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The Balance Of Power In The U.S. Congress; An Earth-Protecting Mission Hoping To Crash Into An Asteroid. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired September 20, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Happy Tuesday, everyone. Thanks for making us part of your day. I`m Coy. This is CNN 10.
The start of this week marks 50 days until the 2022 U.S. midterm elections. These elections are called midterms because they happen in the middle of a
president`s four-year term. Americans won`t be picking a president. They`ll be voting for the representatives in Congress and candidates for state and
local offices.
Currently, members from President Joe Biden`s political party, the Democratic Party, control both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Let`s take ten to break it all down.
In the House, there are 435 voting members. Democrats currently hold 221 seats, Republicans, 212, with two current vacancies. Representatives are
elected every two years so every one of those seats is up for election in 2022.
In the Senate, there are 100 members. Democrats control 50 seats, Republicans 50 as well, but Democrats are said to control the Senate
because the Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has a tie-breaking vote. Senators are elected every six years, so about a third of these seats
are up for election this year.
The House and Senate get a lot of attention because the balance of power there can affect the president`s ability to get legislative goals
accomplished. Historically lawmakers who are in the same party as the president tend to lose seats in the midterm elections regardless of who the
president is.
So, the next question is, will Democrats hold on to their control of both the House and Senate in this year`s elections, or will the Republicans take
control of one or both chambers? We`ll find out November 8th when Americans head to the polls to cast their vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE (voice-over): Ten-second trivia time:
Who is considered the father of the U.S. Constitution?
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison or James Monroe?
James Madison is referred to as the father of the Constitution because of his pivotal role in the document`s drafting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: In recognition of Constitution Day, we`ll be continuing our special constitution theme trivia all week.
Next up, though, could an asteroid ever become a disasteroid? Several Hollywood movies have explored the idea of a mega sized space rock hitting
earth. But now, NASA is looking for potential ways to protect the planet and you know avoid that whole dinosaur situation.
A new mission from NASA called DART or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test plans to deliberately smash the spacecraft into an asteroid`s moon and it`s
getting closer to its target. The mission is headed for a near-earth asteroid named Didymos and it`s moonlit, and the goal is to slam into the
moon and change the asteroid`s motion in space. If the mission is successful, it won`t be returning home. The spacecraft is scheduled to make
impact next Monday.
Let`s learn more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It`s a space story seen several times in the movies, like in the 1998 sci-fi film "Armageddon".
BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: The United States government just asked us to save the world. Anybody want to say no?
HOLMES: An asteroid threatens Earth. The military, astronauts even oil rig drillers try to save mankind. Some cities don`t make it but in the end the
planet survives.
A Hollywood ending which NASA is hoping to make a reality with its first planetary defense test mission. Scientists say they have identified the
kilometer wide asteroids like those shown in the blockbusters, and there are no dangers of them hitting Earth in the coming centuries.
But NASA says it wants to study what could be done if an Earth threatening asteroid is discovered.
NANCY CHABOT, DART COORDINATION LEAD: These asteroids are not a threat to the Earth.
They are not a danger to the Earth. They are not on a path to hit the Earth in the foreseeable future. That makes them appropriate target for a first
test.
HOLMES: Traveling at a speed of 6.6 kilometers a second, DART will then deliberately crash into the moonlet to try to jolt it from its regular
orbit. Scientists back on Earth will monitor the collision using satellite imagery and ground base telescopes to see how much the moonlet changes
course.
ANDY CHENG, DART INVESTIGATION TEAM LEAD: If one day an asteroid is discovered on a collision course with Earth, and we have an idea how big
that asteroid is and how fast it`s coming and it will hit, that kind of information. Then we will have an idea how much momentum we need to make
that asteroid miss the Earth.
HOLMES: The targeted moonlet is a little larger than one of the pyramids in Egypt. NASA says there are 10,000 known asteroids that are just as big
or bigger that could potentially cause major regional damage if they ever hit the Earth. Although none of them are tracking this way.
DART`s kamikaze mission could provide lifesaving data if anything ever does get too close.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Next, we`re going to meet Joel Sartore, founder of the Photo Ark. He`s answering the call of wildlife conservation through photography. His
goal: take a photo of every animal in captivity around the world. He`s photographed a whopping 13,000 species from ants to elephants and he`s on a
mission to save him.
This project has taken him years. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOEL SARTORE, FOUNDER, PHOTO ARK: The world has a million and a half species described on it. We tend to give all the publicity of the tigers
and the gorillas and the giant pandas, but who cares about the minnow or the sparrow or the toad? I do.
My name is Joel Sartore. I`m a photographer and fellow of National Geographic Society and founder of the Photo Ark.
The Photo Ark is my 30-year effort to document every species in captivity around the world. We try to do portraits. Each animal on a black and white
background to eliminate distractions and allow you to look them in the eye and see that there`s great beauty there and intelligence and they`re worth
saving. They have a basic right to exist in my opinion like we do.
Thirty or 40 percent of the amphibians could go away in the next years and a lot of the insects are already going away. We need those animals to
survive. One in three bites of food we eat comes from an insect, comes from a pollinator. So it`s just critically important that people pay attention
and as a photographer, I didn`t know what else to do.
We`ve done studio portraits of about 12,500 species. That`s mammals and birds. It`s reptiles and amphibians. It`s fish and invertebrates. So
everything from ants to elephants.
The goal is to get the world`s 20,000 to 25,000 that are in captivity while there`s still time. Many of these animals don`t even exist in the wild
anymore. They`re extinct in the wild. So, the only breeding populations, the seed stock, are in zoos.
Beyond that, zoos are a great way for people to stay connected in nature. At the Lincoln Children`s Zoo, we got some interesting animals. We did
prehensile-tailed porcupine and ball python and tenrec and three-banded armadillo. But to see these animals actually alive and thriving and looking
at the camera and thinking, this is a big deal and it`s not done very often with smaller creatures.
The majority of the animals we photograph have never been photographed well before. Many of them have not ever been photographed alive. My job is to
become a voice for all these animals, the small things that really keep the planet running. It`s really at our own peril if we ignore them.
Who all do we have coming in here today for animals?
My answering the call of conservation came the only way it could through photography, so the Photo Ark is my desperate attempt, last ditch attempt
to try to get the public just to pay attention. If we take the pressure off some spots, animals will come roaring back.
We`re going to have this window close on us. We don`t have an infinite amount of time. Most of the species I photograph can be saved but we
actually have to do something about it. I get asked a lot what`s your favorite animal to photograph, and it`s the next one, it`s the next one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: For 10 out of 10 today, let`s check into the sky cruise hotel, a futuristic nuclear-powered flying hotel. For now, it`s just a concept but
the idea is that it would be piloted by artificial intelligence and if built, this hotel could be in the sky for months without landing, and it
could hold up to 5,000 passengers.
The video you`re seeing here was based on an artist 3D model, but don`t start packing your bags yet. This version of air travel was a long way off
because the technology that this would run on doesn`t quite exist nor does a runway big enough. But the creator of the concept says it`s only a matter
of time.
That`s about all we have time for for now. We hope you and everyone watching around the world have a wonderful one.
But one last thing, Sulphur Springs High School, go Wildcats, shout out to our viewers in Sulphur Springs, Texas, for subscribing and leaving a
comment on our YouTube page.
I`m Coy. Thanks for watching CNN 10.
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