we believed he was that bad. >> you've got to treat every single case like it's the crime of the century. what i mean by that is you've got to make sure that you don't take any evidence for granted. 670 dead after the government allegedly dropped barrel bombs. a travel ban on five high level leaders is set to expire. the life of luxury leave doubts they want to leave. solar impulse headed toward hawaii. the question, will this solar-powered airplane make it? from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, i'm george howell. this is cnn newsroom. welcome to our viewers in the

united states and around the world. the situation in syria. the government continuing atrocities against its own people there. according to activists groups killing at least 70 on saturday with barrel bombs. they say the deadliest strike happened in an area near aleppo controlled by isis. it killed dozens of people, civilians. keep in mind the barrel bombs are steel drums filled with shrapnel and explosives. they are incredibly inprecise. the government denies involvement. cnn intelligence and security analyst says assad is desperate. >> he is losing at this point. he lost pal myra to the islamic state. they are pressing hard on aleppo and moving hard. they are in the mountains. this is really an existential war for the assad regime and

they are not doing well. they are in trouble. right now i talked to a couple of syrians in the regime and they are talking about circling the wagon, dividing up syria. they have given up hope on taking back eastern syria. they are running out of troops. they have taken so many losses, the regime, they are striking back with weapons of mass destruction. i think that's what we have to call the barrel bombs. i think that's been proven they are using chlorine. it is a sign of desperation on the side of the regime. unless somebody steps in with a political solution -- i'm not sure who that a would be -- i predict it is going to get a lot worse. >> desperate situation for civilians on the ground there. in the meantime, activists say isis has already started destroying parts of the ancient

city of palmyra. isis showed the inside of a prison in palmyra where the syrian regime detained adversaries. they say militants used explosives to destroy it. the push continues on the ground by iraqi forces to retake ramadi from isis and the pointman for the u.s.-led coalition is in baghdad. retired u.s. general john allen met with top military commanders on saturday. he announced the u.s. will spend 2,000 anti-tank grenade launchers to help iraqi forces in their fight. the united states is concerned over the surge of isis sympathizers on american soil. as cnn reports. >> it will take everyone in law

enforcement doing their job to prevent a potential attack. the failed attack by two home grown extremists shot dead by police in garland, texas, early this month was in many respects only a matter of time. gr police officer has been shot, two suspects have been shot. possibly have explosives on them. >> the fbi says there's been a surge in u.s.-based isis simple the sympathizers and the threat is laerch because of twitter and social media reaching people who are willing to act out. >> thousands of messages are put out and they are hoping they land on an individual who is susceptible to that type of terrorist propaganda. >> reporter: the director of national intelligence estimates 180 americans have either joined or tried to join terror groups overseas. now isis' strategy is evolving. not only is the terror group using social media to recruit overseas and inspire locally,

national security officials say they are also using social media to make direct contact. as they allegedly did with elton simpson who plotted an attack on an anti-muslim cartoon event in texas. >> they will try to communicate with the individual to give coaching and guidance on how to do an attack inside the united states. >> reporter: the fbi is using more resources, tracking potential isis supporters. the problem officials say is isis recruitment efforts are increasingly difficult to detect because they are essentially hiding behind encrypted communication. the fbi director warned police chiefs nationwide to be hype vigilant. >> we are enlisting state, local and federal partners and working on it every day.

i can't stand here with high confidence when i confront a world that is increasingly dark to me and tell you i have it all covered. >> reporter: as officials were trying to gain support for two surveillance tools they say are critical to investigating potential terrorists. the first the ability to monitor individuals with no noe ties to known terror groups. second roving wiretaps, tracking multiple phones tied to a single person. both are set to expire june 1st and the senate will return to debate legislation to decide whether to renew the two surveillance tools at the same time ending the nsa bulk phone data collection program as it exists. cnn, new york. >> a group of artists taking a stand against isis are in iran right now showing their work in a cartoon contest. as senior international correspondent fred plank tin shows us they are battling the terror group one pencil stroke

at a time. >> in the face of recent attacks on political cartoonists it wouldn't be a surprise if the art form's popularity would stall. instead a new cartoon contest is sweeping the globe and has cartoonists flying in to the contest, unlikely host, iran. as teheran's house of cartoons stages a competition based on a theme, crimes committed by the islamic state. we have to keep in mind, this is the organization that hosted the grotesque contest for cartoons of holocaust denial. with the theme of the anti-isis competition is getting entries from artists around the world. many depict the group's tactic of destroying ancient cull can chur like this one from a cartoonist from germany. this one shows isis fighters leaving their brans and hearts at the door when they join. of course as cartoonists themselves, some show isis attacks on the pencil as petty

and futile. as the artists fly in for the award ceremony in teheran, they know the risks they take by speaking out against isis. some are traveling under false names to protect their identities. all of those takes part seem to be pushing one message above all, the pencil is figmightier n the sword in the winner will be chosen today. the top prize $1500. on to the latest on a travel ban for five members of the taliban living in qatar. known as the taliban five. the men were part of a prisoner swap for joe bergdahl in may of last year. their travel plan is about to expire. the u.s. is meeting with qatari officials to keep the men inside of qatar. we look at the possible options. >> for under the agreement the five taliban detainees have been

monitored for one year and banned from traveling outside of the country. the state department is leading separate negotiations with the government of qatar and afghanistan about what happens next. u.s. officials say there are a few options in play. the u.s. prefers they stay in qatar where they will be monitored. they brought their families there. 70 among them. the other options could see the five returning to afghanistan, either released or monitored by the afghan go. the qataris say they will not expand restrictions on the five, nor will they send them home to afghanistan if they don't want to leave qatar. so none of these are great options. these are five pretty high-ranking taliban officials. at least one has tried to communicate with taliban militants back home since arriving in qatar. raising questions whether the lives of afghans, americans and u.s. soldiers in afghanistan would be at risk. republican lawmakers were upset

with the deal in the obama administration to make rescuers who saved 4,000 migrants over the weekend tried to reach europe through rough waters.

they landed on saturday. many of these are fleeing war torn countries of africa than middle east and flocked to italy. two syrian refugees risked it all in search of better life. >> we need help here. >> in the eastern mediterranean. >> hello. we need help here. >> boat full of syrian refugees, waving to the coast guard. it's a unique account recorded on cell phone by two companions who fled syria in search of safety in europe. their rescue was just one happy moment in a long and perilous journey, made possible at a price of human traffickers. >> you give -- like your life is in their hands.

you can't make decisions. you have no decisions. you can't say no. whatever they say, you say yes. >> they crossed by foot through the hills from greece in to albania, where a trafficker warned them to stay out of sight. >> full of policemen. >> she and her companions traveled much of the way hidden in the back of trucks and vans. compared to the conditions under which many migrants travel to and through europe, this is relatively civilized. >> when you see this, it's like god sent us angels to save our lives. we were so happy. >> they made it to germany where they applied for political asylum. their fate uncertain but their smiles perhaps of relief seem real. ben weidman, cnn, rome. russia is making headlines. the european union says it wants

to know why it created a list banning 89 european officials from entering that country. that list includes outspoken critics of russia, as well as intelligence and military officials. russia says it has a similar list for u.s. citizens. that country has been under, u imposed sanctions since last year after it nexed crimea. the eldest son of the u.s. vice president loses his fight with cancer. after the break, we look at the life of beau biden. plus, a key u.s. government surveillance program is hours away from expiring. we explain what happens if the patriot act comes to an end. [ jennifer garner ] why can't powerful sunscreen feel great? actually it can. neutrogena® ultra sheer. its superior uva uvb protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer, all with the cleanest feel. it's the best for your skin. neutrogena® ultra sheer.

passed away. beau biden had been battling brain cancer. in a statement, the vice president of the united states described his son as ", the finest man any of us had ever known." joe johns looks back at beau biden's life. >> good evening.

i'm beau biden. joe biden is my dad. >> beau biden was the eldest son of vice president joe biden but a public servant in his own rite. a federal prosecutor in the late '90s and d e de's attorney general for eight years leaving office just this past january. born in wilmington in 1969, his childhood was marred by a tragic car accident. >> my mom took us to go buy a christmas tree. on the way home, we were in an automobile accident. my mom and sister were killed. my brother hunter and i were seriously injured and hospitalized for weeks. i was just short of 4 years old. one of my earliest memories was being in that hospital. my dad always at our side. >> reporter: beau biden and his father would remain close, even as the elder biden became vice president. >> i went out on saturday night with my wife to a family,

parent-teacher kind of thing on saturday night and my mom and dad baby sat. they baby sat the weekend before. >> reporter: ad as delaware's a g., beau biden put a focus on prosecuting crimes against children and took his talent in to the law for military. serving a year in iraq as part of the judge advocate general corps. >> today i come as you prepare as a father. a father who got sage advice from his son this morning, "dad, keep it short. we're in formation." . >> reporter: biden had announced his intention to run for governor in 2016 but had recurring health troubles. suffering a mild stroke in 2010 and admitted in 2013 to a houston cancer hospital for a brain lesion. >> vice president biden's son was evaluated at a hospital after an episode of disorientation and weakness. >> reporter: biden 46 leaves a wife and two children.

>> that was joe johns reporting. the president and first lady of the united states also say they are grieving the loss of beau biden. in less than 24 hours, the controversial u.s. patriot act is set to expire. if that happens, the national security agency will end the government's bulk telephone collection program, unless there is a quick resolution. cnn correspondent has the story. >> reporter: on capitol hill, time is almost up in a scramble in the senate is about to be on. >> we shouldn't surrender the tools that keep us safe. >> reporter: unless the senate acts tonight, key provisions will expire. including one under which the bulk phone data program operates. it collects numbers dialed and how long calls lasted but does not capture the contents of conversation and other surveillance provisions set to expire, one allowing the government to seek a court order on an individual for business records, roving wiretaps for

phones and the ability to track a nonamerican lone wolf. all they claim are essential to fighting terrorists. >> it would be irresponsible and reckless. we shouldn't allow it to happen. >> reporter: the house has passed a compromise bill, supported by the administration which would extend key provisions but reform the bulk data program. that data would be in the hands of phone companies instead and would require the government to seek a court order for access. >> obama. >> today republican senator rand paul is preparing to get back in the ring, vowing to do all he can to stop the surveillance programs unless changes are made to weaken them. >> this is a debate about whether or not a warrant with a single name of a single company can be used to collect all the

records, all of the phone records of all of the people in our country with a single warrant. our forefathers would be aghast. >> that was cnn correspondent reporting and she will monitor as senator rand paul promises to derail that nsa vote. the list of u.s. politicians that are running for president for the united states has just gotten longer. theist including former maryland governor, democrat martin o'malley. he announced he is joining the race. to get his party's nomination for the 2016 race, o'malley will have to faceoff with hillary clinton and the former governor is actually close to clinton. he endorsed her in 2008 in her presidential run and even ran her campaign in maryland. cnn senior washington correspondent jeff zell lenny takes a look >> the man strumming "hail to the chief" is martin o'malley

and he wants to be president. he's a musician and former maryland governor, ready to go head to head with hillary clinton. >> right now our country is in a fight. the future of the american dream and i'm drawn to that fight. >> reporter: on a recent visit to new hampshire, he acknowledged he's hardly a household name. >> i thought it was south carolina. >> introduce yourself to a lot of people. >> sure. i start it just as -- i start this race as a new face to a lot of people. somebody totally unknown to most. but the same way i started when i ran for city council or state senate or mayor. >> reporter: his time as mayor of baltimore is in the spotlight given the violence and protests in the city. he talked about it with cnn's jake tapper. >> do you should they are the blame? are you responsible at all? >> we are all responsible. i was responsible when i decided to run for mayor in 1999 and i told people across this city to

vote for me and we will improve the police ing of our streets and the policing of our police. >> reporter: his record will be seen in a new light, thiz effort to knock out the front runner. >> the front runner was inevitable until he was or she was no longer inevitable. >> reporter: this year he has been critical of clinton. >> the presidency of the united states is not a crown to be passed between two families. >> it is a different tune from eight years ago when he was one of her biggest fans. >> it is with great pride and enthusiasm that i endorse my friend senator hillary rodham clinton to be the next president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] >> i could not be prouder than to have this endorsement. >> reporter: those old bonds, now broken as he seeks to stop her presidential bid. >> that was senior white house

correspondent reporting for us there. you are watching cnn newsroom. coming up we hear from a counterterrorism expert on why the u.s. wants to keep five taliban officials inside of qatar. and the embattled chief of world soccer lashing out against the united states over the timing of the fifa corruption arrest. that story as the broadcast continues. worldwide on cnn international and cnn usa. every day people fall, from a simple misstep, to tripping over a rug, to just losing their balance. and not being able to get up from a fall can have serious lifetime consequences. being prepared is important. philips lifeline with autoalert is more than just a medical alert button. it's an advanced fall-detection system, designed to get you help quickly. if you fall and you're unable to push your button, the fall detection technology within autoalert can trigger the button to automatically place a call for help. philip's lifeline has saved more lives than any other medical alert service. this is philips lifeline, we received a fall detected signal.

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>> welcome back to our viewer unless the united states and around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom". i'm george howell. the headlines this hour. a travel ban for five members of the taliban living in

qatar is about to expire. the men known as the taliban five were part of a prisoner swap with the u.s. in may of last year. the u.s. is meeting with qatari officials this weekend to try to keep the men inside of qatar. syria is denying claims it used barrel bombs to kill civilians on saturday in aleppo. activists say it killed 70 people and wounded dozens of others. the areas attacked are under the control of isis. u.n. officials have condemned these bombings. the death toll in a suicide bomb attack on a mosque in nigeria has risen to 26 people. no group has claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred on saturday afternoon while worshipers were praying inside. it comes one day after the country's new president was inaugurated. u.s. vice president joe biden announced his oldest son, beau biden passed away on saturday. the iraq war with veteran and the former delaware attorney general had been battling brain

cancer. beau biden is survived by his wife and two children. he was 4 6 years old. banchts to the story of the taliban five. efforts to keep the men inside of qatar. earlier my colleague, natalie allen spoke with counterterrorism expert david gardenstein ross. he is a senior fellow at the foundation for defense and democracies. >> what was the deal exactly? is there wiggle room for the u.s. to renege on the deal? >> the primary purpose of the deal was to prevent them from leaving qatar. the primary purpose was to make sure they didn't return to the battlefield. understand 70 family members are there for the taliban five. the u.s. doesn't have the ability to change the deal. at least as far as we know.

the negotiations between qatar and the united states. qatar said they are willing to extend the terms of the flamework for another year. them united states wants more restrictions. the u.s. wants more surveillance against these guys because there are concerns they have reestablished contact with the taliban and are getting ready to be reintegrated to the command structure. a little impasse but at the at least in public statements qatar seems willing to continue to hold to the framework that's been established. >> reporter: why -- it was said at the time when they were released that these men were too old to actually pick up arms. now not only that, they have already tried to reestablish themselves with the taliban. how did they get that wrong? >> the idea they are too old to pick up arms has always been a complete red herring. if you look at people who are important within the united states military, you know, you

have generals who are quite up there in years but they are important because of their battlefield knowledge, their connections and ability to lead. they are not people who can beat up nerve the unit but known for leadership. osama bin laden wasn't a front-line fighter or al-zawa i al-zawahri. but that doesn't not make them important to the organization. the idea they were too old and irrelevant because they couldn't fight well doesn't stand up at all compared to how we know organizations work and how fighting organizations work. >> reporter: considering the middle east continues to expl e explode, implode on many fronts, how important would it be for qatar to extend these men's detention at this time? >> i think one of the reasons why it's important is because these guys have pretty strong connections to al qaeda. there is ongoing debate to what

extent would the taliban be willing to expand to al qaeda. what we can see is as the united states has drawn down, the taliban has more presence in the country and al qaeda seems to be returning to afghanistan. so if that's the case, then having people getting out of qatar and able to return to the theater who serve as link between al qaeda and the taliban could be important. that's one reason we should be concerned about the idea these guys could return. now on to the situation in nepal. more than a month after a massive earthquake in that country, students are finally back in class. nepal's government instructed schools to restart lessons on sunday, which is a working day in that country. you'll remember that 7.8 magnitude quake damaged a third of the schools in nepal. the government estimates it will need up to $300 million to

rebuild some 8,000 schools. china says it will create an air defense zone in the south china sea but only if it is pro voeked. that is according to a military official who spoke at a security conference in singapore. china has been bringing in artillery to a group of man made islands. air defense zone would require foreign aircraft to identify themselves to chinese authorities when they fly overhead. the united states has expressed concerns that chinese actions threaten the freedom of navigation and security in the asia-pacific region. as israeli parliament as it settles in to place, there's a noticeable change. there are more women than ever before in the knesset. they say it is not a glath glass ceiling but an iron gate they are fighting. >> reporter: you may not see the difference 10:00 when you look at the newly elected knesset. there are more women than

before. this woman fought for women's rights when she was deputy mayor of jerusalem. >> the number of women have been growing and this is part of the way things are moving ahead. i hope we will be 50% and i think that will happen. >> of the 150 members, 29 are women across the political spectrum. of the ten parties in the knesset, only two ultra orthodox parties have no women. this man this woman is a security expert. >> i have an opportunity to influence from the inside. >> reporter: in 1970, this woman became the first and last woman prim prime minister. since then women have gained seats in government but a minority and small part of the

cabinet. the knesset is 24% female which puts it ahead of the u.s. and behind the u.k.'s 29% and yet women make up half of the world's population. >> i think it is my responsibility as a legislator to help women who cannot break this -- it's not a glass ceiling but it is an iron gate. it's our responsibility to take care of equality. to make sure it is not a matter of choice but a mandatory issue. >> reporter: many women want to require all political parties to have at least 40% women. right now there's only one party that would meet the requirement, the left wing party. police in turkey are bracing for a large demonstration at the same site in istanbul where a crackdown on protesters took place two years ago. back then the demonstrators were angry over a government plan to build apartments and a shopping mall in a popular park.

this time they are calling for protest over plans for a constitutional amendment that would give the president more power. the president of fifa is beginning his fifth term in charge of soccer's governing body. and why the united states timed the announcement of a mayor corruption probe to try to derail his election bid. he won vote in zurich. now he effaces the tough task of restoring public faith after the arrest of seven leading soccer officials. >> i will take responsibility for this storm. i will share it with the executive committee that met today because it is the government that needs to take responsibility for fifa, not only the president but i do shoulder this responsibility. i said so at congress. i will do so. >> and we have just published an opinion piece on fixing fifa. you can find that at cnn.com.

few football fans have ever heard of the brazilian sports marketing company traffic or its founder jose avila but they are at the heart of many of the criminal charges involving fifa and the world's most popular sport. we look at the man who pleaded guilty to federal charges in the u.s. and his business which is being called a bribe machine. >> reporter: he got his start as a sports announcer covering brazilian soccer in the '70s. he built a small media empire with tv stations and newspapers. then went to sports marketing. here in sao paulo is where he has his headquarters, traffic sports but he does business across the country and abroad. in fact, according to the u.s. department of justice, traffic group came to dominate the lucrative contracts with fifa's american and latin american

football federations. advertisers that wanted access to the tournaments had to go through traffic because they had exclusive marketing rights. >> he started out as a salesman and ended up a millionaire. >> reporter: according to the 61-page indictment, avila won the rights by paying off fifa officials. he pleaded guilty to various criminal activities including fraud, bribery and money laundering. as part of plea, he agreed to forfeit $151 million. former president of the brazilian football federation was among those accused of bribery and arrested in raids on wednesday. the indictment doesn't reveal the names of others accused of taking bribes, but it says by 2013, avila and co-conspirator s agreed to pay $100 million in

bribes for a contract spread among 11 fifa officials including $15 million each for the top three officials. the question for many in brazil, what else will the man, once called the owner of brazilian football reveal? >> he was involved with buying and selling players. he was involved with the advertisement. he was involved with broadcasting rights. >> after a while he had a stake in a football team, the ft. lauderdale strikers. as u.s. officials put it, this is the beginning of their crackdown. you are watching cnn newsroom. the rescues continue in the state of texas amid devastating floods and more rain could be on the way. hundreds of people say a final good-bye to blues legend b.b. king.

soaked flood ravaged texas. let's turn to karen maginnis at the world weather center. the floods in austin -- i'm headed there this week. floodwaters hit my high school stadium. i saw that. >> what a mess. >> it is. >> the flooding began, the heavy rain. it stayed over the same areas, just day after day, week after week with it will until the way of interruption. we saw such staggering amounts of rainfall over a huge geographical area in texas. not just there, other portions of the deep south. i want to show you the pictures coming out of the houston area. look at this. this only begins to tell part of the story. deadly floods, as we have

already heard. in texas 28. thousands of people lost their homes, had to leave their homes due to the rising waters there. in houston, they have seen 14 inches for the month of may alone. but then we'll take you to arkansas. now we haven't talked a lot about arkansas. this right next door. you can see how severe the flooding is along the arkansas river. and they say the residents here have seen the worst that they can recall in their lifetime. already in dallas, they recorded as much as 17 inches of rainfall there. we have a huge storm system that is brewing across the united kingdom. very powerful storm system. already yellow and red alerts across some sections of northern scotland. you will be most impacted along the western shores, primarily in northern ireland and ireland

coming up in the next 12 to 24 hours, but then it spreads further east as the storm system doesn't just bring in the wind, which we could see wind gusts as high as 100 kilometers per hour. but there could be localized flooding associated with this, as well. as the storm system gradually makes its way to southern scandinavia the next several days. we'll look at the wind gufss we are anticipating over the next several days. this looks to be late sunday in to monday, lasting until tuesday event. so watch out. it is going to be quite fierce as the storm system moves in to the north sea and eventually across stand knave ya with high wind gusts. london doesn't look like it will be impacted as bad. these are temperatures in degrees celsius. you can see right now mid to upper 40s degrees celsius. we had a report out of dell

delde deli. it is on the horizon. >> i no they want relief to that heat there in india. thank you so much for the reporting there. >> hundreds of mourners gathered in the mississippi delta to say good-bye to u.s. blues legend b.b. king. ♪ the service was held at a church in his hometown. when king died at the age of 89 years old earlier this month, president obama said, quote, there is going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight. the legacy of the kij of blues expand more than six decades. b.b. king will be remembered for hi velvety voice, expressive style and influence on a generation of rock and blues musicians.

a pilot is depending on the sun to power him through a five-day trip. we will have a live report from singapore. every day people fall, from a simple misstep,

to tripping over a rug, to just losing their balance. and not being able to get up from a fall can have serious lifetime consequences. being prepared is important. philips lifeline with autoalert is more than just a medical alert button. it's an advanced fall-detection system,

designed to get you help quickly. if you fall and you're unable to push your button, the fall detection technology within autoalert can trigger the button to automatically place a call for help. philip's lifeline has saved more lives than any other medical alert service. this is philips lifeline, we received a fall detected signal. do you need help? call now about philips lifeline with autoalert, the only button with philips advanced fall-detection technology. we'll send you this free brochure with information about the importance of getting help quickly should you happen to fall. when i fell, i couldn't press the button. i blacked out, and so having lifeline with auto alert really saved me. if they don't push the button, they're not able to push the button, it takes over and gets them the help they need. multiple sensors inside autoalert can recognize the differences between your everyday movements and a fall. so if a fall does happen, and you're unable to push your button, autoalert can detect it and automatically place a call for help. in a fall or medical emergency, every second counts.

with lifeline you're connected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you have quick access to help when you need it most. over 7 million people have benefitted from the lifeline service. no wonder it has been recommended by over 200,000 health care professionals nationwide. a personal emergency could happen at any time. be prepared. make sure you have auto alert. if you or someone you love would like information about philips lifeline with autoalert, call now and we'll send you this free brochure, and ask about free activation when you order. call this number. call now.

a pilot is making his way to hawaii as part of an around the world journey, fuelled only by the power of the sun them solar impulse left china today after many delays. experts call it a moment of truth flight. the pilot will spend the entire trip in four square meter cockpit and can only sleep for 20 minutes at a time. cnn's david malco is on the phone from singapore. for this pilot to make this trip on polar power. this would be a great feat. >> that's right. this is extraordinary. i had the chance when the plane was in china the last couple of months to see the plane in person and meet with the crew. the fact they are on this epic flight, what they call the moment of truth, absolutely extraordinary. it is history in the making. it will be a record if they make it, for the longest solo flight in any airplane.

i have to tell you it is 14 hours since takeoff. if you think of a long-haul flight if you have been on one from north american to asia or australia, that's about the length of that flight. you know how tired you are feeling after flying that distance and you are not at the controls, usually watching a movie or something. the pilot, engineer at the controls now and he is only 10 to 14% on the way. he has days of this flight. we heard from the mission director a short time ago. everything is going according to plan. there was a little hiccup with the weather where the headwinds were blowing so strong that the plane was flying backwards. it doesn't have -- you think of the engines on this plane. they are about the strength of lawn mower. imagine a glider with four lawn mower engines strapped to it. they are now on track. they have a couple of hours left

of delight and they will begin the first night flight. we'll see how it goes. >> this is interesting. yoga in the cockpit, i understand. a video linked control center where he can talk to his wife and as you mentioned, we are talking about an unpressurized cockpit and 20-minute naps at a time. that's a long flight for that. >> reporter: it is grueling. if you talk to the pilots, andre, who is flying this or his business partner, they will say they are willing to accept those risks. they have trained for them. they have done simulations on the ground for days at a time. six days and six nights in a cockpit like that, having to use an oxygen mask like that half of the time. only sleeping for 20 minutes and then not sleep at a all if there is turbulence or problems with the instruments or the weather. all of that a big challenge ahead. i should mention these pilots have trained for the worse-case

scenario. if for some reason they need to jump out of the aircraft, leave it behind, parachute it down and inflate a life fwoet boat they have trained for. that that being said, everything coming from them and their entire team is all about excitement. they are looking forward to the journey. they are feeling good about it. wanting to break some records. wanting people to watch, feel good and be inspired about clean energy. even with this technology, they are no different from explorers of the past. >> great point. they are no different than explorers from the past who took great risks to make great accomplishments. david, thank you so much. we will of course be watching this flight that depends solely on solar power. the city of love is about to break hearts and promises made

by couples worldwide. on monday, 7,000 love locks will be removed from two main bridges in paris. couples visiting the bridge placed a lock on its fences. and then threw the key in the river as a symbol of a seal of their love forever. with heavy hearts, officials say the locks the combined weight is too much for the bridge to stand. thank you for joining us i'm george howell. another hour of news is straight ahead. you are watching cnn. the world's news leader.

five taliban leaders. the questions return whether they could return to the taliban. beau bide dep loses his fight with cancer. and on world antitobacco day we hear from one group trying to stop the use of tobacco in movies. from cnn world headquarters here in atlanta, i'm george howell. this is "cnn newsroom." back to our viewers back here in the you stauts and around the world. th