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The Brief with Jim Sciutto
CNN International: 10-Day Ceasefire in Lebanon Now in Effect; Pakistan's Military Chief Meets with Iranian Officials in Tehran; AP: IEA Chief Warns Europe Has Six Weeks of Jet Fuel Left; Russia Launches Massive Air Strike Across Ukraine; Justin Fairfax Kills His Wife and Then Himself; Artemis II Crew Discusses Historic Moon Mission. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired April 16, 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]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. Jim Sciutto is off
today. You're watching "The Brief."
Just ahead this hour, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has now taken effect. Russia launches the largest air attack on Ukraine in months,
killing at least 18 and wounding more than 100.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: But if you dove off a skydiver -- a skyscraper backwards, that's what it felt like for five seconds. And then
the mains, the pods in the mains came out and it was, it was a glory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: -- Sounds amazing, doesn't it? The crew of Artemis II describing what it was like to splash down on Earth. And they talk about making the
next leap, landing on the moon.
Right now, we are watching Lebanon, where a 10-day ceasefire with Israel has been in effect for one hour. These are images coming into us from
Beirut, where celebratory gunfire and fireworks have lit up the sky. Crucial to any lasting peace, an official from militant group Hezbollah
says it will observe the truce if Israel stops its attacks.
But the two sides remain bitter enemies. Hezbollah fired off a final round of strikes at northern Israel just before the ceasefire went into effect.
Emergency teams have scrambled to respond. For its part, Israel destroyed the last bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his forces will not withdraw. But even a temporary peace could prove vital to U.S. negotiations with Iran,
which Hezbollah's main ally. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the Lebanon ceasefire earlier today and says more peace talks could happen
soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: With Lebanon, it's very exciting. I think we're going to have a deal where we're going to have a meeting, first time
in 44 years, and Lebanon will be meeting with Israel and they're probably going to do it at the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President, when do you think they would --
TRUMP: Over the next week or two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, joining me now is Kristen Holmes at the White House. Good to see you, Kristen. So, this ceasefire went into effect just over an hour
ago, but it already seems shaky given that Hezbollah has not fully agreed to it and is setting conditions. How confident is the U.S. that it will
hold?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I mean, right now they seem fairly confident. We heard President Trump, J.D. Vance, Secretary
of State Marco Rubio all played a pretty significant role in this, which shows you just how much of an all-hands-on-deck situation it was for this
administration. They do believe that this is a key piece to actually negotiating this Iranian deal that they've been trying to get.
Now, President Trump believes that now that this is in motion, the ceasefire is in place. Remember, that was one of the big sticking points.
Iran saying that the U.S. was violating their ceasefire with Iran by not including Lebanon.
Now, that that's in place, they can move forward on perhaps another round of talks. And President Trump alluded to those talks being potentially this
weekend, even saying that he himself would go to Pakistan or could go to Pakistan. It seems unlikely just given the various security concerns around
that.
And we had been told that the delegation would still be led by Vice President J.D. Vance. But, of course, it just goes to show that President
Trump wants to be very much involved in every step of this. And I will say they released a timeline just showing all the involvement and how much the
president did, how much the secretary of state did.
The vice president involved a lot of phone calls, meetings, conversations between various leaders. And it's something that the White House seems to
be very proud of negotiating, at least the ceasefire part of it. We'll see again, as you mentioned, if it holds.
KINKADE: So, with regards to those peace talks, which could happen again this weekend between Iran and the U.S. through Pakistan, what are the key
sticking points right now?
HOLMES: Well, we've still heard the main sticking point being around uranium. President Trump and the Iranians have said that they will not
develop a nuclear weapon. We've heard the Iranians say that they're OK with that. We've heard President Trump say the Iranians have said they're OK
with that.
But a lot of this is about that enriched uranium, whether or not they would leave that enriched uranium, whether or not there was an agreement that
could be reached that said 20 years or five years or 10 years where Iran would not enrich uranium. All of that has still been the primary sticking
point.
[18:05:00]
Of course, as we had mentioned, the ceasefire with Lebanon was something that had been mentioned. Now, of course, we have escalating tensions on the
other side of this, where we see the rhetoric between Iran and the U.S. over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran threatening that if this blockade
continues, that they're going to close down the Persian Sea, among other waterways, which, of course, would be catastrophic globally.
That just seems to be rhetoric right now between the U.S. and Iran. They're trying to negotiate these finer points. But again, I mean, I cannot tell
you, Lynda, how confident the White House sounds. We've been here before, but they are really leading into this optimism.
KINKADE: Yes, they certainly are. But we have heard that all before, as you do say. Kristen Holmes, outside the White House. Good to have you, as
always. Thank you.
Well, Yassine Jaber is Lebanon's finance minister. My colleague Richard Quest asked him earlier about being stuck in the crossfire between Israel
and Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASSINE JABER, LEBANESE FINANCE MINISTER: A ceasefire is needed. You know, I mean, the issue of disarming or whatever, this can only be done with a
political arrangement. So, the Lebanese government, the Lebanese army will be handling these issues. But it has to be given a chance.
As you know, Richard, we had a ceasefire agreement under Resolution 1701. And this for 15 months since the 24th of November 2024. But over the 15
months, I mean, the shelling continued. It did not stop. For one day, it did not stop. You know, assassinations, killings, all that. And that didn't
help, actually, the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army to really do much, you know.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: So, let's just look to the future, Minister. Let's assume that
the ceasefire can be put in place and that there can be some form of long lasting. And I know that's a big if. Can you see any scenario in which a
government in Lebanon can work with a government in Israel for common economic good?
JABER: Well, it's too early to talk about that, Richard. I mean, today, let's first of all see, as you properly said, let's see if the ceasefire is
a ceasefire works. If there's actually, I mean, is the Israeli army going to respect it, or is it going to be like what happened in the past 15
months that I mentioned that there were daily bombings, you know, drones all over the capital? All that was happening, you know.
So, let's see. I mean, first of all, if there's going to be goodwill, there's going to be respect of U.N. resolutions. And then the government,
the future have to discuss this issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Kenneth Pollack is the vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute and joins us now live. Good to have you with us.
KENNETH POLLACK, VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE AND FORMER CIA ANALYST: Thanks very much for having me, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, we now have this 10-day ceasefire in effect. Just how fragile is this deal? Does it look like the start of a diplomatic breakthrough or
is it potentially just a time where both sides reposition, resupply and get ready to resume fighting?
POLLACK: Well, so the honest answer, Lynda, is, of course, we don't know. It's very important it happened. It's a very good, obviously, for Lebanon,
which you remember, 20 percent of the population of Lebanon, a million people were displaced, several thousand people killed. This is a very
important respite for them.
But, huge but, Hezbollah was under tremendous pressure, military pressure from Israel and then political pressure from both the people and government
of Lebanon. They were very much on the ropes. That's why they agreed to this ceasefire is they were on the ropes. And the real question moving
forward is whether Lebanon is going to be able to fulfill this incredible opportunity to finally rid itself of Hezbollah.
You know, we've seen this movie several times before. Lebanon has had chances to get rid of Hezbollah in part because they didn't get the support
that they needed from the International Community. They were never able to do so. It would be tragic if Lebanon once again misses this opportunity, if
once again Hezbollah is able to hang on.
And we've got to keep sight of both of these objectives, the short-term one of alleviating the pain and suffering of the Lebanese people, but the
longer term one of ridding them of Hezbollah.
KINKADE: But the thing is, Hezbollah is deeply embedded in Lebanon's political system. It's not just this armed group. It has seats in the
Lebanese parliament. So, do you see Israel's goal of disarming Hezbollah as really achievable?
POLLACK: Well, again, we should remember, it's not just Israel's goal. It is the goal of the vast majority of Lebanese, too.
[18:10:00]
As best anyone can tell, 80 to 90 percent of the Lebanese population would also like to see Hezbollah disarmed, have it become nothing but a political
party, if that. So, there is that very important reality out there. The problem is that Israel only has one tool with which to influence events in
Lebanon, and it can do certain things with that tool, and this tool is the Israeli military. But there are real limits on what they can do.
And so, the question mark is whether the new Lebanese government is going to be able to be in a position with international support to take the ball
the rest of the way and to actually finish off Hezbollah. That's the big question mark.
And, of course, the Israelis are going to be watching that warily because they also feel like they've seen this movie any number of times before, and
especially after October 7, 2023, they're not willing to wait for very long. And they move very quickly, and they move militarily.
So, yes, we don't have a whole lot of time to figure out whether or not the Lebanese government is actually going to be able to disarm Hezbollah. And,
again, I think a lot of that is going to come from the United States, what kind of support we're willing to give Lebanon, whether we're willing to
help them push the ball past the goal line.
KINKADE: Of course, we saw attacks from both sides, right up until this ceasefire went into effect. What are the biggest tripwires do you see that
could cause this fragile ceasefire to collapse in the next few days?
POLLACK: Well, again, if Hezbollah decides that they're good, they might start shooting at Israel. If Hezbollah decides that there is a real danger
that the Lebanese government is going to come after them, and the Lebanese armed forces are going to be able to disarm them, that, too, would cause
them to start firing.
Beyond that, the Israelis are also going to be on something of a hair trigger. And if Hezbollah starts occupying positions that the Israelis feel
are sensitive, if the Lebanese government starts to demonstrate that it can't do what everyone has now agreed to, right, there's a motion on the
table, an idea that the next thing that needs to happen is that Beirut needs to be demilitarized.
In other words, Hezbollah needs to be out of Beirut. The government needs to be in full control over Beirut. The Israelis are going to be watching
that very, very carefully. And if they don't think it's happening, they could decide, you know what, this isn't worth it. This ceasefire is giving
Hezbollah too much of a breather, and we need to reapply the pressure.
KINKADE: All right. Kenneth Pollack, we will be watching it closely. Appreciate your analysis. Thanks for joining us.
POLLACK: My pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.
KINKADE: Well, in the Iranian capital, officials met with Pakistan's military chief Asim Munir, discussing backchannel messages from the United
States. Munir is a key Pakistani military figure, facilitating communication between the two sides. And as diplomacy continues, Secretary
of Defense Pete Hegseth says troops in the region are rearming and ready to resume combat if negotiations fail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: To Iran, choose wisely. The world watched, and so did you, as the U.S. military moved seamlessly from major
combat operations to a world-class blockade. We can make that transition again. We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure,
on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, joining me now is General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Commander and founder of Renew America Together. Good to have you with us.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER AND FOUNDER, RENEW AMERICA TOGETHER: Thank you.
KINKADE: General, I want to get your response first to those comments we just heard from the defense secretary saying that the U.S. is rearming,
ready to resume combat if these peace talks fail. Does that signal deterrence or does it signal a possible escalation?
CLARK: Well, it signals deterrence first, and then it sends the appropriate message that if the ceasefire breaks down and there's no
agreement, yes, the air campaign will continue.
KINKADE: And how does that active military readiness during negotiations affect the chances of diplomacy succeeding?
CLARK: Well, it probably enhances diplomacy. In other words, we're in a situation where diplomacy has been backed by force and now the threat of
force. And so, if you take away that threat, you take away the incentive on the Iranian side to give up the Strait of Hormuz and to just, they feel
pretty good right now. I'm not saying the people feel good. There'd been a lot of destruction, but the regime itself survived. And for them, this must
constitute a significant success. And they have control of the Strait of Hormuz.
So, I think they'd be willing to persist. Now, if China is busy knocking at the door and we have a counter blockade out there, then this is going to be
a big issue for the United States.
[18:15:00]
We're not going to want to go against China. And China is correspondingly not going to want to go against us. So, this deflects the pressure onto the
Iranians and it encourages the Iranians to do something, make a deal. So, there's a three-way diplomacy going here, but the fact that the military is
armed, rearmed, watching the target set, developing more targets, ready to go if called on, it should be helpful in encouraging diplomatic settlement.
KINKADE: General Clark, you've said that Iran is prepared for a long war and that it understands U.S. limits. What are those limits?
CLARK: Well, they know that we don't want to take ground casualties. We don't like any casualties. Look at the extraordinary effort we went to
recover the two pilots. So, we don't like casualties. We don't like a long war. Why? Expensive. The impact on our missions, missile stockpiles is bad.
We've had ships that have been deployed at sea for months and months and months. That's a problem. And we've got the elections coming up.
And although President Trump has incredible power and influence in the Republican Party, he doesn't have majority support from the American people
for this operation. So, the Iranians, they're very smart. They're looking at all this and saying, longer it lasts, stronger we are.
KINKADE: And so, with that in mind, you've said that negotiations ultimately reflect battleground realities. So, which side currently has the
upper hand?
CLARK: Well, I think the reality -- the overriding reality is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The fact is we did destroy a lot of their missiles
and drone infrastructure, but we haven't prevented them. And we're not capable of preventing them from reattacking our friends and allies in the
Gulf or Israel. They've got plenty of stockpile to do it. They know the targets. You're getting real-time updates from the Chinese satellites. And
they're also getting new stuff coming in from China and Russia. We know that just a couple of weeks ago -- actually a week ago, Chinese ships
docked with rocket fuel. So, there's that feeling on the part of Iran that they're in the catbird seat on this.
Now, they may not be if the air campaign resumes and we do the right targeting, we keep the pressure on relentlessly. Maybe at some point they
will break down and say, this is it. But this is a regime that hasn't really cared about the welfare of its people.
So, you can't do parallel thinking. You can't think, oh, my, the economy's about to collapse and the banking system's about to go and oh, they're
going to surrender tomorrow. Unlikely.
KINKADE: General Wesley Clark, always great to get your analysis. Thanks for joining us.
CLARK: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still ahead, dire straits. That's how one energy official sums up the challenges facing European airlines. He says more carriers will
cancel flights soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:20:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. In today's Business Breakout, another record-breaking day on Wall Street. The S&P and the NASDAQ hit all-
time highs for a second straight session. Strong earnings are helping sentiment.
Shares of consumer product giant PepsiCo rose more than 2.5 percent after reporting better-than-expected results. Price cuts are boosting sales after
the closing Bell & Wall Street streaming giant Netflix reported solid results, but said its chairman and founder, Reed Hastings, is leaving the
company. Its future guidance also came in soft. Shares are down sharply in after-hours trading.
A dire warning from the head of the International Energy Agency. He says in a new interview that Europe is running out of jet fuel due to the Middle
East energy crisis. He says the continent has only about six weeks of supplies left. The IEA says the Iran war has led to the largest energy
crisis ever, with jet fuel skyrocketing since late February.
And airlines are scrambling to adjust. KLM is cancelling 160 European flights due to rising fuel costs. German carrier Lufthansa is cutting
regional service. And in the U.S., reports say bankrupt carrier Spirit Airlines could soon be forced out of business.
Airline analyst John Strickland joins us now. He is the director of JLS Consulting. Great to have you with us.
JOHN STRICKLAND, DIRECTOR, JLS CONSULTING: Thanks very much.
KINKADE: So, I want to get your reaction into these warnings we're hearing about the jet fuel supply in Europe, that it could be, you know, there's
only weeks left. How serious is the situation right now?
STRICKLAND: Well, I think one thing important to point out is that delivery of jet fuel even in normal times is relatively late lead time. All
the airlines I've been speaking to here in the past few days are manifesting a sense of calm but not complacency. Despite those late lead
times, of course, we are dealing with exceptional times, a war situation which is completely unpredictable and with large amounts of European jet
fuel normally coming from the Gulf region.
But it's not the only source. And at the moment, no airlines are telling me that they're concerned in the next four to six weeks. And that is similar
to their normal visibility. Of course, they realize these are not normal times. But at the moment, we're not seeing cancellations because of any
fear of supply. The ones that you referenced there have been driven far more by fuel price, which, of course, has rocketed to pretty well double
what it was this time last year.
So, airlines like KLM, Scandinavian Airlines here as well, and some smaller regional airlines have cancelled supply and it's become marginal simply
because it's not possible to generate enough revenue to offset the cost of the operation. But no cancellations currently due to any fears of supply.
KINKADE: So, given that we've already seen KLM and Lufthansa cutting service, I mean, could this be the first stage of a broader network
contraction?
STRICKLAND: At the moment, I think not. I mean, Lufthansa has some relatively older, inefficient aircraft in its fleet. As I mentioned, the
kind of flying that KLM has talked about cutting, not even a couple of hundred flights, that's relative to several thousand flights who typically
operate in a week. So, it's very marginal on the fringes and flying has become too expensive given the price of fuel against a number of
passengers.
But airlines by nature, they're in an industry which is prone to crisis pretty well any day. If there's a day without crisis, it's not a normal
day. The airlines now, a war situation is a particularly challenging one. We don't know what is going to happen to supplies of fuel, but airlines
will first of all find workarounds. They will look at ways of picking up fuel in different places to normal, something called tankering. They can
fill up planes to the maximum, which they maybe wouldn't normally look to do.
[18:25:00]
On short-haul flights, on long-haul flights, they can make additional technical stops which are a headache to organize but can be done. They take
longer, of course, to fly, but it means it keeps the airline operation going.
They can look at using more efficient aircraft as well. A number of European airlines have new-generation aircraft which are burning as much as
25 per cent less fuel than their predecessors, so they will certainly look to optimize the deployment of those on their networks.
In the final analysis, as we see the next few weeks roll out, and at the moment there is not much visibility, they will already have been
undertaking contingency planning, looking at potential cancellation lists, what they would cancel and what priority. Remembering that we are now
moving towards the summer peak, airlines do not want to cancel flights in the peak. They want to be able to offer customers a service as planned and,
indeed, gain the revenue, so that really is a last resort. At the moment, it is by no means certain they will need to. Not least, we are seeing
switching in supplies of fuel, including coming from the U.S. to Europe, far more as a share of total supply than has been the case until recently.
KINKADE: We hope that is the case, because I am sure there are a lot of concerns for people that are planning to travel over the summer. John
Strickland, the director of JLS Consulting, thanks very much.
STRICKLAND: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, we want to check some other business headlines today. New data shows the Chinese economy is holding up well amid the ongoing Iran war
uncertainties. China's GDP grew at a stronger than expected 5 percent annual rate in the first quarter. Strong exports helped boost growth.
Chinese officials, however, are warning of, quote, volatile conditions ahead. China is primary buyer of Iranian oil, currently facing a double
blockade.
LIV Golf League is denying reports that its future is in doubt. Malta reports say the Saudi public investment fund could pull funding for the
breakaway league. The Saudi Arabian economy has come under pressure due to the Iranian war, but a source tells CNN that funding will continue as
planned for now.
The outlook for the global chocolate industry is looking less sweet. The world's largest chocolate firm cut its profit forecast Thursday because of
supply chain disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz. It's also signing a surplus of cocoa, leading to falling prices. The company hopes sales can
rebound in the second half of the year. I can help with that.
Well, still to come on "The Brief," one of Russia's largest attacks on Ukraine this year with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles. We'll
have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:30:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here are the international headlines we're watching today.
A 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon has now gone into effect, causing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel, though, says it did not agree to
Hezbollah's demand to withdraw from Lebanon. The two sides exchanged fire in the hours leading up to the ceasefire.
President Trump says the U.S. could reach a deal with Iran before that particular ceasefire expires. He says the U.S. blockade is proving
effective and that more talks could take place this weekend. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned the Iranian regime to, quote, "choose
wisely."
Ukrainian authorities say a massive air attack by Russia killed at least 18 people across the country. The strikes targeted Kyiv, the port city of
Odessa and other major cities. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says the strikes show that Moscow doesn't deserve any sanctions relief. Clare
Sebastian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just three days after Russia's short Easter ceasefire, this was one of the biggest Russian drone and missile
attacks on Ukraine of the year. The capital, Kyiv, a key target, especially for ballistic missiles, President Zelenskyy said. Firefighters battling
huge blazes and a 12-year-old among those reported killed in the capital.
Well, Ukraine's national police released footage showing what it says was a double tap strike, police coming under fire as they arrived at the scene of
a missile strike in Kyiv, one officer seriously injured. And this in the port city of Odessa, the scene of the deadliest single strike. An apartment
block was targeted first by drones, authorities say, and then in the morning hours by a ballistic missile. This man's son among the victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We were awakened after the strike and we were suddenly buried under furniture. The ceilings were collapsing.
We were trapped under the furniture and my wife and I tried to get out. She rushed to our son. I checked their pulses. I couldn't feel a pulse in
either Vlad or his fiancee.
SEBASTIAN: Well, out of 44 missiles Russia fired Wednesday into Thursday, Ukraine's air force says 13 got through air defenses. And this is something
Zelenskyy has spent the week warning about, touring European capitals, raising the alarm about a critical shortage of air defense interceptors in
Ukraine amid what is now a global race to secure supplies as demand surges because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
On Thursday, he raised the issue again, saying he had asked his air force chief to chase up partners to make sure political pledges translate to
deliveries.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Oleksandr Merezhko is the chair of the foreign affairs committee in Ukraine's parliament and joins us now live. Good to have you with us.
OLEKSANDR MEREZHKO, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER AND CHAIR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, UKRAINE PARLIAMENT: Thank you for having me.
KINKADE: So, Chairman, we are coming off one of the heaviest Russian strike waves in months, as we're just hearing almost 700 drones, over 40
missiles. What does this escalation tell you about Russia's strategy right now?
MEREZHKO: Well, first of all, it very clearly indicates that Putin has absolutely no appetite. He has absolutely no desire to negotiate about
ceasefire in earnest. It also says that, unfortunately, we are running out of missiles which help to protect our civilian population. It also tells us
that, unfortunately, President of the United States doesn't deliver on his previous promises and doesn't use what is in his capacity sanctions against
Russia and Russian allies.
KINKADE: I mean, you've said effectively that there is no serious negotiations with Russia right now. Is it because Moscow sees no incentive
to engage because of that lack of external pressure?
MEREZHKO: Absolutely. There is only one way to bring peace to Ukraine and to make Putin to negotiate in earnest.
[18:35:00]
And at the moment, Russia is only imitating negotiations. This process of so-called negotiations allows Putin to avoid sanctions from the United
States. So, Putin can continue to kill Ukrainian civilian population with impunity and at the same time pretending that he's negotiating. And we
expect strong reaction actions from the United States to put an end to these atrocities and war crimes.
KINKADE: So, Chairman, what would it take to move from this dead end, as you've called it, to real negotiations?
MEREZHKO: There are only two things which can be done. First of all, to provide military assistance to Ukraine. And second, to impose sanctions and
to because, you know, Russia and Putin will continue to wage the war with impunity until Russia runs out of profits provided to Russia by selling
Russian oil and gas. And that's why the United States and our allies need to impose serious sanctions and to deny Russia these profits, which allows
Russian war machine to continue killing Ukrainians.
KINKADE: You have noted that the global attention is largely focused right now on the war in Iran. How does that distract from Ukraine's diplomatic
leverage and, you know, Ukraine's efforts to end this war?
MEREZHKO: Any conflict in the world distracts attention of the world and in particular the United States and resources also from helping Ukraine.
And it's very dangerous because Putin is using such kind of distractions. He's using any kind of conflict unfolding in the world. And he's using it
emboldens him, emboldens to double down on killing civilian population in Ukraine and destroying our critical infrastructure.
KINKADE: And with Russia continuing these large-scale drone and missile attacks, how would you assess Ukraine's current military position?
MEREZHKO: Russia is definitely not winning the war and we're not losing the war. Russian troops got bogged down in the territory of Ukraine. And we
even managed our troops, our military even managed to liberate some parts of the territory previously occupied by Russian troops.
So, but at the same time, we need contemporary, sophisticated weaponry and enough military resources to continue to repel effectively Russian attacks.
KINKADE: Well, we continue to wish you all the best. Chairman Oleksandr Merezhko, thank you so much for your time.
MEREZHKO: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, turning now to a family tragedy in Northern Virginia, where police say Justin Fairfax, the state's former lieutenant governor shot and
killed his wife overnight before turning the gun on himself. The teenage son called 911 just after midnight from their suburban home in Annandale.
CNN's Brian Todd reports the couple was going through what police call a messy divorce with a court date set for just two weeks' time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A once high-profile Virginia politician, former lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, dead from a self-
inflicted gunshot after killing his wife, Serena in the basement of their Northern Virginia home.
CHIEF KEVIN DAVIS, FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: It all kind of culminated last night when Justin Fairfax shot and killed, shot several
times, killed his wife, ran to a different part of the home and then killed himself with the same firearm.
TODD (voice-over): Police described the shootings as part of an ongoing domestic dispute, noting the couple was in the middle of a quote,
"complicated and messy divorce." Fairfax was recently served with paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding.
DAVIS: That may have been a spark, you know, and detectives will figure that out, that led to this tragedy here.
TODD (voice-over): The couple had separated, but lived in the home together in separate bedrooms. In court documents obtained by CNN issued on
March 30th, a judge ordered Justin Fairfax to leave their home by the end of April and described his deteriorating emotional and mental state in
recent years, withdrawing from his family and abusing alcohol. Police say the couple's two teenage children were at home when the shooting took
place. Their son was the first to call 911 around midnight after finding his mom on the ground bleeding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caller stating that his dad might have stabbed his mom, saying that she's laying on the ground, bleeding, can see holes in her
shirt.
TODD (voice-over): Police say cameras set up throughout the home as part of the couple's ongoing divorce proceedings were used to clear assault
accusations Justin Fairfax made against his wife earlier this year.
DAVIS: We were able to go to those cameras and determine that that that never occurred.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, help me God.
JUSTIN FAIRFAX, FORMER VIRGINIA LT. GOV.: So, help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations.
FAIRFAX: Thank you.
[18:40:00]
TODD (voice-over): Fairfax served as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor from 2018 to 2022 and was once considered an up-and-coming politician, often
speaking out on the issue of gun violence.
FAIRFAX: I've lost a lot of friends to gun violence, to the prison system, to drugs, to gangs. And so, I have myself also lived that reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything to say to your accusers, sir?
TODD (voice-over): In 2019, explosive sexual assault allegations against Fairfax surfaced that led many to call for his resignation. Fairfax denied
all the accusations.
FAIRFAX: I cannot begin to tell you the pain that these false allegations have caused me and my family. First of all --
TODD (voice-over): And when he ran for Virginia governor in 2021, he finished fourth in the Democratic primary. After his loss, Fairfax returned
home to practice law. Now, neighbors are in shock and left wondering why this all happened.
PETER DEMEO, NEIGHBOR: I think a lot about the children. Both parents are gone now. What does that do for them and their futures?
KASH ALI, NEIGHBOR: I mean, that's the worst. I was talking to my wife about that. So, we have two kids that are younger. That's scary. Yes. I
mean, did they see it? I hope not.
TODD: According to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, Justin and Serena Fairfax's two teenage children are now being cared for by their
grandparents and other family members with support from the Fairfax Police Department's Victim Services Division.
Brian Todd, CNN, Annandale, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come after the break. While many migrants in the U.S. are fighting to stay in the country, there are rare cases of others
desperately trying to leave but can't. We'll hear from the story of one man from Venezuela next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, there's been a huge focus on the U.S. on forced deportations of migrants to their home countries. But in a few rare cases,
migrants want to return home on their own but can't. Carolina Peguero spoke to one of those families in Miami, Florida, and looks at the grassroots
efforts to help them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROLINA PEGUERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pedro speaks to his family in Venezuela from a motel in Miami.
PEDRO INTRIAGO, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT (through translator): I've already been through so much, and I truly want to go back home.
PEGUERO (voice-over): His story and that of these Venezuelan migrants is unusual. In a country where thousands are fighting to stay, they are trying
to go back to their country, but they can't.
LEILA BARRETO, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT (through translator): My mother's situation gave me the final push I needed to want to leave. She was
diagnosed with cancer and required care.
JENNIFER BRAVO LEAL, VENEZUELAN MIGRANT (through translator): I don't want to be here anymore. I want to be with my family. It's very hard here. I
came from Dallas.
PEGUERO (voice-over): They arrived in Miami from various cities across the U.S. and what was supposed to be a brief layover ahead of a flight to
Caracas became the start of many overnights at the airport terminal.
[18:45:00]
INTRIAGO (through translator): I slept at the airport, it was 12 days of sleeping on chair waiting for updates. When my safe passage document
finally arrived, they told me it was fake. I had been scammed.
PEGUERO (voice-over): Pedro says he purchased a travel document online to get home. Turns out it was fake. So, now he is relying on family in
Venezuela to obtain a permit for him to return home. And with no operational Venezuelan consulates in the U.S., all he can do is wait. After
days at the airport, relief came from Hermanos de la Calle, a Miami-based nonprofit that takes in families in need of shelter.
OLIVIA MUNOZ LEGARRE, HERMANOS DE LA CALLE: Because we respond to vulnerability, we've been bringing these families in as long as we can have
them or as long as we can figure out what to do next.
PEGUERO (through translator): We've seen many changes regarding immigration under this administration. Does that have anything to do with
you wanting to leave?
LEAL (through translator): Yes, out of fear that they might pick me up somewhere. You never know, and I have my children here. And that is my
fear, that they'll take my children away from me.
PEGUERO (voice-over): U.S. authorities tell CNN all three have registered to self-deport, but they currently lack the proper documentation. Despite
signing up through the CBP Home app, rumors of ICE detaining other migrants in their position deter them.
PEGUERO (through translator): Why not go to the authorities?
INTRIAGO (through translator): It's something many of us Venezuelan have tried doing. But no one is going to like being detained three or four
months just to self deport.
PEGUERO (voice-over): DHS states that it only detains those illegally present in the country who chose not to self-deport. While the shelter
continues to house families in need, Pedro, Jennifer, and Leila wait for answers.
Carolina Peguero, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come on "The Brief" --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: Sometimes the view or the human experience would just pull me away from the work. And it just happens, and
it's a beautiful thing to get to witness what we got to witness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: -- Artemis II astronauts, they're reflecting on their historic journey that took them around the moon's far side. We'll have more, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, almost a week after returning to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts spoke to reporters about their awe and excitement at flying
around the moon and further than from Earth and anyone ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REID WISEMAN, ARTEMIS II COMMANDER: When the sun eclipsed behind the moon, I think all four of us, I turned to Victor and I said, I don't think
humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we are looking at right now. Because it was otherworldly and it was amazing.
[18:50:00]
CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: When my husband looked me in the eye on that video call and said, no, really, you've made difference.
It brought tears to my eyes and I said that's all we ever wanted.
JEREMY HANSEN, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: We're all kind of struck by these things that make us feel small and that the sense I had was the sense
of fragility and feeling small, infinitesimally small, but yet this very powerful feeling as a human being, like as a group.
VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: Tomorrow will be one week and I just was trying to live in a little hole for one week. I've been off social media,
not on the news. We did what we said we were going to do and now we've got to step out and just face that reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Joining me now is retired NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao. Great to have you with us.
LEROY CHIAO, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Good to be with you.
KINKADE: It was amazing listening to the astronaut describe the entire 10- day mission, but also, Victor Glover, who we just heard there at the end, describing re-entry as being like diving off a skyscraper backwards. How
accurate is that sort of a feeling, that analogy based on your own experience, coming back, re-entering back into Earth's atmosphere?
CHIAO: Sure, re-entry is always an intense time. You know, you've got to take out all the energy from, you know, your trajectory up into space. And
so, it's one of the more dangerous times. And so, you're kind of, you know, paying very close attention. And, you know, it's dynamic. You certainly see
the plasma glow in the case of a spacecraft with an ablative heat shield like the Soyuz. You see bits of the heat shield, flaming bits going by the
window.
But, you know, it doesn't take that long to come back down to Earth, but it's a dynamic time and you're kind of holding on and just going with it.
KINKADE: And I also love, Leroy, hearing about the crew reflecting on Earth, being small and fragile from that distance near the moon. As someone
who's flown to the International Space Station, how does that overview effect, you know, change your perspective on the world and your own
existence?
CHIAO: Well, sure, and I think every astronaut is affected by that. Anyone who flies into space, I don't think you can help by being, you know,
affected by the experience and it's pretty profound and you ask yourself questions, you do a lot of introspection. What is it all about? Why are we
here? And for me, that overview effect, which has been named some years ago, basically, to me, it was, you know, kind of take the big picture here.
Nothing, all these little things on Earth are not that important.
You know, things I used to get irritated by, like feeling I was overcharged for something or, you know, my college football team didn't win, you know,
used to bother me, but it's like, these are such small things, you know, and you kind of get that bigger perspective. And I'm sure flying around the
moon and seeing the Earth as a marble, that gives you an even larger effect on that overview effect, you know.
KINKADE: Yes.
CHIAO: So, it's pretty cool when you get to do that.
KINKADE: If only more people had that perspective, right? You'd forget about all the little small problems in the world. Of course, NASA right now
is shifting its focus to Artemis III. What do you see as the biggest technical risks with this next phase?
CHIAO: The biggest technical risk, actually, is more of a schedule risk. Can, you know, SpaceX and or Blue Origin get their vehicles ready for
Artemis III to be flying in 2027, which is the goal? That's a very aggressive schedule. Of course, both teams have been working on their
vehicles for some time, but now suddenly they've really hit the accelerator and let's get it done in a year, right, and get these vehicles up there to
be checked out.
And the idea is that if everything goes perfectly, one or both vehicles will be checked out and deemed flight worthy to take humans to the moon and
land on the surface and take them back off to rendezvous with the Orion to come back to Earth. And so, we'll see how it goes. It's not impossible.
It's extremely aggressive, but, you know, I like this.
Jared Isaacman, I'm one of several astronauts who signed a letter of endorsement for Jared Isaacman. I think he's the right man to get out there
and try to shake things up and make things happen. And so, we're just kind of cheering him on and keeping our fingers crossed that we can get it done.
KINKADE: Yes. And of course, given your experience across the U.S. and international programs, how do you see, you know, Artemis shaping broader
competition with China's, you know, lunar ambitions?
CHIAO: Well, you know, China has made no secret, even in years ago, that they intended to land their own astronauts on the moon. Just a few years
ago, they announced officially, which was just to the surprise of nobody in the business, that they intend to do so in the 2030 timeframe. And so,
that's kind of the challenge. OK. Let's see if we can get our astronauts back to the moon before China sends their astronauts.
[18:55:00]
Of course, we did it first in 1969, but that doesn't mean we have the capability to do it now. So, in a way, it is a little bit of a competition.
And, you know, it's always a matter of technology and who has the high ground, you know, the political jockeying, the, you know, the, you know,
the, you know, the public, very public face of it. And well, it's -- you know, I guess the game -- let the games begin.
KINKADE: Exactly. Leroy Chiao, who is also the author of "Dinner with an Astronaut," good to have you with us. Thank you.
CHIAO: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, Mel Brooks' Star Wars parody "Spaceballs" will have its sequel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEL BROOKS: But everywhere I go, people say, Mel, Mel, where's the new "Spaceballs"? When are you going to make the new "Spaceballs"? When are you
going to make the new one? Well, we did it. And the title is "Spaceballs: The New One."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The long awaited follow up arrives on the original film's 40th anniversary. Brooks, the 99-year-old comedy legend, says its official
title, as you just heard, is "Spaceballs: The New One." And the original cast members are back for some of their big roles, like Rick Moranis as
Lord Dark Helmet. Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vesper. Bill Pullman as Lone Star. And of course, Brooks as his Yoda-like being Yogurt. "The New One"
hits theaters in April of next year.
Thanks so much for your company. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. Stay with "The Brief" -- well, you've been watching "The Brief." Stay with CNN. I'll
see you same time tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END
