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CNN 10
On Our Last Show of the 2020 Winter/Spring Season, CNN 10 is Covering a Milestone in the Coronavirus Pandemic; A Delay in a Space Launch; The Struggles of East Africans as Locusts Spread Across Their Countries; A Giant Kookaburra Flies Us Into the Weekend
Aired May 29, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: This is usually the time of the week when I say Fridays are awesome and they still are even if we`re going to be off the
air for a bit. I`m Carl Azuz. This is CNN 10 and this is our last show of the 2020 Spring season. It starts with the biggest story of the season, the
coronavirus pandemic. It began in China late last year and spread around the world. The disease has been detected in more than 5.7 million people
worldwide and even though the vast majority of them have or will recover. COVID-19`s been blamed for more than 350,000 deaths. In the United States,
the country with the most confirmed cases there`ve been more than 1.7 million positive diagnoses and as of this week health officials blamed
COVID-19 for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S.
Efforts to prevent the disease from spreading have led to business closures, school closures, cancelled vacations and graduations. The rise of
the term social distancing and previously unimagined efforts to keep people apart from one another. At first, they were told don`t wear masks. Now some
are told they must wear masks. There`ve been controversies and protests. Millions of job losses and political tensions. Responses to coronavirus
have changed the way governors govern, workers work, teachers teach, and learners learn but they`ve also created opportunities. We`ve seen heroic
stories of people helping each other, praying and caring for each other.
Honoring healthcare workers and grocery store workers, there`s no vaccine. The scientists are working on one. There`s no quick cure though researchers
are studying existing medications and antibody therapies. Different states and countries are cautiously reopening after weeks of being shut down. But
because of all the uncertainty over the pandemic and the disease itself, it`s hard for anyone to say what things will look like on the other side of
the summer.
Would the weather hold was the question we asked two days ago when reporting on a scheduled space launch? It didn`t. The SpaceX vehicle that
was carrying two NASA astronauts stayed on the ground because of the threat of a thunderstorm. There are a couple challenges here. One, lightening from
a storm can strike a rocket and cause serious damage to it. Two, spacecraft heading toward the International Space Station have a limited window of
time they can launch because they have to catch the ISS in its orbit. So, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will have to wait until this Saturday
afternoon to try again. Sunday is the back-up day but meteorologists say there`s a good chance the weather will interfere again. Afternoon pop-up
thunderstorms are common on Florida`s east coast this time of year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lift off. The final lift off of Atlantis on the shoulders of the Space Shuttle. America will continue the dream.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s been nearly nine years since NASA astronauts traveled to space on an American rocket from American soil. Now that`s
about to change. SpaceX and NASA are set to launch the Crew Dragon spacecraft and for the first-time humans will be onboard. The Demo 2
mission is a culmination of a decade long partnership between the agency and Elon Musk`s space company.
ELON MUSK: This is really the dawn in a new era of space flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The launch is expected to be the first time a private company has ever sent people into orbit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to have affordable access to the International Space Station and that`s really what this launch represents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The two veteran astronauts onboard, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley could stay in the ISS for up to 110 days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In theory this is the safest spacecraft NASA has ever had. It has to be proven. We haven`t proven it yet. That`s why we`re doing
this test flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The historic flight is happening in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. NASA and SpaceX are both taking serious precautions
to keep the astronauts and their staff safe. Beyond quarantine that is standard before any launch, the astronauts have been tested for the virus
multiple times. The agency and SpaceX are also urging the public to watch from home. That`s despite the fact that SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk
has called stay-at-home fascist.
JIM BRIDENSTINE: This agency has a history of doing stunning things in very difficult times and we`re going to create this moment in time where
everybody can look up, see something very bright and hopeful and say, look, the future is great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For NASA, the future involves putting astronauts back on the moon, Mars and even beyond. But for now, Bridenstine`s focus is on
the Crew Dragon launch.
BRIDENSTINE: Look, I`m very nervous. I -- I would be -- I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn`t. I`ll tell you when I spent time with Bob and
Doug today, they are both cool as cucumbers. They`re ready to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. To what taxonomic family do locust belong? Acrididae, orthoptera, insecta, or formicidae. Acrididae includes locusts
and grasshoppers.
Since December, the nations of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia have been suffering from swarms of desert locusts. An infestation of billions of
insects has destroyed trees, crops and pastureland threatening livelihoods and food supplies for millions of people in the region, what`s making
things worse is the coronavirus pandemic. With borders closed and flights grounded, it`s harder to get equipment to those countries to help them
fight the locusts and if the insects numbers keep growing, east Africa could be in the midst of a locust plague by years end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about 10 o`clock in the morning. The day was bright just like today. Then, I just had my neighbors, I heard them beating
drums. I came out of the house and I saw yellow things on there -- on the house. And when I saw the sky it was like a cloud but these were moving. It
was like a big blanket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very amazed because I`ve never seen them. They were just covering the whole sky such that there was kind of a cloud. We
(inaudible) the year of the grasshoppers. They are spread all over. Really was surprised to see these young ones. The bigger ones had laid their eggs
without us knowing and we didn`t know. It was spring today and we are worried. We are really worried but to be assured by the government where
(inaudible) spray you don`t take your animals there for at least some days, seven days. (inaudible) it is really (inaudible) it`s getting more
difficult for these ones. It will really complicate our livelihood in the future. Even if they stay and multiply here would have been (inaudible)
home, their home. Don`t waste time beating drums. Can`t you see these things are just too many.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: For 10 out of 10. The heaviest bird on Earth is the ostrich. They can weigh more than 300 pounds. This one is heavier and faker. It`s a gigantic
13-foot-high, 1,600 pound kookaburra. An Australian artist created it. It`s built on a steel frame and covered in a lightweight material. He says when
people ask why, he replies, why not? His avian creation is set to be the mascot of a cultural festival in Townsville, Australia. It`s almost
"unkookaburrevable" you all and even if it`s creator had gone king fishing for compliments. It got laughed out of a birdcage. He`s still "seeded" a
lot of smiles and will be sure to get lots of "tweets". We will be out of the air -- I mean, off the air for a bit but we`ll be "beak" with more
episodes this summer. So please stay tuned for that. We saw more viewers this year than we have ever seen before. So thank you for being the best
part of CNN 10. For sticking with us even from home. Shout out to National Autonomous University of Mexico. It`s in Mexico City. I`m Carl Azuz. All my
best and God bless.
END
