Eastern time tonight. At some point the Orion capsule will separate from its service module. The service module goes into the
atmosphere and disintegrates, but then the Orion capsule starts barreling towards Earth.
In about 7:53 Eastern time, that is when the Orion capsule will hit the Earth's atmosphere. And that is when things are going to really heat up. As
you mentioned, about 5,000 degrees outside that capsule. There's a heat shield on that capsule. They're certainly hoping that it performs well. It
protects the astronauts and the capsule from the extreme heat. So, they'll be watching that very closely. And then just 13 minutes after they enter
the Earth's atmosphere at about 400,000 feet, they will -- they are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
Now, this is something that is certainly nerve-wracking for mission control because in those 13 minutes, they're actually going to lose contact with
the astronauts for about six of those minutes. And mission control will go dark. So, we'll just see an animation while we wait for them to break
through on the other side. So, there will be parachutes. They have 11 parachutes that will bring this capsule down safely. And I talked to one of
the aerospace engineers here yesterday and he told me that they have 11, but if they lose four, that's OK. It just means they'll hit the water a
little harder at 25 miles per hour instead of 17.
And I can also tell you that the families of the astronauts will be here inside mission control. We were inside there earlier this week. There's an
observatory above where all the action is happening. So, they will be able to watch all of these flight controllers guide that Orion capsule and
hopefully their loved ones in safely, Isa.
SOARES: Yes. And six minutes for those of us who work on TV is a long time. And we look at these live pictures from inside the capsule, right? How are
they preparing? What are -- what has been helping them to calm their nerves, Randi?
KAYE: Well, there's -- they can't work out anymore because they've had to stow that. So, that probably would have helped them quite a bit, but they
had to stow their flywheel that they've been using in space. So, now they are just basically resetting the deck chairs. There's a launch mode and a
re-entry mode, which is different than when they're just, you know, cruising around in space. So, they've had to reset it. So, it's -- so
things are stowed away. And they are in now re-entry mode.
There's also -- there -- they have one more what's called an RTC burn that is scheduled for later. And that is going to help them pinpoint their
trajectory because they really want to make sure that they come in at the right angle when they come in for splashdown because Artemis I when it
landed in 2022 did have big chunks come off the heat shield and they don't want that to happen. So, what they did for Artemis II coming in tonight is
they changed the trajectory just slightly and they hope that that will help prevent any major cracking or major damage from that heat shield and that
it will work properly.
SOARES: Real exciting day. Lucky you to be there, Randi. Thank you very much indeed.
And still to come tonight, we're in the final hours of campaigning in Hungary before Sunday's historic election, which could see Viktor Orban
lose power after 16 years. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:42:21]
SOARES: Welcome back. Voters go to the polls Sunday for parliamentary elections in Hungary and the fate of Viktor Orban hangs in the balance. The
far-right anti-E.U., pro-Kremlin prime minister has ruled without interruption for 16 years, but he's trailing right now in the most polls.
He's facing a major challenge from center-right opposition leader Peter Magyar.
U.S. President Donald Trump and top White House officials have thrown their support to Mr. Orban and so has Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Melissa Bell joins us now after being at an Orban rally in Western Hungary. So, Melissa, I know you were attending a rally for Viktor Orburn. Give us a
sense of the mood. What was it like?
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's now wrapped up. We're deep in Orban country here to the southwest of Budapest.
The kind of place that for the last 16 years has voted for Fidesz, his Fidesz buddy without fail. Tonight, he was reminding his crowd where even
here in this area there is a possibility that the locality could go to the other side to Peter Magyar's Tisza Party.
He was reminding his crowd of something that's been at the heart of his campaign theme. The fact that for 16 years he's brought them economic
prosperity, the fears that he's brought to the forefront of his campaign about the war in Ukraine and what a change of government might mean for
Hungarians with regard to that. Very much themes that he's had on the campaign trail.
What's so interesting about what's going to happen Sunday really, Isa, is just how much, first of all, he's able to continue holding on to power. And
if he fails to, what happens after he goes? What we've seen over the course of the last 16 years is incrementally change by change Viktor Orban really
push the limits of what is possible within a democracy transforming it into an illiberal one each time by legal measures but each time pushing the
boundaries of what a democratic country might expect.
What we will see at the end of that 16 years, assuming that Peter Magyar, as the poll suggests he might does well on Sunday night, is what happens
after that? What happens when a liberal democracy changes hands? That's going to be what's really interesting. First of all, whether Viktor Orban
accepts the result, whether those who back him do, and what happens should power change hands to Hungary now that all of this power has been
concentrated into the hands of a few Orban loyalists.
I think it's important to note as well that the man who's standing opposite him, Peter Magyar, was until two years within his own party. He resigned
over a scandal here in Hungary that had seen someone -- a loyalist who had pardoned someone who'd been involved in a sex abuse scandal in a children's
home. That was the last straw. He left the party joining Tisza and has now powered ahead in the polls.
He is not fundamentally though of an entirely different political board side than is Viktor Orban. What does he do? Should he get it with the
power? How much does he seek to change? We understand he's a nationalist. He's been very quiet about international issues precisely because he didn't
want to fall into the kind of traps that Viktor Orban would have pounced on. Really feeding off of the huge economic discontent that's being felt
inside of Hungary. But there are so many questions heading into Sunday.
What we did see here tonight were real Orban loyalists determined that their man should still win. Isa?
[14:45:44]
SOARES: You set us up wonderfully for our next guest. Melissa, thank you very much there in Western Germany. I appreciate it.
Let's stick with the story. And for deeper insight into the elections, let's bring in Matyas Eorsi. Matyas, he's a former first deputy foreign
minister of Hungary. He joins us now as you can see there from Budapest.
Matyas, good to have you on the show. You heard my colleague there, Melissa Bell, speaking about these polls. How much weight do you put on the -- on
the polling that suggest that Orban is trailing here?
MATYAS EORSI, FORMER FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, HUNGARY: Hi, Isa. It's good to be with you. Indeed after 16 years there are wonderful chances that
Orban will be voted out from power and exactly every reliable poll suggests that Orban will lose. Actually, what is really at stake is whether Peter
Magyar, his challenger, will have a super majority with which he can -- he can change all the institutions and to revert Hungary into the democratic
path.
Now, if I may add, there are two reasons the world is watching at this poll on Sunday. One is that Hungary being the full-fledged member of the
European Union perceives its number one enemy is Brussels, which is quite strange because we are a member of. And secondly, that Hungary is perceived
by MAGA movement as a test where Viktor Orban has been governing the country according to the MAGA line for 16 years successfully. And now it is
seen from MAGA as a case story that should be followed and this test seems to be failed on this Sunday.
SOARES: And I'll talk about MAGA in just a moment, of course, because we saw J.D. Vance, the vice president, in Budapest early this week. But you
know, I just want to pick up on something that my colleague, Melissa Bell, said when she was -- when she was just speaking there which is do you think
that Orban would accept the result if he does lose.
EORSI: I wish I had a crystal ball to say. Orban never gives it up. That's sure. But I think what he will put on the balance whether he can win if he
contest the election if he would not accept the election. Because if he rejects the election results, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of
Hungarians will go to the street and enforce their right to elect their voters. And I don't think that Orban will be able to contest the will of
the Hungarian people.
SOARES: And Matyas, from a -- from a purely then domestic perspective and my -- and my colleague, Melissa, just now in Hungary was talking, hinted at
this. I wonder how this choice then is being presented to the population. Is it as simple as a choice between continuity and a change? Just walk us
through where they stand. Because as we just heard there, Peter Magyar hasn't really touched on any foreign policy aspects. Where does he stand on
Ukraine? Where does he stand on Russia? Where does he stand on Europe?
EORSI: These are wonderful questions because Peter Magyar has been more or less silent on those issues. And when he gave an interview to a Polish
newspaper, he said he doesn't want to make a turbulence within his own supporters. So, he didn't make a clear answer to these questions. He also
said that he wants to continue buying Russian oil.
But you know it's a campaign period. And after he wins, I think he will have very, very clear-cut discussions with the other European leaders. And
I think that one of the conclusions of Peter Magyar should be that Hungary in the future cannot go against the Western values and European values. So,
I think he will be -- I hope he will be just fine.
If there will be debates, there will be debates. Many things may be -- may disagree in the future. At this moment, what is important that Orban will
be out and the country is happy with that.
SOARES: And Matyas, at the beginning of our interview, you'd mentioned of course MAGA, the U.S. influence. Of course, we saw Vice President J.D.
Vance in Budapest this week. I wonder what -- how that was received. We heard him attacking Ukraine, attacking Brussels as well. Do you think that
would have moved the needle at all with voters?
[14:50:03]
EORSI: I really don't think so. Orban paid a visit to Washington a couple of months ago. He received a Blair House reception by Donald Trump. There
was firework. There was beautiful speeches. I don't think that J.D. Vance's visit could have added anything except for an amusing moment when J.D.
Vance in Budapest accused European Union for intervening in the Hungarian elections. European Union was not here. Only J.D. Vance was here, so it was
funny.
But there is another moment which I don't find amusing or funny at all that while J.D. Vance comes to Budapest to support Viktor Orban's campaign, in
the meantime, Viktor Orban's foreign minister is sending a message to Tehran to the major enemy of the United States and offered its assistance,
the assistance of Hungary as he said we can -- we want to be at your disposal in any matter. And this foreign policy is absolutely ridiculous.
And then you can add that Viktor Orban who claims to house the Russians 30,000 years ago now he's the closest ally of Vladimir Putin. During his
discussion with Vladimir Putin, He says himself that he is the mouse who is helping the lion. This is not how the head of a state speaks to another
one.
SOARES: Yes.
EORSI: So, the way he is attacking Ukraine, a country which is anyway in a huge trouble and does everything possible to block the European to help
Ukraine, I find not only politically but even morally absolutely outrageous.
SOARES: Well, playing both sides clearly. Matyas, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us, Matyas Eorsi there. Thank you, sir.
We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, we have been talking to you throughout this hour about the dangerous process of getting those four Artemis astronauts back on Earth.
You're looking at these live pictures actually from inside the capsule. We're about five hours, just over five hours until splashdown. They will be
traveling at 30 times the speed of sound in a spacecraft that will get so hot it lights up like a fireball.
With more on exactly how NASA keeps the crew safe through this re-entry, here's our Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Orion comes back into Earth's atmospheres, there may be no other part of this that is more important than
the heat shield on the bottom of the space capsule here. Why is that so important? Because this is coming in at 25,000 miles per hour. That means
there's going to be a tremendous buildup of heat on the bottom of the craft. About 5,000 degrees, half the temperature of the surface of the sun.
[14:55:23]
Now, this is an ablative shield. What does that mean? That means it is supposed to erode off against all of that intense heat. But in the Artemis
I mission, one of the things they noticed was that it was not eroding so evenly. That's it right over there. And that raised some safety concerns.
So, what they did was reconfigure the exact way that they're going to bring this back, thinking that that might avoid that problem again, or at least
mitigate it and allow the craft to slow down, slowly pop its 11 different parachutes and doing so get to a speed where it can safely splash down in
the ocean with the four astronauts aboard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Absolutely fascinating. Tom Foreman there. We'll have special coverage of the crew of the Artimis II mission as it returns to Earth
following the historic trip around the moon. Join us at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. Pacific time. That's midnight here in London.
That does it for this hour. I will be back though with "WHAT WE KNOW' after a very short break. Do stay right here with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
