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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Touts "Amazing" Naval Blockade in Iranian Ports; Trump: Israel and Lebanon Agree to 10-Day Ceasefire; Artemis II Crew Gives First News Conference. President Trump Addresses Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire and Iran. Aired 2:00-3p ET
Aired April 16, 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]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's be honest, there's no 20-year limit.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who were you looking at --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone interesting, could you please give us one information on it, against the weaponization for --
TRUMP: I think that Todd Blanche is doing a very good job, from what I'm seeing. Please --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: All I can say thus far, I think Todd Blanche has done a very good job.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you be willing to extend the ceasefire or will the fighting resume, Mr. President?
TRUMP: I would say the fighting -- if there's no deal, fighting resumes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, and then on gas prices, how much longer will Americans continue to see these high gas prices?
TRUMP: Well, they're not very high. If you look at what they were supposed to be in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon, with the danger that
entails. So, the gas prices have come down very much over the last 3-4 days --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go with the government still --
TRUMP: I know, you know, that's what "ABC" says. But the fact is that if you look at the stock markets up, everything is doing really well. And the
big thing we have to do is, we have to make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, because if they do, you want to talk about problems, you'd
have problems.
So, very important is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, and they have agreed to that. Iran's agreed to that, and they've agreed to it very
powerfully. They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust.
It's way underground because of the attack we made with the B-2 bombers. So, we have a lot of agreement with Iran, and I think something is going to
happen very positive.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Very complicated subject. It's -- I don't think we're waiting. I think we're moving very fast. It could happen pretty quickly.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Saying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long you could sustain the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz?
TRUMP: The what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long you could sustain the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz?
TRUMP: We're doing very well with the blockade. It's very routine for us. The Navy is incredible. And I think the blockade is doing very well. No
ship is even thinking about entering. No ship is going past our Navy.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you fighting with the pope? And are you worried it's upsetting your --
TRUMP: No, I don't -- I have to do what's right. The pope has to understand that. Very simple. I have nothing against the pope. His brother
is MAGA all the way. I like his brother, Louis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you fighting with him?
TRUMP: I'm not fighting with him. The pope made a statement. He says Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And if
the pope looked at the 42,000 people that were killed over the last 2 or 3 months as a protester with no weapons, no nothing.
I mean, you take a look at that. So, I can disagree with the pope. I have a right to disagree. I have a right to disagree with the pope.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you say -- what do you say to people who see that, who say your criticism of the --
TRUMP: You can't have -- look, nothing -- I have no disagreement with the fact the pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants.
But I can disagree. I think that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
If they do, the whole world would be in jeopardy. The Middle East will be blown up, and the whole world will be in jeopardy. We're very close to
making a deal. That will be a great thing. The pope has to understand, Iran has killed more than 42,000 people over the last few months. Think of it.
Protesters without guns, without anything. They were totally unarmed protesters. The pope has to understand that this is the real world. It's a
nasty world. But as far as the pope and saying what he wants, he can do that.
Now, I know the pope's brother. He is a big MAGA person. He's got MAGA all over his house. His name is Louis. He's actually a great guy, and I'm sure
the pope is a great guy. I haven't met him, but I disagree with the pope. If the pope would allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, you can't do that.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anthony Masacrom(ph) --
TRUMP: Not real --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anthony Masacrom(ph) from Lebanon --
TRUMP: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anthony Masacrom(ph) from "MTV", Lebanon. I would like to ask you regarding -- congratulation for the 10-fold for doing --
TRUMP: Yes, it's very exciting. With Lebanon it's very exciting. I think we're going to have a deal. We're going to have a meeting first time in 44
years, and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel, and they're probably going to do it at the White House.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do you think --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When a factor -- and does that mean --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, when do you think they would --
TRUMP: Over the next week or two --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the next week. And do you think this agreement can reach --
TRUMP: I do, I think we can --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without Hezbollah agreeing --
TRUMP: I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon, and they're going to take care of Hezbollah. But they're going to be -- they're going
to be working on Hezbollah right now. But we'll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly and Lebanon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you support our Lebanese army as well --
TRUMP: I would, I would, yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Important to silence Hezbollah?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel is going to --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran is going to execute four more protesters?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire? I mean, how do you even begin?
TRUMP: They're all agreeing. It's a very nice little package for about a week. And we're not going to have lots of bombs dropping, and we're going
to see if we can make peace between Lebanon and Israel.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, because there was a group of Bishops that did put out a statement, saying the pope isn't merely exercising his
opinion, he's preaching the gospel.
[14:05:00]
I mean, what do you say to people that do this and attack on --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Well, I want him to preach the gospel. I'm all about the gospel, but I also know that you cannot let a certain country, which is a very
mean-spirited country, have a nuclear weapon. If they did, they would use it, and I think they'd use it quickly, and they would kill many millions of
people.
So, you know, the pope could disagree with me on that. But certainly, we're allowed to have that. I'm all about the gospel. I'm about it as much as
anybody can be. But I can't allow, as President of the United States of America, I can't allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.
And here's the story. They won't have. They've already agreed not to have. That's good news. And I think the pope will be very happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran is going to execute four more people, sir, including a woman --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Said that -- said that -- said that the Federal Reserve could wait and see about this Iran war before lowering interest
rates. Do you agree with that?
TRUMP: No, I don't agree. I think we should have lower interest rates.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran is going to execute four more protesters accordingly, including the first woman protester. What do you tell Iran?
TRUMP: Well, tell that to the pope --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it OK with you?
TRUMP: What did you say? Tell that to the pope --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to patch things up with the pope, sir?
TRUMP: That Iran is going to do --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody who (INAUDIBLE) --
TRUMP: Except -- did you just hear that Iran is going to execute four people, including a woman?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump, the Lebanese love you so much, would you visit Lebanon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you extend the ceasefire? What makes you think you can extend that ceasefire?
TRUMP: Well, I don't know if we're going to have to, but if we need to, I would do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need the Hezbollah(ph) army --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The airlines, what are you telling the airlines and oil companies about the way you're going to open up the Strait --
TRUMP: So, if you look at the oil, and if you look at the price we're paying, it's about half what people thought it would be if you did what I
had to do. We had to take this journey to the Middle East in order to get rid of a nuclear weapon.
There would have been -- if we didn't hit them with the B-2 bombers, or if I didn't kill the Barack Hussein Obama deal, the nuclear deal, which was a
disaster, we would have had nuclear weapons exploding in the Middle East and beyond.
I believe I've been able to stop that. I think we have a very successful negotiation going on right now, and I think it will be, if it happens, it
will be announced fairly soon, and that will give us free oil, free Hormuz straight. Everything will be nice.
And I think your oil price will go down to lower than what it was before. And I think a lot of good things will happen.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just for clarity, you're willing to extend the ceasefire through --
TRUMP: So, we'll see. I don't know that we'll have to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, the Lebanese --
TRUMP: Ideally, we would -- but if I needed to, I would do it --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Lebanese people love you so much.
TRUMP: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Lebanese people love you so much, what's your message for them and you will visit Lebanon after this deal --
TRUMP: Yes, I would do that. At the right time, I will certainly go there.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think you'll tour(ph) Ukraine? You know, Putin doesn't want to stop it, he keeps bombing Ukraine. You think this warhead
has the potential to go on for years more?
TRUMP: It should have been -- it should have never started. If I were President, the war in Ukraine never would have started with Russia. But
it's going on, hopefully, it will get over soon.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Already came out last week and said she had no linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
TRUMP: Who did?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first lady Melania Trump --
TRUMP: Yes, she had none --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did she come out and say that last week --
TRUMP: Because the fake news were saying she did, and she had none, and I think that's been proven. It bothered her that the fake news was being fake
news. That's all. She just wanted to clarify it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you surprised?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, who is taking care of Hezbollah? Do you think that they're despairing the view that they're trying to --
TRUMP: We're going to see how it all works out. But they'll be working and coordinating, if you know -- you know, Lebanon, right? So, they'll be
working with Hezbollah --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you fire Jay Powell --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you still interested in acquiring Iranian oil?
TRUMP: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you still interested in acquiring Iranian oil after --
TRUMP: Well, we'll see. I mean, we have a very good relationship with Iran right now, as hard as it is to believe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I --
TRUMP: And I think it's a combination of about four weeks of bombing and a very powerful blockade. The blockade is maybe more powerful than the
bombing, if you want to know the truth.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to make -- are you going to make the Arab countries pay a portion of all of the consequences --
TRUMP: I think they'll make that. I think they're going to make that contribution.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I think the Arab countries because we've done a lot. I think they'd make a contribution towards the course. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: United Airlines and American Airlines involved --
TRUMP: Nothing involved --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without any condition if you make a deal?
TRUMP: We're going to see what happens. But I think we're very close to making a deal with Iran. You'll be the first to know. But I think we have a
chance and if that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, and you're going to have much more importantly,
even that, you won't have nuclear holocaust.
(CROSSTALK)
[14:10:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: We are continuing to monitor, let's see if we can still hear the U.S. President. And good afternoon to you. Let
me just listen to see if we can hear him.
TRUMP: New Iranian leaders. It really is a regime change. He's there. People that are a lot different than we were dealing with at the beginning.
As you know, they're no longer around. They're no longer with us.
But we have a very good relationship, and I think there's a very good chance we're going to make a deal. Also, Israel and Lebanon, I think
there's a good chance that they'll make a good deal. So --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Russia's overnight attack on Kyiv, they killed --
TRUMP: No, I think it's terrible --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, are you going to send any cabinet member to China before your visit?
TRUMP: Well, I have a great relationship, as you know, with President Xi, and I look forward to being there. We have a very special relationship. So,
I look forward to being in China.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Mr. President, you imposed sanctions on Rwanda because they keep violating the Washington Accord --
TRUMP: Yes, I do --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But President Kagame just said, he don't care about sanctions, and he says he will not withdraw from Congo. His troops will
continue in Congo. What is your reaction to that?
TRUMP: When you look into it very strongly, but they do have very big sanctions.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, there was a -- there was a different meeting in Washington today. Why did invite Poland instead of South Africa?
TRUMP: Well, Poland is a great country, we like it a lot. We're friends with Poland. The President is doing a great job. So, we invited them.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw your Truth Social post -- I saw your Truth Social post about Bruce Blakeman in New York. He's being denied up to $7 million
of public campaign funds in New York by partisan Democrats. Have you seen that and what's your reaction to it?
TRUMP: I can just tell you this. Bruce Blakeman is running for governor. He will be a great governor if he wins. I don't know that he wins or not,
because it's New York. And, you know, people cheat on elections and a lot of other things. But --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, Mr. President, on fertilizer --
TRUMP: Bruce Blakeman is a great gentleman, as you know, he comes from Nassau County, which is a Democrat area, and he wins by a landslide all the
time. And if Bruce Blakeman gets in, your taxes are going to go way down and a lot of good things are going to happen, including cleanliness and all
of the things that you want to see.
I know him very well. He's been a great leader, a great -- even though, it's largely Democrat, he wins in a landslide. Everybody loves him. He's a
very talented guy, very great politician. And I think he probably has a chance.
If Bruce Blakeman gets in, your taxes are going way down, and you know what else is going down? Crime.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are these ten missing scientists with access to classified stuff, nuclear --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Material, aerospace. They've all gone missing or turned up dead --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the last couple of months. Based on what you've been briefed, what do you think is happening here? And do you think that this is
connected or totally random?
TRUMP: Well, I hope it's random, but we're going to know in the next week and a half. I just left the meeting on that subject. So, pretty serious
stuff. But we're going to be -- hopefully, I don't know, coincidence if you -- whatever you want to call it. But some of them were very important
people, and we're going to look at it over the next days --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it possible that some foreign adversary is in the United States scooping these people up.
TRUMP: Well, you know, Biden had open borders, it wasn't very hard to get here. But we've gotten many of them out. You know, we've caught many
people, many very bad people, including thousands of murderers that we've taken out of our country.
Thousands of drug lords that we've taken out of our country. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners that were let into the U.S., that we've taken out of
our country. As far as the scientists are concerned, we'll probably have a pretty good answer over the next week.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And with the peace talks in Iran, does it have to be a big deal all at once, or would you accept a little deal to start?
TRUMP: Well, I have a little deal. I can make a little deal. I want to -- I want to get it done, and get back to -- keep going with, you know, our
pricing is doing great. As soon as the war is over, we're going to be lower than we were two or three years ago.
So, I want to get back to that. I want -- we had to do something. We had to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. And we're at that. They've
agreed to that. They've totally agreed to that. They've agreed to almost everything.
So, maybe if they can get to the table, there's a difference. They agree, they've got to get to the table with a pen. We'll have that over with. And
then we can focus on our great economy. And also, you know, I inherited the highest prices in the history of our country.
The worst inflation in the history of our country. I'll get it down to a very low number. We had it to a very low number, and it's still low. But
the most important thing right now is to make sure Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you ever go to Pakistan to seal the deal yourself?
TRUMP: I would, I would go to Pakistan, yes. Pakistan has been great. They've been so good. Islamabad, I'll be -- I might go, yes. I might go. If
a deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go.
[14:15:00]
The field marshal has been great. The Prime Minister has been really great in Pakistan. So, I might go. They want me --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first lady last week called on Congress to further look into and uncover the truth on the Epstein files, the Epstein
saga --
TRUMP: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that there should be a public hearing for more of these Epstein survivors?
TRUMP: Well, I'm OK with it. I think we've had a lot of public hearings, I'm OK with it. But I understand that the women didn't want to go under
oath, that's what I heard. That the women, the victims or whatever, they refused to go under oath, which was a little surprising.
No, Melania felt strongly about it, because she was accused of, that I met her through Epstein, but it turned out to be totally false. It was a
falsehood.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This fire also includes Iraq and region --
TRUMP: Are we talking about the one with Lebanon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lebanon, Iraq and --
TRUMP: Yes, well -- whole thing. So, we just made a deal with Lebanon as of two hours from now, we have a ceasefire with Israel and Lebanon, and
that will be great. And they'll be meeting, probably coming to the White House over the next 4 or 5 days.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: And that will be the first time they've met in 44 years, which is pretty unneighborly considering they're neighbors. But there's a really
good chance that, that will work out with Lebanon and Israel.
I met with -- through the telephone with the President of Lebanon, who is a really good guy, highly respected and with Bibi. And I think there's a
chance we'll be meeting right here in the not-too distant future --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel and Lebanon have tried to make peace before. What's going to be the difference this time?
TRUMP: Big. I mean, big difference. Big.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About taxes. States like Virginia, North Carolina and New York; Democratic states are looking at raising taxes. Is that going to
take away from the tax cuts that you --
TRUMP: What's -- no, because, you know, no tax on tips. I'm going over no tax on tips today. That's why I'm going to Nevada, I'm going to Arizona.
But this is a sort of a no tax. In terms of what's happening is, people are finding out that in their tax returns, they're getting a big refund, much
bigger than they thought.
So, it's no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime. I believe -- wait. I think it's going to be amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are those emergency equipment?
TRUMP: But if you look at what they're doing in New York, in California, they're raising taxes and they're driving people out. It's the same.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Australia has announced that it's increasing its defense spending to 3 percent. You've been asking for 3.5 percent. Are you
satisfied?
TRUMP: Now, we're going to see what happens. But on defense spending, look, we built the greatest military anywhere in the world. There's nobody
even close. All you have to do is take a look at the blockade. Nobody's ever seen anything like it. That blockade is the best thing.
And I'll tell you something. I think the blockade has been more powerful than the bombs. The bombs were powerful, and it weakened them. They have no
Navy. They have no Air Force. They have no anything. They have no leaders.
But their new leaders, the ones that have replaced them, it's a regime change. They are much more, I think, frankly, more Intelligent and more
moderate. But we have a real chance to make a deal very soon with Iran.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Australia, Mr. President, you asked for 3.5 percent increase, like 5 percent you did with NATO. Australia has only gone to 3
percent. Are you satisfied with that decision? Would you consider --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Well, I'm not happy with Australia, because they were not --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What specifically?
TRUMP: Because they were not there when we asked them to be there. So, Australia --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you ask for?
TRUMP: Australia was another one. They were not there having to do with Hormuz. The Hormuz Strait --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean by that, sir?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I'm not happy. I'm not happy with them.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But why specifically? Do you still have a good relationship with the Australian Prime Minister?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What message did you send to this war in Lebanon -- sent to the U.K. and other European allies who chose not to get involved in
the war?
TRUMP: Well, you know, we spent trillions and trillions of dollars on NATO. And when I asked them to get involved on a much smaller situation,
which is Hormuz and Iran, they weren't there for us. Remember what I said.
They weren't there. None of them. They weren't there. So, we were there on Ukraine. I mean, we shouldn't have been -- it would have never happened if
I were President. But nevertheless, when they've had problems over the years, we were there.
When we asked them to get involved on a very minor skirmish by comparison to what it could be, they weren't there. So, I don't think they'd be there
for large skirmishes. And therefore, I think they've got themselves a problem.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, your policies like no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, show that the Democrat Party is no longer the party of the
working class and the Republican Party under your leadership actually --
[14:20:00]
TRUMP: I love this question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know!
TRUMP: This is the greatest guy -- look how handsome he is. What a great guy he is. Yes, the Democrats don't know what they're doing. They want to
tax everybody out of business. They want men playing in women's sports. They don't want voter ID. They don't know what they're doing.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: We've had -- we've had an unbelievable run. And the people getting their tax returns and they're coming back, and they're ending up getting
$5,000, $6,000, $7,000 more than they thought possible.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start with me. Do you think the pope has --
TRUMP: Back on the team --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back on the team --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been disrespectful to you, sir?
TRUMP: The who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pope. Do you think he was being disrespectful?
TRUMP: I don't think about it that way. The pope has to understand that, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And the pope has to understand that you
can't let a country kill 42,000 protesters, totally unarmed protesters. You can't do that.
So, the pope, you know, I know his brother, his brother is a MAGA all the way. You know that, Louis. He's a great guy, but the pope has to
understand, you're not allowed to kill 42,000 protesters who were totally unarmed.
And you cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon or the entire world could be gone. And you know, when the pope realizes that, I think we'll have a
different understanding --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Energy dominance mean that Europeans should be buying more gas and oil from the United States?
TRUMP: Well, they should be buying more from us. And what they should be doing is using the North Sea. I can tell you. U.K. -- I've been telling
that to your Prime Minister. U.K. should open up the North Sea, it was one of the greatest in the world, and they should use it instead of buying oil
from Norway and other places that use the same source.
They should use it, and they're not doing it. They're doing windmills and windmills. Windmills do one thing. You know what they do? Put you out of
business.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are going over regional leaders about the peace deal or the peace talks about with Iran --
TRUMP: We're dealing with everybody; we're dealing with all of the leaders on many different subjects. We're very close to a deal with Iran.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, Justin Fairfax killing his wife, Justin Fairfax killing his wife. Justin Fairfax killing his wife --
SOARES: A very good afternoon, good evening, everyone, I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from London. You have been watching there the U.S.
President speaking to reporters from the South Lawn there at the White House, taking questions on a variety of subjects.
The principal one as you heard there was Iran and this ten-day ceasefire deal that the President said has been agreed just in the last few hours
between Lebanon and Israel. This is something he announced on Truth Social.
We're about what? Less than three hours or so away from that ceasefire coming into effect. Let me give you a sense of what he said first of all,
on Iran, of course, because what is happening, the ceasefire is tied very much to some of the demands that we've seen from the Iranian side.
On Iran, he says, we're making a lot of progress. He also touted a good relationship with Iran right now. He said there's a good chance that we'll
make a deal. He said that -- not sure a ceasefire needs to be extended.
Of course, the ceasefire they announced expires next week. He said that a meeting may take place over the weekend when it comes to diplomatic talks,
of course, with Iran. We know the Pakistani sides are the mediators here.
He also said that Iran had agreed they didn't need -- don't on a -- no nuclear weapon, basically. So, that's what he said on Iran. He also talked
about the Strait of Hormuz doing very well with the blockade. No ships are going through.
He called the blockade amazing. On the question of Lebanon and Israel and that ceasefire, he did say that ceasefire will include Hezbollah. That's
what he said. And he said that a meeting at the White House could take place over the next week or two between the Lebanese officials and, of
course, Prime Minister Netanyahu.
He also took questions if you heard there, if you remember, on the pope. The pope -- he started -- the President -- a bit of a spat with the pope.
He said, I'm not fighting with him. I can disagree with the pope. I have right to disagree with him.
He also said, I'm all about the gospel. So, plenty for us to talk about. Let's begin then our coverage this hour with Kevin Liptak at the White
House. Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson, Islamabad, and Jeremy Diamond, who joins us from Jerusalem.
Let me start, if I could, at this hour with Jeremy, because, of course, we were hours away from the ceasefire coming into effect. The President, very
upbeat about the ceasefire that he announced in the last several hours, Jeremy.
[14:25:00]
How is it being received where you are and just confirm what we are hearing from the President that this involves and includes Hezbollah?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, we've actually just gotten an official statement from the Israeli Prime Minister in just
the last 20 minutes or so. The Israeli Prime Minister saying that he is indeed committing to this ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon, which he framed
this way.
Saying that Israel has seen now a historic chance to make peace with Lebanon. And therefore, he is agreeing to this ceasefire agreement with
that in mind. And it's important to note why the Prime Minister is doing that.
The Prime Minister is framing it that way because this Israeli public, by and large, wants to see Israel continue its strikes against Hezbollah in
Lebanon. And that's up to 80 percent of Israel's public, that is in favor of a -- of continued strikes in Lebanon.
And so, the Prime Minister really has to sell this to the Israeli public, and he's doing it that way. He's also doing it by including this very
important caveat, noting that Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon amid this temporary ceasefire.
Saying that Israeli troops will remain as far as 10 kilometers inside of Lebanese territory. Saying that Israel is in a much stronger position than
it was when it agreed to the last ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with Hezbollah.
Now, as it relates to the question about Hezbollah's agreement to the ceasefire, we haven't yet heard officially from the militant group inside
of Lebanon. But a parliament member for Hezbollah, in the Lebanese parliament said that Hezbollah will abide by this ceasefire if Israel stops
its strikes in Lebanon.
Now, it's important to note that this ceasefire isn't expected to take effect until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's still a couple of hours away
from now. And so, we could see continued strikes in Lebanon, continued rocket fire from Hezbollah towards northern Israel.
In fact, typically before these ceasefire agreements come into place, we see an intensification of some of that fire. So, we will be on the lookout
for that. Then the broader question, Isa, is these peace talks at the White House.
President Trump saying he's invited the Lebanese President, the Israeli Prime Minister, the Prime Minister says he's open to that. Isa?
SOARES: Jeremy, thank you very much indeed. I'll let you go. Let me go to Kevin at the White House. So, Kevin, plenty for us to talk about. I mean,
this -- President Trump not only touting a good relationship it seems with Iran, but clearly on a high following.
Of course, this ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. I mean, a foreign policy win for him I may say. How would you -- how would you -- what do you
take away from what we heard from him in the last few minutes?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and it's a foreign policy win if it actually holds, which I think --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: As Jeremy points out, there are still a lot of questions about how this is all going to come together. But clearly, President Trump today at
least sounding very confident both in the success of that Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, but also in the prospects of striking a deal with Iran.
Of course, the Lebanon ceasefire makes that a deal-making process all the more easy, I think, for President Trump. And it was interesting to listen
to him talk. He says that he thinks in-person talks with Iran will resume over the weekend.
He sounded fairly confident that he would not have to extend the ceasefire with Iran that expires on Tuesday, saying he would if it's necessary, but
he doesn't think that he'll have to do that. He did provide some more detail about what is leading to this optimism, describing some of the
issues that he says Iran has agreed to as part of these discussions.
He says that they have agreed not to have nuclear weapons. We should note that Iran sort of has always said that it's not trying to obtain a nuclear
weapon. It was saying that well before this war began.
It was more about what their actions were portending to the United States. And so, I think the President will need to see some more details on that
front. He also said that they had agreed to give back what he calls their nuclear dust.
He's referring there to the more than 400 kilograms of the highly enriched uranium that's believed to be buried underneath one of their nuclear sites
that was destroyed back in June. So, the President providing some more detail about what Iran has agreed to submit to as part of these
discussions.
And the President suggesting that if there is a deal to be had, he himself would travel to Pakistan in order to sign it. And so, you do hear an
extraordinary amount of optimism from the President forward-progress in these diplomatic negotiations.
But still, I think a lot of questions about where this is all going to end up. You know, I think the big question for the President is trying to make
a deal that is better in words than the Obama-era nuclear deal that he withdrew from.
He's clearly suggesting that this is going to be something more. He says it can't just last 20 years. It has to be in perpetuity. So, still a lot of
details, I think, for him to work out in all of this.
SOARES: Yes, and let me go to Nic in Islamabad. Of course, as I was saying, Pakistan is -- are the mediators here, and lots of -- lots of kind
words, Nic, from the president for -- to the Pakistani side, of course, who've been leading these negotiations. Give me a sense of what you took
away, because the president seems pretty upbeat. What are you hearing from your sources?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. I think there's a real sense of satisfaction here. Of course, that team is still -- and
President Trump referenced this, there's negotiations still ongoing and the very high-level team, top level team from Pakistan are still actually in
Iran, the talks, there have been going on.
And I think very much it's clear, been clear to me from talking to both Lebanese sources, Pakistan sources that the choreography here of that
announcement of the Lebanon ceasefire heavily pressured by President Trump. Times when the -- when Pakistan's mediators are in Tehran trying to get
compromise. You know, one of the biggest issues for the Iranians was the lack of trust that they felt they'd been let down in talks over this past
weekend
The sources I talked to, had told me that there was a real sense that the Iranians, and they said this as well, that they had felt that they'd made a
lot of moves, committed a lot, agreed to a lot of things. And I think we get a sense of that. And what President Trump's saying is saying that a lot
has already been agreed. He is putting all the focus here really on Iran not having nuclear weapons as well as sort of having a leadership, a better
leadership that he can deal with, but sort of removing the focus of the Strait of Hormuz, removing some of the other sort of thornier issues around
this, the money that Iran is asking for in reparations and in frozen assets and all of those things. Really putting a very narrow focus on this.
But it sounds to me and sort of understanding what came out of the talks over the weekend where the side sort of thought it had gone, where the
level of disappointment was. I think this trust has been injected back into the situation a little because of President Trump's very public moves and
commitments on Lebanon ceasefire.
But I do have a real sense of a sense of success from the Pakistan side that what's been achieved, the things that the president is talking about
sound as if these are the things that have been achieved by the Pakistan negotiators inside of Tehran right now, of course, we don't know that but
that president seems to be touting the new things, no nuclear weapons, as Kevin said, we heard it before, but also the issue of the -- as the
president puts it, the nuclear dust.
And sort of my understanding had been that was one of the things that kind of fell by the wayside. A core question here is going to be the removal of
that so-called nuclear dust, but who does it and which country does it go to? Let's watch that one closely.
And I think the other thing just to say here is that we're already an Islamabad beginning to see some of the sort of security around the capital
here that was put in place for the talks last weekend, beginning to see that sort of begin to take shape. So, I think the hints are all there. It
looks like talks coming.
SOARES: Thank you very much. Kevin Liptak and our Nic Robertson there in Islamabad. Thank you. Apologies to wrapping you, because I do want to go to
Artemis crew. I think they are addressing the media. There we go. Let's listen to what they had to say.
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: -- be a family. So, it was just an amazing adventure. And every single person on that crew lifted each other
up the entire time. So, I just can't thank the three of you enough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
WISEMAN: While we're giving thanks -- you're welcome. While we're giving thanks. As astronauts, we -- I feel like we're just always thanking the
team. We're always thanking the team. So, I think today we're just going to start by thanking the world. Let's just thank the world and let's break
that down for one minute and then I'll hand it back to Courtney.
But this NASA organization and our international partners, they put together this amazing vehicle, the Orion spacecraft that we named Integrity
atop the Space Launch System, riding to the moon on a European service module.
They provided this massive structure that was able to push four humans around the moon and bring them safely back. So, thank you to every single
person that had a hand in building that machine, because it was a magnificent machine. But then we would also be remiss if we didn't thank
the media, if we didn't thank the content creators, and if we didn't thank the world for just tuning in for a second and getting hooked on this
mission.
We were certainly hooked on this mission, but when we came home, we were shocked at the global outpouring of support, of pride, of ownership of this
mission. And really, I think at the beginning, that's what the four of us wanted. We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the
world together, to unite the world.
And then I'll just wrap that all up with the astronauts' creed is always to launch as friends and land as friends. And when you live together in a
small group for as long as you do on the space station or even 10 days, that's a challenge. But I am here to tell the world, we launched as friends
and we came back as best friends. Thank you.
[14:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. And with that, we will begin taking questions. Due to the limited time, we have today and the high volume of
requests, we ask that media limit themselves to one question, please. We'll start here in the room with Will. Go ahead.
WILL ROBINSON-SMITH, SPACEFLIGHT NOW: Hi, Will Robinson-Smith with Spaceflight Now. It's wonderful to see you all again in person this time.
Question, for reasons you brought up, the name of your spacecraft and announced it back in September when we last saw you here in person.
Integrity, you mentioned, was not only the name of the spacecraft, but the ethos that you wanted to embody throughout the course of the training, the
mission, and when you got back here on Earth. So, I wonder, having spent nine plus days physically in Integrity, how you found yourself being in
Integrity, you know, emotionally and practically as it was to exercise the spacecraft for the first time? Thank you.
WISEMAN: Well, you addressed it to me, so I'll take it. You know, we've talked a lot about Integrity and for folks that have followed us, there's a
saying that we learned from one of our National Outdoor Leadership School instructors, Integrity is not a one or a zero. You don't either have it or
not have it.
You can be in Integrity, and you can be out of Integrity. And I will tell you, I'll be the first to admit that there were moments on this mission
where I was out of Integrity because sometimes the view or the human experience would just pull me away from the work. And it just, it happens
and it's a beautiful thing to get to witness what we got to witness. But at the end of the day, you got to do the mission too.
And so, there were moments where I was out of Integrity. There was moments where each of us would fall out for a second. But the coolest part of that
word I was reflecting on last night, like we named that spacecraft Integrity and it just kind of coalesced this thread in the four of us. And
whenever someone would slip out, it was amazing to watch the other three pull them back in. And what a glorious thing.
Anybody want to add anything for Integrity? It's just such the perfect name for this group and this spacecraft.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to take a few more questions here in the room and then go over to our phone bridge. Just a reminder for those on the
phone bridge to please press star one when you're ready to enter the queue. Go ahead.
NICK NATARIO, ABC13: I'm Nick Natario with ABC13. I want to talk to you all about the magnitude of what you all just did. So, to give you some
idea, ABC on the splashdown coverage alone, 10 million people watched our network that day, just splashdown. That's not the launch, the lunar flyby.
And I got to tell you, one of those viewers was my daughter, Ellie, who turned four during your mission. And she was mesmerized by what you all
were doing. She wasn't talking about her big bluey birthday party. She wasn't talking about the gifts that she got. Every night I came home from
JSC, she said, Daddy, Ellie, go to space. She was infatuated.
When you hear stuff like that and the amount of people that were interested in what you've done, has the gravity yet hit you about this mission? And
you know, how has it changed you as well?
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: You know, first, I just want to thank you for sharing that. That is wonderful to hear about your daughter. That's
awesome. And thank her for creating that story. We landed on Friday. Tomorrow will be one week. And I just was trying to live in a little hole
for one week, been off social media, not on the news. So, no, I don't know. But, you know, my kids have made it pretty clear.
My neighbors and -- you know, it's hard to live in a bubble nowadays. I'm trying very hard. But, you know, I think it's -- what I've come to realize
is we did what we said we were going to do. And now, we've got to step out and just face that reality. And so, that's a great thing. But I'll figure
it out tomorrow. Courtney started this by saying the crew is ready. I'm really not. But I will be next week.
JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: Do you mind if I add something?
GLOVER: Please, please.
HANSEN: Just, it's the way you word it. I mean, I love your question, but you say what you guys did with the four of you did. And we just don't not
see it that way. We should be rewording that question to what we did. That's what this was. We just went up and did what we were going to do. All
we saw was a camera. We didn't have that connection with you. We lost that connection with Earth by and large.
And so, we just leaned into what we had. We lean into each other and mission control, which is really all we had -- and our families a couple of
times. But we did that because we had been lifted up and supported to just go up there and be ourselves and just do our job.
And we went into it thinking, you know, it's not going to be perfect, but it's going to be good enough. Seems like it was good enough.
CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: I'll add a little bit. Just my personal perspective. When I got back as someone who doesn't necessarily
like attention, I don't like my birthday, the birthday song being sung to me, any of that.
My husband said that before I got back, he had a conversation with my brothers and sisters and they were like, who's going to tell her? Because
we didn't know.
[14:40:00]
And in fact, what we were told really through talking with a couple of times with our families was that there was an impact, not necessarily the
number of viewers or anything like that, but that there was a positive impact, that it was superseding any lines, any identities that people had.
And when my husband looked me in the eye on that video call and said, no, really, you've made a difference. It brought tears to my eyes and I said,
that's all we ever wanted.
And I can tell you that the difference now is when we come before you now, we've done this together. We took your hearts with us and your hearts
lifted our hearts. And now, that we've done it, I think it's easier to accept that there's attention on the NASA teams, on the fact that we did
it.
You know, in the beginning, three years ago, we were being celebrated for something that we hadn't done. And having put in the work and having seen
our team's successes, I think we're ready to share in that inspiration and to celebrate it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. We'll take two more here in the room and then head to our phone bridge. Kristen, go ahead.
KRISTIN FISHER, THE ENDLESS VOID: Hi, Kristin Fisher with the Endless Void and welcome home. It's been such a joy watching how much this mission has
gotten people so excited about space. My question is a little bit deep, so bear with me.
When Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell was returning from the moon, he had an experience so profound that when he returned to Earth, he devoted the
rest of his life to studying the nature of human consciousness. And it's a theme that all four of you touched on to varying degrees at some point
during the mission.
And so, my question is, now that you've been back on Earth for just a few days and had a little bit of time to sit with it, do any of you feel as
though you had an experience similar to what Mitchell described, this sense of universal connectedness? And did you experience somehow a shift in
consciousness somehow? Thanks.
WISEMAN: Yes, Kris, it's a great question. I'll just the only thing I can do is just share one quick story when I got back on the ship. I'm not
really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So, I asked for the chaplain on
the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute. And when that man walked in, I'd never met him before in my life. But I saw the cross on his on his
collar and I just I broke down in tears like that.
It's very hard to fully grasp what we just went through. And in these short -- you just said it's been a week since we've been back, but it's been a
week of medical testing, physical testing, doctors, science objectives. I would like we have not had that decompression. We have not had that
reflection time. So, I'm basing this on what we saw.
And when the when the sun eclipsed behind the moon, I think all four of us -- I turned to Victor and I said, I don't think humanity has evolved to the
point of being able to comprehend what we are looking at right now, because it was otherworldly and it was amazing.
GLOVER: The only thing I would add is that beautiful thing. First of all, thank you for sharing that. That was a really special moment. I was in the
bed right across when the chaplain came in. And the only thing I would add is I am a religious person, but everything else is the same. It was --
there is something in there. And as we start to process, I'll have to tell you next week, but I haven't had a chance to really unpack it all yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. We'll take one more here in the room and then head over to our phone bridge.
KEITH GARVIN, KPRC2: Yes. Maybe not as deep, but connected. Keith Garvin with KPRC2 here in Houston. Thank you so much for taking us on your
journey. And so, glad that you're home.
You know, with the technology that we have today and what we can do with videos and pictures and social media, it can still be very hard for one to
convey exactly what they're seeing to everyone else. What is the most remarkable or one of the most remarkable experiences that you all had that
just couldn't be fully properly conveyed through pictures and video? And that's for any of you.
HANSEN: I can start. I was going to ask, answer Kristen's question a little bit, too. And I think this tie together. I've been trying to find
words for it. I don't really have it yet, but we just saw so many amazing things. And people ask, what's the most amazing one?
And it's you can't pick one. There are just so many amazing experiences we had. But overall, where I keep coming back to is what kept grabbing my
attention when the lighting was right and we were looking at the window is that I kept seeing this like depth to, I guess, the galaxy. You know, for
what we were visually observing out there, this depth to the galaxy that I just had never experienced before.
And it's not that I could tell which stars were really closer and further because it has to do with how bright they are. But because of how bright
they are and their differences, they look like you can tell where they are in 3D. That was mind blowing for me.
[14:45:00]
And then you see the same thing with the moon and the earth. You're viewing them from this new perspective, but this perspective with like three-
dimensional depth. And I've heard Christina talk about this a lot. We're all kind of struck by these things that make us feel small. And that the
sense I had was the sense of fragility and feeling small, infinitesimally small. But yet, this very powerful feeling as a human being, like as a
group. And that is what, to me, is what I would try to share.
I saw it in all these sites over and over again. I kept seeing that same thing and that same feeling. Small and powerless, but yet powerful
together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. We'll head over to our phone bridge. Our next question is from Nell Greenfield with NPR.
NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, NPR SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, welcome back, everybody. Tell me about your sleep. Have you been having any dreams of the
moon? And if so, what have the dreams been like?
KOCH: I can take this one. I've got a couple things I can say on that. One, been sleeping great since we got back. We are tired. So, I think our
bodies are ready to accept any time zone of sleep that we offered. And what I've noticed, which is completely different from my first flight, and
surprisingly so since my first flight was so long, is every time I've been waking up or in the first few days, I thought I was floating. I truly
thought I was floating, and I had to convince myself I wasn't.
And even after 328 days in space on my previous mission, I never did the thing where you think something will float in front of you. I've done that
on this return for some reason. I put a shirt in the air, and it went. It actually surprised me.
And so, that's been the real thing which I've welcomed, because space sleep is the best sleep ever. It's so peaceful. It's so comfortable. And to have
a little bit of that after our mission was over so quickly has been really special.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our next question --
HANSEN: I'll just tell a little funny thing because I think you'll get a kick out of it. I sleep a lot better now because I don't have Reid
underneath me kicking me.
WISEMAN: Oh, come on.
KOCH: We should talk about our first night of sleep on the ship, where we were about eight feet apart in the beds in the med bay, and it felt way too
far. That was not OK.
WISEMAN: I heard Christina say, hey, can we open up these curtains and pull all the beds together, because you guys are way too far away.
KOCH: Way too far away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Our next question is from Loren Grush with Bloomberg.
LOREN GRUSH, GLOBAL SPACE REPORTER, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Hi. So, good to talk to all of you, and congratulations on a successful mission. Obviously, from
our perspective, it was a relatively smooth flight, but there were various moments where sensor readings would indicate an issue.
There was also an issue with extra leaking from the valves on the helium pressure system. That was brought up a few times. I'm wondering if there
were any moments throughout the mission where you felt concerned from a safety standpoint, or did you feel like it was fairly smooth from your
perspective?
WISEMAN: Well, I might be a bit more dramatic than some of my crewmates. So, usually, they do a good job of keeping the boy with a lot of hyperbole
grounded, but when you look down at your display and you see 212,000 miles, and the miles are increasing, I mean, your awareness is heightened the
whole time. I feel like it was -- I was looking at all four of us. I was looking at myself reflecting as well every day, and I was just looking for
signs of agitation or signs of stress or signs of anxiety or tension.
In fact, I think one day we were in the med kit, and we found some medication for that purpose, and we were like, wow, I just can't even
imagine taking that. Like, we were just -- we were really good. We were really, really good and really supportive of each other.
But you always know in the back of your head that something could go wrong, and I think that just builds a little bit of anxiety. And you're right. We
had some pressure leaking through our PCA assembly, which I'm sure we'll talk more about in post-flight.
We had some vent line issues on the toilet that were a little bit problematic for us on the primary vent line. And then we had a few cautions
and warnings that came up from time to time, and those always -- they always get your attention. We had a smoke detector go off on the next to
last day.
I mean, you want to get somebody's attention really quick. Make the fire alarm go off in your spacecraft when you're still about 80,000 miles from
home. And that starts off an automated sequence of shutting down the ventilation in the power system.
And that was -- it was tense. It wasn't scary, but it was tense for a few minutes until we got things reconfigured. But the thing that we drilled
into our heads before we launched is no fast hands.
Let's evaluate this machine. Let's see what the machine is telling us. Let's see what Houston is telling us. And then let's come to an integrated
decision.
[14:50:00]
But nothing had to happen quick. And this machine -- I was talking to our program manager last night on the phone for just a minute, Howard Hugh, and
like, there are always things we need to improve, always. There are ways we need to do better living in space.
There's a way this machine needs to be improved. But my own personal opinion, they could put the Artemis III Orion on the space launch system
tomorrow and launch it, and the crew would be in great shape. So, this vehicle really handled very well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Next up, we are going to head over to the --
SOARES: You have been listening there to the Artemis II astronauts, of course, sharing some of the details about their historic mission, of
course, to the moon and back. It comes to, what, less than a week or so since they completed their 10-day journey, traveling more than 250,000, of
course, from Earth.
Let's get the thoughts, as we continue to monitor, of course, what they're saying, from retired NASA astronaut Garan. He did two trips to space, I'm
told, including a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
Ron, great to have you on the show. I was really taken aback by some of the more kind of in-depth questions and answers we got from the astronauts and
really the impact this has had on them. They were talking about the sense of universal connection, the sense of fragility, feeling small. I know
they're still trying to process everything, but what did you take away from what we've heard so far?
COL. RON GARAN, NASA ASTRONAUT (RET.) AND AUTHOR, "FLOATING IN DARKNESS": Yes, the same thing. And I experienced the same thing. Even though I didn't
go 250,000 miles, I only went 250 miles, that was far enough to see the truth.
And when you look at the planet from any perspective outside of our atmosphere, you're seeing the true unity that we as a species are called
to. And all these things that we fight about, all these things that we quarrel over, all these things that seem so important on the ground, blur
into insignificance. And all that's left is the beauty and the unity.
And it really fills you with a sense of injustice that things don't have to be this way, that we can make life on our planet as beautiful as it looks
from space. And the reason I think that we don't is because we really haven't learned yet how to collaborate well across an international -- on
an international scale. And that becomes really clear from space.
SOARES: Yes, it was really moving to hear that and the impact, of course, this has had on them. You also said, one of the astronauts said also, Ron,
that they haven't had time to decompress or reflect on everything because what they're going through, it's just test after test right now. Talk us
through what the last few days would have been like for them.
GARAN: Yes. I mean, there is a lot of science that occurs on the mission and there's a lot of science that occurs after the mission. And so, tons
and tons of medical tests, a lot of debriefs because they want to capture the astronauts' recollections before they drift off, you know, they start
to lose the memory of them because that's volatile. And so, they want to capture as much data as they possibly can while it's all still fresh.
SOARES: What would you ask them, Ron, if you were there? What would you want to know?
GARAN: I'm sorry, what would I answer?
SOARES: If -- what would you ask them if you were there?
GARAN: Well, if I was there -- why couldn't I come too? No.
SOARES: I put my hand up for that.
GARAN: I would ask -- I'd ask a lot of the same questions that you heard in that brief part of the press conference. Particularly, how did it affect
you? How did it affect, you know, one of the reporters brought up Edgar Mitchell from Apollo 14. He had a profound experience. And I would like to
compare and contrast that experience to what Edgar Mitchell had coming back from the moon.
SOARES: Yes. I think I might go down a rabbit hole and just try and learn more about what everyone has experienced because I think we need at this
moment, right, with so many wars, I think we need a sense of commonality, of universal connection.
Let me ask you this because I remember when we were covering this, we heard so much, Ron, about gathering lots of data, them taking thousands of photos
on board. How long do you think it will take to kind of analyses that and then for them to share that with us?
GARAN: A lot of the analysis has already been done, a good percentage of it, but this is a mission that will be studied for years to come. And a lot
of the data will come out later. And, you know, you said that the astronauts haven't had time to process yet. You know, another question
would be when would they fully process? My last mission was in 2011, I'm still processing. So, I think it's something that maybe you don't ever
fully process.
SOARES: And while you mention that, how did you process -- I mean, tell us what you took away from your mission, how that changed you.
[14:55:00]
GARAN: Yes, I think what helped me process that experience was sharing it. So, when I came back, everything -- through every medium I could think of,
I started writing books, I did a podcast, I started doing public speaking, making films, everything I could possibly do to share this perspective
because I think this perspective is so important for our future, for the trajectory of our future. And Jeremy Hansen said that in this press
conference. He said, you know, what we've been given is perspective and we have a 3D perspective, right?
SOARES: Yes.
GARAN: We see the depth of the situation. And when we see things from that perspective and when we see it from multiple perspectives, we start to see
the depth of a situation. And I think that's a problem that we have in our society right now is we see a difference of perspective or opinion as
something to defend against versus something to integrate into a larger picture.
And that's what going to space gives us. It gives us this larger picture and it gives us the motivation through awe and wonder to integrate that
perspective into the other perspectives that we have.
SOARES: Yes, he was talking about the depth of the galaxy and the perspective, how mind-blowing it is. Thank you so much, Ron. Really
appreciate you coming on the show. That's former NASA astronaut Colonel Ron Garan. Thank you very much for sharing your insight. Really appreciate it.
GARAN: Thank you.
SOARES: Thank you. Very welcome. A very busy hour of news. Do stay right here. "What We Know" with my colleague Max Foster is up next. I shall see
you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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