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CNN 10

Allied Forces Led By the U.S. Launch Strikes on Syria; A Detailed Look at the Moon; A CNN Hero Utilizes Exoskeletons to Help Others Walk

Aired April 16, 2018 - 04:00   ET

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

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.

On Friday night, the United States, the United Kingdom and France worked together to launch military strikes on the Middle Eastern country of Syria.

Today`s show starts with an explanation of what happened and how people have reacted to it in Syria and beyond.

The airstrikes were carried out from allied ships, fighter jets and bombers. They were in response to an apparent chemical weapons attack

earlier this month. It killed dozens of people in the rebel held Syrian town of Douma. Britain, France and the U.S. blamed the Syrian government

for the attacks. Syria and its ally Russia denied it.

The missiles launched on Friday were aimed at three specific sites, a scientific research center in the Syrian capital of Damascus and two

chemical weapons facilities near the western Syrian city of Homs. The U.S. military called the sites the heart of the Syrian chemical weapons program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread

and use of chemical weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: And President Trump and the U.S. military say Friday`s mission was accomplished.

Russia says the strikes were against international law and that they`ll upset the, quote, political settlement in the crisis in Syria. Iran,

another ally of Syria, called the strikes a major crime. Israel, an ally of the U.S., said it supported the airstrikes and that they enforced U.S.

policy not to allow chemical weapons attacks.

And the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says American remains locked and loaded to strike if more chemical attacks are carried out.

There`s been some argument over how effective the strikes. The Syrian government says some of the targeted sites weren`t damaged at all.

Satellite images provided by the U.S. military showed the opposite.

The Pentagon says every target was hit successfully. Russia, an ally of Syria, says most of the missiles fired were intercepted by Syrian defense

system.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Syrian regime keeps pumping out the same propaganda message of effectively

resisting any moves against it. Certainly, during a meeting with Russian lawmakers, Bashar al-Assad, suggested that in fact it was so Soviet era

legacy almost, Russian supplied anti-aircraft systems that defeated over a hundred state of the art precision missiles launched by the U.S., U.K. and

France. Obviously, that might be hard to believe. Frankly, it was hard to believe that 70 of the 100 or so, as Russia claimed, were taken out by

anti-aircraft missiles on the way.

The Pentagon has said none of their missiles were intercepted and in fact shown before and after satellite imagery, on a commercial basis, showing

the damage done to the pre-selected facilities they chose to target.

But still, regardless of the truth of the matter here, this is about Damascus saying they`ve really picked themselves up, dusted themselves down

and life is carrying on as normal. Another message Bashar al-Assad gave to those Russian lawmakers was that we needed $14 billion to rebuild the

country, the parts of the country that have been destroyed by the Syrian civil war, the Syrian civil war, much of the destruction of which his

military and backers have been behind.

So, Damascus really I think perhaps thinking they`ve dodged a bit of a blow here. It`s unclear whether they`ve actually taken on board the message

that the use of chemical weapons will or leads to a Western response like this. It was comparatively small amount of their infrastructure, but was

indeed targeted. But I`m showing Moscow and Tehran, they`re asking themselves whether or not the last week frankly was worth it, and whether

that`s pressuring Bashar al Assad to again not use weapons of this sort.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Where would you find Grimaldi, Copernicus and the Sea of Clouds?

The Sistine Chapel, the Circuit de Monaco, the Orion Nebula or the moon?

These are all features of the moon, the Earth`s natural satellite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: And that is our next stop today on CNN 10. To the moon!

Now, this here is what that satellite looks like in 4K, or ultra high definition resolution. It comes to us courtesy of a NASA mission launched

in 2009 called the lunar reconnaissance orbiter mission. Its cost is an estimated $583 million. Its goal is to make detailed maps of the moon.

So, this is a virtual tour. If you`ll kindly return your tray tables to their full upright position and direct your attention through the window.

You`ll see what the terrain looks like on the moon, and you`ll get a pleasant glimpse of the Orientale Basin which stretches about 580 miles

wide.

Our next point of interest is the Moon`s South Pole, which is believed to be significantly colder than the Earth`s South Pole. In the years since

this mission was launched, it sent back some highly detailed views and led to what scientists call some groundbreaking discoveries.

For instance, they believe the coldest spot in our solar system isn`t on the planetoid formally known as the planet Pluto, but instead on the moon,

where temperatures can plunge to negative 415 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if humans set off on the moon again, they won`t be able to grill out.

OK, back on earth. A CNN hero is helping others like her do something that their doctors never thought would be possible. She`s helping them walk

again.

Amanda Boxtel says a bionic exoskeleton suit can cost $90,000. But the non-profit she started has brought more than 60 people in her community the

ability to walk without the cost of the suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA BOXTEL, CNN HERO: When I dream, I fly, and I have freedom I can`t get enough. And if I wake from those flying magical places, there`s always

just this harsh reality of oh, you`re paralyzed.

Twenty-six years ago, I went out skiing and I remember I somersaulted and landed on my back. And I knew in that instant that I was paralyzed. I was

so young, I felt like the mountain had robbed me the use of my legs. But I was determined to show that I wasn`t going to give up so easily.

I had imagined myself being encased in an outer shell and walking upright, and then I received a phone call that changed my life. I was invited to

test a prototype exoskeleton. I stood up and I walked for the first time in 18 years and it was as if all of my dreams were burgeoning to life in

one upright powerful moment.

Right now, I have no pain, the exoskeleton takes away my pain.

This type of technology, it`s not easily accessible, it`s not affordable and I thought, we could get a whole community up and walking with this

unit. Why not?

Bridging Bionics literally bridges mobility with bionic technology. We are truly giving the gift of mobility for free or next to nothing, to help our

community get upright and walking gain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Push back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BOXTEL: We have physical therapists that work one on one with our clients to customize program geared to each neurological condition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don`t know how bad my legs needed this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before workout with Bridging Bionics, making a step by myself wasn`t a possibility. But then after my muscle started working

together, in ways that they weren`t before, to the point where I set my goal to across the stage for my graduation.

It helped to gain stuff back and be able to say this is my moment.

I race you to that door.

BOXTEL: This is the power of technology that everybody should have access to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s all you right there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.

BOXTEL: Life is not over when someone sustained a traumatic injury. Life goes on. It`s just a little different. And that`s OK.

(END VIDOETAPE0

AZUZ: For 10 out of 10, some of the older turtles may have a look at this and think this kid is a punk, but why judge the merry river turtle just

because he has green hair and spikes on his chin. He likes water and algae just like the rest of them. In fact, it`s algae that builds up on the

heads of these reptiles to give them that mohawk.

Unfortunately, they`re endangered. Biologists say an exotic pet craze in the 1960s and `70s greatly reduced their numbers. You can`t hear the

turtles remoaning (ph) about it, but the clash between them and people had a rants (ph) and effect, creating more than a minor threat to them, but

they`re getting paramour attention now, thanks to the social distortion caused by their endangered classification, giving their dissidents a better

change.

I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.

END