rocket. we are live in seoul for the historic launch. >> announcer: live from london, this is "cnn newsroom" with isa soares. hello, everyone. it is thursday, october 21st. we begin with new information in the search for brian laundrie. authorities are working to identify what appear to be human remains discovered in a nature reserve in florida. it's where they have long been searching for gabby petito's fiancee. now, a source says the remains look like they had been there for awhile. the swampy area had been under water until recently. take a listen. >> earlier today investigators found what appear to be human remains along with personal items such as a backpack and notebook belonging to brian laundrie. >> now, the family's attorney said it is likely the remains are laundrie's. laundrie's parents were in the reserve wednesday and helped with the discovery. >> it is my understanding that they were followed closely by the two law enforcement personnel. and when i say closely, certainly within eye shot. and as they went further in, chris ventured off the trail into the woods. he was zigzagging in different areas. law enforcement was doing the same thing. and roberta laundrie was walking down the trail. and i believe that is on some video through some other news outlet. at some point chris locates what's called a dry bag. the dry bag is a light bag laying in the woods, i'll say 20 feet or so off the trail, according to chris it was in some bramelible. chris didn't want to pick the bag up because he wanted law enforcement to see it. this was caught on camera. chris couldn't find the law enforcement because they were out of sight because chris had been in the woods. so he didn't want to leave the bag there with the news reporter standing nearby. he picked it up, he did meet up shortly with law enforce 789. they looked at the contents of the bag. at that time law enforcement officers showed him a picture on the phone of a backpack that law enforcement had located also nearby, and also some distance off the trail. at that point the laundries were notified there was also remains near the backpack and they were asked to leave the preserve. >> it just doesn't look right that the parents hadn't wanted to cooperate, brian didn't want to cooperate, they wouldn't want to talk to the other family. so you can understand why people would be suspicious about their actions. >> absolutely. and, you know, now is not the right time to talk about the situation with gabby, but the family was following my directions. i told them not to talk to anybody, not to say a word. i was the intermediary between the family and law enforcement, and that's why we're confident that law enforcement, specifically the fbi was informed. brian did not come home that night. whatever played out in those three days after that, that's on the police and the fbi. >> that was laundrie's family attorney there. petito and laundrie's posts abruptly stopped in late august. petito was found in a national park in wyoming last month. laundrie has not been charge with her death but he is charged with unauthorized use of her debit card. well, here's what two former fbi officials had to say about how the search and discovery played out. take a listen. >> it's not uncommon to go back and search an area again under water that you searched already. sometimes the body of water moves things and water changes things. so i don't see that as mutually exclusive. it's a complete hypothetical on my part, but if the parents did know and they were waiting for the police to find him on their own, they didn't, the father went out there a couple weeks ago to maybe guide them in the right area if they knew, and last night when they found out the public was going to be trampling all through there starting today and they didn't want some random stranger finding their son and maybe taking pictures and posting it or whatever, they wanted law enforcement to find t. they went one more time with law enforcement and went right to the place. >> what i saw were the two parents picking up evidence, wandering through the brush, not supervised that i could see, at least not in sight of the video that i saw. and they were picking up what seemed to be evidence and putting it in a bag. that is way out of protocol for law enforcement when they're gathering evidence. these two people, the parents are the suspect picking up and bagging evidence at a potential relevant crime scene. evidence has to be gathered the correct way to preserve whatever hairs and fibers, dna, whatever trace evidence is on that piece of evidence. it has to be collected and it -- proer properly and it has to be stored properly in a container. to pick it up in some dry bag you think supervised on their own seemed very bizarre to me. >> we'll have much more, of course, on this story and all the latest developments in about 50 minutes or so for you. now, just hours from now in washington, the house will vote on whether to hold donald trump's long-time ally steve bannon in contempt of congress for defying a subpoena. we learned republicans are set to overwhelmingly oppose that effort even as they deny they are trying to block democrats from investigating the january 6 insurrection. cnn's ryan nobles reports now from the capitol. >> reporter: the entire house of representatives set to vote thursday on a criminal contempt referral of steve bannon. the former white house aide who the select committee, the january 6 select committee is interested in learning about his role in the planning and execution of that event, the big stop the steal rally that happened before the insurrection here at the capitol on january 6. bannon has been defiant with the committee saying that he does not need to comply with them, does not need to submit documents or testify in front of the committee because he's protected under executive privilege through the former president donald trump. of course, the select committee doesn't see it that way and they believe he has a duty to come forward and tell what he knows about what happened on that day. and the house rules committee on wednesday, we heard from betty thompson, the chairman of the committee and liz cheney, the vice chair, a republican who implored her fellow republicans to support this measure of referring criminal contempt against bannon. >> i ask each one of you to step back from the brink. i urge you to do what you know is right, to think of the long arc of history. we are told that it bends towards justice, but it does so only because of the actions of men and women in positions of public trust. >> reporter: now, it is expected that this will pass, but it will be mostly along partisan lines. so far the only two republicans who will vote for the measure are liz cheney and adam kinzinger who are members of the select committee. a few republicans could break ranks and vote with the democrats, but republican leadership making clear where they stand. they sent out a message to their members, a recommendation from their leadership to vote no on this criminal contempt of steve bannon. many republicans saying that they just have a problem with the select committee in jen, and they won't support anything that committee attempts to do. ryan nobles, cnn, on capitol hill. well, following the vote it will ultimately be up to the justice department to bring charges against bannon. still, democrats are reacting to the expected opposition to their republican colleagues. take a listen. >> it is really quite shocking when you listen to steve scalise, their number 2, the gop number 2 member of the house, just a week ago couldn't admit that the election wasn't stolen. no wonder he doesn't want the contempt to go forward. you know, he feels evidently the republican leadership does, it's more important to support the cult of donald trump than it is to defend their own democracy. and it's this abdication of their oath of office that has our democracy on such fragile ground. >> and there is another high pro profile republican who is not ready to cooperate and that is dan scavino. he now has one week to respond to the house committee subpoena, of course, the january 6 insurrection. the following week is his deadline to testify. scavino said his client was given additional time to respond to the subpoenas. now, covid vaccine booster shots may soon be available to more americans. the food and drug administration says it will consider lowering the age range on its emergency use authorization, but the shots currently available to people 65 and older and, of course, those at high risk. this comes as the fda has now authorized booster shots of the moderna and johnson & johnson vaccines in addition, of course, to pfizer's. the agency has also given the go ahead to mix and match vaccine brands. the united states waits for the health regulators to authorize a covid vaccine for young children. dr. anthony fauci says when the time comes, it's crucial to get kids vaccinated. he says it will play a major role in slowing the spread of the virus and will help protect them from the risks of a covid-19. take a listen. >> children are not completely exempt from the difficulties of getting infected. in fact, if you go to pediatric hospitals throughout the country, you see that many of the beds are filled with children who have serious illness. so it's important to protect the children. and also children do get long covid, namely, something that you have obviously very difficult experience with yourself when you were infected. children can get that lingering symptomatology after getting infected. >> well, here in the uk there are details of yet another search of covid cases. health care professionals are warning of a winter crisis as covid infections soar. the british government isn't bringing back restrictions, plan b. they are planning to ramp up the vaccination program. take a listen. >> we are looking closely at the data. and we won't be implementing our plan b of contingency measures at this point. but will be staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities while strengthening our vital defenses that can help us fight back against this virus. >> new covid cases, you can see in that graphic, are now topping 40,000 a day here in the uk. cnn's fred pleitgen joins me in the studio. fred, why is the government waiting, given we're getting 40,000, why not just enact plan b now? >> reporter: 40,000, one of the things the health secretary said at his press conference he fears it could go up to 100,000 cases per day as the winter progresses or as the winter really sets in. it is obviously the question, why don't they do it right now. they seem to believe they still have things under control. the health minister came out earlier today. yes, the nhs is strained, but it will -- it's not strained to the point it can't cope. health officials are saying it is better to enact this earlier. also it would be a bit of a mea copa after you have this freedom day in july to now only a couple months later say, yeah, we do have to enact restrictions once again even though medically that's what medical professionals are calling for. >> did they say what the limit would be, how bad it has to be to enact planning b? >> it's interesting, they haven't said what the limit would be. however, we did see the health secretary there sakeying, yes, they would continue to be vigilant. the medical association says now is the time to tact. they said in a statement earlier this month noting, the government has taken a foot off the break giving the impression the pandemic is behind us and has returned to normal. it is willfully negligent of the westminster not to take any further action to reduce the spread of infection such as mandatory mask wearing, physical distancing and ventilation requirements in high-risk areas, particularly indoor crowded spaces. so, medical professionals -- this is not just the british medical association saying this. one of the reasons we saw that press conference yesterday by the health secretary is that the nhs came out as well and said, look, it's time to enact plan b, the government at this point seems to think that they still have things under control. they also think that boosting vaccinations is something that could help as well. >> willful negligence, pretty strong words from the bna. also we are getting a sense of deja vu. when this has happened, so much criticism against the government for not acting fast enough. we are also hearing plan c, the telegraph talking plan c. we don't have a plan b yet. >> not enacted yet, exactly. >> fred, thank you very much. good to see you. brazil's president is lashing out after accusing him of recklessly mismanaging the pandemic. he is not wasting time. they are claiming he should face three crimes against humanity. also among the accused, some 60 current and former government officials. >> we know that we are guilty of absolutely nothing. we know that we did the right thing from the first moment. it took up the time of our health minister, public employees, humble people and businessmen. they have produced nothing but hatred and resentment among some of us. >> well, senators are scheduled to vote on the final report next week it. if approved, it will go to attorney general, but he is considered a bolsonaro ally. it is unclear if the allegations will lead to actual charges. the investigation has hurt the president's approval ratings and is a set back to his bid for reelection, october of next year to be precise. well, just months after india was ravaged by a second wave of coronavirus, the country's health ministry says it has now administered 1 billion doses of covid vaccine. it reached it 8 million shots in a single day. prime minister narendra modi tweeted his congratulations calling it a triumph of science, enterprise, as well as collective spirit. floods and landslides pummel india as well as nepal leading to a large number of deaths. military helicopters rush to save survivors stranded on rooftops. dramatic rescue, we have that coming up for you. the white house and key democrats quietly discuss what to sack nice to keep president biden's stalled domestic agenda alive. and then later this hour, another blow for chinese real estate giant ever grand. why they've called off a multi billion dollar deal with a rival developer. we show you the share price is tanking next. when they're sick, they get comfortable anywhere and spread germs everywhere. nothing kills more viruses, including the covid-19 virus, on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect. check it out. serena... scary movie... serena... scary movie... serena williams ready to serve. ahh! quiet, please. get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. introducing directv stream, with no annual contract. re-entering data that employees could enter themselves? that's why i get 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the import of it to his administration, to democrats, both in the white house and on capitol hill. the big question was is there ever going to be a path forward? it's something the president and his team have worked quietly behind the scenes on for the better part of the last two weeks. details now starting to emerge. a pathway, also seeming to emerge. still, many hurdles remain. the president telling democrats behind closed doors on tuesday about several different areas where he'll be scaling back his package. some areas that will drop off entirely as it relates to that multi trillion dollar climate and economic package. but also making clear that in laying those out he believed he was closer to are agreement with two moderate hold out senators, senators joe manchin and kirsten sinema w. that taking his argument to the public, his hometown of scranton, pennsylvania. take a listen. >> i think we're going to surprise them. people are beginning to figure out what's at stake. >> reporter: democratic leaders making certain they want a framework deal on the second piece of the agenda this week. they have been moving quickly to try and secure that. however, the president doesn't currently have sign off from those senators. there are a number of details to be figured out, the climate package, fully refundable children's tax credit, how to expand medicare, whether to cover medicaid, how to expand subsidies for the american care act. no shortage of major substantive issues hanging out there right now. obviously the president has made clear, democratic leaders have made clear time is of the essence. they want to move quickly. the question is how fast they can actually do it and the voevotes to pass what they agree on. phil mattingly, cnn, the white house. >> president biden will join anderson cooper for cnn town hall where he'll take questions about his economic agenda. you can catch it right here 8:00 p.m. in new york, 8:00 a.m. friday in hong kong. only on cnn. now, despite increased commitments from world leaders to combat climate change, a new u.n. report finds many countries are planning to ramp up fossil fuel production. governments will produce double the amount of oil, gas and coal than would be needed to limit global woarming. the new study warns of health effects from climate change are expected to get worse in the coming years. a helicopter came to the rescue as heavy flooding swamped parts of india and nepal, killing at least 150 people. india's air force tweet this had video -- posted this video seen there showing a helicopter pulling out people stranded by floods in the rakan state. more than half of the victims in nepal. dozen are injured and missing. record flooding has also washed away homes and bridges on both sides of the border. derek van dam joins us with the weather forecast for the rest of the day. derek, any let up in the heavy rainfall? >> well, the good news is that the southwest monsoon is starting to retreat across these areas. so we should start to see some light at the end of the tunnel. but you talked about bridges and roads being washed away. well, here's a prime example of that. this occurred in northern india near the border of nepal earlier this week from the heavy rain that fell. i want you to take note of the mountainous terrain across this region telling the story. what is taking place is a phenomenon called oragraphic lift. think of the mountain side or himalayas as this immovemberable panel or, let's say, a wall, for instance. if you were to take a sponge, a wet sponge, push it against the wall or mountain in this case, it is going to wring out available water. that's what happens when air gets pushed up and over this immovable surface. it wrings out immovable water and allows clouds and rain to condense. when it falls in areas like this, we get ravines and canyons, it funnels down and creates that immense amount of flooding and flash flooding. it can happen at a moment's notice. in excess of 400 millimeters. we're talking about several inches of rain within this area. over a foot in some instances. now, the good news is the water vapor satellite imagery showing this retreat of the monsoon that helps form this hefty rainfall across northern and central india, it is moving quickly. its annual retreat, and there is its current location with still some rainfall expected to cross the coastal areas of the bay of bengal and southwestern portions of the indian subcontinent including the state of karala where we could have more flooding. this area could pickup another 5 to 7 inches of rainfall in the next five days. we do have weather forecast that looks rather wet. you can see they are preparing for more flooding in karala starting to release water in the local dams in this particular region. that's all we have from the weather center, isa. we'll send it back to you in the studio. >> thanks very much. thanks very much, derek van dam for us. coming up here on "cnn newsroom," officials are working behind the scenes to secure the release of a group of kidnapped missionaries in haiti. why some inside the country are concerned about the ransom demand. plus, farmers in colombia are hoping to cash in on the legal drug trade. the country's medical marijuana industry is taking off and giving a much needed boost to colombia's economy. we take you to colombia next. i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... ...me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there for her. so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for people with crohn's disease. humira helps people achieve remission that can last. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous 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soares. let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour. authorities have found what they believe are human remains of gabby petito's missing fiancee. they say it is likely brian laundrie. a doctor says the british government is willfully negligent, their words, in handling the surge of new cases. we'll follow these stories today on cnn. now, negotiations to free 17 missionaries kidnapped in haiti will stretch into another day. the powerful gang mawozo are demanding $17 million. some warn against paying such a large ransom. >> reporter: the american missionaries were snatched off the road near port-au-prince here in haiti on saturday. at last report, the kidnappers were asking for $17 million. this is $1 million each for every man, woman and child they took. i spoke to father rick frachette, a catholic priest best known for the medical care he gives to sick children here. but also has been called in repeatedly to help deal with kidnapping cases, including four cases involving the group that is alleged to have created this latest situation. he said he's very concerned that if a large ransom is paid, it could mean a price on the head of other americans in this country. >> if there is big ransom paid for these people, you can kiss all of us good-bye because there's not going to be hope for anybody. an 8-month-old child is in their hands. a 3-year-old child is in their hands. so it's different and it's take on a whole symbolic -- it's taking on a symbolic nature that the individual cases haven't had. >> reporter: more information also is slowly trickling out about the mission of these missionaries in haiti. we are told that of late, they had been helping people whose homes had been destroyed in the last earthquake to rebuild. joe johns, cnn, port-au-prince, haiti. north korea is accusing the u.s. and u.n. of tampering with a dangerous time bomb. that is in response to a security council meeting to discuss the latest submarine launched missile test. ireland, estonia and france are calling for existing sanctions against the north. and the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. says washington hasn't given up on diplomacy. take a listen. >> these are unlawful activities. they are in violation of multiple security council resolutions and they are unacceptable. each new advancement of the d.p.r.k.'s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs destabilizes the region and threatens international peace and security. >> experts say this latest launch and the latest of the hypersonic missile last month, if true, make north korea a much bigger threat to u.s. forces in the region and allies of south korea and japan. i'll stay in the region. u.s. president joe biden oops ambassador nominee to china is concerned they could be building up the nuclear arsenal. nicolas burns said he favors the long-standing one-china policy but wants china to stop bullying taiwan and has this assessment of china's capabilities. >> there's no question in the 21st century giving chinese power, we talked about this morning, china is the greatest threat to the security of our country and of the democratic world. >> meanwhile, president biden acknowledged he is concerned about china's reported test of the hypersonic missile launched in space. china claims it was a spacecraft, not a missile. now, the conflict in ethiopia's tigray region is escalating with another day of air-strikes on wednesday. black smoke blanketed parts of the region. the government said the strikes targeted weapon sites used for the tigray people's liberation front. the tplf said it hit residential areas and injured civilians. reuters reports the government also carried out a second strike about 80 kilometers away. let's get more on the story in johannesburg with the latest. good morning to you, david. what is the ethiopian government saying this hour about the air strikes and those claims by the tplf that civilians were targeted here? >> reporter: isa, the government is saying that they struck arms caches of the tplf in an industrial area of the regional capital in tigray. now, it seems likely it might be a bit of a combination where the truth is because eyewitnesses told cnn that, yes, these air-strikes, which resulted in these black acrid smoke and footage obtained by cnn, blanketing parts of makele was in an industrial area, at least some civilian areas including a hotel were damaged. we couldn't independently verify that. earlier in the week there were also air-strikes in the outskirts of the capital where three children were killed and several injured according to the united nations. now, this shows after relative calm in the capital since mid year when the tplf re-took makele there might be this escalation with air-strikes potentially laying the groundwork for reinvasion by ethiopia's forces. all of this is happening, isa, while there is an ongoing humanitarian crisis in that northern part of ethiopia, according to the u.n. more than 5 million people need assistance. there are pockets of famine because of a lack of access to aid which has, by many accounts, been accused -- accusing the ethiopian government for blocking that aid assistance. around 100 u.n. staff have been evacuated according to the secretary-general because of the latest round of air-strikes and insecurity. but they say they are doing the best they can, but need -- more help is definitely needed for a dire situation. isa? >> very troubling developments. do keep us posted. mackenzie there in johannesburg. still to come right here on the show, colombia is hoping to flay a bigger role in the medical marijuana industry and a boom for some of the nation's farmers. take a listen. >> just standing in a place like this, in a country like colombia, only ten years ago would have been completely unimaginable. and the idea of how profound this turn around is, not just for economics, but also on social terms. this halloween, xfinity rewards is offering up some spooky-good perks. like the chance to win a universal parks & resorts trip to hollywood or orlando to attend halloween horror nights. or xfinity rewards members, get the inside scoop on halloween kills. just say "watch with" into your voice remote for an exclusive live stream with jamie lee curtis. a q&a with me! join for free on the xfinity app. our thanks your rewards. now, shares of chinese real estate giant evergrande plunged today after news a multi billion dollar deal for control of its property management unit fell through. have a look at the stock. the beleaguered stock fell 1%. it is off about 80% for the year. evergrande is trying to restructure about $2300 billion in debt by selling off assets including a partial stake in its electric vehicle and office tower in hong kong. selina wang is standing by live from tokyo with much more. celina, evergrande clearly hoping to sell a stake in the property service. that clearly didn't go through. hence why we are seeing the reaction on the stock front. this doesn't bode very well for the company and indeed the chinese property company. >> reporter: not at all, isa. this is a huge step back forever grand. while shares were halted, investors were waiting for the deal to go through with hop son development, another real estate firm in china to buy 51% stake for $2.6 billion, but they couldn't agree on the terms of the deal. and as you say, evergrande has been desperately trying to sell off different a isssets, but th haven't had much luck finding buyers. the big question is where does evergrande go from here and how does it sort through this mountain of $300 billion in liabilities. when i talk to analysts, they say they do expect beijing to ultimately bail out this company while making it look like it was done through the private sector. even though beijing has a hand behind the scenes, and the reason why, isa, is because the stakes here are enormous for beijing. this is now the biggest risk to china's economy. it sent shock waves throughout financial global markets. it is fueling risk and concerns of contagion throughout the broader economy. we have several other property developers saying they are also struggling to payoff their debts. and what happens to china's property sector is crucial here. this sector has super charged china's economy. it now accounts for as much as 30% of china's gdp and three quarters of church of england's household wealth is tied up in the property sector. beijing is in a tricky position. most analysts agree this isn't china's lehman moment and authorities won't prevent a complete collapse. the question is how they successfully contain this risk while also still sending a strong message to other players in the sector that they need to reign in this excessive borrowing. what matters is what this shows about china's leadership moving forward. it shows that this high-growth economic model that was powered by the property sector, powered by massive amount of debt is no longer viable and that china sees it as a risk to the party rule and as a risk to the country, isa. >> yeah, and, of course, the concern is of a ripple effect with other property giants in the country. we'll stay on top of that. selina wang, appreciate that, selina wang there in tokyo. thank you. in the u.s. all eyes are also on the supply chain backlogs. california's governor trying to fix the issue of congested ports, scores of cargo offshore. gavin newsom signed an executive order on wednesday directing state agencies to find land for short-term storage for 200,000 containers currently on board those cargo ships. there are even more ships and containers docked in the city of long beach. about 40% of all u.s. imports are processed between those two ports. now, all stocks have been retreating just a bit in the past few hours. in fact, that's after hitting 7 year highs for the fifth day in a row. u.s. crude jumped over 1% closing up almost $84. you can see there its highest since 2014. more than double the price of one year ago. brent crude there 85. also brent crude as you see in your graph there a three-year high gaining nearly 1%. of course that means gas prices continue to rise, but the average american paying $3.35 a gallon, more than a dollar higher than the same time last year. to really put it in perspective for you. now, an entirely different kind of business is taking off in colombia. the nation's infamous illicit drug trade now to become a major international supplier of medical marijuana. as stefano reports, the industry is creating an economic opportunity some kilocolombianse never had before. >> reporter: like many farmers in colombia's country side, they grow coffee. but the 29-year-old focus on another plant, marijuana. at this medical weed farm, she said her parents used to be skeptical of her job. now they are proud their daughter is working on the blooming industry of legal marijuana. this farm is made of 18 hectares of open greenhouses. for over 125,000 plants. colombia legalized cultivation five years ago, but only this summer it allowed the exports of dry flowers, which represents over 50% of the demand in markets like the u.s. according to the government, this puts colombia at the forefront of medical marijuana regulation, and for that reason over $250 million of foreign investments have poured in, and 1,680 licenses issued. with 12,000 hours of sunlight year round, colombia is perfect for growing marijuana. they are trying to emulate the natural conditions for free. >> that is a big advantage. you have to invest in power costs, factor costs in terms of labor, significantly cheaper here. so there is a significant cost advantage on an ongoing cost basis. >> reporter: over 300 people were here. the majority are single mothers with huge opportunities in this region. just standing in a place like this, in a country like colombia, only ten years ago would have been completely unimaginable. and that is the idea of how profound this turn around is. not just for economics, but also on social terms. for decades, colombia has waged a broader struggle against drug traffickers, claiming thousands of lives and resulting in no reduction of illicit drugs production in the country. >> translator: we will wipe out drug traffickers. >> reporter: switch forgive eradicating to marijuana was a sobering recognition. >> some people say that you change approach. you had a revision. >> i was a hardliner. i have fought against drug trafficking in every way possible. and we have failed. i have failed. globally we failed. the worlds has failed. u.s. has failed. we must accept when you lose, you must accept that you lost and you must try to find new ways to approach the problem. >> reporter: this were the step in the legal asiization of medi offers opportunities. two-thirds of colombia support the move to legalize marijuana for medical use. so far regulation is designed to attract foreign capital and recreational use. pharmaceutical licenses here are cheaper than other markets. but still out of reach for most colombian farmers who continue to grow illegally and projects to replace cocoa plants is not taken up. the transition is not complete but the door is open for change. cnn, colombia. still to come on the show, south korea making history launching a rocket of its he h -- very own making. the newest name in the space race. [♪] did you know, you no longer need to visit a dermatologist to get access to top skincare ingredients? introducing dermageek featuring top dermatologist recommended ingredients and 0% fillers. dermageek's new detoxifying facial serum contains twice the amount of beta hydroxy acid. it delivers two times more exfoliation for brighter skin, with dermatologist tested levels of hydration. get top derm-ingredients at a fraction of the price. try the new dermageek skincare lineup, with a money-back guarantee. bill clinton says he is on the road to recovery after being hospitalized last week. in a video posted to twitter, he said he is doing well and thanked his doctors and the public for their support. clin clinton was admitted to a california hospital after a urine infections spread to his bloodstream. a short time ago south korea launched its first massive rocket into space. you can see there the nuri world rocket is the first step in the country's space program, carrying a dummy satellite weighing more than a ton into the earth's orbit. cnn's paula hancocks is monitoring it all, live from seoul with the latest. i can see from the images, paula, the lift off went smoothly. what does this mean for south korea? >> reporter: well, isa, at this point we're waiting for the final confirmation that this was 100% a success. we are expecting that any moment now as you say. it certainly looked successful from a liftoff point of view from the image we saw. what this would mean if, in fact, it was a success is that south korea would become the 7th country in the world to have its own 100% domestically produced rocket that can put a satellite into space. now, what they were going for today was to make sure that they could -- it was a satellite dummy, but put that satellite dummy between 600 and 800 kilometers above the earth. if it reaches that point, then it will be considered a success. and certainly this would be a significant step for south korea in its space program. now, experts here say they did start late, but they have caught up in recent years. just in 2013, they were able to launch a rocket carrying a satellite into space. but at that point that was a rocket that had russian collaboration as well. so this is -- would be the first time it would be completely home grown. and certainly there has been a lot of money invested into this, a lot of funds put into the space program in recent years. it's been 12 years in the making. some $1.6 billion has been invested to try and make this launch today successful and we are hoping to hear imminently whether or not they do consider it a success. isa? >> we shall find out. clearly the space race is heating up. paula hancocks there for us in seoul. thanks very much, paula. now to sports, the entire season is underlined for two of baseball's best. here's don riddell with our minute in sports. don. >> yeah, isa, it's been a big night for the road teams in major league baseball championship series. both the astros and the braves each within one win of the world series. the houston astros thoroughly enjoyed themselves at boston's fenway park. winning game four and now five in the american league. 9-1 the score wednesday. they're going to be at home for the rest of the series and need just one win to clinch what would be their third pennant in only five years. meanwhile, the atlanta braves that taken a 3-1 win. they scored 9-1 on wednesday. eddie rosario book ending their win in los angeles with a couple of home runs. the new nba season went off with a bang for the new york knicks who needed double overtime to see off the boston celtics in the guard. 138-134 the score. and say these two will need to pace themselves. it's going to be a very long season if every game is like that. and in the champions league, manchester united came back from 2-nil to complete a thrilling home win. of course, it was cristiano ronaldo. they have all their ducks in a row, but it was still a thrilling victory. back to you. >> thank you very much, don. lots of talk here about, of course, a man united win and my fellow portuguese ronaldo scoring the last goal. that does it for me. i'm isa soares. early start with christine romans and laura jarrett is next. they'll have more on president biden's economic agenda. do stay tuned for that. i'll be back tomorrow. have a good day. bye-bye. - that moment you walk in the office and people are wearing the same gear, you feel a sense of connectedness and belonging right away. and our shirts from custom ink help bring us together. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com finally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, crunchy, chocolatey dipped ice cream experience with 25% less calories because it's made with greek yogurt. so, thanks for everything ice cream, but we'll take it from here. yasso audaciously delicious it is thursday, october 21st, 5:00 a.m. here in new york. thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm christine romans. >> i'm laura jarrett. welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. we begin this morning with president biden ramping up his public sales pitch today for the cornerstone of his agenda, this cradle to grave expansion of america's social safety net. his fellow democrats, meanwhile, are still hashing out what stays in the build back better plan and what must be cut to get this package passed. yesterday the president was in scranton calling for an