Return to Transcripts main page
CNN 10
NASA Astronaut Will Set New U.S. Record; Venezuelan Avatar Anchors. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired April 04, 2023 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, lovely people. Terrific Tuesday to you.
I`m still here in Houston after watching a great NCAA men`s national championship basketball game last night. It has been awesome. Running into
some of you while I`ve been here. Thanks for all the love.
All right. Let`s get this show started, shall we?
Let`s start among the stars with some news from outer space, as it`s looking likely that we`ll be seeing some history being made. NASA`s Frank
Rubio on track to become the first American astronaut to spend a full year in space. Rubio traveled to the International Space Station back on
September 21st, thinking it would be just a six-month mission.
He was expected to land back on Earth this spring, but the Russian spacecraft that carried Rubio and two of his Russian colleagues actually
had a coolant leak in December. Russia`s space agency later announced that it wouldn`t have been safe for the spacecraft to bring all the astronauts
home. This means Rubio has to stay even longer in space. NASA announced the early is he can return to earth now will be on September 27th and that
would mean he`d be logging at least 371 days in orbit.
Rubio`s tour of duty would be historic as it would surpass the previous American record which is 355 days set just last year. The world record
still belongs to a Russian cosmonaut who logged 437 continuous days in orbit aboard Russia`s Mir space station back in 1994 and `95.
Now, this is all really a unique situation particularly because even though the U.S. and Russia have intense geopolitical tensions here on Earth, both
superpowers are working hand in hand when it comes to space exploration.
Our Michael Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A collaboration in space when relations between Russia and the U.S. on earth are at their worst in
decades. NASA and Russia`s space agency Roscosmos say they`ve signed a long-sort seat swapping agreement which would allow astronauts and
cosmonauts to exchange places on missions.
NASA says the first of these cross flights is expected when U.S. astronaut Frank Rubio blasts off to the International Space Station on a Russian
Soyuz spacecraft. And cosmonaut Anna Kikina joins the fifth SpaceX crew Dragon launch the same month.
Historic rivals space exploration has always been a point of highs and lows for Russia in the U.S., both trying to outdo each other in the 1960s space
race. The Soviet Union sending the first man into outer space, the U.S. landing the first crew on the moon. But in recent decades, space has been
more of a joint effort between the two nations, especially after the creation of the ISS, which is operated by NASA, Roscosmos and several other
space agencies.
Both the U.S. and Russia have hitched rides with each other. Russian cosmonauts flew on the U.S. space shuttle before the fleet was replied in
2011. After that, American astronauts traveled to the ISS on Soyuz spacecraft, until NASA resumed its own launches in 2020 by partnering with
the commercial space company SpaceX.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When Arkansas, home of the Yellowjackets, we are currently standing on what was the home football
field for the Wynne high school.
Look at this -- this is one of the light structures that were supposed to illuminate this field. You can see some of the broken lights here below us.
But what`s most astounding to this meteorologist is just the true force of this powerful twister that tore this path of devastation. Hard to get the
perspective but I`ll show you an aerial what you`re looking at is the peeled back artificial turf that was sucked up by the powerful updraft of
this tornado.
There it is still in place in the distance and then look at what`s behind me here, like a skin of an orange being peeled back. This is what`s left
leaving the rock exposed below it and behind me, Wynne Yellowjackets proudly displayed on the water tower. This area has received significant to
catastrophic damage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia: in which of these countries would you find the world`s tallest waterfall?
Venezuela, Canada, Peru or Zimbabwe?
Located in the South American country of Venezuela, the 3,200-foot Angel Falls is the tallest fall of them all.
Now, some people don`t go chasing waterfalls. They stick to the rivers and lakes that they`re used to. But in Venezuela, some things just aren`t what
they used to be like news anchors. Venezuelans are seeing increased fake news and widespread misinformation about their country through avatars,
fake anchors made of artificial intelligence reporting the news.
Though the avatars may have been created as a faster way to communicate information these fake videos are now being used to hide real problems
going on inside Venezuela and many see it as propaganda.
Stefano Pozzebon is on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This isn`t actually a real person. Take a closer look. This fake avatar was created using artificial intelligence
to look like a real human. In recent months, videos like these have been shared across Venezuelan social media and even on state-run television to
spread misinformation about the country.
FAKE AVATAR: Media from different countries had described the event organized by Venezuela as a total and unexpected success.
POZZEBON: This year, Venezuelans have been taken to the street to demand better living conditions. The country`s minimum wage is less than ten
dollars a month. And last year, inflation was over 200 percent.
But this artificial news clips have been trying to make the country look more prosperous.
Marivi Marvin Vasquez (ph), the executive director at ProBox, a Venezuelan- based organization that monitors for online misinformation, says that these A.I.-generated people have been created and spread with a specific purpose.
MARIVI MARVIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROBOX: To sell to the international community a different reality about the country, of success, happiness and
stability that really doesn`t exist.
FAKE AVATAR: So how true is it that Venezuela is such a poor country? Has the media exaggerated things in that place?
POZZEBON: And it`s not just social media. The Venezuelan government itself is helping to spread these videos on social media and even on state-run
television.
Even Nicolas Maduro, the country`s embattled president, has shared the videos.
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (translated): They are all artificial intelligence. They do not exist. They are robots created by artificial
intelligence. I am robot.
POZZEBON: These fake videos are often in English with Spanish subtitles and are shared on social media which is often a trusty source of news for
many Venezuelans, because the government imposes strict controls on the country`s traditional media.
CRISTINA TARDAGUILA, SENIOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS: You go from completely lack of reliable information in the
traditional media, in your region, and then you go towards the other end. So, you`re suddenly like eating, drinking, smelling everything that is on
your WhatsApp or your telegram or your social media.
FAKE AVATAR: Start by selecting an A.I. avatar.
FAKE AVATAR: Like me.
FAKE AVATAR: Or me.
FAKE AVATAR: Or me.
POZZEBON: These A.I. avatars are advertised as a way for companies to create easy to make instructional videos for example. The company behind
the technology says that it`s not intended to spread false narratives. When asked for comment, the company told CNN that it has since banned House of
News from using it`s A.I. software. YouTube has also removed the channel from its platform.
It`s still unclear who originally created these videos, as well as if the Venezuelan government was involved. The government did not respond to CNN`s
request for comment.
FAKE AVATAR: Hey there. I`m Matt and I can --
POZZEBON: If you`re unsure about whether or not a video that you`re watching is done by one of these fake avatars, pay close attention to their
speech and mouth movement.
FAKE AVATAR: Has a dozen pavilions that occupy 23 hectares.
POZZEBON: Do their words align with the movements of their mouth. Do this movement feel awkward or constricted.
FAKE AVATAR: Security will be in charge of guards from the general directory.
POZZEBON: If that is the case, you`re watching a digital avatar. It`s not a real person.
FAKE AVATAR: In Venezuela, it is estimated that 8 million people will mobilize in the next vacation.
POZZEBON: When your friend and your own government are sharing this misinformation, it demands a lot more vigilance to see through the lies and
find the truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: All right. We started this show way up high in the sky in space but now we`re taking you way down underwater for today`s 10 out of 10.
Scientists filmed the deepest fish on record. They released this footage of a young snail fish swimming deep in the trenches off of Japan at a depth of
more than 27,000 feet. That`s almost as deep as the 29,000-foot Mount Everest is high, and this fish is about 2,000 feet deeper than the previous
record.
Marine biologists said that younger deep sea snail fish like this one often stay as deep as possible to avoid being eaten by bigger predators swimming
above.
Now some other fish are swimming down solo because they dropped out of school. Hey, yo, dad jokes for you.
Let`s finish this strong with my favorite part of the show. I want to give a special shout out to Park Middle School in Lincoln, Nebraska. We see you
representing the Corn Husker State.
Thanks for subscribing and commenting on our CNN YouTube Channel, and thanks for all the love. Many blessings y`all. Go out and make it an
awesome day.
I`m Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.
END
