>>THIS WEEK ON NEWSNIGHT, THE LATEST ON THE TRAGEDY IN SURFSIDE, AS CREWS CONTINUE TO FIND VICTIMS IN THE RUBBLE OF THE COLLAPSED CHAMPLAIN TOWER SOUTH CONDO BUILDING.

AS HURRICANE SEASON PICKS UP PUERTO RICANS WORRY ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THEIR ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES IN THE EVENT OF ANOTHER BIG STORM.

AND IT'S 10 YEARS SINCE THE LAST SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION, WE'LL LOOK AT THE LEGACY OF THE WORLD'S FIRST REUSABLE SPACECRAFT.

NEWSNIGHT STARTS NOW.

♪ MUSIC ♪ >>HELLO, I'M STEVE MORT.

WELCOME TO NEWSNIGHT, WHERE WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BIG STORIES IMPACTING CENTRAL FLORIDA AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOU.

AND WE DO THIS BY BRINGING TOGETHER A TEAM OF JOURNALISTS FROM DIFFERENT LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.

JOINING US THIS WEEK, JENNIFER MARCIAL OCASIO OF EL SENTINEL VIA SKYPE AND IN THE STUDIO WITH ME THIS WEEK, BRENDAN BYRNE 90.7 WMFE.

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, NANCY ALVAREZ IS AWAY THIS WEEK.

ALL RIGHT, FIRST TONIGHT, WE WANTED TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE TRAGEDY IN SURF SIDE.

THE SEARCH SHIFTED FROM RESCUE TO RECOVERY.

THIS WEEK AS THE DEATH TOLL INCREASES AND SCORES MORE REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FOR, I TURNED AGAIN TO WLRN VERONICA ZARAGOVIA WHO'S BEEN IN SURF SIDE AGAIN THIS WEEK.

I ASKED HER ABOUT THE RECENT DEMOLITION OF THE REMAINING PART OF THE STRUCTURE AHEAD OF HURRICANE ELSA'S APPROACH TO FLORIDA THIS WEEK.

>>THEY THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD TO DO BECAUSE STRUCTURALLY IT WASN'T SAFE.

AND AT FIRST, THE MAYOR OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA HAD SAID THAT DECISION WAS GOING TO BE DONE VERY CAREFULLY AND IT WOULD TAKE SOME TIME, BUT THEN THERE WAS PRESSURE TO SPEED IT UP BECAUSE OF ELSA.

AND SO THEY ENDED UP MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY AND THEN WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING IS THAT THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS HAD A LOT MORE ACCESS TO THE RUBBLE THAT THEY DIDN'T BEFORE, BECAUSE THERE WERE THOSE SAFETY RISKS.

SO EVER SINCE THAT PART OF THE BUILDING HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED, THEY HAVE FOUND MANY MORE DECEASED PERSONS BECAUSE THEY HAD, SO THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK QUICKER.

>>ALL RIGHT, JENNIFER, LET ME START WITH YOU SURFSIDE'S A VERY DIVERSE PLACE, RIGHT?

MEANING THAT THIS COLLAPSE IS HAVING AN EFFECT AROUND THE WORLD.

HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED IN LATIN AMERICA SPECIFICALLY GIVEN THE CLOSE TIES BETWEEN THAT REGION AND SOUTH FLORIDA?

>>YEAH, DEFINITELY, IT'S AN AREA LIKE YOU WERE MENTIONING THERE'S A LOT OF LATIN AMERICANS, THERE'S A LOT OF HISPANICS IN THAT AREA.

THERE WERE SEVERAL PUERTO RICANS INVOLVED AS WELL, AS MANY PEOPLE HERE KNOW I'M FROM PUERTO RICO.

SO THIS STORY ALSO TOUCH US VERY, VERY PERSONALLY ON THE ISLAND AS WELL.

AT LEAST 36 PEOPLE WERE KNOWN TO BE FROM LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES.

AND THIS IS INCLUDING COLUMBIA, VENEZUELA, URUGUAY, CHILE, PARAGUAY AND AS I MENTIONED, PUERTO RICO.

SO IT'S DEFINITELY AN AREA WHERE MANY PEOPLE WERE INVESTING IN PROPERTIES.

IT'S AN AREA WHERE MANY PEOPLE TRAVEL TO, THERE'S THAT COMMUTE BACK AND FORTH FROM LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF FLORIDA, SPECIFICALLY WHERE THEY GO AND THEY BUY A LOT OF PRODUCTS AND THEY TAKE THEM BACK HOME.

THEY ALSO INVEST A LOT IN THE AREA.

SO DEFINITELY THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM LATIN AMERICA INVOLVED IN THIS TRAGEDY.

>>YEAH.

AND LATIN AMERICANS ARE AMONG THE LARGEST NUMBER OF BUYERS OF CONDO BUILDINGS IN THAT PART OF FLORIDA.

I'M WONDERING WHETHER THIS COULD HAVE, BRENDAN, A SORT OF A KNOCK-ON EFFECT ON THE HOUSING MARKET.

>>WELL, IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK, STEVE.

THE GOVERNOR THIS WEEK HAS COME OUT AND SAID, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY THIS MIGHT HAVE, HE SAID, WELL, THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.

AND HE DOESN'T SEE THAT THERE WILL BE THAT KNOCKOFF EFFECT THAT YOU MENTIONED, BUT YOU TALKED TO OTHER FOLKS LIKE REALTORS, THEY SAID THERE'S A LOT OF ANXIETY AND KIND OF UNKNOWN DEALING WITH PURCHASING THESE CONDOMINIUMS IN THE FUTURE.

BUYERS ARE ASKING FOR THESE 40 YEAR REVIEWS, WHICH THEY'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE, BUT OF COURSE, THAT'S IN THE FOREFRONT NOW, I THINK WHAT THIS WILL KIND OF PUT FRONT AND CENTER IS TWO THINGS.

ONE IS THE MANAGEMENT OF CONDO ASSOCIATIONS, WHICH HAS COME UNDER SCRUTINY DURING THIS TRAGEDY, AND ALSO THE EFFECTS CLIMATE CHANGE HAS ON REAL ESTATE, ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA.

MY COLLEAGUE, AMY GREEN, HAS DONE QUITE A BIT OF REPORTING ON THAT.

AND I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A FRONT AND CENTER ISSUE NOW IN THE WAKE OF THIS TRAGEDY.

>>ALREADY FRAGILE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN A LOT OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES.

>>ABSOLUTELY.

>>AND WE'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT RESILIENCE, PARTICULARLY FROM THE GOVERNOR OVER THE COURSE OF HIS TERM.

AND WE SHOULD MENTION ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORY IN OUR REGION THIS WEEK.

AND THAT'S THE ASSASSINATION OF HAITI'S PRESIDENT, JOVENEL MOISE.

ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR, JERRY DEMINGS, SAYS HE'S REACHED OUT TO THE HAITIAN CONSULATE IN ORLANDO TO OFFER ASSISTANCE TO THE COMMUNITY.

>>BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS WHO LIVE HERE, WHO ARE FROM HAITI, WE HAVE TO FEEL FOR THAT COUNTRY AS WELL.

I THINK THE UNITED STATES IS IN A POSITION WHERE IT CERTAINLY CAN BE A FRIEND TO HAITI AS THEY GO THROUGH THIS.

WHENEVER THERE WAS A LEADER OF ANY COUNTRY THAT IS ASSASSINATED, I BELIEVE THAT THAT SENDS SHOCK WAVES THROUGHOUT THAT PARTICULAR COUNTRY.

AND THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THAT HAS HAPPENED THEN WITHIN HAITI.

AND SO THESE NEXT FEW DAYS, I BELIEVE WILL SET THE TONE FOR HOW THAT COUNTRY RESPONDS AND HOW OUR COUNTRY RESPONDS AS WELL.

>>JENNIFER, GIVE US A BROAD OVERVIEW OF CENTRAL FLORIDA'S HAITIAN COMMUNITY.

I MEAN, IT'S VERY LARGE AND VERY DIVERSE, RIGHT?

>>YEAH, I THINK THAT JERRY DEMINGS USED THE PERFECT WORD THERE WHEN HE SAID THAT IT'S GOING TO CREATE THOSE SHOCK WAVES, RIGHT?

I THINK THAT THE PANDEMIC HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA SPECIFICALLY OPENED OUR EYES OF HOW BIG THIS COMMUNITY IS.

AND AS WELL AS IT HAPPENED WITH THE LATINO COMMUNITY, LIKE WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT THERE'S A BIG HISPANIC, LATINO COMMUNITY HERE.

WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THERE'S A BIG HAITIAN COMMUNITY HERE, BUT WITH THE PANDEMIC, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING FOR THOSE RESOURCES IN OTHER LANGUAGES, THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY WAS DEFINITELY ONE THAT WE WERE LOOKING INTO AND TRYING TO GET ALL THAT CONTENT IN HAITIAN CREOLE AS WELL.

SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A HUGE POPULATION HERE THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING BACK INTO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR COUNTRY.

>>DEFINITELY A TOUGH TIME FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY HERE, WHO SORT OF MAYBE HAVE LOVED ONES ON THE ISLAND.

OF COURSE, THE US STATE DEPARTMENT HAS MANY TRAVEL ALERTS OUT AT THE MOMENT, DO NOT TRAVEL WHEN IT COMES TO HAITI.

SO MANY THINGS ON THE MINDS OF HAITIANS HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, WE SHOULD NOTE, WE ARE RECORDING THE SHOW ON THURSDAY MORNING.

SO THINGS MAY CHANGE BY AIR TIME.

A REMINDER YOU CAN FIND A LINK TO WLRN'S FULL COVERAGE OF THE CONDO COLLAPSE IN SURFSIDE AT OUR WEBSITE AT WUCF.ORG/NEWSNIGHT.

OKAY.

AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DEMOLITION OF THE REMAINING PART OF THE CHAMPLAIN TOWER SOUTH WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BECAUSE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM ELSA, WHICH LASHED FLORIDA THIS WEEK WITH WIND AND RAIN AND WHILE HURRICANE SEASON CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR FLORIDA, FOR OUR COUNTERPARTS IN PUERTO RICO, THEY CAN OFTEN BE IN SIGNIFICANT HARDSHIPS.

A FRAGILE ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE HAS LEFT MANY ON THE ISLAND WORRIED THAT ANOTHER LARGE STORM COULD PLUNGE THEM INTO CRISIS ONCE AGAIN.

>>PUERTO RICO'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMS TO UNDERGO A NEVER ENDING STREAM OF REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE, BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP NEARLY A MILLION PEOPLE LOSING POWER LAST MONTH AFTER A FIRE AT AN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION.

TWO OUTAGES WITHIN A WEEK OF TRIGGERED CRITICISM OF PUERTO RICO'S GRID OPERATOR, LUMA ENERGY, A CONSORTIUM OF US COMPANY QUANTA AND CANADIAN COMPANY ATPCO.

LUMA TOOK OVER AS THE ISLAND'S POWER UTILITY IN JUNE.

MASSIVE RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS TOOK PLACE IN 2017 AFTER HURRICANE MARIA HIT PUERTO RICO, CRIPPLING AN ALREADY STRUGGLING GOVERNMENT OWNED UTILITY.

NOW ARE MADE ONGOING ISSUES, SOME LOCALITIES ARE TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS, PROMPTING THIS STATEMENT FROM LUMA, "LUMA MAKES AN URGENT CALL TO MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES AND PRIVATE SECTOR CONTRACTORS IN PUERTO RICO TO REFRAIN FROM ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THE ELECTRIC POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM INDEPENDENTLY ATTEMPTING TO DO SO IS NOT ONLY ILLEGAL, BUT ALSO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND COULD EXPOSE UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL TO COME IN CONTACT WITH ENERGIZED POWER LINES, POTENTIALLY PLACING LIVES AT RISK."

>>ALL RIGHT.

QUITE A MESS.

SO JENNIFER, LET'S BACK UP FIRST.

I MEAN, HOW DO WE GET HERE?

HOW MUCH DAMAGE DID MARIA DO TO PUERTO RICO'S ELECTRICITY GRID IN 2017?

>>THAT IS A PERFECT SUMMARY, QUITE A MESS.

IT'S WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE ELECTRICAL POWER IN PUERTO RICO.

AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON WAY BEFORE HURRICANE MARIA.

THE THING IS THAT HURRICANE MARIA OBVIOUSLY WAS A DEVASTATING HURRICANE IT WAS CATEGORY FOUR, CATEGORY FIVE IN CERTAIN AREAS WHEN IT FIRST HIT THE ISLAND.

SO THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYED A SYSTEM THAT WAS ALREADY SUPER FRAGILE.

THE ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM IN PUERTO RICO HAS BEEN GOING FOR MANY YEARS, HAVING ISSUES AND HAVING ALL THIS LIKE PROTEST BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN NEEDING TO BE COMPLETELY RENOVATED, BETWEEN NEEDED TO BE FIXED AND MONEY KEEPS GOING IN INTO THE ISLAND.

BUT THEN IT DOESN'T GO INTO OUR ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM TO MAKE IT BETTER.

SO THAT'S HOW WE ENDED UP WITH LUMA.

AFTER HURRICANE MARIA, PUERTO RICO ENDED MANY AREAS OVER A YEAR WITHOUT POWER.

THERE ARE STILL AREAS IN THE CENTER OF THE ISLAND THAT DON'T HAVE POWER BECAUSE OF HURRICANE MARIA, SOME OF THEM BECAUSE OF HURRICANE IRMA, THAT HAPPENED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE HURRICANE MARIA.

>>SO DEFINITELY IT'S AN EXTREMELY FRAGILE SYSTEM THAT WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER MAINTENANCE.

AND THAT TOOK IT TO THE POINT WHERE WHEN HURRICANE MARIA HAPPENED, IT LITERALLY KEPT THE ISLAND ON THE BLACKOUT.

SO MANY PEOPLE STARTED TALKING ABOUT NEEDING TO PRIVATIZE AND GETTING THIS INTO PRIVATE COMPANIES TO MAKE THE SYSTEM BETTER.

SO LUMA WAS CREATED BETWEEN A COMBINATION OF FOUR DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT CAME TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS PREVENTATIVE STATION HAPPENING THERE, RIGHT?

SO THEY TOOK POWER JUNE 1ST.

I WAS IN PUERTO RICO AT THE TIME DOING OTHER STORIES OVER THERE.

AND I LOST POWER EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE THREE WEEKS THAT I WAS WORKING ON THE ISLAND.

AND I KEPT ASKING MY FRIENDS, HOW DO YOU GUYS WORK FROM HOME?

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

YOU LOSE POWER.

YOU LOSE THE INTERNET.

IT'S LITERALLY A MESS.

>>YEAH, WE SHOULD MENTION, OF COURSE YOU WERE ON A REPORTING ASSIGNMENT, WHICH IS WHY WE WERE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THIS.

I MEAN, DO WE KNOW WHY THESE ISSUES SURROUNDING ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUE TO BE SUCH A PROBLEM TO THIS DAY?

I MEAN, IS, IS THERE ANY REASONING BEHIND THAT?

>>WELL, I ALWAYS TELL EVERYBODY THAT I'M ABLE TO TALK TO ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM IN PUERTO RICO, THAT HURRICANE MARIA KIND OF LIKE PUT EVERYONE'S EYES INTO WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE POWER SYSTEM OVER THERE.

BUT THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES.

IT WASN'T MAINTAINED PROPERLY.

IT WAS LITERALLY LIKE PEOPLE OVER THERE TELL ME, THEY KEPT THEM PUTTING BANDAGES, LIKE SOMETHING HAPPENED, LET'S PUT THIS BANDAID HERE AND THEN WE MOVE ON AND THEN THAT GETS RIPPED OFF.

AND THEN WE HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM.

SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE PUT LIKE AN ONION, IT WAS MANY, MANY LAYERS OF ISSUES HAPPENING THAT WERE NEVER TREATED TO THE CORE.

SO IT KIND OF LIKE LITERALLY EXPLODED.

SO AT THE END, WHEN LUMA TOOK POWER ON JUNE 1ST, MANY PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT, OH, WAS IT SABOTAGE?

WAS IT SOMETHING INTERNAL HAPPENING?

THERE WASN'T EVEN AN FBI INVESTIGATION.

>>IT WASN'T PROVEN THAT IT WAS ANY SABOTAGE.

IT WAS JUST LITERALLY THE LACK OF MAINTENANCE IN CERTAIN AREAS THAT CAUSED THAT FIRE.

AND THEN IT LITERALLY TOOK THE ISLAND AGAIN ON THE BLACKOUT.

AND PUERTO RICANS LOSE POWER FOR A WIDE RANGE OF HOURS AND THEN THEY GET THAT KIND OF LIKE THAT PTSD FROM HURRICANE MARIA.

OH MY GOD.

NO, WE'RE BACK ON THIS STAGE AGAIN, LIKE FOR ME, IT'S CRAZY THAT IT STARTS RAINING.

AND THEN THE FIRST THING IN YOUR MIND IS, OH, I'M GOING TO LOSE POWER.

LIKE OVER HERE, ELSA CAME, IT RAINED, IT WAS VERY BAD FOR CERTAIN AREAS, THE POWER WENT OUT, BUT IT GOT RESTORED WITHIN HOURS.

THAT'S NOT THE CASE OVER THERE.

YOU CAN SPEND DAYS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.

>>AND OF COURSE, MANY OF THE NEWER ARRIVALS FROM PUERTO RICO TO OUR COMMUNITY WILL PROBABLY KNOW OF WHAT YOU SPEAK A LOT.

YOU KNOW, WE HEARD IN OUR STORY AND FROM YOU THERE ABOUT THIS NEW ELECTRICAL UTILITY THAT'S IN CHARGE.

I MEAN, WHAT IS LUMA SAYING ABOUT THESE ONGOING PROBLEMS?

>>WELL, THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE BRAND NEW, THAT THEY'RE DEALING, LEARNING OF THIS NEW ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM.

THE REALITY IS THAT THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOR OVER A YEAR NOW BECAUSE THERE WAS A TRANSITION GOING ON.

IT WASN'T THAT THEY, OH, I JUST TOOK POWER TODAY AND THEN I'M GOING TO FIGURE OUT THIS.

SO THERE'S BEEN THAT CONVERSATION BACK AND FORTH THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW THE SYSTEM WAS, THE CONDITION THAT IT WAS IN.

BUT DEFINITELY IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE OVERNIGHT.

LIKE THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO START WORKING ON REGENERATING WHAT THE POWER SYSTEM AND GETTING IT INTO A MORE MODERN SYSTEM AND WHATNOT.

BUT THEN THERE'S TALKS OF WHETHER IS ELECTRICITY GOING UP.

PUERTO RICO HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ELECTRICITY BILLS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES.

PEOPLE OVER THERE DON'T HAVE CENTRAL AC LIKE WE HAVE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES, I SHOULD SAY, BECAUSE POWER IS SUPER EXPENSIVE.

SO THEY'RE LITERALLY IN THAT PROCESS OF FIGURING OUT WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE GOING TO BE INTO TAKING PUERTO RICO FROM THAT FRAGILE SYSTEM THAT THEY HAD INTO A NEW, BETTER SYSTEM.

AND THAT'S IN THEORY, IN PAPER.

NOW WE HAVE TO SEE IF IN FACT THAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING.

>>YOU MENTIONED SORT OF THE PTSD THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE ON THE ISLAND SORT OF FEEL WHEN THEIR ELECTRICITY GOES OUT.

ON YOUR RECENT REPORTING ASSIGNMENT, WHAT DID YOU HEAR FROM RESIDENTS AND LEADERS ABOUT THEIR FEARS OF WHAT ANOTHER STORM MAY MEAN FOR THE ISLAND?

OF COURSE, WE'RE IN HURRICANE SEASON AGAIN.

>>OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY PRAYS THAT NO OTHER HURRICANE MARIA IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN PUERTO RICO, THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER CATEGORY FIVE, CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE OVER THERE.

BUT EVEN THE CATEGORY TWO COULD BE DAMAGING TO THE ISLAND, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF A LOT OF RAIN HAPPENING, EVERY PLACE GETS SUPER FLOODED, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT AS STRONG AFTER HURRICANE MARIA.

SO DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IT'S IN EVERYBODY'S MIND AND ESPECIALLY PUERTO RICANS HERE IN THE DIASPORA AS WELL.

I SPOKE LAST WEEK TO SOME PUERTO RICANS THAT CAME TO CENTRAL FLORIDA AFTER HURRICANE MARIA, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON A PROJECT TO GET TOGETHER KIND OF LIKE A GUIDE FOR LOCAL LEADERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF HOW TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING HERE BECAUSE OF A NATURAL DISASTER THAT OUR NATURAL DISASTER REFUGEES, HOW THEY'RE CALLING IT.

SO IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IS IN EVERYBODY'S MIND.

AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER TOO, THAT PUERTO RICO, NOT ONLY HAD DEVASTATING HURRICANES, THEY ALSO HAD DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKES RIGHT AFTER, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED.

AND THEN DURING THE EARTHQUAKE, THEY HAD THE PANDEMIC OF THE CORONAVIRUS.

SO IT'S BEEN LITERALLY ONE THING AFTER THE OTHER.

SO THE MENTALITY AND THE STRESS LEVELS OF THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY ARE VERY HIGH.

>>YEAH.

JUST A CHAIN OF EVENTS.

AND YOU'VE ALSO BEEN COVERING THE RECOVERY OF THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY ON THE ISLAND AS WELL.

SPECIFICALLY THE COFFEE INDUSTRY, WHICH HAS BEEN STRUGGLING A NEW ADMID THE PANDEMIC JUST BRIEFLY, WHAT DID YOU LEARN THERE?

>>YEAH, I WAS INVITED BY THE PUERTO RICO GOVERNMENT TO GO AND SEE SOME OF THE COFFEE FARMS OVER THERE.

AND IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE TO SEE ALL THE TREES AND YOU ASK THEM, OH, HOW OLD IS THIS TREE?

HOW OLD IS THIS BEAN?

AND THEY'RE ALL FOUR YEARS OLD BECAUSE HURRICANE MARIA LITERALLY WIPED DOWN THE ENTIRE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY OVER THERE.

SO THEY PRETTY MUCH BEEN GROWING EVERYTHING UP FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS.

AND OBVIOUSLY THE AGRICULTURE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED A LOT OF MANUAL LABOR.

SO IT'S AN AREA WHERE THEY'RE LACKING A LOT OF EMPLOYEES.

IT REQUIRES A LOT OF, OF HARD WORK THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY HIGH PAY.

SO THEY'RE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH THAT.

HOW DO YOU GET MANPOWER TO PICK UP THE COFFEE BEANS?

HOW DO YOU GET MANPOWER TO WORK ON THE LAND?

SO THAT'S BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE, NOT ONLY FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS BECAUSE OF THE HURRICANE, BUT ALSO DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THE LACK OF EMPLOYEES AVAILABLE TO DO THIS JOB.

>>YEAH.

AND I ENCOURAGE ANYBODY WATCHING TO CHECK OUT JENNIFER'S REPORTING AT EL SENTINEL.

AND I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT LANDFALL, A POV DOCUMENTARY AIRING THIS MONDAY, JULY 12TH AT 10:00 PM HERE ON WUCF LOOKING AT RECOVERY AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS PUERTO RICO SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF MASSIVE PROTESTS ON THE ISLAND IN 2019.

>>PUERTO RICO'S FRACTURED HISTORY WITH THE US COMES INTO FOCUS IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE MARIA, AS OPPORTUNISTS ARRIVED TO RECOLONIZE THE DEVASTATED ISLAND, COMMUNITY LEADERS EMERGED TO REBUILD AND RESIST LANDFALL.

>>ALL RIGHT, NEXT TONIGHT, LET'S TALK SPACE.

SHALL WE, BRENDAN?

THURSDAY MARKED EXACTLY 10 YEARS SINCE THE LAST SHUTTLE MISSION FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.

>>ZERO AND LIFT OFF!

>>WHEN ATLANTIS BLASTED OFF FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER ON JULY 8TH, 2011, IT MARKED THE END, NOT JUST OF A STORIED CAREER FOR THE ORBITER, BUT FOR THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM ITSELF, A PROGRAM THAT HELPED REVOLUTIONIZE TRAVEL TO LOWER-EARTH ORBIT.

>>[INAUDIBLE] THE SHUTTLE HAS CLEARED THE TOWER.

>>THE FIRST MISSION FOR THE WORLD'S FIRST REUSABLE SPACECRAFT TOOK PLACE IN 1981.

A FLEET OF FIVE ORBITERS COMPLETED 135 MISSIONS, WHICH SAW THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

ATLANTIS IS NOW HOUSED AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER VISITOR COMPLEX THE RETIREMENT OF THE SHUTTLES LED TO SEVERAL YEARS OF ECONOMIC CHALLENGES FOR THE SPACE COAST AND MADE STEEP LAYOFFS AT THE SPACE CENTER AND A WHOLE GALAXY OF PRIVATE COMPANIES BUILT TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM.

>>AND LIFT OFF OF THE FALCON 9 ROCKET.

>>THE SMALL COMMERCIAL COMPANIES LIKE SPACEX PICKED UP RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CARRYING CARGO INTO ORBIT.

IT WILL BE NEARLY NINE YEARS BEFORE ASTRONAUTS WOULD LAUNCH AGAIN FROM THE CAPE, THIS TIME ON A SPACEX ROCKET, LAST YEAR.

BOEING HAS EXPANDED TO ATTEMPT TO LAUNCH ITS COMMERCIAL CREW CAPSULE THIS MONTH AFTER ITS STARLINER CRAFT FAIL TO REACH THE ISS IN 2019.

>>ALL RIGHT, BRENDAN.

WELL, LET'S BREAK ALL THIS DOWN THEN.

I MEAN, I CERTAINLY REMEMBER COVERING THE FINAL SHUTTLE NATION AND THE LANDING OF ATLANTIS 2011.

WHAT MADE THIS PROGRAM UNIQUE AND WHAT DID IT ACCOMPLISH OVER ITS TIME?

>>I MEAN, IT'S JUST COOL, RIGHT?

I MEAN, YOU'VE SEEN A SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH.

THEY'RE JUST INCREDIBLE.

AND AS YOU MENTIONED IN THE PACKAGE THERE, THE SPACE SHUTTLE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BUILDING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, RIGHT?

IT WAS A REUSABLE SPACECRAFT.

IT WAS A NEW SPACECRAFT DESIGN AND IT HELPED ESTABLISH OUR PERMANENT PRESENCE IN SPACE.

BUT THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1981.

SO IT WAS THREE DECADES OF ORBITERS LAUNCHING FROM SPACE.

I THINK IT ACCOMPLISHED A LOT MORE THAN JUST BUILDING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THOSE EARLY YEARS, THERE WAS A LOT OF MEDICAL RESEARCH AND LEARNING HOW TO LIVE AND WORK IN SPACE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THAT LED TO WHAT WE LEARNED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

IT LAUNCHED SO MANY INCREDIBLE PIECES OF SPACE HARDWARE, INCLUDING THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, WHICH HAS GIVEN US THESE INCREDIBLE VIEWS OF OUR UNIVERSE THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

AND IF IT WASN'T FOR SPACE SHUTTLE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HUBBLE BECAUSE IT HAD TO GO BACK UP AND SERVICE THAT TELESCOPE.

SO I THINK IT'S LEGACY IS REALLY, WE'RE STILL UTILIZING THE THINGS THAT THE SPACE SHUTTLE BUILT OR DEPLOYED INTO SPACE AND WE WILL BE FOR YEARS TO COME.

AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE LEGACY OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

AND ALSO HAS THIS LASTING IMPACT ON PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF SPACE.

PEOPLE STILL REMEMBER SEEING SPACE SHUTTLES.

I'M CURRENTLY BUILDING A LEGO SPACE SHUTTLE SET RIGHT NOW.

LIKE THERE'S, IT'S SO INGRAINED IN POPULAR CULTURE NOW.

AND REALLY IT WAS WHAT MADE SPACE SO ROUTINE FOR US TO GO INTO ORBIT, WE HAD THIS PLANE THAT COULD GET US UP THERE AND I THINK THAT'S ITS LASTING LEGACY.

>>YOU KNOW WHAT I ALWAYS FINDING AMAZING?

I WAS ONE OF A GROUP OF JOURNALISTS THAT WAS ALLOWED TO TOUR THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY WHEN IT WAS BEING DECOMMISSIONED.

AND ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS WAS DESPITE WHAT IT ACHIEVED, WAS THE FACT THAT THE TECHNOLOGY IN THERE LOOKED SO 1970S AND 1980'S WITH THE KNOBS AND DIALS.

THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT FROM THE RETIREMENT WAS SEVERE IN BREVARD, RIGHT?

IT'S A DIFFERENT SCENE NOW OUT ON THE SPACE COAST.

AND I WONDER FROM YOUR REPORTING, HOW THINGS HAVE SORT OF CHANGED BETWEEN THOSE SORT OF DARKER TIMES- >>MM-HMM (AFFIRMATIVE).

>>WHEN PEOPLE WERE SORT OF LEAVING THE SPACE COAST FOR JOBS ELSEWHERE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE NOW.

I MEAN, HOW ARE THINGS CHANGED OVER THE LAST DECADE?

>>YOU GOT TO REMEMBER, IT WAS KIND OF A DOUBLE WHAMMY WITH THE SPACE SHUTTLE, RIGHT?

MAYBE EVEN A TRIPLE, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE WAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS GOING TO RETIRE.

WE HAD THE ECONOMIC RECESSION, WHICH HAPPENED AROUND THE SAME TIME.

AND THEN ALSO THE PROGRAM THAT WAS GOING TO FILL IN SHUTTLE CONSTELLATION WAS ALSO CANCELED.

SO THE SPACE COAST WAS REALLY DEVASTATED WITH ALL OF THESE CANCELLATIONS AND ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, BUT STATE LEADERS KNEW THAT THIS WAS COMING AND, AND HAD PLANNED AHEAD FOR THIS.

AND IT WAS THIS PIVOT TO THE COMMERCIAL OPERATORS.

SO YOU LOOK OUT AT THE CAPE NOW AND SPACEX, IT LAUNCHES FROM TWO PADS OUT THERE.

ONE OF THEM IS A FORMER SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH PAD, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER WAS ABLE TO TURN THAT OVER TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

A LOT OF THE FACILITIES AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER THAT SUPPORTED SHUTTLE THAT KIND OF HELP TURN THOSE SHUTTLES AROUND AND PROCESS THEM FOR THE NEXT EMISSION.

WELL, THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE BUILDING BOEING'S STARLINER, THAT'S WHERE THE AIR FORCE HAS WORKS ON IT SUPER SECRET SPACE PLAYING THE X-37B.

THESE ARE ALL FORMER SPACE SHUTTLE FACILITIES.

YOU'RE ALSO STARTING TO SEE THE SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING FACILITY, WHICH IS THE LAUNCH AND LANDING FACILITY NOW BEING UTILIZED BY COMMERCIAL PARTNERS.

SIERRA NEVADA SPACE PLANE WILL LAND THERE, THERE'S TALKS OF BRINGING SOME SPACE TOURISM THERE AND ALSO OPENING IT UP FOR OTHER AEROSPACE COMPANIES TO SET UP SHOP THERE.

SO, YOU KNOW, THE SPACE COAST UTILIZED THIS INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SHUTTLE BUILT AND TURNED IT OVER TO THE COMMERCIAL SPACE INDUSTRY, WHICH BROUGHT COMMERCIAL SPACE TO THE SPACE COAST AND HELPED THAT ECONOMIC RECOVERY AFTER SHUTTLE.

>>AND I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAM- >>MM-HMM (AFFIRMATIVE).

>>IN A MINUTE, BUT FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW NASA ADMINISTRATOR, BILL NELSON, AND WE WERE GETTING A BETTER FEEL FOR WHERE HIS PRIORITIES ARE, NOW.

HE TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS AT THE END OF JUNE.

I MEAN, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT BILL NELSON'S PLANS TO MOVE FORWARD, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE MOON AND THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM, BUT ALSO COOPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES?

I MEAN, HE'S SORT OF MAINTAINING A STATUS QUO VIS-A-VIS RELATIONS WITH CHINA, FOR EXAMPLE.

>>TRUE.

YEAH.

WE KNOW THAT HE'S PICKING UP THE HEAVY LIFT, PARDON THE PUN, OF THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, WHICH WAS TO PUT HUMANS ON THE MOON BY 2024.

AND BILL NELSON IS LOOSELY SAYING THAT WE CAN ATTAIN THAT GOAL.

WE COULD HAVE A LAUNCH LATER THIS YEAR, PROBABLY EARLY NEXT YEAR OF THE ARTEMIS MOON ROCKET UNCREWED OF COURSE FIRST.

SO HE'S KIND OF PICKING THAT UP AND REALLY FOCUSING ON THE ARTEMIS MISSION.

AND YOU GOT TO REMEMBER, THIS IS THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE NASA ADMINISTRATOR THAT HAS BEEN IN CONGRESS.

SO HE IS WORKING CONGRESS TO GET THE FUNDING THAT HE NEEDS TO MEET THIS GOAL AND FOR THE AGENCY TO MEET THIS GOAL.

BUT HE'S KIND OF UTILIZING THESE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS AS A WAY TO LEVERAGE THAT SUPPORT.

SO WHEN HE DID TESTIFY IN CONGRESS, HE KIND OF FRAMED THE US AND ARTEMIS PROGRAM AS, IF WE DON'T DO THIS, IF YOU DON'T FUND THIS, WE ARE GOING TO LOSE OUR SUPREMACY IN SPACE AND A UP AND COMING AGENCY LIKE CHINA IS GOING TO TAKE OVER.

HE'S ALSO PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON RUSSIA, WHICH HAS BEEN AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER WITH US FOR YEARS THAT SEEMS TO BE MOVING MORE TOWARDS PARTNERING WITH CHINA.

SO YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE HIM KIND OF LEVERAGE THAT AND ALMOST THIS COLD WAR DIPLOMACY OF, OF HOW TO GET MONEY FOR SPACE, WHICH IS HAPPENING.

SO WHILE HE IS KIND OF CARRYING ON THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION'S GOALS OF GETTING HUMANS BACK TO THE MOON AND THEN ONTO MARS, HE IS KIND OF LEVERAGING THIS BOOGEYMAN OF CHINA AND RUSSIA TO GET THE MONEY THAT HE NEEDS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

>>YEAH.

THAT'S THE GOVERNMENT SIDE OF IT.

WHAT ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL CREW PART OF THIS THAT YOU MENTIONED BEFORE?

I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE NEXT MILESTONES THERE, RIGHT?

I MEAN WE HAVE A LAUNCH COMING UP FOR BOEING?

>>THAT'S RIGHT.

WE HAVE ANOTHER UNCREWED LAUNCH COMING UP FOR BOEING.

AND THIS IS THE PARTNERSHIP THAT NASA HAS, SINCE THERE IS NO SPACE SHUTTLE, INSTEAD OF BUILDING A BRAND NEW VEHICLE AT NASA, NASA JUST KIND OF UBER RIDES ITS ASTRONAUTS UP TO SPACE FOR THESE COMMERCIAL COMPANIES.

SO BOEING WILL HAVE AN UNCREWED LAUNCH OF ITS STAR LINER.

THIS WILL BE TAKE TWO, THE FIRST ONE FAILED TO MEET ITS GOALS.

AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THEY'LL HAVE A CREWED MISSION.

POSSIBLY THE END OF THIS YEAR, SPACEX IS SENDING UP ANOTHER CREW OF FOUR ASTRONAUTS THIS FALL AS WELL.

SO HUMANS ARE LAUNCHING FROM THE US ONCE AGAIN, IT'S PRETTY COOL.

>>AND JUST FINALLY, BRIEFLY, IF YOU CAN, SPACE TOURISM COMING TO THE SPACE COAST SOON, IT'S GOING TO BE A REALITY, RIGHT?

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INSPIRATION4.

>>INSPIRATION4 IS A BILLIONAIRE BOUGHT A SPACE CAPSULE FROM SPACEX.

IT IS A FALCON 9 CAPSULE THAT LAUNCHED ASTRONAUTS LAST YEAR TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THIS GROUP OF FOUR CIVILIANS, THEY'RE UNDERGOING SOME ASTRONAUT TRAINING.

THEY'RE GOING TO LAUNCH FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, AND THEY'RE GOING TO ENJOY A FEW DAYS IN ORBIT ON THE FALCON OR ON THE CREWED DRAGON, WHICH IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE HOW QUICKLY WE'VE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT.

>>FASCINATING STUFF FOR SURE.

AND DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THIS DISCUSSION ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WE'RE AT WUCF TV ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM.

WELL, THAT'S ABOUT ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR THIS WEEK.

MY THANKS TO JENNIFER MARCIAL OCASIO OF EL SENTINEL, AND BRENDAN BYRNE OF 90.7.

WMFE ALSO HOSTS THE "ARE WE THERE YET" PODCAST AS WELL, WE SHOULD SAY.

AND WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT AT 8:30 HERE ON WUCF FROM ALL OF US HERE AT NEWSNIGHT, TAKE CARE AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.