Return to Transcripts main page
One World with Zain Asher
World Reacts To Trump's Iran Address; CNN Poll Shows Growing Disapproval Among Americans; Trump: U.S. Will Hit Iran Hard Over Next Two To Three Weeks; Police Release Video From Tiger Woods' DUI Arrest; Mexican Forces Train For Threats Against World Cup; Trump: Will Cripple Iran's Ability To Build A Nuclear Bomb; Astronauts Travel To Far Side Of Moon In Historic Mission; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired April 02, 2026 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:37]
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: When the president speaks, the world listens. How his address on the Iran war is reverberating around the globe.
Second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them
back to the Stone Ages where they belong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Primetime address fallout. Trump had a message for American allies and some of them are now speaking out. A rare rebuke from the French
president, just ahead.
Also ahead, new body cam video of Tiger Woods' arrest has just been released. What the images are telling us.
And later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, amazing. When the -- when the blast off, that was cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excited.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's at the tip of my tongue. I just want to say --
HUNTER SOWARDS, KCBS REPORTER (voice-over): Like indescribable?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, indescribable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Ready for liftoff. Artemis II's youngest fan. Sound off on the historic moment.
Hello, everyone. Live in New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
From soaring oil prices to a fiery rebuke from Tehran, the world is reacting to Donald Trump's address to the nation about the war in Iran.
The U.S. president suggested that the conflict could wrap up in two to three weeks and called on world leaders to take action to secure the Strait
of Hormuz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Build up some delayed courage. Should have done it before. Should have done it with us as we asked. Go to the strait and just take it.
Protect it. Use it for yourselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The French president is rejecting the call for allies to use military force to unblock the strait as unrealistic, issuing some of his
strongest criticism of President Trump yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): This is not a show. We're talking of peace, of war. We're talking about the lives of men and
women.
Everyone is paying the consequences. So we have to be serious. When we want to be serious, we don't say each day the opposite of what we said the day
before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: The Strait of Hormuz was also the focus of a virtual summit in London, which wrapped up in the past couple of hours. The U.K. condemned
what it called Iranian recklessness in holding the world economy hostage.
Kevin Liptak is in Washington with more on the president's address last night.
So, Kevin, how is the White House reacting to the world's response, really, to his first comments to the American audience, but everyone around the
world was taking note, the first response, really, since the start of the war over a month ago?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And really the first attempt by the president to use his platform in this way to reckon with the
American people about why exactly this war began in the first place. He didn't do it as he was considering it back in February. And he didn't do it
in the first month of the conflict.
You know, the White House seems to think that the speech went fairly well, but I think because the president didn't really detail anything new in his
strategy here or provide any more insight into what his endgame will be, I don't think this is going to move the needle in public sentiment in any
way, which at the end of the day is not good news for a president that is now suffering some fairly bad reviews from the American public about what
he's doing.
You know, CNN just had a poll out yesterday that showed support diminishing for this war since the beginning of it. And I think, you know, when the
president comes out and does a primetime speech like this, the hope is that you're able to reach a wider swath of the public and describe in some new
detail about what you're thinking is here.
And so if you were looking for an endgame from the president, I don't think you necessarily heard it in that speech last night.
And it was, I think, contradictory in some ways, which is a continuation of what we've heard from the president over the course of this war. You know,
he did make a nod to the attempt at diplomacy endorsing these negotiations to try and bring the conflict to an end.
But at the same time, he said that the U.S. bombing efforts would only intensify over the next two or three weeks. And so if you're trying to
ascertain where the president is heading, it wasn't precisely clear.
You know, it did seem as if the president is absorbing some of these criticisms, including from his own supporters that he has gotten the U.S.
and now bogged down into a conflict that doesn't have a clear end.
[12:05:08]
You know, he ticked through all of those previous conflicts going all the way back to World War I, stating how long they had lasted and suggested
that this conflict was nothing like that and said it was quote, very important to keep in perspective.
But what you didn't hear from the president was really any reckoning with the economic costs of the war, which is what I think so many Americans are
worried about now. He didn't necessarily give an I-feel-your-pain kind of speech when it comes to gas prices, when it comes to the price of oil.
And I think part of the reason for that is the president seems to dismiss as a U.S. problem, at least the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He says
that this is now a problem for the Asian allies to figure out, for the European allies to figure out, very much implying that this was not going
to be a prerequisite of his -- for ending the war.
And so I think, you know, now after the speech, we're not really left with any clear picture of where this is all heading. And for a president who is
already suffering some real skepticism among the American public about what he's doing, I'm not sure that that really could be said as accomplishing
his goals in coming out and delivering this address to the nation.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. He simply just said that the prices at the pump will go down quickly after the war ends.
Kevin Liptak, thank you.
Well, Iran's president has written an open letter directly addressing the American people asking, quote, is America first truly among the priorities
of the U.S. government today?
The letter which questions whether the war is truly serving the interests of Americans was released hours ahead of Donald Trump's national address on
Wednesday. Trump is asking skeptical Americans to simply have patience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's very important that we keep this conflict in perspective.
Iraq went on for eight years, eight months, and 28 days. We are in this military operation so powerful, so brilliant against one of the most
powerful countries for 32 days.
They're the bully no longer. This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren's future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten has a look at how new poll numbers on what Americans think about the war and how President Trump is
handling it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Hey, there, Bianna. Look, our latest CNN-SSRS poll took a gauge of Americans about how they feel about the war
in Iran right now. And the only adjective that I can find to describe their feelings towards the war in Iran and President Trump's handling the --
handling of it is awful. Awful, awful, awful.
I mean, just look here. Look, the war was not popular to begin with, and it has somehow become even less popular. Net approval rating of the U.S.
military action in Iran at the start of the war. Again, minus 18 points. That's not good at all.
But as we have gone in a month in, that number has managed to fall. Look at this. We're talking about minus 32 points, minus 32 points, or 32 points
more likely if you're in the American public to disapprove than approve of the war in Iran right now.
And amongst them, independents, I always like these little notes for myself. Look at that. In the center of the electorate, the net approval
rating among independents on the war in Iran, minus 48 points, only about one in four independents approve of the war in Iran right now. And, of
course, this has had political ramifications for President Trump.
One of the reasons why they don't approve of the war in Iran right now is they just don't trust Trump when it comes to his role as commander-in-
chief.
Again, look at this. Trump's net approval rating in his role as commander- in-chief. Before the war began, Americans were not so hot to trot on the president. He's net approval rating, in his role as commander-in-chief, 18
points underwater.
But look at this, that number fallen, fallen. Look at this. Now, negative 33 points, only one in three Americans approve of the job that President
Trump is doing in his role as commander-in-chief.
And among independents, again, such a key nugget that I keep harping on, it's even worse. Just twenty three percent of independents, less than one
in four approve of the job that President Trump is doing in his role as commander-in-chief.
Now, when it comes to the war, more generally speaking, I like to make historical comparisons to put how bad these numbers are into context.
And we can look back at the Iraq war, another war in the Middle East, at the beginning of this century, going back 23 years ago.
Is the war worth the cost about this point in the war? Look, back in 2003, when it came to the Iraq war, about three in five Americans, 59 percent,
said yes, the war in Iraq back then was in fact worth the cost.
Now, this number would fall, but at the beginning of the war, the Iraq war was actually popular and Americans thought that it was worth the cost.
Look at this now. Only about half as many, in fact, slightly less than half as many Americans say that the Iran war is worth the cost. And that's not
so much of a surprise as gas climb -- gas prices climb ever higher.
[12:10:06]
Overall, this poll, just an abject disaster for the President of the United States. His approval rating, only about one in three, maybe slightly more
than that overall.
When it comes to Iran, we're talking about a war that is becoming less popular by the day. And Americans simply put, do not believe that it is
worth the cost, which is very much a historical anomaly when it comes to wars in their early days.
Bianna, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Harry Enten for that.
Let's dig deeper into President Trump's speech and the fallout. We're joined by Bilal Saab. He's been a senior advisor at the Pentagon during the
first Trump administration. He's now the senior managing director at TRENDS U.S. Bilal, welcome back to the program.
So you've called this a game of chicken. I am hearing from multiple sources that the Iranians actually believe that they are winning at this point.
It's not just public posturing, but they're also not grasping the sheer magnitude of the damage that the United States has and -- and Israel have
inflicted upon them militarily.
And I'm wondering when that reality finally sets in, do you think that that opens the door to possible negotiations? Or does that make further
escalation more likely?
BILAL SAAB, SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRENDS U.S.: Good to be with you again. Both things that you just said are true, actually. I do believe that
they feel rightly or wrongly that they are winning this war because they survived the first salvos of strikes by the Americans and Israelis.
And I feel like with every day that passes by, they gain more confidence and they show less and less of an appetite, frankly, to concede on the
number of things that we're asking them to concede on.
I don't think they're oblivious to the military destruction that we have imposed on them, but they also realize that a lot of that stuff could be
easily rebuilt as long as they have a pulse, as long as they have an economy as -- as damaged as that is.
You know, these guys played a strategic game, they played a long game, sort of unlike us. And so all of that stuff could be rebuilt.
Will that lead to an effective negotiation? I don't know. I mean, they're in the process of talking right now, obviously. You know that the gap
between the two sides is still pretty large. To what extent are they going to come down on those maximalist demands? Only time will tell.
But I'm -- I'm seeing some sort of shifting, if not evolving rhetoric on our part that we may be willing to accept things that are less maximalist
in nature and we may be OK with objectives that are quite different from what we initially communicated, be it on the missiles, be it on the nuclear
stuff, be it on the Iranian relations with those proxies that we find problematic.
The challenge is going to be, are the Israelis going to be OK with those things?
GOLODRYGA: Well, I would imagine that once President Trump says, we're done, even if Prime Minister Netanyahu, in terms of his objectives, doesn't
feel the same, I don't know how much opportunity or leverage he has to keep going, but that's for a separate discussion.
I do want to ask about what you think the United States may be willing to sacrifice here, because if the president's goal all along and even dating
back to his first term and even what we saw last year with the 12-day war is obliterating Iran's nuclear program, we still have some 460 kilograms of
highly enriched uranium buried beneath the rubble.
On the one hand, we have the president saying, you know, he's fine, perhaps just walking away and leaving it there.
But as Firas Maksad and others have noted, they're paying more attention to what's happening on the ground and the force posturing that we only see
building up over the last few weeks, and we have additional assets that are set to arrive in the region shortly.
What are you more focused on, the president's language? Or what we're seeing in terms of U.S. assets?
SAAB: OK. That's a loaded question. I find the president being consisted at least on one thing, which is the top priority facing us right now, as far
as Iran is concerned, which is the fate of the nuclear material, the highly enriched uranium. I think that is our top priority.
We can settle on the other stuff. I think we already have, frankly, by default. And you heard the president last night saying that, well, we've
obliterated their military capacity and we've sort of decapitated their leadership. So essentially, that means, you know, regime change, right?
But the one thing we cannot settle on is, or compromise significantly, is the very future of the near bomb grade material, you know, highly enriched
uranium that is now buried really deep on the ground.
If we don't get to some kind of a resolution of that, be it through violence or negotiations, it doesn't matter, then I don't think it would be
pretty fair to say that this entire war would have been an abject failure and a strategic failure.
[12:15:10]
The president has been also consistent on simultaneously moving assets to the region, but also keeping the option of negotiations and talking. I
don't think those are contradictory. We saw exactly that format take place before.
So, I don't suspect that that's going to change this time around. The assumption, and we could debate whether it's erroneous or it's accurate,
the assumption on the part of the president is that the more you move assets and you threaten to use more force, the more likely that the
Iranians would sort of cave or make more concessions.
It didn't work before. I'm not sure it's going to work this time around. So the threat --
GOLODRYGA: Well, that's --
SAAB: -- of ground invasion is, yes, credible, but I'm not sure it's going to work. And it's not going to have strategic challenges.
Operationally speaking, we could take the islands. I'm not worried about the Marines. But how long can you hold it? It's an entirely different thing
from seizing and holding.
And if the -- if the Iranian escalates and there's heavy casualties, then the president is going to be in an impossible position, either mission
creep or you would draw. Both are pretty bad.
GOLODRYGA: Well, if you withdraw without securing the uranium, then that would seem to be, by his own words and his own objectives, a failure. And
the reason I brought up the troop amassment there and the fact that, as you yourself have noted, we've seen these patterns in the past.
Thus far with this president, every time we've seen troop buildup, it has led to military combat, the 12-day war, the -- what we saw in Venezuela. So
I guess that just leads me to whether or not you think the chances of some sort of military engagement, perhaps even an operation to extract that
uranium has gone up.
SAAB: Well, I -- I hate to say that last time I was with you, I was right that there was going to be military intervention and it just so happened.
So my guess is that it is more likely, just put it that way. It is more likely that there will be further military action against the Iranians, be
it a ground invasion, be it something else as we continue to talk to the Iranians.
Because once again, the administration, especially President Trump, insists on the assumption. And I don't think it's really that, you know, that
illogical, except that it's just not working with the Iranians, that the more military pressure you apply against your adversary, the more likely
that they will be willing to make some concessions.
It's just so happening, we are working with an adversary here, dealing with an adversary that just has a very different mentality. It is sort of a
siege mentality. They have a philosophy of resistance and martyrdom that you just simply don't see with many others.
And so when you see that it didn't happen before, you owe it to yourself as a sovereign nation to make adjustments to your assumptions and to add in
more tools to your toolbox to get to some kind of a resolution.
And by the way, we still do not know. I'm personally unconvinced as to what is the purpose of sending those troops. Is it to secure the highly enriched
uranium? Or is it to invade Kharg Island? Those are two very separate things.
Last night, President Trump talked about, well, the -- the fate of the Strait of Hormuz is no longer with us. We're going to ask NATO to fix that.
All right. So, are the troops are going to go to just seize the uranium? Or is it to address the issue of the Strait of Hormuz? We don't know what the
mission is.
GOLODRYGA: Well, don't forget he also then followed up by saying that the Strait will open up naturally too. So we don't know how that would happen.
BILAL: I don't know what that means.
GOLODRYGA: Exactly. Bilal, one of the many takeaways is that it has been far too long since we've had you on the show. So we will make sure to have
you back very, very shortly. Thank you so much for joining us again.
SAAB: My pleasure. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, authorities in Florida have released new police body camera footage following last week's rollover crash, involving golf
legend Tiger Woods. Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence.
Isabel Rosales has more on new video. And, Isabel, we just spoke with you in the last hour. We -- you showed us one bit of video. And I believe that
you've received additional video to share.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So this is the second video we've got now, Bianna. It's a four-minute video. We're not going to show you the
entirety of that four minutes.
But there are three critical parts in this video where we actually see him doing this field sobriety test, right? We had these deputies who witnessed
behavior that made them suspicious this needed to be a DUI investigation, that he was sweating profusely, hiccupping, that his eyes were bloodshot,
glassy, and extremely dilated.
So they had him conduct these field sobriety tests sitting down from the bumper of this deputy's car because he noted physical limitations. The
seven back surgeries he's had, the 20 operations on his leg after years of injuries and other incidents when it comes to car crashes.
[12:20:06]
We -- he told this deputy right here that he had not consumed any alcohol, but had taken a few prescription medications earlier in the day. And, of
course, he ends up failing these field sobriety tests. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to face my car. (INAUDIBLE) place just behind your back. Place them behind your back. Bingo.
So at this time, I do believe your normal faculties are impaired. OK. And you're under that unknown substance. OK. So at this time, you're under
arrest for DUI. Yes, sir.
Do you have anything on you that's going to (INAUDIBLE)?
TIGER WOODS, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I'll give it to you (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSALES: I -- he's. Yes. And we also have the arrest affidavit, which kind of fills in the blanks of what that arresting deputy saw that made Woods
fail, you know, the test that Woods, she wrote, began the exercise prior to my instructions. He did not count his steps correctly, but counted for.
I believe that Woods' normal faculties were impaired. And we heard her say that in the video and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle.
Now, as he was being arrested, they, of course, searched him, which is routine. And they found in his front pan pocket, two pills. You'll see them
pull it out right here, which they determined our prescription hydrocodone, which is an opioid to treat chronic pain.
We know, of course, in 2021, he had a major rollover crash where he shattered his leg. Something he thought would have to be amputated and he
thought might end his entire career.
Now he ended up blowing triple zeros on a breathalyzer. So we know alcohol was not at play here, but he refused to urine tests. And that's notable in
Florida because that means it's an automatic misdemeanor and a suspension of your license for one year.
Woods, Bianna, has pled not guilty to this. He waived his right to an arraignment, meaning he won't have to show up in front of a judge for that
first appearance and he demanded a jury trial.
And I'll leave you with this. The PGA of America announced that he has turned down the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy in the Masters' website. The
Masters is expected to happen here in the next couple of days in Augusta, Georgia, updated its website to show that he's not playing.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much for that latest video.
ROSALES: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: Appreciate it.
Well, World Cup fans probably hoped it was an April Fool's joke, but it wasn't. When more tickets for the tournament went on sale Wednesday, the
sky high prices, well, they were no laughing matter. We'll take a look at what happened after the break.
Plus, with no clear exit plan, strikes are ramping up in the Middle East. We'll have more on the fallout from President Trump's speech.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:26]
GOLODRYGA: Gabriele Gravina has stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation earlier today after Italy failed to qualify for a third
straight men's World Cup. His announcement comes on the heels of Italy's defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina during Tuesday's playoffs. The federal --
the Federation will elect a new president in June during a special assembly.
Well, security is a big concern in Mexico, one of the three countries that will co-host the tournament. That's partly because of the recent killing of
a drug lord by Mexico's military in Jalisco State, where some matches will be played.
The killing unleashed days of violence there. Valeria Leon explains how security forces are preparing to keep people safe this summer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A military exercise, but one that strikes close to home.
In this scenario, members of a cartel hijack a bus carrying soccer players. Mexican security forces move in fast, freeing the hostages. All of it in
preparation for the World Cup, which Mexico will co-host along with the U.S. and Canada this summer. Mexico's security is getting set for all sorts
of emergencies.
LEON: Somebody trapped inside this car, but this is actually a simulation. Mexican forces are running a high-intensity drill, preparing for everything
from explosives to fires as the country gears up to host World Cup crowds.
LEON (voice-over): At this military base outside Mexico City, units are deployed in the air and on the ground.
Here, Mexican Special Forces are trained to search for and disarm explosives and other devices.
CESAR VILLANUEVA, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LIEUTENANT (through translator): We're preparing for chemical and biological emergencies, and to handle
hazardous material.
LEON (voice-over): But this is not just about security threats, these troops are also training for medical emergencies. And if disaster strikes,
search and rescue teams dig through rubble, racing against the clock.
MARLENE GAITAN, EMERGENCY BATTALION (through translator): We're focused on improving response times, so we can act as fast as possible during the
World Cup.
LEON (voice-over): With more than five million visitors expected, authorities plan to set up command centers near each of Mexico's three host
stadiums.
HECTOR FLORES, MEDICAL LIEUTENANT: We'll be monitoring operations at all times with coordinated deployment from the Army, Air Force, and National
Guard.
LEON (voice-over): For U.S. and international visitors worried of cartel violence, security remains a key question ahead of the tournament. Mexican
officials say these exercises are meant to send a clear message, they're ready for an event where the whole world will be watching.
Valeria Leon, CNN, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Well, tickets to the World Cup final match went on sale Wednesday. And note to all of you, they are not cheap. FIFA raised the top
ticket price for the game in New Jersey to nearly $11,000.
Now back in December, those same tickets were about $8,700. Some fans reported glitches during the ticket buying process. And FIFA is using
dynamic pricing for the tournament which kicks off in June.
All right. Those are some steep prices.
We'll be right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:57]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
It appears that hopes are fading for a swift end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. President Trump now vowing to pursue even more aggressive
strikes on Iran. This comes at a tense time for America's allies as Trump also considers exiting the NATO alliance.
Here now is Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv on reaction to Wednesday's address.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I said before the speech that what folks in Israel will be listening for is his answers on Iran's
missile capabilities and on its nuclear program, and we got those answers.
On the missile capabilities, he said that they've been dramatically curtailed. And while that may be true, it's cold comfort to people here
who, myself included, spent a good part of their day in bomb shelters at the start of the Passover holiday, I should note, as Iranian missiles
continue to rain down on Israel.
On the nuclear program, his answer is that the U.S. is going to monitor it from satellites. And if they make a move, he says, the U.S. will take
action. That has not been Israel's goal at the start of this war. I've been told by multiple Israeli officials that they would not consider the war a
victory unless that 400 kilos of enriched uranium was controlled in some way. That does not appear to be the president's goal here even as the war
continues.
Finally, just regarding Iran and the nuclear -- the nuclear deal he -- he says that he -- he terminated Barack Obama's nuclear deal, in part, because
of the money that it sent Iran, we should note, that by lifting sanctions on Iranian oil ships, Iran has gained many billions of dollars in oil sales
just in the last several weeks. It's worth mentioning.
A final point if I can on NATO. Trump's views on NATO began long before this war. We should note that just weeks ago, and I've been speaking to
European officials throughout it, that his attempt to take Greenland from NATO ally, Denmark, very nearly broke the alliance then. And in the wake of
it, many European officials told me that the trust had been broken.
So, you know, he's had a long-term view of NATO not much interest in it. Not much commitment to it that began long before this war and his upset
over NATO allies not joining the war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Jim Sciutto for that report.
Meantime, Gulf states are reacting to president Trump's speech as well. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Doha, Qatar with more on the regional reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, I spoke to Iranian officials earlier on today, and they said they didn't
put much stead in the public remarks of -- of President Trump because they don't reliably reflect what actually happens.
And they went on to say this reflects a trait of him that he is eccentric and -- and, you know, unpredictable, which we, of course, we all know.
But I mean, there's been a -- a physical response as well to this speech in the region with alarms going off and missiles and drones being launched by
Iran across the region particularly at the United Arab Emirates within the past few minutes.
[12:35:00]
We've had those reports coming in of -- of attacks from Iran again against those surrounding Gulf Arab states that have been so terribly battered in
the course of the past month or so since this Iran war began.
These are energy rich countries that depend almost entirely on energy exports for their survival. And they've seen those revenues because of the
blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and because of the attacks on the energy infrastructure absolutely sort of devastated, dropping from billions of
dollars a day in some cases to close to zero. And so we're looking at an existential economic crisis for this region.
And it was very little in terms of reassurance in that -- that -- that speech by -- by President Trump. He talked about, you know, potentially
escalating the conflict, at least continuing it. Certainly, there was no word on, you know, when this conflict would come to a conclusion.
And -- and in so much as he did address that, I think we're all left with the impression that at the end of this conflict, we could see an Iran which
is strengthened strategically, that will keep the Strait of Hormuz under its control and possibly even have the ability to have ballistic missiles
and even a nuclear program at the end of this war. So that's very alarming for the countries in this region.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Godspeed Artemis II. Let's go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And go they did. Four astronauts have embarked on a historic mission to the far side of the moon. It marks NASA's first lunar mission in
more than 50 years. NASA has been getting updates from the crew who successfully performed an orbital adjustment today.
Now, it follows a smooth launch Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. People around the world cheered them on, including colleagues
aboard the International Space Station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALL: Godspeed Artemis II. Whoa.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: More now from CNN's Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Booster ignition and lift off.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a successful launch, the four astronauts on Artemis II are now on a risky
journey to the far side of the moon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Traveling more than 1,200 miles per hour.
LAVANDERA: They're expected to travel farther into deep space than any humans have ever gone before.
The crew will travel inside the Orion capsule and orbit the Earth twice before traveling about 250,000 miles from Earth, circling the moon before
returning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It'll take about four days once they leave Earth's gravity to get to the moon.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The test flight to circumnavigate the moon is part of the Artemis Lunar Exploration Program. It's a test mission designed to
prepare future Artemis missions to land on the Moon by 2028.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): The diverse crew on the Orion spacecraft includes the first woman and the first black person to set off on a lunar mission.
NASA's mission commander, 50-year-old Reid Wiseman is a Navy test pilot and a single father of two girls. His wife died of cancer in 2020.
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: The moon to me, it's the thing that connects me together with all the other humans in my life.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Victor Glover, also a naval test pilot, is the first Black person to venture into deep space. He's a father of four kids.
Engineer Christina Koch is the first woman to make the voyage to the moon.
CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: I'm drawn to exploring. I'm drawn to challenges.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): She holds the record for the longest space flight by a female astronaut at 328 days on board the International Space Station.
And Jeremy Hansen, a fighter pilot, is the first Canadian and non-NASA astronaut to head on a lunar mission. It's his first space flight.
The crew spent the morning prepping for their mission. The NASA tradition a lighthearted moment, playing cards with their chief. The 10-day, roughly
685,000-mile journey around the moon and back, carries dangerous risks.
The Orion spacecraft, roughly the size of a cargo van, will face extreme temperatures, high levels of radiation and incredible feats of physics.
When the four astronauts fly by the far side of the moon, they will lose all communication with Earth for about 30 to 45 minutes, they will see the
Earth rise over the moon, like the image first captured by Apollo astronauts and that Christina Koch had in her room as a child.
JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: We spent a lot of time figuring out, what are we going to do if we're having trouble with the
spacecraft? What are the bare basics to give us a fighting chance? Obviously, I've had that conversation with my wife and my children.
LAVANDERA: Why is this so important?
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II Commander: I spoke with all four members of this crew three years ago, when they were first assigned to the mission. It was
clear then they fully understood the magnitude of this moment.
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: You know, one aspect of human space exploration is that it unites, it lifts people up, and it -- it pushes you
to do things that -- that seem impossible.
[12:40:01]
LAVANDERA: Now that the Artemis II crew is in outer space, the focus shifts here to Houston and mission control at Johnson Space Center, which will
continue maintaining communications with this crew.
And this is all the first step toward eventually building a base on the moon that will then transport crews in the future to explore Mars. That is
the ultimate goal here.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And we are cheering them on. Well, the Artemis crew is charting a path for future generations, laying the footwork for eventual crewed
missions to Mars.
But as Hunter Sowards reports, it's also inspiring young space lovers today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALL: On three, two, one.
(CHEERING)
SOWARDS (voice-over): Artemis II lifting off.
(CHEERING)
And lifting spirits of so many back on Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, amazing. When -- when the blast off, that was cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excited.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's at the tip of my tongue. I just want to say --
SOWARDS: Like indescribable?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, indescribable.
SOWARDS (voice-over): The Columbia Memorial Space Center thought a couple dozen might show up to their watch party, hundreds ended up packing the
space's standing room only.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One day, what do you want to be when you grow up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be -- I want to be -- I like to be an astronaut.
SOWARDS (voice-over): Inspiration is another thing taking off with the four-person crew today.
KEVIN GOMEZ SANCHEZ, WATCHED ARTEMIS II LAUNCH: It was very heartwarming to me, seeing how like all these kids like came out here with their parents.
JARED HEAD, MUSEUM FACILITATOR, COLUMBIA MEMORIAL SPACE CENTER: It's great to see the younger generation, that Artemis generation, stepping up and
following in the footsteps of Apollo.
SOWARDS (voice-over): Museum facilitator, Jared Head, says this is what it's all about, lighting the fire in future generations to take the space
exploration baton one day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a chip inside of it that now it's on the rocket ship.
SOWARDS (voice-over): Future astronauts like Maria Luisa Hernandez (sp?).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then they got this in return. While it's up in space, I can actually track the name.
SOWARDS (voice-over): Whose name is now flying aboard Artemis II.
HEAD: It's not just about us adults giving the chance to do it, they are the next generation. They're that generation that's going to establish that
based on the moon.
SOWARDS (voice-over): And they're looking up to Pomona native, pilot Victor Glover, breaking barriers as the first person of color to make it to the
moon.
HEAD: That representation, something that's really important for people to see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, a blast. And my -- and my heart is happy. Super happy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Oh. Well, Holy Thursday commemoration is underway at the Vatican. Live pictures here from the Vatican to show you. It's part of four
days of events ahead of Easter Sunday.
Earlier, Pope Leo washed the feet of 12 Roman Catholic priests.
All right. That does it for this hour of "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. "African Voices" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(AFRICAN VOICES)
[13:00:00]
END
