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New Evidence in Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Disappearance; Iraqi Immigrant Watching His First Snowfall Shot and Killed; One of Five Men Arrested in Russian Opposition Leader Boris Nemtsov Killing Has Reportedly Pleaded Guilty; President Obama Spoke about Hillary Clinton's Emails

Aired March 08, 2015 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And we have so much more straight ahead in the newsroom and it all starts right now.

Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, new evidence into what happened involving a Malaysia airlines flight 370 which advantage vanished one year ago today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of pages of documents supporting background information have now been released.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a mystery in Dallas, police say an Iraqi immigrant watching his first snowfall in his new American hometown is shot and killed by an unknown assailant.

Plus, hiding your face behind pieces of paper. Five suspects are now behind bars for the murder of one of Putin's biggest critics.

The NEWSROOM starts right now.

Hello and thanks again for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

New revelations today in the search for Malaysia airlines flight 370. It has been one year since the plane vanished and now a reporter from Malaysian authorities is raising new questions. It says the battery for the plane's flight data recorder had been allowed to run out for more than a year before the plane actually disappeared.

Investigators also say they found no signs of stress or unusual behavior among the plane's crew leading up to the disappearance. And there is still no explanation for why this flight view so far off its original course.

CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest has been going over the report for us and joins us live with the latest.

So Richard, what do we know about this expired pinger battery? How could it be that it went on for so long, with common knowledge I suppose and it was dead? QUEST: No. Well, there's a real controversy over this battery

because the paper work, Fred, the paper work said that the battery had expired a year previously. However, when the investigators went to talk to the people, let me read you what it says, it's on page 60 of the report. It was revealed that the computer system was not updated and the update removed the old battery, but didn't show the new battery installed.

So what we have here is the investigator saying, I'm sorry. The paper work says it wasn't installed. Therefore, I have to say it was expired. But the airlines saying, no, just look, the computer shows that it didn't update correctly. So we believe that yes the battery was changed, what we have here is a snafu on the computer paper work.

WHITFIELD: And explain why it does make a difference. You know, real clarity on the battery life. Because in the end, even if there was a battery in there, all of the devices, all of the technology used, there was no ping that was detected. But what does this discovery stay about the maintenance of that plane, the airline itself, what is being read into this line of information?

QUEST: Right. I mean, I think what we're seeing here, is that we have got a huge amount of detail on the plane. We know everything that was wrong with it. We know everything that was right with it. The oxygen system was working, down to what had been repaired, and what needed to be repaired. Right the way down to things like broken toilet light. We know all about it on this plane.

What we also see on from this report is how air traffic control handled those first the few hours. And Fred, it is one thing that perhaps I think is most distressing and disturbing about what we have learned today, it is the level of confusion, the lack of urgency, the lack of somebody punishing the big red button that says crisis and panic about his.

Because - let me give you a brief example. They are supposed to alert, put out a distress alert within roughly an hour of a plane going missing. In this case, it was more than four-and-a-half hours before that was put out. And what we have is air traffic control going backwards and forwards, have you seen the plane, have you heard from the plane. No, if have they heard from the plane? It really is very distressing to read. And here it is, I mean, there's 400 pages of this sort of stuff.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. Yes, and it seems to underscore kind of messy too.

So Richard Quest, don't go away. Stick with me because I want to bring to the equation now CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector David Soucie. He is also the author of "Malaysia Airline Flight 370."

So Davis, you know, what does this detail tell you about the fitness perhaps, the jet or maybe even the airline itself?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, it tells me a lot because after 17 years of doing surveillance on airlines and doing maintenance inspections exactly for this type of things. Richard is right. The commuter said one thing and the paper work said something else. That is a double-sided system. It has to both line up. If one is wrong and the other one is not right and the other one is right, I doubt that it's the computer that's right. I think it's the paper work that's right.

So I do believe that this -- the idea that it was in the computer, there's actually tags that go with that part and when that part is changed, that's the paper work that has to exist. Without that, just could just simply pencil with. You can just simple enter into the computer, yes, it was changed. 3But without that tag it doesn't even anything.

So that tells me there were a lot of problems not just with this airplane, but I think that that's maintenance 101. That's the first thing you do. The things that have to be changed on scheduled like that. That's just an unacceptable in every airline that I have surveilled has done that properly to the finest now. It is just - it is there something wrong. There's a deeper problem there.

WHITFIELD: So how do these discoveries kind of dictate where the investigation goes from here, David.

SOUCIE: Well, there's a couple of things that can happen now, and I know there's some work going on right now within Malaysia airlines and within the international civil aviation organization. They are doing audits. They are doing procedure analysis. This is the silver lining of an accident. This is where you get the chance to go through your entire airline, all the way down to the details, like Richard was saying, and divide out what's an airworthiness issue, what a RRII which is a required inspection twice?

All those things they may not have been clean on, you can bet right now, they are going through that with a fine toothed comb. So that's that part. But as far as the investigation goes, I think we're still waiting to hear something about the black boxes, to find out if the aircraft is actually in this intense search area. So just stay the course and keep searching is the way they are right now.

A WHITFIELD: All right, David Soucie, thank you so much. Richard Quest, appreciate it, gentlemen.

All right, Russian state TV says a sixth suspect in the February killing of Russian operations leader Boris Nemtsov killed himself today. The report says the man threw a grenade at police during a standoff in the capital city of Chechen Republic. He then blew himself up. Meanwhile one of five men arrested earlier as reported pleaded guilty and that man has previously served as an officer in a Chechen police battalion. Two of the men have been formally charged now. The other three are listed as suspects.

Nemtsov who was an outspoken critic of the Russian president Vladimir Putin was shot in the back as he walked with his girlfriend near the Kremlin.

And CNN's Matthew Chance says Russian police don't know yet of any link between Nemtsov and the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What the authorities here say, the investigation is at these people have been charged now with this, not just of carrying out the attack, carrying out the killing, but also organizing it as well.

There are five suspects that have now been for the most part charged, so the suspicion is is that one of them was the gunman, another one drove the getaway car, and the three others were involved in some way of plotting and organizing the killing of Boris Nemtsov.

And what we don't know at this point and that's facts because we're just at to the start of the trial, or perhaps because we'll never know, is what may have motivated them. And who, if anyone ordered them to carry out this attack against Boris Nemtsov, who you pointed out was one of the fiercest critics of the Kremlin in Russia. And so, that's still the big mystery hanging over this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Matthew asked the Russian government says, it believes the killing was a provocation to cast Russia in an extremely bad light.

Iraqi forces are closing in on Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit. It is a big step in routing Iraq of Islamic extremist. But Iraq's future is uncertain if even forces reclaim Tikrit. We'll go to Baghdad for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Iraqi forces are getting closer to retaking the town of Tikrit, an ISIS stronghold. They currently less than a mile away from Saddam Hussein's old presidential palaces in the outskirt of that city. And just yesterday, joint Iraqi forces surround the Tikrit and to nearby town and 40 to 50 families were able to plea the area and are safe now in Samara.

Our Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad, south of Tikrit and so is CNN's global affairs analyst lieutenant colonel James Reese.

So Ben, t you first. Troops have been trying to retake the city since last summer. Why are they finally making this kind of progress now?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think Fredericka, the first thing is this time they're organized and they seem to be going about it in a much more deliberate manner. Of course, if you speak to people at the front, they'll tell you it's because of the help they have received from Iran. The Iranians have provided ammunition, weapons advisors and of course on the scene is Casim Salamani (ph), the head of the (INAUDIBLE) brigade from Iran.

So that seems to be making the difference. But in general, I think it is that they had some very bad experiences last summer, several very unsuccessful, indeed catastrophic attempts to retake Tikrit, so they have had a lot of time to prepare for this. And this time around it seems to be going much better than in the past - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then I wonder Colonel Reese, I know you're standing right next to Ben there, but 24 your view, why is this so significant that you would have these joint Iraqi forces to be able to make this kind of progress? And do you consider it progress, I should say? I should begin that way.

LT. COL. JAMES REESE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, Fredricka, I really do. I think when we drove up the other day, we drove up north, with all the Iraqi veterans out there, we remember as Mt. Tampa, which is the main highway from Baghdad that travels north through Tikrit up to Mosul. And I was very impressed with the people's movement units, otherwise known as batter (ph). The way they had that secured jointly with some Iraqi police, some of the Iraqi army, and the people's movement unit. They had it very well secured.

I was very impressed with the leadership that was going and the way they have planned it. But as Ben said, it is very significant. It include forces there with General Sulumani (ph). And again they're doing the same thing we have. We have Special Forces bodies on the ground. (INAUDIBLE) and the Iranians are doing the same in Tikrit.

WHITFIELD: And so, Colonel, you know, what explains this better of better cohesion? Does this kind of exemplify is there something that has changed about the strategy of getting these forces to work better together?

REESE: Well, Fredricka, I think the most important thing right now is the Iraqis are the ones making the decision. That is very key. You know, we have met with some folks the other day from the embassy, and they said the same thing. The Iraqis, this is their fight, they are doing it. The Iranians are there. The Americans are out in Alambar (ph). And prepping from Mosul and some other place. And so, I think it is all good tactically.

Now, strategically, regionally, some of the larger Sunni nations should be having or probably having some issues with the Iranians inside and what the this looks like when this is all done technically. And my fear is it we don't start figuring out now, Iran could be the big winner in this at the end.

WHITFIELD: And then Ben, Tikrit right now, but ids it being revealed what the next front it?

WEDEMAN: Well, really they have to count those chickens when they hatch. But at the moment, certainly, the focus is on Tikrit. But we heard the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi talking about perhaps a new operation in the Fallujah area as well.

Now, there's been a lot of talk about Mosul. But Mosul is a long way from Tikrit and an even longer way from Baghdad. So there is a lot of area and land that needs to cleared of ISIS. A lot of preparation for that which will really be the climax of the fights to drive ISIS out of Iraq.

So you are going to have a lot of battles similar to what we are seeing in Tikrit, in Fallujah, and to other areas in Iraq before they can finally focus their forces on Mosul. So that Mosul is a long way waited.

We did hear Pentagon officials several weeks ago talking about late April, May, now you speak to anybody in the coalition, Iraqi army, they just brush that off. They say they've got a lot of preparation to go. So as I said, we'll see lots more battles like Tikrit before the big one which will be Mosul.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman and Colonel James Reese, both in Iraq, thanks to both of you, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

All right, still ahead, an Iraqi immigrant in the U.S., for barely a month now is gunned down while it snows in his Texas neighborhood.

Nick Valencia tells us more about this tragedy.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Such a tragedy. Ahmed Al-Jumaili had only been in the United States for 20 days, leaving the threat of ISIS for the safety of the Texas suburb only to be shot and killed.

I'm Nick Valencia in Atlanta coming up, the search for his killer. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A mystery in Dallas, police say an Iraqi immigrant watching his first snowfall in his new American home town and shot and killed by an unknown assailant. He died right in front of his wife and brother.

Our Nick Valencia has been following the story.

Are police feeling any more confident about a certain direction to go?

VALENCIA: Yes. I just reached out to police a little while ago, still have not heard back. But they stay they are increasing patrols in that neighborhood, trying to get any more evidence or leads on the story right now. They said they have very little to go off of. Crime Stoppers offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (voice-over): Police say this surveillance video from a camera posted on a nearby school shows the four men who may be linked to the murder of Ahmed Al-Jumaili. Bullet holes in the car outside his suburban Dallas apartment show where the 36-year-old Iraqi immigrant was shot and killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

VALENCIA: Through tears his father in-law says al-Jumaili recently left Iraq to escape the growing threat of ISIS. In north Texas, he would also be reunited with his wife after a more than a year apart. For excitement for their new life together was no secret. On Thursday night, Jumaili had gone outside with his wife to watch his

first ever snowfall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking for safe place, well-educated environment, good environment, what it got us, one bullet in his heart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no shortage of sadness for the loss of this beautiful young man, who has only just come to this country 20 days ago. And we don't as Texans want that to be his welcome.

VALENCIA: Members of the Muslim community say they want to know the motive and whether Al-Jumaili was targeted because of his race. Police are pleading for the public to help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tests are ongoing now to determine if one more rifle was fired and whether the physical evidence that we have been able to get from the crime scene is related to any other offense. As you can see, we have little information to go on.

VALENCIA: For now this video may be the best lead police have to find the man responsible for the death of a man who left the threat of violence only to become a victim of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: A memorial for Al-Jumaili will be held later today at about 6:30 local time in Dallas. His family is pleading for answers, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then while police are looking for any kind of direction on this, there's also a reward being offered, right? Any kind of incentive?

VALENCIA: That's right. So up to $5,000 is being offered right now from Crime Stoppers. Any information leading to the arrest. Right now, you heard in that report, police say they have very little to go from, but those in the Muslim community, especially that leader that you heard from convinced that there may be something more sinister at play here. We are going to see.

WHITFIELD: All right, keep us posted on that. Thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, our live coverage of bloody Sunday, the commemorative march continues, look at the thousands of people right there at the foot of the bridge, ready to march across.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again, everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We're continuing our live coverage of the bloody Sunday remembering the march in Selma, Alabama. Today, thousands of people expected to cross this Edmond Pettis Bridge walking on the footsteps of those who marched there 50 years ago demanding equal right for everyone.

Ryan Young and CNN political commentator Van Jones remain there. Van Jones in the middle of the crowd, as well as our Ryan Young.

So, alright, gentlemen, good to see you.

So Ryan, you first, give us an idea of who was turned out today?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wow, what a turnout so far. I can tell you, people did sided not to wait until 2:30 for that official march time. People decided to go across the bridge on their own. That happened about 20 minutes ago. There was a rumor going through the crowd that they were going to stop the march because a lot of people. But guess what, people said no. We're going to march on.

If you look over here, you can see the people who just decided to walk across. We're not even sure of the officials who wanted to lead the march ever even reached this location before all the swell of people just trying to pushing over the bridge.

But they're having a good time, they're smelling, they are chanting as I go across the bridge. These are students who arrived here because they want to be a part of this.

When you're standing there, you know how much history now, because everyone's been talking about it, how do you feel the be here today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like it's really cool that we can be here and that we can actually see the bridge that people walked on, like, 50 years ago.

YOUNG: When President Obama talked about the idea of the struggle not being over, and people needed to vote, like are you going to make sure that you exercise that right as well?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I definitely am going to make sure that I exercise my right to vote on. As a freshman in college, I really feel like it is important for our students to get out and exercise all of our rights. I personally feel blessed and I feel like it's a privilege for us all to be here because at a certain point in history, we were not able to have this right.

YOUNG: What's the crowd like to walk around and see everyone in the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very crowded, but at the same time. It's fun and it is really great to see everybody coming together, all races, all people. So it's been really great being here.

YOUNG: Thank you so much.

You know, if you walk back in this direction and we start walking toward that bridge, people have been standing and all that community, really waiting for that 2:30 time. And then they started pushing this direction going up. In fact, you can see the crowd as they kind of swell over the bridge. People telling us they were not going to stop the idea of being able to stand here and walk across this bridge. Because Fred, so many people watched from home yesterday saying they wanted to be here on Sunday. And that's something that they are able to experience.

A lot of smiley faces, a lot of messages about all civil rights and a lot of communities coming together to have this conversation on this bridge.

WHITFIELD: And Ryan, it looks like many more young people there today as well.

Van Jones, you and I were standing alongside one another when Congressman John Lewis and President Obama came out and hugged right there. President Obama paying homage to all the foot soldiers, but saying particularly for John Lewis, he was one of his biggest heroes. And we heard the message from both of them who said yesterday was both a celebration and it was an occasion of renewal. How do you see marked differences between yesterday and today?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, it's really amazing because yesterday people thought we were at a peak moment. I think there were maybe 20,000, 30,000 people here. Today may wind up even being bigger. People saw what happened yesterday. They saw that sort of history closing. And they have come out here in tens of thousands.

Again, they have already taken the bridge. And also, let's not forget. There is a new civil rights movement of the coalition for immigrant justice, was here with the Lois Juerta (ph), major Latina leader. She was here.

You had songs, southerners on new ground, an organization fighting for lesbian and gay rights. They are part of this march. You also have people here from around the world. We have a bunch of women who are here from Africa and they are bringing their protests. I want you to hear some of the music they're bringing to the streets. Here you go.

(WOMEN SINGING)

WHITFIELD: So nice. So Van, which African nation do they represent?

JONES: Well, listen, they represent South Africa, Zambia, again, Mozambique, Libya, so many different countries, beautiful, beautiful global protest culture here, immigrant rights represented, women's rights around the world represented. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual struggle represent.

And Barack Obama's speech, President Obama's speech yesterday embraced all of these communities and that was the power of that speech.

WHITFIELD: And he impressed on that word, we, being all inclusive, you know. And we know that the Edmond Pettis Bridge, and what happened on that bridge 50 years ago, it enlightened not just a nation, but there was a reach that was worldwide. And that really does exemplify that those women there singing, represents Southern Africa, Southwestern Africa.

So, Ryan, does it appear that the audience is much younger today? Many of the foot soldiers came out yesterday. A lot of the dignitaries that were sitting right in front of the resident's podium there were mostly dignitaries who represented, you know, the generation that stepped on that bridge 50 years ago, many of them now in their 80s, 90s. We saw Amelia Boynton who was 103. But today do you see the youth represented in a very big way today?

YOUNG: I'm glad you brought up Ms. Boynton, because she is actually was here at 2:15 to walk across the bridge, actually roll across the bridge in a wheel chair that she does every year with the officials. But that never happened because crowd started swelling. There is a mix of that youth and elderly.

And if just look over here, you can see the crowd for yourself. I mean, so many people brought kids. And as we kind of walk towards together, you can see all the different people what are here. So many young people are out with their parents. They of course were telling them, they wanted them to be able to experience this to have the story.

We talked to so many college kids who say they never, ever knew about this story until recently. And they actually pointed back toward the movie so that people can understand that that movie helped educate them.

So you can see some of this mix as you're walking this crowd of all nations and all colors. And of course, people are really having that conversation about this.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That was an incredible moment right there.

Ryan Young, CNN correspondent and Van Jones, CNN political commentator, what a pleasure if I could extent, a pleasure to be with you all yesterday in our live coverage. You all did a tremendous job. And now we see how versatile you two are. And you, especially, Van Jones, who knew you're now showing your political, as well as your reporting chops right here on CNN.

JONES: Yes. It is very exciting. It is very exciting.

WHITFIELD: All right.

JONES: Yes, just one last thing. You know, the president's speech, he hit voting rights really hard and so did Eric Holder today. So there's a movement, not just a celebration of the past, but you're going to see, I think a legislative agenda on voting rights and criminal justice come out of this march. So this is a moment in history that's not just looking back and looking forward to.

WHITFIELD: We saw that message, really - that message hit home I think to a lot of people. It is an issue of reflection using this event to reflect but at the same time, think about the work that has to continue.

Ryan Young, Van Jones, thanks so much, gentlemen, appreciate it.

We'll have much more of our live coverage from Selma and much more of the NEWSROOM right here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (voice-over): Over the years we have all increased the amount of technology in our homes and that's meant increased demands of the electric grid. So we turn to solar and wind power as renewables became all the rage.

Being energy efficient is just to the start. Imagine if your home provided all its own energy, for instance the heat from your television, powers your coffee maker. This house can do just that. On the outside, it looks like any other home in suburban Washington, D.C. On the inside it's a laboratory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We take 500 readings a day, every minute.

QUEST: The national institute of standards and technology or NEST for short built this house to prove that net zero is possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So net zero energy home is a home that over the course of a year produces as much energy as it consumes. We have a virtual family that lives here, and they perform all the same functions that you would with your own family. So we have the vices, for example, that emulates a toaster, a blender, a hand mixer and all these devices operate at a precise time according to a schedule so that the home is occupied as a house normally would be.

QUEST: In the first year, the house went way beyond net zero. It actually produced as surplus enough energy was left to drive an electric vehicle, 1,400 miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're learning more about the fatal police shooting of an unarmed teen in Madison, Wisconsin. Police say an officer responding to a disturbance call opened fire after police say the 19-year-old Tony Robinson assaulted him. And according to public records, the police chief says the officer, a 12-year department veteran, Matt Kenny, had used force before. That's being investigated as well as the circumstances surrounding this recent shooting.

Our Rosa Flores has more from Madison, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of demonstrators hit the streets of Madison, Wisconsin, following the shooting death of an unarmed 19-year-old at the hands of police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to just let him know that I'm there.

FLORES: Tony Terrell Robinson's mother devastated and overcome by emotion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son has never been a violent person, never and to die in such a violent, violent way. FLORES: Police paint a different picture of her son, scanner traffic

capturing the dramatic chain of events.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look for a male black light skin.

FLORES: Police say they received several calls about Robinson Friday evening, first about the teen jumping in and out of traffic and dodging cars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got another call from the same suspect.

FLORES: Then about an alleged battery incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

FLORES: The situation us escalating when Robinson entered what family says is his best friend's house. Officer Matt Kenny arrived, heard a commotion inside and forced his way in according to police.

Officials say Robinson attacked Officer Kenny who then fired the deadly shots. Kenny suffered a blow to the head, Robinson was administered CPR at the scene, but later died at the hospital.

CHIEF MIKE KOVAL, MADISON POLICE: He was unarmed and that's going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public, to accept, to understand that deadly force had to be used.

FLORES: This is not the first time the 45-year-old officer used lethal force. Kenny was exonerated for an incident that took place almost eight years ago, a fact that doesn't sit well with Robinson's family and friends.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a beautiful, beautiful young man. He is a six-foot-four, 200 pounds.

FLORES: Robinson's aunt and grandmother speaking out, not buying the account from police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think the cops shot hem because he was afraid of him.

FLORES: Protesters calling Robinson's killing their forget condition.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hurt. I'm frustrated. I'm angry.

FLORES: As another family faces an all too familiar anguish, the community deals with an all too familiar question, was the use of deadly force necessary?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And CNN Rosa Flores has been reporting from Madison, Wisconsin. And right now, Rosa is interviewing the Madison police chief to get any new information about this investigation. Of course, we'll have much more from that interview coming up in the next hour of the NEWSROOM. Also straight ahead, what time is it? Well, Apple hopes the next time

someone asks you that question, you'll be answering with their lath latest product.

But first this open court report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories.

President Barack Obama tells CBS's "Face the Nation," there's one thing that would make him walk away from a nuclear deal with Iran. He says Iran has to agree to astringent inspection system with quote "unprecedented transparency," end quote, or no deal. An international group of negotiators hope for an agreement outline by the end of March. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last week that Iran should not be trusted.

And another milestone for the Clint Eastwood film "American sniper." It is now the number one gross in domestic film of 2014 according to the Hollywood reporter. The film has made more than $337 million, topping the "Hunger Games, mocking J part one."

And Apple will preview its new watch in San Francisco tomorrow. It's Apple's first for ray into a new product since the ipad in 2010.

CNN's Samuel Burke has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One look at big Ben will tell you here in London, they take time seriously, versus seriously, as we countdown to the debut of Apple watch, we're taking in five big questions for Tim Cook and company.

Number five, where is the demand? Wearable maybe the buzz word in tech, but of Americans who owned a similar product, half have stopped using them. Apple must convince millions that their wearable is better.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it's going to be a wild hit of the sort that people are expecting. You know, if you think about what the Apple watch actually does, it doesn't do anything better than the iphone already does.

BURKE: Number four, what about Asia? Iphone sales are up 83 percent in China and momentum for apple products across Asia is growing. Sales of the Apple watch could be strongest there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Asia, parts of Europe, having the new gadget is a big status things and you probably will be strong (INAUDIBLE). In the U.S., I'm not so sure.

BURKE: Number three, what about the apps?

The Apple watch comes in silver, stainless steel, aluminum and an 18 karat gold edition costing thousands. It lets you check emails, texts and calls. But just like the iphone, apps will be the key. If developers don't create eye-popping apps that help improve people's lives, the watch could fail.

Number two, what's in it for Cook?

TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: It's the most personal device we've ever created.

BURKE: Apple's CEO is going from strength to strength now, but this launch is crucial. It's the first entirely new Apple device under his watch.

And the number one question? How will investors react? Wall Street isn't expecting the watch to just sell millions, rather tens of millions, as Apple stock hits all-time highs, expectations for the watch may be unrealistic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are already estimating this to be the fastest-selling product in Apple's history. So, you know, there's very lots of the expectations. It's going to be difficult for the company to exceed that.

BURKE: The Apple watch proves times really are changing. And like some other famous Londoners -- Apple hopes time is on their side.

Samuel Burke, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. "Saturday Night Live" didn't waste any times on getting their jabs in over Hillary Clinton's emails.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those emails are clean as a whistle. This is not how Hillary Clinton goes down. I mean, what did you think my e- mails said? Hi, it's Hillary. I really screwed up on Benghazi today. Please. I wasn't born yesterday. I was born 67 years ago, and I have been planning on being president ever since. There will be no mistake in my rise to the top, if I decide to run. Who knows? Who knows?

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WHITFIELD: All right. Well, jokes aside, President Barack Obama is speaking out for the first time about the email controversy. In an interview with CBS' Bill Plant, Obama said he's glad that Clinton wants to make the emails public.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Mr. President, when did you first learn that Hillary Clinton used an e-mail system outside the U.S. government for official business while she was secretary of state?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the same time everybody else learned it through news reports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Were you disappointed?

OBAMA: Let me say that Hillary Clinton is and has been an outstanding public servant. She was a great secretary of state. The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency. That's why my emails, the blackberry that I carry around, all those records are available and archived. And I'm glad that Hillary has instructed that those emails that had to do with official business need to be disclosed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Well, you say that you have the most transparent administration. You said it again just a couple weeks ago.

OBAMA: That's true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: How does this conveyor with that?

OBAMA: Well, I think the fact she's putting them forward will allow us to make sure that people have the information they need.

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WHITFIELD: And while President Obama is talking about the emails, Hillary Clinton is not.

CNN's Erin McPike joins me from the White House with more on this - Erin.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, politically, this has deepened some for Hillary Clinton over the weekend. She has not spoken about this publicly. She had the opportunity to last night at an event in Miami. She didn't take it. Bill Clinton has also avoided talking about it. Listen here.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Do you think your wife is being treated fairly with the emails?

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not the one to touch that. I have an opinion, but I have a bias.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Tell us your opinion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: President Clinton, what's your opinion?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, folks.

CLINTON: That I shouldn't be making news on this.

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MCPIKE: Now, more people are speaking out about it, including Scott Gration. He was the former ambassador to Kenya under Clinton. And he resigned from his post after he came under some fire in part for using his Gmail account while on the job. Well, he expressed his frustration over the matter on CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning.

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SCOTT GRATION, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO KENYA: As I defected on it the last couple days, it does appear like there was a different standard that was used in my case than has been used in hers.

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MCPIKE: Darrell Issa, the GOP congressman who used to chair the House oversight committee was also on the show this morning. He called it a double standard, said it was troubling. And on NBC's "Meet the Press," Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democratic senator and close friend of Hillary Clinton said that is it said that Clinton need to be straight forward about, stay with the situation was. We should also point out that Hillary Clinton will be on stage in New York City at a theater in times square tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. She is speaking about women issues, but there is no indication that she will address the email controversy there, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike, thanks so much in Washington at the White House.

And we have so much straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.