Mattis: We're Going to Continue to Go After Them Until We Destroy Them

Azia: Hey guys, I am Azia Celestino, and it is Tuesday,February 21. There is lots to recap after this three-day weekend, so let's jump right in. First, we head to Iraq, where the new secretary of defense made a surprise visit yesterday as the battle to push out ISIS intensified.

Iraqi forces are trying to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS. Backed by U.S.-led coalition forces, they unleashed heavy ground and air assaults over the weekend.

Secretary Jim Mattis: The Iraqi Army continues to surge against the enemy on the west side of Mosul.

Azia: U.S.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made an unannounced visit to military leaders in Baghdad as the U.S. government weighed options to speed up the fight against ISIS.

Mattis: We're going to continue to go after them until we destroy them.

Azia: But the four-month-long fight for Mosul has left about 700,000 civilians trapped.Video from a weekend U.S.-led airstrike shows many children among the dead and injured.

Now we head to California. The state has been devastated by drought, but now residents are being hit hard by dangerous rain and floods.In the northern part of the state, this was a sight that people living in Morgan Hill haven't seen for more than a decade: water overflowing into the Anderson Dam spillway.

Arlene Dahdouh: If the dam did break, we would be flooded and lose everything we have.

Azia: For now, the dam is holding.

Across the state the deaths of at least three people were blamed on storms. And overall, more than 200,000 people had to be evacuated because of flooding. A woman suffered minor injuries when her car fell into this 20-foot sinkhole.

Woman: Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm alive.

Azia: She was rescued before another car fell in on top of hers.

Okay, President Trump marked his first month in office yesterday, and it came after a whirlwind weekend.First, he held his first reelection rally in Florida for 2020, taking his message directly to thousands of his strongest supporters.But it was also a weekend of protests against his policies.

From New York to Philadelphia, Los Angeles to Atlanta, they dubbed them "Not My President's Day" rallies. Organizers say they chose Presidents Day as a way to honor past presidents and their constitutional right to peaceful protest.

In New York City on Sunday, the rally was called "IAm a Muslim Too."It was meant to show solidarity with American Muslims. Gay and lesbian groups protested outside Trump's hotel in Washington, D.C.More than a thousand packed into Boston's Copley Square to stand up for science and climate change, which they say is being ignored by the president.

Chiamaka Obilo: I was compelled to fight climate change because I realized it negatively affected the most delicate aspect of my being: my health.

Azia: The scene was definitely more welcoming in Florida. The president left the White House on Saturday and decided to hold a rally with thousands of his strongest supporters.

And before returning to the White House, President Trump yesterday named General
H. R. McMaster as his new national security advisor. The previous national security advisor was asked to resign last week after not being truthful about his dealings with Russia.

Okay, after the break we are launching into the future of space travel.

Azia: Okay guys, Demetrius is here to recap a historic moment for space flight that went down — well, up, then down — over the weekend.

Demetrius: Yeah, Azia. On Sunday SpaceXlaunched its Falcon 9 rocket, successfully boosting a cargo ship headed to the International Space Station. And the most amazing part is what happened after.

With the roar of its engines, Falcon 9 blasted toward space. Minutes later, the rocket returned to Earth, a triumph for SpaceX founder Elon Musk, captioned on social media with the phrase "Baby came back."

What has yet to come back is the company’s Dragon spacecraft, which separated from the rocket and is bound for the International Space Station — packed with more than
2 tons of supplies — and is expected to arrive tomorrow.

But this success for SpaceX at Launch Pad 39A has come after multiple failed attempts. An unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded on a launch pad last September, and in June 2015, on a different NASA job, another unmanned SpaceX rocket disintegrated shortly after liftoff. But Launch Pad 39A has been the starting point for some of NASA's historic space missions, including the Apollo 11 mission of 1969 and the final flight of the space shuttle in 2011.

The SpaceX launch came just days after NASAsaid it was considering putting astronauts onboard a mission to orbit the moon, called EM-1. In a letter obtained by CBS, NASA's acting administrator told employees last week that the agency was "on the verge of even greater discoveries" and that it was exploring the possibility of "adding a crew" to the mission.

President Donald Trump: We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space.

Demetrius: The moon is a departure from what previous administrations considered the next step in space exploration: Mars.

Derrick Pitts: I think it makes a tremendous amount of sense to bring the moon back into the equation of building up the capability and using it as a training base before we head off on our much more challenging trip to Mars.

Demetrius: Demetrius Pipkin, Channel One News.

Azia: Pretty incredible. Thanks,D.

Okay, next up, the National Zoo in Washington,D.C., is saying bye-bye to a furry friend.Emily, who is leaving?

Emily: Yeah, it is a very bittersweet bye-bye to Bao Bao the panda. The beloved cub is making the move to China today, but of course, she will be missed.Check it out.

From the day she was born, millions of Bao Bao's fans have watched her grow up on the Panda Cam. They saw her first checkupand her first birthday. They watched her fall in love — with bamboo, her first encounter with a camera, her first tumble in the snow, and they watched her learn that when Mom says “Get down,” she means “Get down now!”

And now Bao Bao is preparing for another first: a move to China.

Brandie Smith: I think it's like your kids going off to college. It's a hard thing to do. We're a little bit sad.

Emily: Brandie Smith is the associate director for animal care sciences at the National Zoo.

Smith: I've been thinking back now, with her going to China, about those moments when she was little.

Emily: Part of the deal when China loaned Bao Bao's parents to the National Zoo was that any cubs would be sent to China to breed before they turn 4.It began as an effort to help pandas come back from the brink of extinction.

Bao Bao'sbrotherTai Shan returned to China in 2010. Like Bao Bao, he was flown in a crate on a flight provided by FedEx. The 16-hour flight will be direct from Washington,D.C., to Chengdu,China, and there will be an inflight service of 55 pounds of bamboo, 2 pounds of apples and pears, two sweet potatoes and 10 gallons of water.

Bao Bao's mother has another cub, Bei Bei, that will now keep her occupied. That means Bao Bao, all grown up, will hopefully be having her own cub soon.

And for those who have been caring for her, it is a tough goodbye.

Marty Dearie: Yeah, I'm a crier. I can admit that.

Smith: We’re a little bit sad; we’re a lot worried. But in the end, we know it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the best thing for her.

Emily: The best thing for her and the best way to help save this vulnerable species. Emily Reppert, Channel One News.

Azia: And get this — Bao Bao traveled in a custom-decaled aircraft nicknamed the FedEx Panda Express.

Okay, after the break we are heading back to space for this week's Next Big Thing.

Azia: Attention all sneakerheads: It is a Next Big Thing that is just your size, but before we lace up this week's NBT, let's see what you thought about last week's.

We told you about how an old-fashioned way to listen to some tunes is making a comeback in the music world — vinyl records. So is it the next big thing? Fifty-three percent said,“No — stop living in the past!” But 47 percent said,“Yes — throwback? More like back in!”

Class: Hi! This is Mr. Lass' seventh-grade class at River Forest Middle School at Holbrook,Indiana, and we think that vinyl records is not the next big thing!

Class: We're from Huron, South Dakota, inMs.Branaugh's seventh-grade class, and we think that the vinyl records are not the next big thing.

Class: This is Ms. Montclair's Basic 3 social studies from Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and, for the record, we think vinyl records are the next big thing!

Azia: Awesome video responses. Thanks, guys.

All right now, Cassie is with us with an out-of-this-world NBT.

Cassie: Yeah! Grab your spacesuit, Astronaut Azia, because we are moonwalking, thanks to some stylish new kicks. Check it out!

Get ready to blast off in 3, 2, 1 with MoonWalker shoes!Futuristic and sleek, these sneakers aren't just trendy, but they are technologically advanced, specially designed to mimic the experience of walking on the moon.

There are two layers with magnets strategically placed inside so that they repel against each other in order to create the feeling of being light on your feet.That is one small step for a sneaker and one giant leap for futuristic fashion.

So what do you guys think? Are MoonWalker shoes the next big thing? Head to ChannelOne.com to vote and leave us a comment.

Azia: Or, better yet, send us a video to .

All right, guys, that is all for now. Have an awesome day, and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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