about france's involvement in the project. >> absolutely. the french cnrs national research center has placed a camera on that rover. i'm not sure these are pictures from the super cam because those pictures are very special indeed. we were told there would be thumbnails, the first thing we would get would be thumbnails. just of you know, the actual data speed is eight kilobytes per second. this is probably going to sound quite technical, but it's quite interesting. it's ultra-slow, so it takes a very long time to send data back from mars, so this is why you are having pretty low resolution

pictures. they are downloading very slowly to have high resolution pictures data. the high-resolution camera is actually able to break down the molecular structure of rock and analyze it. this super camera is able to tell scientists what the rock actually consists of and give the first clues, which is to discover if there has been life on mars, and this is the biggest question. this is what everybody wants to know. the question is -- is life as we know it on earth something that is a one-off, extraordinary, are we alone, or does life appear every time the conditions are there, the conditions are ripe? that's the big question, and the question is -- was their life on mars 3 billion 4 billion years

ago? this is when there was actually water on the surface of mars. this is why the rover has been placed at this location. there used to stand a huge lake, so scientists leave this is one of the best places to start looking for traces of life. >> a question that was asked long before david bowie wrote the song, which is a great song, and we are still asking the question now. france, as james was saying, very much involved in this mission. one of the stakeholders, clearly. mars, though, james, just to bring you back in.

>> this is the third probe to have arrived in the vicinity does the past two days. the last one was called hope, which is an orbiter. it will not land. it is designed to study the atmosphere of mars and the weather on mars. and we have a chinese mission, which is ongoing as well, which is currently orbiting around mars at about 20 to 35 kilometers altitude. it has got on board a rover that will eventually be placed on the surface. searching for wateand traces of life as well, so for the moment, they are trying to find where they will actually land it because they do not have the precise maps the americans have of the surface. that will happen probably in april or may, so this is because

of planet alignment. this is because of a moment when the two planets are aligned, so that's when the distance between earth and mars is the shortest, and that occurs every 24 t28 months, and that means less fuel to get there, then of course for small aircraft, less money. >> it is a dream fasbecoming reality. it is space-age, and it is space-age happening right now. let's bring daniel brown back in. thanks for staying with us. in terms of the race to mars, what do you think the stakes are for that? is trying to fd?k each mission whato you think they are trying to prove? >> i think the big part is life, understanding was there life

there, and being theirst to find definitive traces of that is a big one. the second is related to that very strongly. this robot has the possibility to look for ice, slushy stuff but still water. the proposed and soon to land rover from the chinese mission as well will do similar things. again, thinking about human missions to mars, that is a key thing, so that is one part. the other part, trying to understand more about how the climate on mars developed. i think it is being able to get, understand mars, find water, and i personally think it is being able to have a more sustained travel to mars and being able to

go for humans on mars. why not? that might be the next step. >> indeed. i know you will be up for a committee to film it. let me pause you and bring in our correspondent in los angeles from pasadena which is where mission control is. has the news permeated? tell us about the reaction. >> that's right. people are very excited. like i said earlier, there are a couple of people standing just to my right here. when they heard the news -- they have been streaming it on their phones. they started cheering. like we talked about the past few minutes, this is the first step in a huge mission and in a huge people are really excited to see what this

willring. reactions coming in on twitter as well. i was reading some while we were waiting, and people are just congratulating, all of the message is very positive. they are very excited about this next step. the interesting thing, too, is this is going to be a multigenerational project. in 10 years, when they finally bring specimens back in march, we will have a whole new generation of astronauts and scntists working on what will happen. there are a lot of kids right now very excited about seeing this and whatever the future has to hold for them, to be able to participate in continuing this research, which is really exciting as well. >> is there a sense where you are that you are in space city, could even say mars on earth or something like that? is there a sense that this belongs to pasadena? >> there is a little bit.

i thi a lot of people, because this is not where rocts are actually launched -- that happens in florida for the most part -- a lot of people, i have to admit, do not even know that it exists here. they do not know that nasa has a mission control center here in los angeles -- or in pasadena, i'm sorry, just outside los angeles. this is really interesting for a lot of people. some of the responses i was seeing on twitter talk about that a lite bit. they were talking about the fac that this is really cool that it's happening in les angeles, and i think a lot of people did not know that this was something that we have right here in the city. >> indeed, i was surprised. thank you very much. mission control just behind her in pasadena, as you can see. they are still doing interviews, still talking about it, and who can blame them? this is a massive moment. with us, we have our correspondent who has been

following this story. he has been to nasa, he has been to cape kennedy. you told us about the french involvement in this. what do you think is at stake going forward? i suppose it all depends on what is in the samples and how soon they can be brought back. >> absolutely. this is basically the core of the mission. we will not know for sure if there is life on mars until we get the samples. it is going to collect samples about this big. they will be placed in less containers and placed in specific locations on the surface of mars. the idea is to pick them up in another spacecraft -- nobody knows how that will happen for now -- and bring them back to earth by 2031. the european space agency could very well be the ones piloting

that operation. in any case, this is indeed a big question mark. there are a lot of challenges. one of them is to build a lab on earth where you can safely take a look at these samples because nobody knows what actually might be in them. is it dangerous? what will you do? we have no idea. there are other questions there as well. so, yes, this is going to be obviously very big. when it comes to exploring mars -- this could happen pretty soon, but a lot of people say it will probably not happen before the second half of the century simply because there are so many incredibly tough challenges to overcome. the particles which basically shield the human body from these

particles. then in seven months' travel, probably your bones would disintegrate from lack of being used to fight gravity, so that would be a problem as well. and of course, there's water, there's food. it's very difficult right now. we do not have the technology to send anyone anywhere near mars right now, but it might develop in the years to come. if we do not go and send rovers like this one, we will never know if we can actually do it one day. >> let's bring in a professor of science and communication at during them trent university. james was just saying getting to and from mars, as a mereuman, it is a complicated matter. you hinted that your hope in the near future, soon there might be a manned mission -- i guess men

and womenned mission. do you think the european space agency could play a big part in that? >> i think it is going to be a joint thing where all different nations and agenciewill have to come together to do this, a we c see already how just a simple return is a kind of relay between nasa and esa, hopefully, if this works as well. it unites all the different fractured agencies as they are working and tries to bring them even closer tother thathey e. it is a real challenge, but i challenge that is worth it, as we can see, and even if it is just bringing back the samples and having real space matial re on eah, pristin, and that is an exciting first step to get us there, but it is a

very challenging feet. as we hear we arnowhere near there yet, but going back to the 1930's of t 1920's where the same thing could have been said about putting people on the moon . at that point, we were nowhere near even thinking about that, so it is a dream, but a dream worth having, i think. and dream if we want to overcome these challenges that will unite us both in our scientific efforts and dreams, but also in a way, i think, learn more in our technology and improve our knowledge of space, science-based tecology, and if it goes into these insane conditioned pictures of the little helicopter flying around and using many rovers to support the mn rover mission to autonomously land these things, as we have seen amazing week happening here, to pinpoint exact areas, all of that is

beautiful, testing and can support this ultimate goal, i would say. >> thank you very much here indeed. so to cut across you. one of the problems with the way we are doing this with you being at a distance and everyone being excited. did you have your say? did you get your point across? that's the main thing. i think you did. good men. >> that's fine. yes. >> good man. >> i think these things like trying to get to mars, we've got pictures of this helicopter, and this is a bit of a flight test, to get something flying in mar'' atmosphere, and that's a big challenge given the air density and gravity, but these things like trying to get a human being on mars, but of course, challenges a whole generation just like it happened with the

moon back in the days of apollo. this is how we developed the microchip, the microcomputer. so me things were invented and developed to manage to get to these goals. obviously, this is big payback for the effortsf those working on this. >> really loving this story. you are like a kid in a sweetshop. it's great to see. alyssa is in pasadena near mission control near los angeles. thanks to daniel brown who joined us, too. thank you so much indeed. let's bring you the headlines then. that is our first headline. the reaction -- that says it all.

there will be looking for signs of life on mars and we will not see them for about 10 years, but we will get them eventually. joe biden's democrats unveiled a new citizenship bill unveiled at regular rising so-called dreamers, immigrants brought to the u.s. as children brought up in the american system but without citizenship. facebook blocks australian news posts in retaliation that the social media make a should actually pay for news content. facebook's act is seen as having backfired. they have also blocked humanity groups and charities.

although stories we are following closely for you. time now for business. kate moody joins us, starting with reaction to facebook's decision to block news content for users in australia. >> there's growing outrage around the world and the thoughts of more repercussions in a number of ways. the move was taken in protest over a draft law which would force internet companies to pay publishers for content that appears on their platforms. while google has been announcing deals with thomas trillion media outlets, facebook took the opposite route. the australian said it would not be intimidated into backing down on its legislation, which is expected to be approved by the senate in coming days. british lawmakers have accused of -- british lawmakers have accused facebook of acting like a bully. analysts say it underscores the need for cooperation among countries as they try to regulate tech giants. >> internet users will also assess what facebo has done here. on the one hand, you keep

hearing lobbyists and representatives of the companies saying we are in favor of freedom of expression. we should not take content down unnecessarily, but here, even if they admit that it is a small percentage of their revenues, they do not want the australian proposed law to touch their bottom line, i.e. their revenue, their money. that is why they are fine limiting access. i'm not worried that australia will not find a solution. i think people will find access to news on the original websites. there may be new services springing up. we have heard competitors jumping in and trying to take the space that others might leave, but i think it really shows how willing these huge corporate giants are to push back against democratically elected governments, and that is something that should really

concern us. >> major european indices closed lower. wall street also closed lower. the nasdaq underperforming as tech giants lag. walmart shares, meanwhile, fell 6.5% as it reported strong sales but disappointing profits. the world's largest retailer forecasts both sales and profit growth slowing this year. the number of americans claiming jobless benefits rose last week, underscoring the ongoing weakness of the labor market. 861,000 new applications are put forward across the country, the highest number in over a month. more than 18 million people are receiving some kind of benefits, including those covered by emergency pandemic support. some of those measures are due to expire in march. lawmakers are making proposals to extend them further. economists expect the pace of hing to remain uneven st pandemic continues to spread and

restrictions take place -- as the pandemic continues to spread and restrictions take place. the aerospace industry reported $1 billion in euros -- one billion euros in losses last year. it expect further cuts are the prospects for recovery increasingly far off. the pandemic is crushing hopes for thousands of young people who dreamed of a career in the skies. >> a year ago, 26-year-old parent -- perrinas on the way to ming her dream of becoming a flight attendant a reality, but then covid-19 struck. >> [speaking french]

>> it is here at this training center for aviation professionals that hundreds of prentices normally begin their career paths. currently, though, most of the facility is deserted. the number of apprentices was down by half at the start of the year with courses for flight attendants at a complete halt. the number of mechanic and technician students is down by 1/3. before the health crisis, graduates at the school had no problem finding jobs. >> [speaking french] >> according to the

international air transport association, global air traffic was down 2/3 in 2020 and does not expect a return to 2019 levels before 2024. >> avocados are a superfood packed with goodness, but did you know, avocados are now at the center of a crime spree? south africa farmers are fighting a rise in that. private security companies have come in to tackle organized gangs. >> this has long been a paradise for avocado farmers, but it's turning into a battleground. private security companies patrolled night and day, keeping and i on the area's green gold. avocados, macadamia nuts, and timber have become prime targets for organized criminals. some farmers have lost up to 20%

of their produce in the past couple of years. each break-in looks more or less the same. >> they are very determined to steal the produce. if it's fencing, they have methods to cut it, climb over it, crawl under it, but to get in, they are very determined. >> it is difficult to say how much they can steal. it depends on the size of the group, how well they are organized, how much transport they have, but toteal is not uncommon. to steal i would say four times an evening would sort of be a maximum. >> yes, so much has been taken, but it has been the same as normal, so the thieving is nonstop. >>ith nearly 15,000 hectares

of orchards, south africa is one of the biggest avocado producers in the world. three quarters of farmers report suffering from theft. avocados once stolen are incredibly difficult to trace. farmers have struggled to find a solution. >> what people have tried is to micro dot where you get a unique number and spray the fruit. that would be a unique way of proving the fruit came from you, but once again, volumes are such that i don't think they will ever manage to get it practically implemented. >> once the avocados have been stolen, it is already too late. this farm resembles many others. the 45-hector property is surrounded by a fence and alarm system, allowing him to react fast -- the 45-hectare property.

>> it is a lot of money. so this becomes just gold for everybody. you spend a whole season in the rain putting fertilizer, and someone just when you are about to harvest and get your money, someone just comes and picks it up. private secure the operators are beginning to better derstand how the themes work. security firm has -- this security firm has 230 employees. >> these bananas is where they wait for the guard to pas

>> they are able to pick their way through a hectare in the space of an hour. facing poverty, many still try their luck in the face of increased odds of getting caught >> 95% of the guys are stealing because they don't have a job and this is easy money. it's very easy money. >> the risk for potential thieves is low. fruit left is not considered a major crime, and court cases rarely lead to convictions. farmers are desperate for authorities to take the issue more seriously. industry experts say the real reason for the growing problem of theft is that international demand for avocado has driven up the value of the crop, making it

a more attractive target. >> things have not always been as good financially as they are now. it does not mean that in five or 10 years' time the business will be as profitable. we cannot just think very short-term. yes, when the prices go down, it might be a threat to farmers' existence or viability. >> while farmers are staying afloat despite the thefts, this might not always the case. >> we have one of our clients, a lychee and avocado farmer. he left about two months ago. >> avocado theft is also on the rise in sicko, new zland, and spain. as global demand soars, the fruit will remain a right target. >> our special focus feature on the theft of avocados across the world. we will take a short break, then more news.

stay with us.

democracynow.org [captioning made possible by democracy now!] 02/18/21 02/18/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> we had a fireplace and i used up all of the wood we had. this is set. this is a sad state of affairs. somebody has to do some planning after all of this is over and make sure there is an alternative source of energy. amy: millions of texans were plunged millions into freezing cold and darkness after a major