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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Investigation Intensifying As Crews Search For More Wreckage In Indian Ocean; Plane Debris To Arrive In France; New Cincinnati Police Body Camera Video Released. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired July 31, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:31:00] MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning, new evidence that missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 was deliberately steered off course before crashing. The investigation intensifying as crews search for more wreckage in the Indian Ocean. Does the plane debris belong to MH-370?

Live team coverage breaking it all down begins right now. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Miguel Marquez.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: I'm Alison Kosik. It's about a half past the hour. Breaking news this morning, in search for missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370, a preliminary assessment by U.S. intelligence finding that someone controlling the plane deliberately flew it off course before it disappeared.

Two U.S. officials briefed on the assessment say it was prepared months ago and was not intended for public release. This new analysis puts the spotlight back on the two pilots, but Malaysian investigators say there is no evidence of unusual behavior by the pilots or the cabin crew before the flights.

Meantime, on Reunion Island, in the Western Indian Ocean, new debris has washed ashore in addition to the wing component found earlier. Remnants of what looks like a suitcase were found Thursday and searchers are out scouring the shoreline for more.

Senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, is on Reunion Island with the latest. Nima, do you know how soon it will be as far as when this part of this plane will be on its way to be analyzed further?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is, of course, the key question we keep hearing different timelines. The sense we are getting from anyone is -- from everyone here, though, is that they are very aware of the urgency.

This is about the practicality. Reunion is a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. It's got less than a million people. The infrastructure isn't really capable of playing host to these kinds of efforts.

So trying to get this to the south of France, but obviously get it in a fashion to get as much from it as they need to trying to preserve the barnacles and the sea life that's grown to allow them to investigate in a way that will give them what they need to know about where this was and what kind of water it was in and how long it was in the water.

All of this is really important to try to preserve. Further complicating it is two cyclone warnings and beginnings of a volcanic eruption. The slopes of the crater have been evacuated. The authorities here are very concerned about trying to get as many people so safety as possible.

So this is not the ideal circumstance for this, Alison, but everyone is aware about the burden of responsibility in terms of trying to get these questions answered for the families as soon as they can -- Alison.

KOSIK: Now we haven't seen these pictures of this plane part sitting on grass, but I understand it was actually moved from the spot where it washed ashore. Can you tell us more about that?

ELBAGIR: Yes, it washed up on the pebbled beach, but it was at the time when the clean-up crews were working their morning shift. Unfortunately, one of the crews got it, moved it along that beach, and scraped some of that barnacle growth from it.

It was because one of the crew coordinators suddenly looked at it and thought, my gosh, this is something important. He got closer and he thought this looks like a plane part. If it is a plane part, it means this could be part of the crash and that means the people died here.

We need to try and handle this with as much respect as we can and sensitively as we can. It is because of him that investigators will move quickly and because of him as much of the evidence has been preserved really is making its way to the investigators. We will try to get confirmation when it will in Taluz. We're hoping it will be soon -- Alison.

[05:35:01] KOSIK: A very quick question for you. How often do the cleaning crews go up and down the beach? Could that plane part have been sitting there longer than they thought or are they there every few hours cleaning the beach?

ELBAGIR: They are there every morning and kind of time with the tide bringing in debris and washing things up on that shore. The understanding is that, no, they got there as quickly as they could. They are back there today. Many of them volunteering to try to look and look and see if anything else, including Johnny, volunteering to see if anything else has washed up -- Alison.

KOSIK: All right, Nima Elbagir, from Reunion Island. Thanks for that.

MARQUEZ: This morning, the airplane flaperon found on the shore of Reunion Island now on the flight to the office of the BEA. That's the agency charged with investigating civil aviation accidents. They are looking for anything that confirmed the component came from MH-370 and anything that might help find the rest of the plane. For more, let's bring in senior international correspondent, Frederik Pleitgen. He is live in France. The world waits for whatever those investigators there can tell us -- Fred.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The investigators here down in the south of France, Miguel, are waiting for that plane parts to arrive. As Nima was just saying, we are expecting the plane parts to depart Reunion Island in a couple of hours. The flight to Paris will be about 11 hours.

It will arrive here Saturday, Central European Time, and then at some point, it's going to be brought from Paris down to the south of France to the lab from an agency called the DGA. It is an agency of the French Defense Ministry so a military agency.

But it is also one of the premier laboratories in all of Europe for the analysis of plane crashes. What they do here is they have some of the most sophisticated equipment available. They say they will conduct analysis of the metal of that part.

Of course, also to try to find out if it is from a 777 and if it was from that 777 and how long it was in the water. Also, what might have caused the plane to crash?

Was it some explosion in the air or was it something that the part broke apart on impact. A lot of things that the investigators here want to find out, they are waiting for the part to come in. Interestingly enough, Miguel, that suitcase also found will be brought to France. That will be analyzed outside of Paris -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Frederik Pleitgen for us on the global effort to resolve this mystery. Thank you very much, Fred.

KOSIK: This morning, the families of 239 passengers and crew on MH- 370 are reacting with caution and skepticism to officials who say they are increasingly confident that the flaperon is indeed from the missing jet. After having hopes raised and dashed, some say they want 100 percent certainty the part came from MH-370.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, we lived for 16 months in the state of limbo with absolutely no concrete information and in fact a lot of misdirection by the officials. We have become very suspicious of anything that can't be proven through a third party.

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KOSIK: Let's bring in CNN's Kristi Lu Stout for more on the reaction from MH-370 families. Good morning, Kristi. I'm thinking this must be agonizing for these families on so many levels.

KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Alison. It has been a long and agonizing week for the family members of the passengers on board missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. You can just imagine what they are going through right now watching this incredible footage from Reunion Island.

Seeing this piece of suspected debris wash ashore half a world away and wondering, is this going to be finally the piece of physical evidence they have been waiting for, for over 16 months now, proof of the plane that have vanished in March of 2014 with their loved ones on board.

They have been waiting for over 500 days for any definitive answer to what happened to that plane. According to Malaysian authorities here, they are going to have to wait a few days more.

This is the front page of today's "Malaysian Star" newspaper. The cover says "Mh-370, answer in two days." That's what we are hearing from the Ministry of Transport. That's what we are hearing from the prime minister of Malaysia.

That it will take up to two days for Malaysian authorities along with French authorities to be able to examine that piece of suspected wreckage and figure out whether or not the origins do in fact date back and go back to MH-370.

In the meantime, we are hearing from the families of the passengers. The Malaysian families who were able to speak to an 18-year-old girl and she was the daughter of the chief steward of the plane. Her name is Marra Elizabeth Nori.

She was a bit shy about appearing on camera so issued a statement and she said this to us. Quote, "Honestly, we are nervous. We feel restless.

[05:40:02] Part of us wants it to be true, but another part of us doesn't want it to be true. We are not sure what to say about it. Right now, we are waiting for the result to come in. Last, but not least, we are tired with all of this already."

That's coming from Marra. She is just 18 years old. She is a student at a university here. She turns 19 next month, having to deal with so much loss and so much uncertainty, and agonizing wait for so long. She also told us that whatever answers do come out, she is willing to accept it. Back to you, Alison.

KOSIK: My heart goes out to those families. Kristi Lu Stout, thanks for that. We will continue to cover the latest on the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 all morning long.

MARQUEZ: But first, the police officer accused of murder during a traffic stop. New video released in that case coming right up.

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KOSIK: A former University of Cincinnati police officer released from jail after posting bond. Ray Tensing spending 27 hours behind bars under suicide watch before his father bailed him out. He is facing murder charges for shooting a black motorist in the head during a traffic stop earlier this month. Tensing claimed he fired at Samuel DuBose after getting knocked to the ground and dragged by his car. But this new video from Tensing's body camera contradicts that story. Listen to Tensing now just seconds after the shooting giving his version of what happened.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy was going to run me over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess. Holy (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gunshot wound to the head.

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[05:45:07] KOSIK: For more on the video evidence in this case and reaction from DuBose's family, here is CNN's Jason Carroll.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel, Alison, to date, three body cam videos have been released. None of them appear to show Tensing being dragged by DuBose's car. Even so, Tensing's attorney says one of the body cam videos is significant.

It shows Tensing on the ground. Tensing's attorney says that is evidence enough that something has happened, but DuBose's family could not disagree more. They say what they see on those tapes is very clear to them.

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TERINA DUBOSE ALLEN, SAM DUBOSE'S SISTER: At camera angle, it shows him not putting his hands up and saying, what are you doing? I would ask his attorney to go get those angles, and show me the angles that show where my brother did not basically beg for his life and put his hands up. Where he ever dragged a police officer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can tell he was moved at least 20 to 25 feet from the scene of the traffic stop and he is getting up from the street. That tends to corroborate what happened. He was getting dragged.

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CARROLL: Tensing's bail set at $1 million. Late Thursday he was out on bond. DuBose's family says that any of the University of Cincinnati police officers who corroborated his story should also be held accountable. I can tell you that two University of Cincinnati police officers are now on administrative leave pending an outcome of an investigation -- Miguel, Alison.

MARQUEZ: Thanks to Jason Carroll. Zimbabwe wants to extradite the Minnesota dentist. This is breaking news. The man who killed Cecil the lion, Zimbabwe's environmental minister called Dentist Walter Palmer's killing of the legendary lion a well-orchestrated and researched poaching. He said he hopes U.S. authorities cooperate with the extradition request. Palmer said he relied on his guides to set up a legal hunt.

KOSIK: Plane debris found in the Indian Ocean being examined by experts. Does it belong to missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370? The clues on the wreckage next.

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[05:51:06]

MARQUEZ: The discovery of possible debris from MH-370 prompting many questions. The chief among them what exactly is the flaperon that washed up and can it help solve the mystery of what happened to the jetliner? CNN's Nick Valencia takes a closer look with an aviation expert.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel and Alison, this is Universal Asset Management. They know a lot about aviation and the Boeing 777. The expert joining us here now is Senior Vice President Michael Kinney. We've heard a lot about the flaperon? What is it? What does it do? Where is it on the plane?

MICHAEL KINNEY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, UNIVERSAL ASSET MANAGEMENT: The flaperon is located between these two larger structures. These are called the flaps. The flaperon is a flight surface that controls lift at low speeds as well as maneuverability of the aircraft.

VALENCIA: We brought one down for a closer look. This would be on a 777. This is a data plate gives information specifically about where could this piece could have come from but it's gone? Where could it have gone?

KINNEY: Any component is going to have a data plate that identifies part number and serial number. It is held on by an adhesive. So overtime if it sat in a substance such as water, it could wear away and remove from the component.

VALENCIA: You've been following this since from the very beginning, you saw something that stood out to you about the damage. What is this on this side of the flaperon?

KINNEY: Yes, the component is held on to the aircraft by two actuators or linkages. On the pictures from Reunion, both of the links have been removed. These mounting points have been forcibly removed and the aft section of the component, there is a lot of tearing where that piece would have been removed.

VALENCIA: Again, this is a replica. This is something that washed up on the coast of Madagascar that could provide investigators a link to what happened to MH-370 -- Miguel, Alison.

KOSIK: Oil prices plunging. That's great at the gas pump, brutal for energy jobs. The latest cost of tumbling oil next.

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KOSIK: Let's get an EARLY START on your money. I'm Alison Kosik. Looks like investors could get a bit of calm today to end the week. China stocks down 1 percent. They had their worst month in six years looking a bit less frenzy today, though. European stocks are up. U.S. stock futures are barely moving so far.

Yesterday, America has got good, but not great sign the economy is picking up momentum. GDP grew 2.3 percent in the second quarter. Wall Street was expecting a bit higher, but it was a huge improvement from the growth we saw at the beginning of the year.

Oil prices falling this morning, down more than 1 percent at the moment. Prices were relatively steady for a few months, but then in July, oil prices tanked 20 percent. Energy companies are once again slashing jobs. Shell plans to cut 6,500 and Chevron cutting 1,500 jobs, and British firm, Centrica will shed 6,000 jobs.

Google to begin measuring pollution data, a San Francisco startup has equipped Google Street view cars with sensors to monitor temperatures and humidity, and emission. So when the car is drive to collect data for Google Maps, they will also be able to map air quality.

Google will start in San Francisco first. The Environmental Protection Agency calls this a next step for science. Google is doing well for the environment.

MARQUEZ: So when you are stuck in traffic, you know you are breathing fumes.

New clues that plane debris found in the Indian Ocean could be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. And "NEW DAY" starts right now.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: American intelligence suggests someone veered MH-370 off course.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most likely theory is intentional interference by the pilot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Reunion Island, new debris has washed ashore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the part real evidence that there is a possibility that a part of the aircraft may have been found.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Until we have a body, we can't give up hoping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One week before the first Republican presidential debate. Trump is still making waves.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They debate all over the place and nothing happens, politicians all talk, no action. Our country's going to hell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chilling moment a gunman opened fire in a Louisiana theater.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot at people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need everybody over here. Send anybody you got.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Friday, July 31st, 6:00 in the east. Chris Cuomo is on assignment for us. John Berman is here. It's great to have you here.

We do begin with breaking news this morning because officials say that they are increasingly confident that the plane debris near Madagascar is from Malaysia Airline 370. The piece of the wing recovered heads to France today for crash investigators to analyze and make a definitive identification.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: More than 16 months since MH-370 vanished, we still do not know why. The U.S. intelligence reports say it is likely someone in the cockpit caused deliberately to go off course. We have the story covered from every angle the way CNN can.

Let's bring in our global coverage with senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, live on Reunion Island -- Nima.

ELBAGIR: Good morning, Michaela. It does feel like, for the families, at least, there is a glimmer of hope. We headed down to the beach where new debris has been turning up. Take a look at this.