black boxes and technology. we certainly need to learn more about the ocean and the deep, and especially the ocean floor. thank you guys for joining us. i really appreciate all your expertise, all my analysts and tough talk. the president of russia and the united states spar over ukraine as pro-russian demonstrations spread in the eastern part of the country. cut short. the underwater search for a missing airliner is forced to surface unexpectedly. why are you getting emotional now? >> i did not fire at reeva. >> questions about the tears. prosecutors in the murder trial of oscar pistorius prepare for another day of cross-examination. and seeing red. the first full lunar eclipse of 2014 is upon north america.

we'll tell viewers there how they can see it. hello, everyone. welcome to "cnn newsroom." >> thanks for joining us here in the united states and, of course, around the world. >> the white house calls it a frank and direct phone conversation. >> yeah. u.s. president barack obama and russian president vladimir putin are once again talking about the crisis in ukraine. mr. obama is urging mr. putin to press pro-russia demonstrators in eastern ukraine to vacate buildings they've been occupying. mr. putin is calling on mr. obama to help prevent the use of force. >> but as pro-russia unrest spreads to more cities, ukraine's acting president has called for u.n. peacekeepers in eastern ukraine. >> monday was the day the ukrainian government demanded that armed pro-russia activists

give up, but the deadline passed with no sign the ultimatum was being heeded. instead, demonstrator appe-- demonstrators appear to have overrun another key building in ukrai ukraine. we have this report from donelsk. >> reporter: this should have been the moment when ukraine's army moved in. instead, it's pro-russian protesters marching on this police station. sort of unrest spreading quickly, daly to about ten towns now. the police chief peaten, an activist injured. one activist claimed all the police defected. a brief sign of what must have the ukrainian military over the city center, one attack helicopter escorting another. otherwise, the anti-terror operation the ukrainian interim president pledged if forces

didn't surrender in morning nowhere to be seen. the deadline has passed for the protesters to leave. the buildings, but no sign of anything other than them digging in for the long run. one person telling me they're not even worried anymore that the ukrainian people will lay siege to the building. an extraordinary admission today. ukraine's ousted president, yanukovych, claimed the cia director flew in to kiev to give the go ahead for a crackdown on protesters. the cia declined to comment then, but today the white house did. >> given the extraordinary circumstances in this case and the false claims being leveled by the russians at the cia, we can confirm that the director was in kiev this weekend as part of a trip to europe. >> reporter: suggesting a routine trip in times that aren't, and providing fuel for russia's claim the west is stoking the crisis. this is hypocrisy beyond any limits, he said. and i really hope we will hear

an honest and coherent reaction of western partners without any double standards and any attempts to shift the blame to russia. but it is the russian flag that these protesters fly. and there, 40,000 troops just across the border. the dark backdrop to the swift changes of control in eastern ukraine. nick paton walsh, cnn. and european foreign ministers have approved more than $1 billion in aid to ukraine. they've also cut the duties on some ukrainian import. leaders may hold an emergency summit next week to impose further sanctions on moscow. >> we have decided today -- we've taken the decision to expand the list. there will now be some rapid and important work on the exact numbers and names of that. the decision today has been to expand the second tier of sanctions. as ukraine's government seems to struggle against growing unrest in its eastern

region, russia remains defiant stating that it's part of the solution and not the problem. with more from moscow, here's our report. >> reporter: as the unrest spreads in ukraine's eastern cities, an incident in the black sea reminiscent of the cold war era. u.s. officials tell us a russian plane flew very low as many as 12 times past a u.s. warship this. actions that the u.s. describes as unprofessional and provocative. the closest confrontation that the u.s. and russia have had in a long time, they say. meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin, according to his spokesman, says that he is very worried about events unfolding in eastern ukraine. russia rejecting accusations of the west that it has agents on the ground there, accusing the west of hypocrisy and saying that it does not interfere in ukrainian affairs. >> translator: i would like to say once again that it is not in the interest of russia to

destabilize the situation in the ukraine, but it is in the interests of russia for ukraine to be united and for every national and ethnic group without exception in all those in ukraine to feel that they live in their own country as equal citizens. >> russia wants to see a dialogue by which each region would have a say in forming a constitution for ukraine. some analysts say that russia's end game is to try and establish a situation where each region has far more autonomy from kiev, leaving the door open to closer ties with moscow. diana magnay, cnn, moscow. many people living in parts of north and south america will want to gaze skyward as the night goes on. >> they could look at that gizmo on the screen there. they will have a front row seat, the first total lunar eclipse of the year. that's when the moon passes into earth's shadow, changing color to a reddish kind of orange. the eclipse is officially underway. peak viewing times, known as the

blood moon when it will turn to the reddish hue, that happens about an hour from now. let's go to cnn's reporter at the griffith observatory in los angeles where a viewing party is happening. give us an idea on the atmosphere there. the big build-up. of course, the moment about an hour or so away right now. what's the view? >> reporter: rosemary and john, it is sheer lunacy, and i mean that in a big way. the party so big, we've got a partial eclipse of another orb. they brought pizza here to the party to celebrate. we also had young women here, came all the way from san diego. the atmosphere is pure excitement. people anticipating this full lunar eclipse. 2,500 to 3,000 people here at the griffith observatory alone. so many they had to close the entrance to the observatory. we spoke with dr. krup, director here. he described for us just what we're going to see when we do

get this total eclipse. >> the most likely thing because the moon is passing through a half of the shadow, it's fully in the shadow, but it's closer to the edge rather than the center. it's probably going to be a brighter eclipse. should be a typical copper red total lunar eclipse. to get that copper red from all the world's sunrises and sunsets, light being bent on to the moon when that shadow is dark enough for us to see it. >> we're still about two hours from when they say the peak visibility will occur. in the meantime, behind me the revelers sort of enjoying a great night on the grass in front of the griffith observatory waiter for that moment to occur, rosemary and john. >> paul, there's a variety of telescopes, different powers, different abilities there just behind you. give us an idea what people are doing and how many people are having access to those telescopes. >> reporter: they're enjoying

it. you can go behind me here. this is a large telescope. a 1-inch refractory. here you have all sorts of other telescopes. amateur clubs including the sidewalk astronomers of los angeles. you see there's plenty of schoolchildren out. it is spring break. they're not going to cut school tomorrow, are you? no! we're not ditching school. [ laughter ] >> reporter: they are having a wonderful time. some of them not only coming from san diego and newberry park and southern california -- we've got to give a golf club if you will -- not too loud, let's not wreck this mic -- to the amateur astronomers. they've been allowing people to see the celestial objects. not only again are we just looking at the moon, but mars is above it. and it is glowing red, as i can attest, having been benefitting from these gentlemen's generosity and peak through their telescopes. >> a lot will be glowing red. paul, many thanks to you. talking it us there as you gaze

at the moon from los angeles. appreciate it. >> having a great time aren't they? >> yeah. >> waiting for it to turn red. in under an hour or so from now. with more, let's go to ivan cabrera. >> reporter: yes, why not? it's exciting. just no mooning. >> no. not allowed. >> i am so bummed out, though, i have to tell you because, you know -- i'm not going to be able to see the thing. i'll be watching along monitors just like the rest of us. do we have the live pictures from atlanta? look at this. aw. depressing stuff here. showers and storms rolling through. we have about an 8,000-foot layer of overcast skies. forget about it. you're not going to be able to see anything. that's the beltway's going to go. you'll just have to watch the pictures as they come in. i'll get out of the way. the moon is in the picture, the penumbra not exciting.

you want it in the umbra, the shadow, the red colors. did you hear what the professor said? all of the sunrises and sunsets coming at the moon at the same time. that's just -- blow your mind kind of stuff. then the moon reflect light back to earth. that is your blood moon. it's that red hue which, of course, always happens. had questions on twitter, why is this one turning blood red. actually, any time you get a total lunar eclipse, you are going to get that red hue. we have four of them coming up with six-month intervals. that is coming up. the next one in october. hopefully it's going to be clear in atlanta by then. all right. 4:53. the next time we want to watch is 3:06 eastern time. that's when the show begins. that's when it's going to turn red, and then you get until about 8:24 gmt, about 4:24 in the morning across the eastern

u.s. and this is the part of the planet, can see it western south america, central america, caribbean, and the united states. but you have to have clear sky, right? you have to be able to see out there. and a good chunk of the u.s. has clear sky out there as we showed you in l.a. looks fantastic. mexico city, we had the live shot coming out of there. they've gone to clear out. great grade there -- poor across the eastern u.s. watch this closeup, be able to see showers and storms blowing up. all this cloud cover is just obscuring the view across atlanta at this hour. remember, if you do have a clear skew of the sky, mars will be up there. and then the brightest star that will be there, as well. so quite a show. >> an astronomer's dream. >> are you ready for blood moon myth number three? >> oh, no. nick -- >> a native american tribe believed that the moon had 20 wives and lots of pets. mostly mountain lion and snakes. and when the moon did not feed

them enough food, they would bite the moon and make it bleed. and then the wives would come in to protect the moon. collecting the blood and restoring it to health. >> ah. okay. >> more coming up on -- stay with us. it never ends. for a close look at how to see the so-called blood moon and the color, head it our website. -- head to our website, cnn.com. let's take a very short break. ahead, the latest on malaysia airlines flight 370. >> a u.s. official told cnn the co-pilot's cell phone was on around the same time the plane disappeared. and boston prepares to host its next marathon one year on from the bombings that killed three people and wounded hundreds more. at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in

with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises. ...and let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ] the internet of everything is changing everything. cisco. tomorrow starts here. the internet of everything maestro of project management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit... to be this awesome. and you...rent from national.

because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. and only national is ranked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro. the search for malaysia airlines flight 370 has now shifted to the bottom of the indian ocean. crews deployed blue fin 21 monday, nearly a week after the latest suspected ping was heard. it came up after just six hours into what was meant to be a 17-hour-long operation because it exceeded its depth limit. the latest information now is that six hours' worth of data has been analyzed, and no objects of interest have been found. with the focus now on the

deep and surface operations are expected to end soon in the area. officials believe the aircraft most likely entered the water. for the latest on the sub and when it's expected back in the water, i spoke a short time ago with our michael holmes in perth, australia. >> reporter: we're expecting it to go back into the water in the next few years. as you said, it went down on its first mission that was metropolitan to be a 24-hour -- meant to be a 24-hour operation, two hours down, 16 hours on the bottom, two hours back up. it was only six hours on the bottom where -- and this speaks about the ocean floor in pa part of the indian ocean. they thought that the ocean floor was somewhere around 4,200 to 4,400 meters. by the time it got to 4,500, an automatic switch basically flipped inside the submersible. told it was too deep, and it came back up to the surface. they spent several hours now getting it out of the water and downloading what data there was

collecting, and they're going to reprogram it, charge the batteries and send it back on in the next few hours to continue its job, john. >> okay. so you said it got six hours of data. was meant to get 16. i guess six showers better than nothing. how soon before we know if actually any of that data is useful? >> reporter: well, they look at it pretty quickly. they can turn it around. essentially this thing using that side scan sonar picks up a pretty good sort of 3d map. a lot of people have compared it to, say, like an ultrasound but in very, very high definition. it will provide a reading of what's on the bottom there. and of course, what they are hoping to find is wreckage of malasian flight 370. it's going to be an arduous process, though. they're doing at best 15.5 square miles or 40-square kilometers in one of those 16-hour days on the bottom. and at that rate, it's going to take a minimum of six weeks, perhaps as long as two months to cover the entire search area. john? >> okay. and just to update what michael was talking about then.

the latest news we have is that they've analyzed the data. we mentioned a short time ago. no objects of interest were found in that six hours worth of recordings in the submersible. >> yeah. all right. well now to a new twist in the investigation. a u.s. official tells cnn the co-pilot's phone was turned on and made contact with a cell tower in malaysia about the time the plane disappeared. pamela brown has the details. >> reporter: sources tell cnn the first officer's cell phone was on and searching for service roughly half an hour after all of flight 370's communications mysteriously shut off. information cnn has learned that malasian authorities first gave to the u.s. a while ago. >> it would be very rare in my opinion to have someone with the cell phone on in the cockpit. it's never supposed to be on at all as part of every checklist of every airline i'm familiar with. >> reporter: malaysian authorities report that a tower

roughly 250 miles from where the plane turned around, picked up a roaming signal from hamid's cell phone, suggesting his was the only phone turned on after the flight's transponder turned off. one u.s. official told cnn, "he could have tried to do something with the phone. we don't know." >> you know, the interesting thing about that is that no other phones connected to it. it was specifically his cell phone. >> reporter: while u.s. and malaysian officials caution there's no evidence the first officer tried to make a call with the phone, on sunday, malaysia's transport minister did not deny the possibility. >> as far as i know, no. but that would be in the realm of the police, and the other international agencies. when the time comes, that will be revealed. but i do not want to speculate on that at the moment. >> reporter: when the plane first went missinging, authorities said millions of cell phone records were searched, looking for evidence calls had been made from the plane, but turned up nothing. still, if hamid's cell phone

connected with the tower, it only adds to the evidence that the plane turned westward from its path and that the plane was likely flying low enough for the cell tower to pick up the signal. >> it does make me think he was lower than the 35,000 feet that we speculated because of the fact it did make the connection. typically there's not time for that. they were still high enough in which it just made the connection, and there was no speaking or no long period of time. >> reporter: what this information doesn't tell us, according to u.s. officials, is a motive and who was alive and who was not at the time the cell tower detected the co-pilot's phone. also worth poingt out, the aircraft never had a cell phone system installed. again, want to reiterate the information was shared by the malasians with u.s. investigators. and the malasian could be privy to other information we don't know about. still to come here as the night goes on, the moon will be glowing copper red for many across the united states. >> coming up, the science behind

the spectacle.

welcome back. today marks one year since the boston marathon bombings. the tragic event of april 15th last year sent shock waves across the united states. >> the city is proving resilient or boston strong, as its citizens say, as it prepares to

host the next of its legendary marathons on monday. the start and finish lines are painted, and runners are ready. >> it will be an emotional race this year as runners reflect on the three people who were killed in that attack. >> there are more than 260 others wounded. through determination and dedicated medical care, some have experienced incredible recoveries. liam martin has one survivor's story. ♪ ♪ god bless america land that i love ♪ >> reporter: boston medical center monday, a new flag raised in remembrance. [ applause ] >> reporter: with a man who benefited immensely from the care here front and center. >> i didn't know if i'd ever walk again. i stand here today in front of you to thank you personally for saving my life. >> reporter: john odom was at the marathon finish line to watch his daughter complete the race.

she never did. the first two of blasts tore apart both of john's legs. when he arrived at bmc, he was technically dead. >> when i had to talk to karen and their whole family right after the surgery, all i wanted to convey that was we were talking minute by minute. >> reporter: dr. jeffrey kalisch and nurse mallory coleman sat alongside john and his wife monday at the hospital that saved his life. [ laughter ] >> reporter: john's legs were spared over the course of 11 operations. one of his legs is paralyzed, but he is walking again. >> when he stood between those parallel bars at spaulding and took five steps, it was a miracle. >> reporter: now the day before the one-year anniversary, john is reflecting on the past 12 months, the tragedy of april 15th and the kindness that followed. >> there's more good people in this world than there are bad people. >> the surviving suspect in the

attack, dzhokhar tsarnaev, will face prosecution this november. >> u.s. officials say they will seek the death penalty. still to come here, with tensions worsening in ukraine, east/west frictions have been felt farther away. >> coming up, we'll tell you about an incident on monday in the black sea that was reminiscent of the cold war. and showdown. the prosecutor prepares to grill oscar pistorius for yet another day. ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> and i'm john vauce. president obama is urging pawn putin to press pro-russia demonstrator to vacate buildings they've seized in eastern ukraine. the unrest is only getting worse with ukraine's acting president proposing that the u.n. send in peacekeeping troops. the first six hours a u.s. robotic submarine spent in the indian ocean turned up no sign of malaysian airlines flight 370. the bluefin's 16-hour mission was cut short when it exceeded its depth limit. but it's now been reprogrammed and charged up for another

deployment in the hours ahead. the first total lawnar eclip of the year will be visible in much of north america and western parts of south america starting in about half an hour. these are live pictures right now. soon that moon will turn a copper red color known as a blood moon. it will illuminate the sky. sometimes seen as an omen of doom for the total lunar eclipses -- doom. for total lunar eclipses will occur in the next year and a half. the acting ukrainian president says he's open to holding a referendum alongside presidential elections next month. that could lady to greater autonomy for areas of the country. as we report, it might not be enough to satisfy all the pro-russia activists in eastern ukraine. [ crowd ] >> reporter: in one eastern ukrainian town after another, pro-russian militants sterming government -- storming government buildings and seizing

them at gunpoint. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: as ukrainian forces responded, the sides exchanged gunfire, killing at least one. today russian president vladimir putin said he is alarmed by the violence. u.s. officials place the blame firmly on him and his government. >> russia continues to engage in provocative actions in eastern ukraine. the mere presence of the troops in addition to whales they've done inside ukraine creates a threat of destabilization within ukraine. >> unfortunately, the fact is that the armed seizure of buildings in six eastern ukrainian towns yesterday and several more today mirrors the tactics russian forces used in the early stages of the crimea invasion. [ gunfire ] >>referee: a charge russia, however, flatly denies. describing the protests as peaceful. and accusing the u.s. of orchestrating the demonstrations that overthrew ukraine's previous pro-russian government.

>> translator: this is hypocrisy beyond any limits. >> reporter: today the white house confirmed that cia director john brennan was in kiev over the weekend, saying the visit was part of a broader trip to europe. still, the tensions are extending far beyond eastern ukraine. today, a russian warplane flew by the "uss donald koch" in the black sea at close quarters 12 times. the ship's attempts to reach the russian cockpit went unanswered. u.s. officials are focused on finding a diplomatic way to deescalate the crisis. secretary of state john kerry to geneva this week to meet with russian foreign minister laugh recover and vice president joe biden to ukraine next week. he leaves on the 22nd, all the while, u.s. officials are warning of more sanctions and further military maneuvers if russia escalates which they accuse russia of doing now. but those additional steps have yet to materialize. jim sciutto, cnn, washington.

oscar pistorius is due to take the stand in about an hour from now for his seventh day of testimony. he's facing charges of premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. >> yeah, this will be the fifth day of the prosecution's cross-examination. on monday, pistorius broke down several times as the prosecutor tried to prove his testimony is inconsistent. robyn curnow has this recap. >> reporter: a new week for a persistent prosecutor ready to move its cross-examination into its next phase. from attacking oscar pistorius' character -- >> being argumentative is not good for your credibility. will you accept that? >> yes, my lady. >> reporter: gerrie nel, putting the case front and center. they listed testimony striking at the heart of charges if b negligence and intention and even managed to cast doubt on

the boundaries of his defense casting doubts on his version of events. the differences between the two versions of events -- >> my argument would be that that blood spatter on the do you have a and on the carpet -- duvet and on the carpet was caused when you carried the deceased past that area. what are you saying about that? >> i understand that, my lady. >> but in your version, it cannot be. >> reporter: at times painful for the olympian to hear. >> you fired at reeva. the other versions of yours -- >> it's not true, my lady. >> you fired at her -- >> why are you getting emotional now? >> i did not fire at reeva! >> reporter: nel forcing pistorius to continually recount the night he shot and killed his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, who he allegedly thought was a burglar. >> i screamed, i said, "get the [ bleep ] out of my house! get the [ bleep ] out of my

house!" >> reporter: the prosecution further detailing their narrative including steenkamp's jeans found on the floor of the athlete's bedroom must have left after they were arguing, as she tried to escape an angry pistorius. >> she wanted to leave and get dressed. >> my lady, the denims are inside out, so it would make sense that that's when she took them off. >> reporter: the prosecution also asking the athlete a crucial question -- if steenkamp was awake when he got out of bed to bring in the fans and close the curtains, why didn't she ask pistorius where he was going. >> normal people would say, when you get up, she would say, where are you going, or you say -- you don't expect her to do that? >> my lady, i'm not even sure it would be a probability that if someone gets up in the night that their partner would ask what they're doing if they can't sleep. >> reporter: on monday, the state taking the time to put on record to establish oscar pistorius' actions as the prosecutor says is not being unreasonable but possibly even

being improbable. meanwhile, pistorius looking ahead ignoring the prosecutor directing his answers to the judge and repeating over and over again it's not true. robyn curnow, cnn, pretoria. cnn legal analyst kelly phelps can offer more perspective on the trial. she joins us now live from outside the courthouse in pretoria. probably the worst day in the stand for oscar pistorius. how damning was this? >> reporter: it's not so much that it was necessarily his worst day in the stand because he'll be taking many different things into account in terms of gauging how he's done. and he won't necessarily even be aware of the legal discourse that's happening constantly between the lines when he is speaking in a colloquial manner. it was certainly the state's strongest day in terms of establishing the legal basis of

their case. up until now they've spent a lot of time, the states, talking around more peripheral issues, more background issues, things like his character which really will only have limited persuasive value on the judge. finally yesterday, they spent the bulk of the court day speaking about the heart of the legal issues. so for example, establishing testimony from him to go toward establishing legal intention that they need to establish to meet their burden of proof for a murder charge. and also trying to establish evidence of negligent conduct on his behalf which would be crucial for them to put on the record in order toment is the lesser charge of culpable homicide. we really saw them honing in on the core legal definitional issues of the trial yesterday. >> so what are we likely to see today when oscar pistorius take the stand again? >> reporter: i think you're likely to see more of what we saw yesterday, really getting to the heart of the case over

yesterday and today. they were only essentially starting to move around this discourse yesterday. there are still core parts of the night in question that they're yet to cover. for example, they haven't yet covered the sdrip see between their version of -- discrepancy between their version of events and pistorius' version as to whether or not he was wearing his legs when he wielded the cricket bat. and they're likely to continue around that evidence in terms of trying to point out improbabilities or inconsistencies within his version of events trying v hard to convince the judge because, of course, it's really only her opinion that matters. trying to convince the judge that their version is more likely than his version, and in fact is the only possible deduction to draw from all of the evidence that's been presented. >> and kelly, as we watch, oscar pistorius does appear to be tripping up a lot now. how's that playing out, and how will that play out?

>> reporter: he certainly is. i think it's very clear that he has been ground down and exhausted by this relentless pursuit by gerrie nel. he's been on the stand for over a week now. the majority of that time has been having to endure searing cross-examination and off and on on a pa dan tick and detailed basis. that the judge will be looking out to see what she feels is natural tripping up because of tirededness or confusion, versus tripping up as a sign of a mistruth or fabrication and, therefore, draw negative inference in terms of his testimony. simply because he trips up, it doesn't necessarily mean that will have a damning impact on his case. but he run the risk of the judge drawing that inference. >> all right, kelly phillip from outside the courthouse in pretoria. we will of course go live to the

testimony once it get underway yet again. many thanks to you. and the grilling that the prosecutor's been giving pistorius the last couple of days has been so intense, some people in south africa have gone to the human rights commission on pivot' behalf because it has been so intense, what he's going through. >> certainly particularly the first day of cross-examination when there was the picture of reeva steenkamp and the comparison made with the watermelon. a lot of people perceived that as the prosecution crossing the line. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> wonder how much more he can take actually. >> exactly. they're trying to break him. >> yeah. two news organizations have been honored with one of journalism's highest awards for reports on u.s. surveillance. the "washington post" and "guardian" u.s. were awarded the pulitzer praise for service. >> the reports were based on national security documents leaked by former contractor edward snowden. the "washington post" says the report sparked public debate over the balance between privacy

and national security. without accusing him directly, the nigerian president has cast suspicion on the islamist militant group for monday's deadly car bombing. he visited the bus station on the outskirts of the town where at least 71 people were killed after a vehicle exploded. no one has yet claimed responsibility. u.s. investigators say they plan to pursue federal hate crime charges again the man held in the shootings at two jewish centers in the state of kansas. police say 73-year-old frasier glen cross killed three people sunday including a boy and his grandfather. cross already faces premeditated murder charges. organizations that track hate groups call him a long-time white supremacist. for those in north america, the moon will be glowing copper red in less than an hour from now. >> it is called a blood moon, and it happen during a total lunar eclipse. many in western parts of south america and the pacific will be

able to catch the effect as the moon slides into the earth's shadow. >> so let's go to mitzie adams in huntsville, alabama. she's an astronomer for nasa and joins us on the phone. thank you very much for talking with us. so of course the big build-up, we're only really about just over 20 minutes away from the big event of this eclipse. talk to us about what is happening here and what people can expect to see. >> well, at the moment, the moon is actually in the partial phase of the eclipse. so part of the -- part of the disc of the moon is moving into the darkest part of the earth's shadow. and you still see a crescent on one side.

and after 2:00 here in central time zone, the moon will be completely immersed in the earth's shadow. and the color will be kind of reddish in color. >> now for those of us watching -- of course, we're very excited. i guess as an astronomer, i mean, you see quite a few of these really in the course of time. we're going to see four from now to september next year. i mean, do you still get excited as an astronomer when these events occur? >> actually, i first started observing lunar eclipses when i was a teenager. and i won't tell you how long ago that was. but i still -- i still do get excited about it. it's a very good way for people to get -- to learn more about astronomy, to look at the sky and see something unusual and different and -- and i

personally, yes, still get excited. >> and each time that these occur, it's pretty much the same process that goes on. are you looking for anything beyond just looking up it the sky and the excitement of the blood -- blood red moon? >> personally no, i'm not. i know that a lot of people actually look for eclipse timings and -- and look for when the shadow passes particularly craters on the moon. it's going to be a good teaching experience for students. and i think you can probably learn a little bit about the atmosphere of the earth by looking at the color of the eclipse. >> mitzi adams on the phone from huntsville, alabama. hope you enjoy it once it turn that incredible blood red. appreciate it. >> which will be in about 20 minutes from now. the cool thing about all this,

imagine all those people, think of all the people staring up at the moon now. a collective experience for hundreds of thousands. maybe even millions -- >> a great atmosphere on the ground there. i mean, as we saw when we went to paul, incredible people, you know, partying. kids not going to school. >> very happy about that. okay. when we come back, they put their own live at risk to protect others. >> yeah, how they're tracking the ebola virus in west africa. stay with us.

the deadly ebola virus is spreading through northwest africa -- [ inaudible ] the outbreak appears to be centered in guinea, but it's been reported in sierra leone and liberia. and there are suspected cases in mali. chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta has been guinea's capital. >> reporter: a simple blue box, perhaps carrying one of the most dangerous pathogens in the world, on its way to be tested. in less than four hours, we'll find out whether it contains the ebola virus. fate of three patients depends on what's inside. simply getting the blood samples is a life threatening job. one of these workers told us he has a 9-month-old baby at home. they'll do everything they can to protect themselves. three pairs of gloves, booties, and layer after layer of gowns.

they go in to see the patients. every single inch of their body covered. impermeable suits, nothing in, nothing out. you see, even a drop of the ebola virus that gets through a break in your skin can infect you. and we all have breaks in our skin. in is the painstaking -- this is the painstaking detail and act you go through to interact with a person with ebowl amp they've decontaminated themselves but have taken blood samples and put them in this blue ice chest here. and it's highly suspicious that contains ebola. w.h.o. lab technicians suits up next. they've just been hand delivered the blue boxes. it's their job to test the sample for the deadly virus. they'll have the results just two hours from now. but a few years ago, being able to test for ebola on its own turf was impossible. precious blood samples had to be taken out of remote forested areas in south africa and flown

to the cdc in atlanta where t tthe -- or the w.h.o. in geneva. it could take days or weeks to fly in the samples and get results. 8:00 p.m., we get the call. >> two of these are -- >> reporter: two of the three patients now have confirmed ebola. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, guinea. >> much more on the outbreak including its symptoms at our website, cnn.com/international. also there you'll find sanjay's first person account of this health crisis. we are going to take a sure break. for those in the western hemisphere, a look at the night sky. coming up, we'll follow the moon as it goes through a total lunar eclipse about 15 minutes away now from big red. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." the duchess of cambridge winding up the trip to new zealand. the latest activities included sport and that royal fan favorite, a walkabout. >> they do that well. there was also a poignant reminder of the tragedy that hit the country. here's our royal correspondent with more. >> reporter: the scars left by the earthquake in 2011 are still

strikingly visible in christchurch. prince william came here just after the quake hit and had been keen to come back and see how the city's healing. he and the duchess met families at the site where 115 people lost their lives in the ctv building collapse. the couple -- [ inaudible ] our camera wasn't getting through any time soon. >> you can't beat them, join them. the crowd is so thick, i'm going to go in with my very mobile phone. it helps if you're 6'4" with very long arms. but you can also get on your mum's shoulder like the little girl next to me did. >> princess catherine! >> thank you very much. >> reporter: she was desperately calling out and had a bunch of

flowers that nobody could beat. would it be enough? thank goodness for royal protection officers. a big moment in a little person's life. as walkabouts go, it was a long one. but at the end of it, no time to rest. anyone for cricket? a chance to promote the 2015 cricket world cup and for the royal couple to show off their sporting sides again. they weren't exactly dressed for it, but at least they had a go. it was a photo opportunity guaranteed to keep the monarchy on the front pages. what a royal tour this has been. it's presented the world with a modernized roiltdy, one that's informal -- royalty, one that's quinn normal, energetic, and

fun. you can probably add the word cute thanks to little guy. get ready, australia, prince george is coming your way next. max foster, cnn, christchurch, new zealand. >> lots of wonderful photo opportunities there. and the australians preparing for the royal visit. >> i'll be interested to see how many australians ahn turn out. >> yeah. i mean, you know, the republican movement is strong. >> it will be interesting. >> it will be. >> nice couple. >> all right. let's turn to another topic we are covering. if you look out and the moon looks odd, don't panic, it's not the end of the world. >> not yet. many in north and south america will be able to see a total lunar eclipse shortly. this is what it looks like now. the moon is in the process of changing to a copper red color known as a blood moon. right now, it's kind of a pale silver color which means that the moon vampires are out there. this is all happening as the earth's shadow covers the lunar surface. let's go to mexico city where many are checking out this phenomenon.

that's where cnn's nick parker is joining us now. nick, the parties, a lot of people turning out to catch a glimpse of this rare sight. what are they saying? what's the mood like? >> reporter: absolutely. we're in mexico at the astronomical society. it's standing room only on the terrace where something like 60 or so people are gathered as the moon is almost completely covered by the earth's shadow. there's a real feeling of excitement in the air. the chatter, there's laughter. i think a lot of people here are not diehard astronomers, and the people have come out and heard a lot about the event, and they're here with families, they're here with friends, and it's very late here in the middle of the week. yet nobody's showing any signs at all of wanting to go home. and really i think there's just a big sense of anticipation about what that moon is going to look like when as it's expected it will turn red. john? >> so i guess the great thing about this, it's not like a solar eclipse which only lasts for 10 or 15 minutes.

this is going on for quite a few hours. and you see it with the naked eye. >> reporter: absolutely. i mean, i think people are really settling in for the night. the organizers of this event are actually trying to stay until 8:00 in the morning, to sort of make sure that everything's set away and organized after such a long night. but i don't think anybody is going to be leaving for the next few hours by any stretch. people have come with binoculars, their own telescopes. here where we're standing is the most powerful telescope in mexico city come is why it was such a focal point. at the same time, lot of people, amateur astronomers, are sharing their telescopes with other people. and i think people are really settle information to really sit back and enjoy this. and as you say, could well last for a couple of hours. john? >> okay, nick. thank you. we'll leave you and catch up with you again next hour. and that will, of course, be when we are right into the red phase of the blood moon. and nick is there in mexico city

where many people have turned out. also turning out around the country, not just in mexico, but around north america and los angeles. there are viewing parties in many parts of the country. people having quite a party. >> yeah. of course, just over ten minutes, it's going to be red. >> yeah. and of course, you know, there's a lot of suspicion with all of this. a lot of prophecies. >> i wonder -- say it isn't so. >> okay. i was going do another myth. >> it is not known as a blood moon. let's put that out there. >> it's not? >> is that a myth? >> we're making that up. astronomers don't know it as that. it -- it sounds nice. >> it does. >> it does. >> sound like an episode of "twilight," doesn't it? >> we like the dark themes lately. we could call it a rose moon. but that doesn't sound as exciting. >> it doesn't? >> look at that.

with the triple box behind me, you can see -- does it feel like new year's eve orcheis it just me? it's just me. we're very close to -- >> maybe it's like your new year's eve. >> we're close to that 7:0 p.m. which mean at 7:06 eastern time we'll get the beautiful queue. we'll talk about umbra here. the sky is blue, why? because the -- essentially what happens is you get the wavelengths, the shorter wavelengths that get scattered out, that blue light gets scattered out. but by the time you get into the longer wavelengths of reds, those can travel further through the atmosphere. and that's what's happening here. essentially you're kind of seeing all the sunsets and sunrises at the same time as that red light is bent or what we call refracted, right, toward the moon. then the moon does its job and reflect it back to us. and that's why we get the spectacular view. some people are just missing

this entirely. us in atlanta, we have clouds around and showers and storm, in fact. but some areas across the viewing area look great. western south america, part of the entire central u.s. and as you saw in los angeles. here in the southeast, showers and storms are blocking our view of the moon -- look at that. goodness. looking good. >> you're in your element, aren't you? >> very close. >> all right. many thank. >> another tribe in southern california thought that the blood moon was a sign that the moon was sick and so they would come out and chant and say prayers to bring it back to health. and we are out of time. >> all right. we will have much more on the eclipse and some of the rest of the day's news after the short break. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vauce. another hour just ahead. some financial guidanceker d so she could take her dream to the next level. so we talked about her options. her valuable assets were staying. and selling her car wouldn't fly.

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you fired at reeva. the other versions of yours -- >> it's not true, my lady. >> oscar pistorius challenged on the stand. another day of cross-examination starts this hour. we are live in pretoria. and we're live in perth,ous, for the latest in the search for the missing malaysian airlines flight 370. a warning to moscow. barack obama tells vladimir putin to stay out of ukraine. why russia's insisting its t's not involved in the