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Deliberate Crash in the Alps; Indiana Religious Freedom Law Criticized as Discriminatory; Inside the Cockpit; Fierce Battle for Yemen Underway; Recovery Crew Faces Rugged Terrain in the Alps; Nuclear Talks Reaching Critical Point; Michael Brown Question Leads to Beating. Aired 1:00-2p ET

Aired March 28, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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


[13:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: So much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. It all starts right now.

All right. Hello, again, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with significant new development in the Germanwings crash. Citing two sources with knowledge of the investigation the "New York Times" is reporting co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had sought treatment for vision problems. And we can now confirm that Patrick Sondenheimer, a respected veteran pilot, was the plane's captain.

In the meantime, searchers continue to look through the treacherous mountainside as they look for any remnants of crash victims. The weather has been better today but officials say recovery could take weeks. Recovery teams are also looking for the critical second black box containing the flights data recorder.

And authorities continue to search the private life of Andreas Lubitz. They're trying to find out why he apparently brought that plane down deliberately, killing all 150 people onboard.

Joining me now right now from Cologne, Germany is CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen.

So, Frederik, what more have we learned about Lubitz's reported treatment for now vision issues, according to the "New York Times"?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. The "New York Times" of course saying that it appears as though he was in treatment for those vision issues. They have that according to two sources close to the investigation. They don't name those sources.

The interesting thing is we've actually been touched with the university hospital, the university clinic in the town of Dusseldorf which is one of the places where he had an apartment. It's also, by the way, the place for that doomed flight that he was piloting was supposed to land. And the university clinic, they said that he had been there twice this year to seek diagnostics and they also said that it was not due to depression related issue. They didn't tell us what it was. They said that all of their files

that pertain to his case had been turned over to authorities. Of course we also know that the authorities in France and Germany are cooperating on this matter. The Germans for their part at this point in time are still saying -- only saying that he had an illness, that he had been treated for an illness for quite a while. And that he had several sick notes because of this illness that he had torn up and was trying to hide this from his employer.

They don't say exactly what that is. There are publications who are saying that he had had mental problems in the past. And so we are still trying to get to the bottom of what exactly he was being treated for at the time that this crash happened -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then what more if anything are we learning about this captain, Patrick Sondenheimer?

PLEITGEN: Yes. You know, that's the big question right now. And authorities are certainly trying to piece together the mosaic about what kind of man this was or what might have driven him to do what he apparently did. And certainly, of course, the media is doing the same thing. The Bild newspaper here in Germany, which is the biggest newspaper in Germany, it's a tabloid, claims to have an interview with an ex-girlfriend of Andreas Lubitz.

And in that interview, she says that he was a man who was very sensitive, someone who needed a lot of attention, someone who could also be quite nice and flattering, apparently very often bought her flowers and did similar things. But also someone who had a very dark side to him. Someone who would get very erratic, someone who would get very angry whenever they had fights. Someone who she said she was quite frankly afraid of at times.

Someone who'd wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares. And she apparently said that one of the reasons why they split up in the end was because she felt that he had psychological problems. So that's one of the things where we're trying -- authorities are trying to piece together who this person exactly can is.

Of course, they're also at this point speaking to his relatives, speaking to his parents. He lived with them in part, as well, in that house in Montabaur, with his brother, as well. People who knew him. People at this airline. They're trying to piece together exactly what might have been missed also in the many medical evaluations that he had to go through to be a pilot, and to remain a pilot -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Let's take a closer look now at some of the latest information that we're hearing. Mitchell Garber, Dr. Mitchell Garber, is a former NTSB medical officer and senior managing consultant for engineering consulting firm ESI, Mary Ellen O'Toole is a former senior FBI profiler and special agent, David Soucie is a CNN safety analyst and a former inspector for the FAA, and Les Abend is a CNN aviation analyst and contributing editor for "Flying" magazine. Good to see all of you.

All right, so, I wonder, Dr. Garber, maybe we'll begin with you because we are hearing from Fred Pleitgen and other reporting about these notes that may have indicated that there may have been an indicator from a doctor that he was unfit for work. At the same time, there is that confidentiality between a patient and, you know, his or her doctor. So is there much onus on anyone in the medical community to report to the airline knowing what kind of work he likely did?

[13:05:09] We don't even know if they did know. But it seems like we all recall a doctor asking us when you're, you know, in your visit, what do you do for a living so that they are prescribing to you the right kind of treatment conducive to your work environment. So should the medical community -- should his doctors have reported even if he didn't?

DR. MITCHELL GARBER, FORMER NTSB MEDICAL OFFICER: Well, and the requirements are going to be different in different nations. So everybody has got it a little bit differently. Here in the United States, there is no such requirement. In Australia and New Zealand, doctors who are aware that a commercial pilot does have a condition that may be interfering with safety are required to report that condition.

So it depends on the location as to whether that's actually a requirement for it or not. The onus is mostly on the pilots to report and to allow people to understand when they've got a condition that may be interfering with their ability to fly. But there are obviously reasons where that might not work. And in -- in certain nations, it is a requirement for the doctors to make those reports.

WHITFIELD: OK. And David, we did talk earlier, you know, that it is self-reporting that is usually the standard in the U.S., but as a result of a tragedy like this, do you see any potential reform to that policy, whether it be in the U.S. or even abroad?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, I think self-reporting has to be there, but I think there also needs to be something to supplement that because to self-report is one thing when you're aware of what's going on. But we're talking about psychological issues and problems here that you just may not be aware of what's going on in the first place. So right now, we rely on observations by other pilots, other people they work with, to be able to see their behavior and report that behavior.

And they do that well and there is a great system for doing that, even anonymously. But there needs to be some work in this area. There is no doubt about it now.

WHITFIELD: And then, Les, you know, apparently, and this has been widely reported already, that Lubitz took off work for, you know, six months during training for a medical condition, had also been treated at least once for a, quote-unquote, serious depressive episode. That being reported by various media outlets. So what is a way to determine whether this person can return back to work, generally? LES ABEND, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, most airlines have a medical

department that makes that evaluation. But what disturbs me is that this was information that was probably available to some form of Lufthansa, the training department, and they -- I mean, this is a top notch airline with top notch training, and top notch pilots. Why this didn't go back to them and -- you know --

WHITFIELD: Yes, because they would seem --

ABEND: This would have been a red flag.

WHITFIELD: Yes. It would seem if you have a medical reason why you can't carry out the training, then that has to be a red flag for the airline to know a lot more about what's the situation and why is it now you're, you know, fit again or able to return to this training.

ABEND: And this gentleman went through a process that's a little different here in the U.S. He was basically hired by Lufthansa to begin his training and go through the pipeline. Here in the U.S., we gain experience at different levels of aviation. So this -- this gentleman went through, and he had very, very limited experience. But his training was very specific to airline type flying.

WHITFIELD: And Mary Ellen, doesn't that kind of information equip the airline to now start really paying attention, looking for some signs, I don't know, better evaluating this co-pilot? Is that something that you think would be customary or even expected?

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER SENIOR FBI PROFILER: Well, I think it would be very helpful, and you'd certainly want people that were evaluating the information to be trained to understand how to look at self-reported information or information provided by a co-worker that they have that background that they can, you know, delve deeper into it.

But also, you know, maintain a sense of, you know, compassion and empathy, because regardless of how this ultimately ends up being handled, people are very concerned about losing their jobs, and if somebody reports to their headquarters that they have this condition, that has to be handled in a very compassionate way, and people, if they notice that someone has reported information about Mary Ellen, it was minor, but Mary Ellen lost her job as a result of that, that's certainly going to shut down that pipeline.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And Doctor, it seems, I mean, that's in large part why you have HIPAA laws, right, because you don't want to create an environment, you know, this country, that recognizes HIPAA laws, that your medical condition or your employer finding out about your medical condition will be held against you. And so that's why it also kind of seems -- it doesn't seem to coincide with the whole self-reporting thing.

I mean, why would you report that you have a medical condition if it means that you're going to lose your job?

GARBER: Right. And there's not necessarily an advantage to a pilot in reporting that condition, if they suspect that that may be used in a way that may lose them their ability to make a living.

[13:00:06] In fact, with depression in this country only just recently allowed pilots who were being treated effectively with antidepressants to resume working into the cockpit. So it's actually a step forward being able to do that because now we have pilots who can be monitored and evaluated appropriately, as opposed to going out on their own and hiding that information.

WHITFIELD: And David, you know, so we don't really know what kind of -- what the mental or his physical, you know, diagnoses were. But is there I guess threshold or is there at a minimum certain mental or physical ailments or conditions that are acceptable for a pilot, or is there, you know, a cutoff point that is very clear that most airlines would not allow you to continue doing your job as a pilot?

SOUCIE: Well, regulating operations is a challenge in itself, because it varies so much. And now we're talking about regulating a psychological issue. So what we refer to in the industry as the red box, which is the brain, as opposed to the black boxes, is something that we just -- unfortunately, there's no real way to come up with a litmus test to see this person is a pilot and that person is not.

WHITFIELD: And Les, while in the states I think I heard you earlier talk about every six months there might be an evaluation conducted concerning pilots here in the U.S. but if it doesn't happen, you know, with other carriers, whether it be Lufthansa or others, it's incumbent upon the pilot to just simply give their checkups when they see fit?

ABEND: No. No, it's an FAA requirement here in the states, and I would assume that it's the same over in Germany. You -- every six months, myself as a captain, I have to -- I have to get an examination by a certified medical examiner. And that medical examiner is required, or at least is expected to ask certain questions, you know, how is your family life. But most of it pertains to perhaps alcohol usage.

But a lot of times, we do see the same medical examiner. And he's able to maybe make some points about perhaps behavioral changes. But it's cursory, I have to admit. It is cursory.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Soucie, Mary Ellen O'Toole, Les Abend and Dr. Mitch Garber, thanks so much to all of you. I appreciate it.

SOUCIE: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Next, we're going to be taking you inside the cockpit to show you how pilots generally handle this kind of plane. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:39] WHITFIELD: Many people are still trying to figure out how the co-pilot of the Germanwings flight was able to lock the pilot, the captain, out of the cockpit, before that plane crashed into the alps.

CNN's Kyung Lah goes inside a flight simulator to get some answers. KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I'm inside an

A-320 simulator. I'm with pilot Buck Rodger, and he's taking us through some maneuvers today. And we're talking safety.

Let's first off talk about the two-person rule. Can you explain what that is?

BUCK RODGER, PRESIDENT, AERO CONSULTING EXPERTS: Sure. The two- person rule, Kyung, is when somebody leaves the cockpit and before that person leaves, another crew member comes in. So there is always two people inside this cockpit. And there's several good reasons for that. Basically, safety is the first one. If something were to happen to the pilot, let's say he was incapacitated in some fashion, that other crew member would be there to open the door to allow the other pilot inside the cockpit.

So that's really a big reason. The other reason is so when the other crew member wants to come in, he or she can go to the door, look through the peephole, identify the person on the outside and then open the door.

LAH: Now there's been a lot of discussion about this particular switch, the cockpit door. Would the flight attendant ever touch this.

RODGER: No, this is a pilot-only switch. This switch will unlock or lock out that door. So if I didn't want the person on the other side of the door to come into the cockpit, I would take this switch to lock, and that would completely lock out the electronic function of the door. There is also a mechanical lock, just like you would have on your door at home, that if I dead bolted that door, it would be completely impenetrable.

LAH: We're cruising at 38,000 feet. Now the significance of that, when we talk about this flight is what?

RODGER: This was the altitude the Germanwings leveled off at before starting its descent down into the alps.

LAH: And the theory is then that he set it to approximately --

RODGER: Right. So what we're hearing is and what's been reported is that the co-pilot set an altitude below the altitude of the terrain, which is 100 feet here, and initiated a decent. Now we're not sure how he did that. But one way is the normal way would be like pulling the button there on the mode control panel and then the airplane would start descending.

We can see the engines are starting to come back to idle, our descent has started down here. And this is a normal descent. Passengers would not feel a thing.

LAH: It's very gradual and easy as a pilot to do this.

RODGER: It is. It is. You know, in normal situations, we always verify the altitude between the pilot before we touch -- this is a very critical knob for us. Any time we change altitudes, we have to make sure we're doing the right altitude because we don't want to hit other airplanes, we verify that between pilots before we even manipulate this knob.

LAH: How deliberate an act is that to put it to 100 above the alps?

RODGER: Well, that would be a very deliberate act. Obviously right now if I did nothing, if I didn't change anything, this airplane would just descend right into the mountains, which Germanwings did. So he -- if he did set it this way, again, I said there were several ways to descend the airplane.

Another way would be just to disconnect the autopilot. And push down on the stick. As I'm doing now. And we'll get a descent. I'm off autopilot. There are no alarms or no buzzers because I have an altitude set below my cruising altitude.

LAH: And this is as for you as a pilot unthinkable?

RODGER: Completely. I mean, we're here to save the day, so to speak. We're here to protect our passengers, our crew members, the airplane. And we would never consider something like this.

LAH: Pilot Buck Rodger, who is currently a commercial airline pilot, thank you for your time.

Back to you, Fredricka.

RODGER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kyung Lah, thank you so much.

All right. More demonstrations are set for today in Indianapolis. Protesters speaking out against a religious freedom bill signed into law this week. Many say the law's true purpose is to make it easier to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people. Overnight, basketball legend Charles Barkley weighed in, saying, quote, "Discrimination in any form is unacceptable to me. As long as anti-gay legislation exists in any state, I strongly believe big events such as the final four and Super Bowl should not be held in those states' cities," end quote.

So CNN's Shasta Darlington joining me right now with more on this.

So that's a pretty strong statement from Charles Barkley. Criticism is coming from who else?

[13:20:07] SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're hearing criticism from all sides, from businesses, from politicians, from movie stars. This bill was passed on Thursday, but because of its divisiveness and the national implications, the controversy is just growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Opponents shout out their frustration. Supporters applaud. As Indiana Governor Mike Pence signs into law a measure that critics say will allow businesses to turn away gay and lesbian customers. And the governor says will uphold religious freedom.

GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: This bill is not about discrimination. And if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way, I would have vetoed it.

DARLINGTON: The new law says, in part, a state or local government action may not substantially burden a person's right to the exercise of religion. Other states have similar legislation, but legal experts say the Indiana law is one of the most sweeping, and has such broad language that private businesses could use it to turn away clients on religious grounds.

The backlash fast and furious. The NCAA, which is holding its men's basketball Final Four in Indianapolis next weekend, saying it's concerned about the impact on players and employees. And warns it's going to rethink future events.

Openly gay NBA player Jason Collins tweeted, "Is it going to be legal for someone to discriminate against me and others when we come to the Final Four?" CEOs from Apple to Yelp denounced the bill and said it could affect business.

Opponents of the law point to famous cases of bakeries that refused to make wedding cakes for gay couples and were found guilty of discrimination, saying now Indiana businesses could turn away gay customers on religious grounds. But the governor insists it couldn't be used that way.

PENCE: This legislation restricts government action. It doesn't apply to disputes between private parties, unless government action is involved.

DARLINGTON: Last year, Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a similar bill amid threats to boycott the Super Bowl being held there. Now reaction to the Indiana law could impact whether other states pass similar measures.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON: In fact, Arkansas also just passed a similar bill, so there are now 20 states with some form of religious freedom law on the books. And the backlash is growing. So as I mentioned, there are obviously athletes out there that we have been mentioning, businesses, politicians. And just now, Angie's List, which is based in Indianapolis, has come out saying they're going to cancel an expansion in Indianapolis as a result of this law.

So I do think we're going to see other states backing down and rethinking whether or not they're going to go forward with their own legislation -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right. Already the ripple effect.

All right, thanks so much, Shasta Darlington. All right. Still ahead, more on the crash of that Germanwings flight.

And next, as Arab leaders meet in Egypt on the future of Yemen, the battle for control of that country is escalating and it's getting even more deadly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:54] WHITFIELD: All right. Checking our top stories.

There's a new twist in the e-mail scandal surrounding former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. A Republican lawmaker who subpoenaed the e-mail says Clinton permanently deleted all the e-mails on the personal server that she used while in office.

Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina wants the messages as part of an investigation into the attacks at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Clinton's lawyer says she did keep copies of all work-related e-mails from that personal server.

And NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is now at the International Space Station, which will be his home for the next 342 days. That would be the longest stretch of time in space for any U.S. astronaut. His stay will allow scientists to study how the human body responds to long duration space flights. Back on earth, they'll also perform parallel studies on his twin brother, retired astronaut, Mark Kelly.

In Egypt, Arab leaders are meeting to discuss the crisis in Yemen. Yemen's president is also there rallying for support. Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabia-led campaign is bombarding Houthi rebel controlled parts of Yemen.

And that Saudi-led mission could turn into more than just airstrikes. The Yemen Foreign minter says it's very possible ground forces will be needed.

CNN's Becky Anderson is at the Arab League Summit in Egypt and joins us now with details.

And so those Yemeni leaders who were there in Sharm El-Sheikh, do they like the idea of possible ground troop involvement?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the point is for the Yemenis here is that they just want to get the country sorted out, which is at present effectively a failed state. The President Hadi has just now in the past hour or so left the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh where we are, where this meeting, this Arab League Summit, has been held, and he's gone back to Riyadh to sort of ring fencing in here -- there for security.

But when he was here, President Hadi not mincing his words when he spoke earlier, accusing Iran of pulling the strings to what he called their puppets in Yemen, saying that Tehran bears the responsibility for what has happened and what happens next in Yemen.

And the new Saudi king, King Solomon, was here. He said that sustained intervention by what he called foreigners on its country's southern border had left the Arab allies no choice but to intervene militarily. And he went on to say that this is the will of the Yemeni people. Well, many people may actually counter that with arguments that this isn't necessarily the will of the Yemeni people, it's the will of those that support Hadi.

Anyway, what happens next really is the big question. As you rightly point out, talk here of a long, drawn-out conflict with the possibility of ground troops involved, which could be very messy. We have heard voices of dissent here, as well. It has to be said, Iraq saying accusations that Iran is influencing things behind the scenes across the region is nonsense.

And Iraq also saying that these Saudi-led operation in Yemen was a hasty decision and it has to be said, I've heard this behind closed doors from others here, concerned about what one person described to me as an impatient Riyadh with their decision to act, some people believing opening the doors for a potentially messy sectarian conflict.

[13:30:21] And Fredricka, given what's going on with the talks with Iran in Lausanne with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry trying to bring Iran back in from the cold at the moment, I think, you know, what guess on in Yemen at the moment doesn't stay in Yemen. And really watch the space for development at this point -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Becky Anderson, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, could be some time before the remains of the Germanwings crash victims are recovered.

CNN's Karl Penhaul will show us how difficult it is to get to that crash site.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Recovery crews face a daunting task as they try to find the remains of the victims of that Germanwings crash. The mountainous terrain is steep and its treacherous. And there are no roads to access the area. And there are two ways to get to the crash site, either by helicopter or by foot.

CNN's Karl Penhaul shows us just how difficult it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Swinging on a wire, they recover the remains. Hundreds of feet below emergency crews cling to the mountainside just so that they don't fall. Investigators say the speed of the crash pulverized plane and passengers. The recovery operation, they say, is bit by bit, bag by bag.

You can just pick out small red flags rescuers dig into the earth when they discover new fragments. And that looks like a scorch mark. [13:35:04] The French prosecutor said the plane hit the mountain,

bounced off, and then disintegrated. It's a tough hike through rugged mountains and steep valleys.

(On camera): It's still a little while before dawn, but we're going toward a trail here.

(Voice-over): In order to understand why some rescuers describe this as their biggest ever challenge, we tried to get closer to the crash zone.

(On camera): There was a bit little of frost this morning, now the sun's coming down, certainly no sign of snow just yet.

(Voice-over): Few people except shepherds live up here. Conditions are too inhospitable.

(On camera): Getting up here is literally hanging onto tree roots, and see if we are going to have to fly anything out of that crash site by helicopter.

(Voice-over): The whir of rotor blades helps us pinpoint the site. From our vantage point we see forensic teams working with expert mountaineers to keep them safe. High winds make flying treacherous. Saying farewell is never easy, but perhaps those grieving could find a little consolation amid these crags, piece of the running water, piece of snowcapped peaks, peace to loved ones lost.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, the French Alps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. That's Karl Penhaul reporting.

So let's take a closer look at the recovery of that other black box. With me again is Dr. Mitchell Garber, he is a former NTSB medical officer and senior managing consultant for engineering consulting firm, ESI.

So we know that the voice recorder, that black box, was already recovered. That's how we were able to hear about the captain who was banging on, you know, the door and that the co-pilot, there was silence with the descent of that plane. But now we're talking about the flight data recorder.

When we talk about and we've had you here talking about the Malaysian Air flight, you know, and we talk about how there is a pinger that searchers will rely on when that black box hits water, we don't have that in this case, no pinger. It is orange. But how will they go about trying to find this flight data recorder?

DR. MITCHELL GARBER, FORMER NTSB MEDICAL OFFICER: So it really is going to be a matter of examining the wreckage. They've got a pretty good idea of the wreckage, the debris trail, where it goes, where it's going to be. But this is very difficult terrain. There are all sorts of nooks, crannies, areas that are going to be very difficult to get to. It may take them some time to find that.

WHITFIELD: So mostly sight then.

GARBER: It will be. And I suspect -- I suspect that they will find it. But I suspect it's going to be a chore. They're going to have to do a lot of work in there. As they're going through, obviously, recovering remains, that's one of the things they're going to be looking for. And they're going to have a lot of work to do over the next days, weeks, possibly even months before they can be sure that they're going to recover that.

WHITFIELD: And once they locate it, what is the information that they need on there to help better, you know, piece together what happened here? Is there anything?

GARBER: Well, I think again, we're -- from what we're hearing, at least thus far, they've got a pretty good idea of what the issues are. In fact, they've already declared this basically a criminal investigation. So they're looking at details that may help them perhaps prevent this in the future. In other words, what kinds of things were being used in the cockpit, what were the positions of the switches, are there things that can be done to make those switches a little bit harder to operate under these types of circumstances, or even recover the plane itself under these type of circumstances.

WHITFIELD: So even though investigators are saying very definitively that this was a deliberate act by this co-pilot, and it wasn't a mechanical failure, it wasn't a lack of experience or, you know, poor use of this jet, will there still be a concern about piecing together, you know, this fuselage like you always see in most, you know, crashes, just to at least rule out, cancel out definitively, there was nothing wrong with this plane, and let's go back to, you know, what we believe the cause to be. That this is a deliberate act and the intent of this co-pilot.

GARBER: I honestly think that there won't be as much concentration on the wreckage here. I think the flight data recorder certainly will want to take a look at the cockpit voice recorder, obviously giving critical information. The wreckage itself, there will be an attempt to certainly get the remains of the victims and return those to their families to the extent possible. But I think that this will not be a case --

WHITFIELD: What will they do with all the debris then when they collect it?

GARBER: At least in the United States, it goes back to the owner which would be the airline. I don't know exactly how that's happened in other states, in other nations. But again, typically it would return back to whoever owned the actual fuselage in the first place.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Thanks so much. Mitch Garber, appreciate it.

GARBER: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, at the negotiation

table over Iran's nuclear program. They are reaching a critical point now, and time is running out to reach a deal. We'll go live to Switzerland.

[13:40:03]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Nuclear talks with Iran are reaching a critical point, just three days now before the deadline. The negotiations are being held just north of Geneva.

Let's go live now to CNN global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, who is at the talks in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Any indicators of any progress?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Fred, there was a lot of optimism when the talks started on Thursday that they could reach a kind of outline or framework deal by the deadlines on Tuesday. But the talks have hit a snag. I understand from diplomats here that Iran is really playing hardball about two specific key items. Namely the sanctions. Iran wants to get them lifted day one as soon as this agreement goes into effect.

And the international community is like, wait a minute, you know, you need to make -- we need to make sure you're complying with the deal. And then they would start to phase those sanctions out.

I also understand the other holdup, sticking point, is about the research and development program that Iran wants to maintain, continuing to research and produce dangerous and advanced nuclear technology while this deal is in effect. And the international community wants to put more curbs on that.

So those are the two sticking points. Iranian Foreign minister says that they've made a decision that they want an agreement, but they are holding firm on these two issues -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And are they holding firm on Tuesday being the deadline?

[13:45:02] LABOTT: Well, I think if they want -- if the parties need to go a couple of, you know, day or two, if they think that an agreement is at hand, that wouldn't be a problem. But, you know, both in Iran and the United States have seen March 31st as a critical deadline. Iran wants to show its people that there is a path forward to get those sanctions lifted. And for the Obama administration and the U.S., they want to prevent Congress from imposing anymore sanctions in April. So they see that as a kind of critical milestone.

I think there is really a desire to get an agreement on all sides. But what diplomats are saying is Iran really has to make some very tough decisions about whether it wants an agreement at all -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elise Labott, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

An Italian court finally ends the legal drama for Amanda Knox.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KNOX, CLEARED OF ROOMMATE'S MURDER: I -- you saved my life. And I'm so grateful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More of Knox's tearful reaction to the final ruling in her murder case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to church tradition, 300 years after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, Empress Helen, arrives in Jerusalem.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is arguably one of the most revered women of antiquity and of all time.

[13:50:04] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has come to lead a dramatic excavation on the site of Christ's crucifixion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has been called the first archeologist. She is said to have personally discovered the most sacred symbol in Christianity, the true cross, the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Watch our series "FINDING JESUS" tomorrow night 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right. Let's check our top stories right now. The weather has improved, but treacherous terrain continues to impact the recovery efforts. Searchers are being helicoptered in and often connected by rope as they search. Officials say recovery of the victims' remains could take weeks.

And Indiana lawmakers are facing criticism for a religious freedom law, which some say makes it easier to discriminate. The law lets business owners who oppose homosexuality for religious reasons turn away gay, lesbian, and transgender customers. Governor Mike Pence insists the law is not discriminatory.

And a school bus carrying middle school students explodes in Orange County, California Friday. Remarkably no one was seriously injured and the bus driver is hailed as a hero for helping all 35 students get out safely. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

And Amanda Knox says she is glad to have her life back now that her eight-year legal battle is over. The Supreme Court overturned her murder conviction clearing her in the death of her college roommate. Initially Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of murdering the British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. They served four years in Italian prisons before an appeals court overturned the convictions for the lack of evidence and then set them free, and then Knox returned home to Seattle.

But then two years later, they were retried and found guilty in absentia. Knox was facing 28 and a half years behind bars. She says she is relieved the Italian high court overturned that conviction.

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KNOX: I just wanted to say that I'm incredibly grateful for what has happened for the justice I've received, for the support that I've had from everyone, from my family, from my friends, to strangers, to people like you, I -- it -- you saved my life, and I'm so grateful, and I -- I'm so grateful to have my life back. Thank you.

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WHITFIELD: Knox's former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito was also cleared Friday night.

A commuter on a St. Louis train takes a beating for refusing to answer another passenger's question.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

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WHITFIELD: Nick Valencia tells us why things got so heated.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, Fred. A white man on his way home in St. Louis on the train reportedly attacked over Mike Brown.

I'm Nick Valencia in Atlanta. We'll have the details in the investigation and that case right after the break. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[13:57:14] WHITFIELD: A shocking video surfaces from St. Louis revealing an attack on a commuter train.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

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WHITFIELD: Police say an African-American man started throwing punches at a white man when he refused to talk about the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson.

Our Nick Valencia joins us now with much more on this. What more do we know?

VALENCIA: So this all started when one of the suspects asked to borrow the victim's phone, then the conversation quickly turned to Mike Brown and then it escalated into violence. Adding insult to injury, according to the victim is that train was full and no one stepped in to help.

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VALENCIA (voice-over): Ambushed on the metro, cell phone video catches this assault on a 43-year-old white man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever I got punched in the face, my glasses came down and split the skin here between the bridge -- the bridge of my nose.

VALENCIA: The victim who has asked that his name not be used for safety reasons says what hurts him the most is that of all the people who witnessed the attack, no one stopped to help.

According to the police report, the assault began around 10:00 p.m. Monday night when one of the suspects asked to use the victim's phone. When the victim refused --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked me my opinion on the Michael Brown thing, and I respond, I was too tired to think about it right now, and he stood up and next thing I know he sucker punches me right in the middle of my face.

VALENCIA: The attacker punched him at least a dozen times before exiting the train with two others. Police are looking for the three men described to be in their early 20s.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Metro Link is safe.

VALENCIA: Metro Link tells CNN affiliate KMOV that it spends at least $10 million a year for off-duty officers and security.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're doing in response is talking to St. Louis City, our partner in the city, about how they can increase their patrols and increase their protection of our system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was disgusting that no one -- that people were sort of just laughing and smiling about it. No one offered to help.

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VALENCIA: Those three suspects are still on the loose. As for the victim he suffered only some superficial injuries and was not hospitalized. He says, though, out of fear for his safety, that he's going to stop riding the train a little while -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Sad situation. All right. Thank you so much. Nick Valencia, appreciate it.

VALENCIA: You bet. You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. So much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.

Happening right now in the NEWSROOM, new details emerging about the Germanwings co-pilot and claims that he was suffering from vision problems. This as his ex-girlfriend tells a German tabloid that he was paranoid about losing his job.

Plus time is ticking closer for the deadline for the Iranian nuclear talks. Now one side says progress is being made.

[14:00:01] NEWSROOM starts now.