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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
U.S. Set For Talks With Iran; U.S. And Iran Prepares For Saturday Talks; Israel And Hezbollah Trade Strikes; Artemis II Crew Prepares For Splashdown; Iran War Drives Up U.S. Inflation; Lebanon: 350 Plus People Killed In Israel's Wednesday Attacks; World Central Kitchen Works To Provide Meals In Lebanon; Voters In Hungary Head To The Polls On Sunday. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired April 10, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton in New York. Jim
Sciutto is off. You are watching "The Brief."
Just ahead for us this hour, Pakistan's prime minister says this is a make- or-break moment ahead of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad. Ready for re-entry, the Artemis II crew prepare for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean in just a
couple of hours from now. And controversy surrounds a visit by Taiwan's opposition leader to China. That story and so much more coming up.
First, though, we take you to these live pictures of the external camera of the Orion spacecraft. You see it there, and yes, that is Earth from their
perspective. The Artemis II crew are making their final preparations ahead of a splashdown off the coast of San Diego in about two hours from now,
after their record-breaking lunar flyby.
I know it may not look like it from those pictures, but think of this. They are moving at more than 24,000 miles an hour. We will have so much more on
this and bring it all to you in the next few minutes.
But first, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is on his way to Pakistan ahead of Saturday's crucial talks with Iranian officials. The American delegation
also includes President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son- in-law, Jared Kushner. Listen to what the president had to say about the negotiations just a short time ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: No nuclear weapon, number one. You know, I think it's already been regime change, but we never had that as a criteria.
No nuclear weapon. That's 99 percent of it. Otherwise, they make no money. So, the strait's going to open. But what we have is no nuclear weapon, but
we'll open the strait anyway. Don't forget, we don't use the strait. Other countries use the strait. So, we do have other countries coming up, and
they'll help out, but we don't use it. It won't be easy. It won't be -- I would say this. We will have that open fairly soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Earlier, the president warned if no agreement is reached this weekend, he's prepared to resume strikes on Iran. Now, separately, a source
telling CNN the Lebanese prime minister is expected to travel to Washington in the coming days. And the country's presidential office says diplomats
from Israel and Lebanon plan to meet next week in the United States.
Now, all of this comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wants to hold direct talks with Lebanon. Fighting, though, is still
underway between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Clarissa Ward is with us now from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Obviously, all eyes in the region there on these all-important negotiations. There's a lot on
the line here globally, given the implication. And the fact that the Strait of Hormuz, not much has changed there despite this very fragile ceasefire
that's in place right now.
If we look past this initial posturing, Clarissa, what can be accomplished in one weekend? It is such a short time. We're really only talking about
agreement on a ceasefire, including Lebanon, and then perhaps opening the strait.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Paula, that's the very concern. That so many in this region, and particularly here
in the Gulf, where I am, have. And they will not have been reassured by President Trump's comments that you just played there, where he seemed to
cite the opening of the strait as a secondary issue, an issue that did not necessarily impact the U.S. as much.
And this will be really raising concerns that Iran will continue to have de facto control over the strait. He says at one point, President Trump, in
those comments that, oh, well, it's going to open anyway because they won't get any money if it doesn't. That seems to imply that Iran may go ahead
with this plan to have some kind of a toll, as they initially proposed, of $2 million per ship to be allowed to pass through the strait. And for the
countries of the GCC, the Gulf countries where I am, that is absolutely a red line.
[18:05:00]
I think, more broadly, there is a sense going into this that there is a little bit of an asymmetry here, because there is a feeling that President
Trump has really just decided that he is done with this war, that he wants to draw a line under it and move on, whereas the Iranians are sending out
signals that, as painful as this has been for them, and make no mistake, it has been very painful for them, they believe that they can withstand the
pain more than the U.S. can.
And so, they are in, therefore, a position of strength going into these negotiations, because they can see that President Trump so desperately
wants to end this. And all of that is giving rise, as I said, to fears on the ground here that ultimately it is Iran's neighboring countries, these
Persian Gulf countries, these Arab Gulf nations, rather, that will be forced to kind of deal with the fallout if there is not strict security
guarantees baked into this agreement pertaining not just to the nuclear issue, which you heard President Trump address as a foremost consideration,
but also to ballistic missiles, and also to regional proxies, and also, crucially, to the Strait of Hormuz.
One thing I would add, Saudi Arabia last night releasing information about the impact of Iran's strikes just a few days ago on its east-west vital oil
pipeline. Qatar releasing for the first-time detailed footage of the Iranian strikes on its liquefied gas field. All of this, I think, giving
you a sense that these Gulf countries really want people to understand the full threat, the full impact, which, by the way, of course, does have
repercussions for the U.S. as well. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, not just the United States, but around the globe. And as you rightfully point out, those comments from Donald Trump are not reassuring
for anyone in the region there. We will wait to see what the next 48 hours holds. Clarissa Ward for us in Saudi Arabia. Thank you.
Now, for more on this former deputy U.S. national security adviser, Mara Rudman joins us now. She is a senior fellow at the Miller Center. And I'm
glad you're here to try and really take this apart for us in terms of what can be done. So, take us in the room, or should I say rooms, because we're
not sure that any of this will actually happen face-to-face. If you're on the American negotiating team, what are your goals for the weekend? Again,
this is maximum 48 hours.
MARA RUDMAN, FORMER DEPUTY U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER AND SENIOR FELLOW, MILLER CENTER: Sure. Thanks, Paula. First, if I was in the room, I
would hope that I had the help and support of professional career expertise from the United States to help guide me through this. And I fear that that
is not the case.
I would be wanting to ensure that the strait is open and open without anyone profiting from it because of the importance to the United States,
despite what President Trump just said, the importance of having free navigation of key waterways like the Strait of Hormuz is incredibly
important to the United States as well as to all of the countries in the region, as Clarissa pointed out. So, I'd want that.
And I'd want some commitment or some way forward to get a commitment on the amount of highly enriched uranium that still is within Iran and that could
be turned into a nuclear weapon and so I'd want those kinds of assurances. And I'd need a trusted third party to be able to work that through because
as you noted, these are proximity talks. These are not direct conversations.
NEWTON: I mean, is it possible, though, to kind of just deal with the fact that you'd have a more durable ceasefire that would apparently, according
to Iran, have to include Lebanon and open the strait, international waters, free clearance and deal with the nuclear material later? I mean, we have
heard from so many negotiators and I know how close in your career you have dealt with these issues. It takes months and months to just get to the
point where you can talk to Iran about their nuclear program, which I know has obviously been devastated by both the U.S. and Iran.
RUDMAN: So, it's a very fair point. And yes, I think in terms of this weekend, the most immediate issue is opening the strait on the United
States side. From the Iranian side, they've already made clear that they expected, and who knows where the confusion was in getting to the
ceasefire, they expected Israel to stop its actions in Lebanon.
So, they want that. And they probably also want a release of -- want the ability to earn revenue easily. Hopefully that's not through tolls in the
strait because that should be a nonstarter for the United States. But President Trump has been quite confusing on that point. But it may be
through sanctions relief in various ways.
[18:10:00]
And then what you'd want to do is have a pathway to continue the conversations on issues that are vitally important for the United States
and to the world, the highly enriched uranium. Understanding that while it is there, as you pointed out, there's been a lot of devastation militarily,
so it should take them some time to be able to do something with that. But we should -- the United States should be using that time productively to
get to the agreements we need.
NEWTON: Mara, I'm curious, how likely do you believe these talks are to actually fail and that we resume conflict here?
RUDMAN: So, listen, as an American, I have to just maximally hope that they succeed. As I had noted, my concern is that there is not As I had noted, my
concern is that there is not the kind of expertise in the room that I think would have the negotiators, have Vice President Vance and Steve Witkoff and
Jared Kushner be best prepared to be able to move forward towards success. But I still very much want to bet on U.S. representatives to be able to get
us to a resolution.
NEWTON: Mara Rudman for us. Thank you, as we continue to watch these talks. Now, in just under two hours, Artemis II is to splash down off the coast of
California. On board are four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian. They've already traveled farther than any humans in history, flying past
the dark, well, we'll call it the far side of the moon. The mission now, yes, just get them home safely.
On re-entry, they'll move at 30 times the speed of sound. Orion capsule, enduring temperatures, get this, approaching 3,000 degrees Celsius.
Joining me now, retired astronaut Terry Virts. I'm a little nervous. I have nothing to do with this. I'm on the sidelines completely. They are so very
close to this extraordinary splashdown. Take us inside this capsule. What is it like to be on the threshold of something like this?
TERRY VIRTS, NASA ASTRONAUT (RET.): Well, as you mentioned, they're going to be going very fast, Mach 30, and I have my old NASA jacket. We have a
Mach 25 patch. When I flew on the space shuttle, we were going 25 times. If you were on a Hubble mission, they were higher up, and they went Mach 26.
So, if you ever see a 26 patch, that meant that that astronaut went to the Hubble Space Telescope.
So, these guys are going to have to make themselves, you know, whatever Mach number they get to, they'll have a special patch for that. But they're
still floating right now. But in a few hours, as they hit the Earth's atmosphere, at first, you're slowly falling. We had pencils. And so, when I
was on the space shuttle, I would let go of the pencil, and it would just float there.
And then as we hit the atmosphere, it would start to move down like this initially. And that's when we first knew there was gravity. And it would
start to just float down a little bit. And so, there -- I'm sure they'll be doing things like that. And then the gravity comes on pretty quickly. And
then they're going to be smashed back in their seats.
You know, it'll be a few times their normal body weight, which is a big shock because they've been floating, which feels like you're falling, for
the last 10 days. And then all of a sudden, gravity is like a big shock because it's very powerful. And then they're going to see the red and
orange fireball outside.
On both my space shuttle and Russian Soyuz flights, I could look out the window and see this amazing light show from the multi-thousand-degree
plasma outside the window. They're going to get that. And it'll be quite a ride. I can't wait to talk to them to find out what it was like as the
first humans to ride in the Orion capsule.
NEWTON: Right. Terry, you've really painted such a vivid picture for us. I mean, we are looking at, of course, NASA animation there. But as you said,
incredibly dramatic. You've come close to experiencing something like that.
And so, I want to ask you, what are you looking for in the moments leading up to this? Because I'm sure no matter how much redundancy there is, no
matter how much this has been simulated, it must still be nerve-wracking.
VIRTS: Yes. Honestly, there's not much to it. It's kind of like launch. You're lying there on the launch pad for hours, and you know what's about
to happen. And on the space shuttle, there was work to do. There's not very much work for these guys to do. They got to get strapped into their suits,
get strapped -- you know, put their spacesuits back on, get strapped into their seats.
Before you come back to Earth, we do this thing called fluid loading where you drink a lot of salty water. So, we had chicken soup or Gatorade, you
know, sports drinks. That salty water helps your body be strong when it gets back on the ground on Earth. So, they'll drink that. They'll go
through some procedures, but it's a capsule. So, it's going where it's going, and we're going to see how the heat shield does. NASA has a new
trajectory where it's going to come down a little bit steeper, and they think that that'll make the thermal environment on the heat shield not
quite as bad. And then the three parachutes.
There's a lot more than three parachutes on Orion. There's some preliminary, like, drogue chutes, and it's a pretty complicated multiple
step to get these big, massive parachutes out. But there's not much the crew can do. Like, you're just going to be sitting there letting these
things happen.
[18:15:00]
NEWTON: Yes, and I take your point about the fact that you don't have much to do. Sometimes I think it's better that they have a lot to do, but I know
there's a lot of anticipation and expectation on their end. I mean, as we're speaking now, we are looking again at live pictures. Again, as you
say, they're still floating. They're still in space. And what's about to happen in the next hour is going to be incredibly dramatic.
You know, I watched your film on YouTube. It's Cosmic Perspective. You, of course, you know, have said that your space travel, you know, has
completely changed you in a profound way. And yet, Artemis II has moved us even further in space exploration. What do you believe it's changed in you,
in us, in terms of a perspective? Again, only a few hundred people have been up in space before. I have seen so many people inspired by this
mission. So, how do you believe it'll change our perspective?
VIRTS: I'm so glad you watched that short film. It's on my social media, Cosmic Perspective. It's about how space exploration, really space
photography, has changed all of our perspectives.
This mission, in many ways, is like Apollo 8 in many ways. It was the first Apollo mission that sent humans around the moon. They didn't land on it,
but they did the, they actually went into lunar orbit. And we had that very first view of Earthrise. It was Earth coming up over the moon. And every
human on Earth saw this picture in the newspaper or something. And it started the modern environmental movement, came out of that one image. It
made everybody realize, like, hey, there's this small blue marble flying through the universe. It's a spaceship Earth. And we really need to look at
it as astronauts and not just passengers on Earth.
And so, as you know, I mean, on CNN, there's lots of bad news all day long. It's bad news. This is like a very nice, bright spot of news of what humans
can do. And it's not just America. I'm super proud of America for what we've done. There's a Canadian astronaut on board. The service module that
propels the capsule is made by the Europeans. There's over 60 nations that have signed what's called the Artemis Accords, which is basically a
bilateral agreement to work with NASA and cooperate in a friendly way on lunar exploration. So, a lot of nations on Earth want to explore space for
peaceful reasons. And so, this is a good, bright spot in a world of a lot of bad spots.
NEWTON: Yes, it certainly is. And as we continue to watch the live pictures, again, transformative, we hope, in many ways. OK. A few nervous
couple of hours coming up, and then hopefully we can all celebrate. Retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts, thanks so much. Really appreciate it. And we
will have much more on the mission in about 10 minutes from now.
Still ahead for us, though, the price is not right in the United States. The first big inflation report since the start of the Iran war is bad news
for the Trump administration, the Fed, and, of course, U.S. consumers. And hold on, it could get much worse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
NEWTON: And welcome back. And today's Business Breakout, a choppy day on Wall Street. U.S. stocks finished Friday's session mixed but closed out
their best week so far this year on hopes that the Iran war ceasefire can hold. Both Brent and U.S. crude fell modestly too and continue to trade
just below that all-important $100 a barrel mark. Now, Brent fell almost 13 percent this week, its largest weekly drop in more than three and a half
years.
The war-driven spike in energy prices, however, is now showing up in U.S. economic data. New numbers out Friday show U.S. consumer prices rising
almost 1 percent month over month in March. That's triple February's rate. The annual inflation rate hit 3.3 percent, way above the Fed's 2 percent
targets.
Now, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Friday things will improve once the Strait of Hormuz crisis is solved. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: One of the things that would have been a warning sign would have been that what we believe is a
temporary energy disruption would feed through to core, driving up prices of everything. What we expect and what future markets expect is that
there's going to be, you know, a rapid reduction in energy prices once we get the Straits open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the U.S. Energy Information Association, though, warned this week that oil prices will remain elevated for months after the war ends
because of the time it will take, of course, to fully restore Gulf oil production.
Now, I spoke earlier to Harvard economics professor and former IMF economist Ken Rogoff. He says we're just beginning to feel the effects of
this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KENNETH ROGOFF, PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND CHAIR OF INTELLIGENCE ECONOMICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I don't think it's transitory.
I think that governments everywhere, consumers, businesses, realize this could happen again. They're going to take measures to build stockpiles, to
reroute. And just in general, these things like gas prices go up very fast but can come down very slowly.
But, you know, of course, Paula, the big question is, what does end mean? Is Iran going to continue to want a toll in the Straits of Hormuz payable
in Chinese currency or crypto? Is Trump going to go into business with them and charge half the troll -- I mean, toll. Troll was an inadvertent slip. I
don't know. So, you know, it's clearly quite destabilizing.
I think this is a bigger deal than Liberation Day. Liberation Day was sort of something that Trump could walk back. It takes two to tango here. Iran
has suffered enormous damage. They're not going to give up their leverage easily. So, I think we could be suffering from this for a while.
NEWTON: Yes, and maybe even three, right? We don't know if Israel is going to sign on to any of this. I want to go back to this issue of consumer
sentiment. It's taken quite a hit, and we know why.
But I have noticed that in the past few years, sometimes we've had this dent to consumer confidence. But there doesn't seem to be a clear
correlation between sentiment and how the U.S. economy is doing. The economy continues, at least here in the United States, to be just fine,
thank you very much. Do you think the U.S. economy is now pressing its luck with this latest energy shock?
ROGOFF: Well, we have been doing OK, except if you're in the bottom half, I wouldn't even say the bottom 10 percent, the bottom half, your wages have
not been going up really meaningfully relative to inflation. And so, there's been a lot of consumption coming from the top 10 percent, say --
sorry, a lot of consumption coming from the top 10 percent.
So, it's very uneven. So, if you take a poll, of course half of people are going to be very unhappy. And I think that's obviously a great
vulnerability for the president going into the midterms. How vulnerable is the economy overall? There are many wheels in motion. There's artificial
intelligence, which may be causing firms already to hire less people, and people are worried about their jobs in the future. And obviously the risk
that something else is around the corner. We seem to get a shock every other week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: That was Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff for us.
[18:25:00]
Now, checking some of today's other business headlines, Europe's largest airport industry group says the continent could face a systemic jet fuel
shortage within weeks if the Strait of Hormuz isn't open soon. The airport's Council International Europe is urging the E.U. to help secure
jet fuel supplies ahead of peak summer travel season. It says the entire European economy could suffer without immediate action.
In San Francisco, a suspect has been arrested after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The incident took
place early Friday morning. It started a fire near an exterior exit, but no one was injured. Police say the 20-year-old suspect then headed to Open
AI's offices, where he threatened to burn down the building. And then he was, in fact, arrested.
CNN has learned that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and former chair, pardon me, Fed chair Jerome Powell met with top U.S. banking
executives this week to discuss Anthropic's powerful new AI model. The administration is worried that Anthropic's Mythos could trigger
cybersecurity threats to the entire global financial system. Anthropic has delayed the widespread release of the model to give banks and other
corporations extra time to strengthen their online security.
Straight ahead for us, Artemis II is about to return from the far side of the moon. We'll talk re-entry and splashdown as we continue to track this
live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And welcome back to "The Brief," I'm Paula Newton. Here are the international headlines we are watching today. Pakistan's Prime Minister
calls it a make-or-break moment to achieve a permanent ceasefire. Negotiators from the U.S. and Iran are expected to meet in Islamabad
Saturday. That's amid tight security. President Donald Trump is threatening to renew attacks on Iran if those talks fail.
[18:30:00]
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 32-hour ceasefire with Ukraine for Russian Orthodox Easter this weekend. Posting on social media,
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he had repeatedly sought a pause of hostilities earlier in the month. Ukrainians remain skeptical the same
agreement was reached last year, but both sides accuse the other of breaking it.
Protesters in Ireland have blocked highways and oil infrastructure for a fourth day as they demand action on surging fuel prices. The head of fuels
for Ireland warned that the number of gas stations without fuel could hit 500 due to the blockades. The Irish prime minister says the country might
have to start refusing oil deliveries soon if these protests continue.
Four astronauts on their way home after traveling deeper into space than any humans before. NASA has just begun its live stream countdown. We want
to listen in here for a minute. Oh, apologies. Let's have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a test mission of the Orion space capsule.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Artemis II will be the first time we put humans on this rocket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going back to the moon because it's the next step in our journey to Mars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were always going to the moon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pushing ourselves to explore is just core to who we are. It's a part of being a human.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) your return.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Continuing to test out every bit of Orion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming back to Earth seven miles per second.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Humanity sets big goals. We can bring together genius from around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have the best people on planet Earth putting this vehicle together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the three Americans and one Canadian are scheduled to return to Earth just after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. So, it's about an hour and a
half from now.
Joining me is Tariq Malik. He is editor in chief of Space.com. We will call him the chief space nerd for the purposes of this interview. It's been a
while since the world was so riveted by this one thing. What will you be looking for in the next hour and a half?
TARIQ MALIK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPACE.COM: Well, clearly the big test is this re-entry, this splashdown. These four astronauts have been on the voyage of
a lifetime. The last 10 days going around the moon, seeing a solar eclipse from further away than any human has traveled from our planet. And then
coming back right now.
This is the first crew test, though, of their Orion spacecraft. The first- time astronauts have had to ride this spacecraft back to Earth. And I think that's what I'm looking forward to the most. How will this heat shield
perform? NASA had some issues on the last uncrewed test flight. They think they've solved those with the way they're going to have these astronauts
land.
And these crew -- these astronauts, their lives are riding on it. They're confident in its performance as well. And so, it all will hinge on that as
well as the parachutes deploying. And, of course, the crew coming out, and I guess with a triumphant return, back to dry land.
NEWTON: Yes, their lives are riding on it. Not a comfortable position to be in if you're the family members. I know they've signed up for this, but,
yes, nerve-wracking all along. And, you know, you mentioned the problem there with the heat shield. I'm sure a lot of our viewers have already
heard about this. I mean, look, they've said they've tested this again and again and again. It's not without its difficulty, though, given the high
temperatures that we're talking about.
MALIK: That's right. This spacecraft is going to hit the Earth --
NEWTON: Oh, we can hear you. Go ahead, Tariq. We can hear you.
MALIK: Yes, this spacecraft is going to hit the Earth's atmosphere at about 24,000 miles an hour. And then basically they've taken an approach to
adjust the way that the heat shield hits the atmosphere so that it doesn't get as hot for as long as they saw on the last flight. And they're hoping
that that's going to address the issues that they saw. They're very confident in that, and they've got designs coming in for the next
spacecraft, Artemis III, that will address all of the issues that they've seen so far.
The crew is really confident in it. They've seen all the tests. And NASA is confident, too, enough to put the lives of these astronauts on the line for
it. And so, far, up until now, it's been a very successful mission. I'm expecting more of the same for this re-entry.
NEWTON: You know, this is a test mission, as so many people have pointed out. We've heard from NASA now that, you know, they're happy with Orion.
They're happy with the mission. But there are some things that will need some fixing. Can you give some insight into that? And, again, you know,
NASA has warned us again and again, this is a test mission. They know that things will not be perfect.
MALIK: That's right. I mean, while it's been a fairly smooth flight overall, there have been some issues. There were some plumbing issues that
maybe got a lot of attention with the toilet and the crew not being able to use their toilet as often as they wanted because of some issues venting the
wastewater overboard, which, you know, made them have to use some contingencies onboard. Not very comfortable. They were kind of put out a
little bit about that. But again, this was a test.
[18:35:00]
There were some issues also with the water tanks. They had a valve that failed during launch. Not an issue to the access to the water supply, but
something that they had to address over time. And there were some pressurization issues with the propulsion system that they're going to try
to work out for the future.
None of these issues though they've said are game stoppers or issues for the next mission or for the program overall. They seem they're very
addressable and things that would not derail any of their issues. And they expected to have I think more problems than they did. The fact that they
had to cancel some of their maneuvers on the way to the moon gave them a lot of confidence that this spacecraft flies very well, very precise as
pilot Victor Glover said when he got his hands on the controls. And it's really performed I think a bit better than what NASA was expecting.
NEWTON: Yes, you make a good point, it kind of exceeded expectations because we were waiting for these adjustments a few days ago and they
didn't have to do them. So, when we talk about Artemis III again, they're getting ready for much bigger things. And can you let us into NASA's
ambitions here when it comes to Artemis III and beyond? Because the head of NASA has always talked to us about cadence, right? He doesn't want this to
be a once in a few decades thing.
MALIK: That's right. You know, Artemis II, this mission we're talking about right now, it's flying nearly four years after the first uncrewed test
flight. That is a long gap. And NASA's administrator, Jared Isaacman, has said that is just too long. Artemis III, the next mission, will not go to
the moon but it's supposed to launch next year in 2027. And it's going to test docking technologies and hopefully, one if not both of NASA's private
commercial moon landers. The Starship built by SpaceX. The Blue Moon lander built by Blue Origin. So, that the astronauts will be able to dock check
out those vehicles test them in Earth orbit very similar to what was done during the Apollo era. And then Artemis IV goes the next year, 2028, to
actually land on the moon. And if that works out well, they hope to launch Artemis V the same year, before 2028 is out.
So, they're really trying to take a stepping stone approach to get to that moon landing by 2028. And if everything goes right, they want to build a
permanent moon base by 2032.
NEWTON: Yes, which is a short time away from now. I was fascinated by the fact that this crew was actually looking for landing spots. You know, I had
visions of the family looking for a camping spot on the vacation. But it was fascinating, just the entire thing. We're keeping our fingers crossed
less than an hour and a half to go here. Tariq Malik, I know your eyes will certainly be glued to this recovery. Appreciate it. Take care.
MALIK: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, we will have special coverage of course of the crew of the Artemis II mission as they return to Earth following their historic trip
around the moon. NASA has confirmed re-entry will begin in just a few minutes. CNN special coverage will begin 15 minutes from now. And we will
be right back with more news in a moment.
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[18:40:00]
NEWTON: So, the ceasefire with Iran has failed to bring an end to the fighting in Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel traded fire again today, as
Lebanese authorities say Wednesday's IDF attacks killed more than 350 people. On the diplomatic front, Israeli and Lebanese officials reportedly
spoke by phone and are set to meet in Washington next week.
But on the ground, Lebanon remains in a state of crisis. The U.N. reports more than a million people have been displaced, and they're in desperate
need of food and shelter. One of the aid groups stepping up to help is World Central Kitchen. It says it served more than a million meals to
families impacted by the violence since March 2nd.
Joining us now is chef Aline Kamakian from the World Central Kitchen's chef corps, and she joins us now from Beirut. Thanks so much for taking the
time. Can you tell us just kind of the adversity that you face there, the conditions in terms of getting the food to the people that need it? And I
have to point out, there are so many children right now in dire need of basic staples.
ALINE KAMAKIAN, CHEF, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN CHEF CORPS: Thank you for having me. Yes, we are. We are living here in terror, a destruction, and a
large-scale humanitarian crisis. This week, World Central Kitchen has reached the milestone of 1 million meals that we distributed during the
last five weeks.
It gives me a bittersweet feeling. One million meals means a lot, and it means that we are doing tremendous big work and meaningful work, but it
also means that the need is overwhelming and still growing. Despite ongoing security challenges, World Central Kitchen continues to adapt operations,
relocating kitchens, partnering with local chefs and volunteers, and coordinating closely with municipalities to reach those most in need.
We are currently operating 12 kitchens right now. Yesterday, we added two because of what happened. It was a kind of massacre, you know, several
strikes in busy commercial areas and densely populated neighborhoods. We have, as you said, we have more than 1.2 million people that have almost
390,000 children and 620,000 women and girls that have been forced out of their homes by relentless bombing. So, we have -- yes, sorry.
NEWTON: I can see how affecting this is for you, and I know that at times you're going a mile a minute. You mentioned the security concerns, but also
the very, very urgent need to just get in the supplies. It's normal that when you take a pause to tell us that you're affected by it, but I know how
much you also rely not just on your staff, but on the volunteers.
Can you tell us how the community on the ground has come together in the light of so much misery that has been going on now, we should point out,
for years, not just in the last few weeks?
KAMAKIAN: Exactly. Those people have been displaced twice in a matter of a year, and since 2006, it's the same thing coming and going again.
Volunteers are here. Everyone wants to help. Lebanese people are very much together in this. They are here. They are coming to help with whatever they
have, because you have to understand there is no work. People are without jobs, and we have 1.2 million, 25 per cent of Lebanon who are displaced.
So, there are no places.
And when we call shelters, when we say shelters, we are -- you have to understand that our shelters are not equipped. These are governmental
schools that are -- that doesn't have the basic needs. No hygiene, no toilets, no shower places, you know, like a family or 30 to 40 people in
one classroom. So, it is really depressing, the situation.
[18:45:00]
And the food, the scarcity of the food, you know. You have today around 18 people that are facing an acute scarcity of food. You have more than --
Lebanon imports 80 percent of its food, especially cereals. And you have to know that the south is like the most -- the south and the Bekaa is the
place to agriculture, and we're not able to plant or to arrive to these lands that are already -- these lands are all -- has been contaminated with
heavy metals, explosive and white phosphorus.
So, our food is going less and less. The need is growing fast. WCK is scaling up very fast, but again, not enough.
NEWTON: Yes, you can certainly see that even with a ceasefire, the challenges are profound. Aline, we really thank you for confirming for us,
unfortunately, what our reporters have witnessed as well. We thank you for being here with us and wish you good luck and everything you've been able
to do for the Lebanese so far. Aline Kamakian for us from World Central. Appreciate it.
KAMAKIAN: Thank you very much.
NEWTON: Now, turning to Hungary, where voters there head to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections. The far-right pro-Kremlin prime
minister and staunch Trump ally, Viktor Orban, held a rally earlier today. He's dominated Hungarian politics for 16 years now. Mr. Orban faces a major
challenge from opposition leader Peter Magyar, who's held a lead in most major polls for more than a year now. And Magyar also held a rally today.
We want to go straight to Johan Norberg. He is in Stockholm, Sweden, for us. He's a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. A lot of eyes will be on
this election this weekend. We certainly had protests today on the opposition side and the opposition right now feeling confident. I am
wondering how much we can actually trust those polls.
JOHAN NORBERG, SENIOR FELLOW, CATO INSTITUTE: Yes, we don't know, but we can send something on the streets of Hungary when it comes to the turnout
for the opposition. And also, I think, the unease, the discomfort in the ruling party, because it seems like they're quite worried and beginning to
think that this is not going to turn their way.
NEWTON: It's interesting that you say that, because many have commented that Viktor Orban has been at this for 16 years and that he might yet pull
out a win, especially in terms of the way he has changed the governance of Hungary in the last few years. I'm wondering if you believe that will make
a difference. And also, the fact that we have had foreign interference here, I have to say, from the United States, with J.D. Vance taking a lot
of time to be in Hungary in the last few days and Donald Trump with his own messages of support for Mr. Orban.
NORBERG: Yes, it's very ironic that J.D. Vance travels to Budapest, warning Hungary about foreign interference in their elections. And we know that the
Kremlin is actively involved. They have even suggested at one stage that they would stage a faked assassination attempt of Viktor Orban to give him
more sympathy among voters.
But I think the main problem for the opposition is that Viktor Orban, during these 16 years, has tilted the whole playing field. He's rigged much
of the game through national gerrymandering, through taking control of the media. So, there's a bombardment of government propaganda right now. And
the opposition is going to need, with these rules, at least a gain of five percentage points ahead of the government just to have an equal number of
members of parliament after the election.
NEWTON: Yes, again, the challenge ahead for the opposition. Still a lot to be done there. You did mention Vladimir Putin there and the fact that he
would certainly like to see Viktor Orban stay. And how much is this, though, a referendum of the E.U.? I have not been to Hungary for many
years, but I see them as still very much wanting to be inside of the E.U. If the opposition wins here, how do you think Hungary's place within the
E.U. will change?
NORBERG: The interesting thing is that the opposition is not really a different creature when it comes to policies, when it comes to ideas. It's
a traditional conservative center-right party, but they are opposed to the kind of dismantling of liberal democracy, of rule of law and checks and
balances that has taken place under Orban's rule.
And also, the associated corruption, if you look at Transparency International's data on corruption perceptions, Hungary is now as corrupt
as Cuba, China and South Africa.
[18:50:00]
So, in terms of institutions, Hungary has almost migrated out of the European community. And that's one thing that the opposition wants to
change, get rid of that attack on democratic institutions and get rid of the corruption.
NEWTON: OK. Johan Norberg, we will leave it there. All eyes on that election this weekend. Appreciate it.
We now join CNN's special coverage of the return to Earth of the Artemis II lunar mission.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I'm Erin Burnett on this Friday, and welcome to a very special edition of Out Front. On this Friday, Mission
to the Moon, Artemis II, returns. An incredible moment. We are now about to begin one of the most crucial and critical hours of the entire 10-day
mission, the return home, re-entering Earth's orbit.
All right. These are live pictures from inside the spacecraft. Four astronauts are there. They are strapped in. You can see the suits are on,
the items are stowed away. They are ready, OK? And right now, it almost looks static, right, because you're inside the module. But they are
hurtling towards Earth at more than 12,000 miles an hour. And think about that. That's what's going on outside in this very peaceful scene that
you're looking at.
NASA's flight director says that we are now in the midst of an hour and a half where things have to go right. And they absolutely do. As we speak,
the crew is making final preparations to separate from the service module. That is a crucial breaking up that is going to happen in these next few
moments. And it will expose the Orion's heat shield, which is what is going to protect the crew. Because they are going to be encountering temperatures
of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. One of our guests is going to say about half the surface temperature of the sun.
Four minutes later, the crew is then going to perform an 18-second, what is called a burn. And that is when they set something that is absolutely
crucial. That is the angle at which they will enter the atmosphere. And that's absolutely crucial, right? That's a make-or-break moment as well.
And then at 7:53, what could be the most dangerous moment of the mission, and that is re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the formal moment. At that
time, Orion will be traveling nearly 35 times the speed of sound at that moment. That is video of what the Artemis II re-entry looked like back in
2022, right? This is Artemis II. So, Artemis I went through this.
And look at this. This time, the crew is expected to experience nearly four Gs. You can see that that's the speed and the heat, right, of the last one,
Artemis I in December 2022. So, this is what's going to happen for Artemis II. And at the moment, at 753, there's going to be no communication with
mission control for about six minutes. That plasma is going to build around the Orion.
And everything in this mission now, back to this very peaceful and calm spacecraft, everything is timed to the millisecond. Though we do know that
the Artemis crew went through their checklist 30 minutes early. So, when we say every second counts, they went through the checklist 30 minutes early.
They were ready.
And at any moment, we should be getting a live shot from the USS Mirtha. Why? Because they are going to be front and center at the splashdown. That
is the ship gearing up right now to retrieve the four astronauts. Once they splash down, you've got those parachutes, right, when they finally come
into the atmosphere and then parachute down to the surface of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
So, much to get to. I want to start with Randi Kaye. Randi, you are out front at Johnson Space Center in Houston, mission control. So, what is the
latest that you're learning there? What is the feel and the vibe there right now?
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The feel is there's a lot of excitement. You can feel the excitement building, the emotion is building,
the anxiety is building as well. And we are learning from mission control that upon re-entry, the Orion capsule will be going the fastest speed that
it has. That would be nearly 25,000 miles per hour. And that's right when they will lose contact. From re-entry to splashdown is about 13 minutes.
And as you said, six of those minutes will be without contact with the astronauts. And when they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, it'll be at
about 400,000 feet above us.
So, this is a critical moment. And of course, all eyes will be on that heat shield that you were showing. With Artemis I, the heat shield showed that
there were pockmarks, there were big chunks that came off it. And this is a similar heat shield that they're using with Artemis II. So, it had already
been coated. It was too late to change it for Artemis II. So, the heat shield is supposed to protect the astronauts and the capsule. So, there's a
lot of questions, lingering questions, certainly, about whether or not it will do its job.
It's supposed to sort of degrade naturally and bit by bit. But with Artemis I, there were the chunks that came off. So, we'll be watching that. And
we'll also be keeping an eye on the families, Erin. They're going to be here in mission control in the next building over. And they'll be on the
observation deck.
[18:55:00]
We were able to get in there earlier this week. We could see where they would stand. And they'll have a view of CAPCOM. That's the desk that will
be speaking with the astronauts during re-entry. And also, the flight controllers, which are overseeing this whole show.
So, they'll see as it comes across the continents. They'll see it come in. They'll be able to watch the distance before it splashes down in the
Pacific Ocean and check its altitude. So, they will watch it step by step along with mission control, Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Randi. And of course, we're going to be checking back in with Randi here over these next minutes. We know
when she describes that there's excitement. Of course, there's anxiety. There's pressure. I mean, that's what's happening in mission control.
And for the next hour, as we cover this incredible moment, frankly, for all humankind, we have an amazing group with us. Michio Kaku is a renowned
theoretical physicist. Mike Massimino, former astronaut. He's been to space twice. Timothy Glotch, scientist working on the upcoming Artemis moon
landing team. Patricia Reif is a physics and astronomy professor at Rice University. Mae Jemison is a former astronaut. She was aboard the space
shuttle Endeavour. And Bill Weir, climate and space, our esteemed correspondent and anchor.
OK. So, everyone is here with me. Can I just say, Mike Massimino? You said to me when we all sat down here, you said, how do you feel? And I said,
well, I'm excited. I'm nervous. How do you feel?
MIKE MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I'm trying to stress the excited part right now. I think, you know, it's -- there's a lot that has to
happen. They have to hit the entry corridor just right. The heat shield has to work and slow them down from 25,000 miles an hour. That thing's got to
slow them down with about 5,000 degrees of heat around the spacecraft after about 300 miles an hour. And then the chutes have to deploy. All these mini
miracles have to happen.
And I think they're going to. I think they're going to be OK. And I'm very excited to get my friends back on planet Earth after this wonderful journey
that they've had.
BURNETT: Mini miracles, Michio, as Mike calls them.
MASSIMINO: I got that from Victor Glover, by the way.
BURNETT: And can I just say quickly, you talked to Victor Glover today.
MASSIMINO: I emailed. Emailed. Yes.
BURNETT: Well, you emailed with Victor Glover.
MASSIMINO: Yes, yes.
BURNETT: What did he say?
MASSIMINO: He had a message.
BURNETT: He had something. I know there were private things, but there was something public, too.
MASSIMINO: Yes. He said, tell the world. So, I think this is OK for me to tell the world to keep this energy going, because he can feel what's going
on down here. And then he said, let's invest in togetherness. And I think he came up with that just off the top of his head, sending me an email. So,
there you go.
BURNETT: It is, Bill. That is an incredible point that what we have heard from them, even when they have spoken, right, when we heard Christina speak
right after they had been where, no human -- seen what no humans had seen before, right? That moment, let's invest in togetherness.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: But I think that this mission will be remembered both for the distance, but also the humanity, the
humility, the sense of humor of these incredible crew mates. How could you not fall in love with people naming craters after lost loved ones? And as
Victor says, it's so eloquent just off the top of his head, putting all of this in perspective, that we're on this little blue marble together. And
when you're up there, all of those borders disappear. It's really poignant. And hats off to just them as people leading this mission.
BURNETT: Human ingenuity, creativity, poeticism, all of it. And then, Michio, just the reality of the physics, because what Mike's calling little
miracles, maybe that's a good word for people like me, because it's hard to understand all of it. But, Michio, when you look at the actual physics of
what they're about to go through, temperatures half the temperature of the surface of the sun, which Patricia's going to talk about in a moment,
speeds of 25,000 miles an hour, and four human beings in a little shell.
MICHIO KAKU, PROFESSOR OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK: Well, you know, people have their champagne glasses all ready to go.
They're about to drop the balloons.
But I hate to be the party pooper, but there's a fly. There's a fly in the ointment that we have to be very careful about. And that is the re-entry.
The re-entry of Artemis I that took place a few years ago as a test showed cracks, cracks inside the heat shield that shocked the scientists there.
They did not expect this at all, caught totally everyone off guard. And then they realized that maybe we have to replace the heat shield. But
there's no time, no time to replace the heat shield.
BURNETT: As Randi said they had to keep the same -- the technology was already in place.
KAKU: Everything's already in place. Things are ready to go. You can't replace the heat shield, you know. But the heat shield was cracked. So,
what are you going to do? And the thing is, they said, well, let's change the trajectory. Let's change the pathway.
So, instead of skimming the atmosphere of the Earth, in which case, as it skims the air, cracks develop, why not just go into the Earth on one swoop,
OK? That minimizes the stress on the tiles. And perhaps we can navigate this without having to redo the entire heat shield. So, that's what we have
now.
END
