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New Clues in EgyptAir Investigation; Profiling Some EgyptAir Crash Victims; Update on White House Shooting Incident; Trump Receives NRA Endorsement; Forensics Lab Searches for Answers in EgyptAir Crash; Trump Vets Potential Running Mates; Another Tragedy for Egypt. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired May 21, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:08]

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NATALIE ALLEN, HOST: After debris from the missing Egyptian airliner is found in the Mediterranean, the grief and the mystery deepen. We'll bring you expert opinion on what could have triggered two smoke alerts on board Flight 804 moment before it crashed.

Also ahead here, Donald Trump wins the support of the National Rifle Association while Hillary Clinton loses her patience with Trump over his claim she wants to banish the right to bear arms.

It's all ahead here on "CNN Newsroom."

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ALLEN: Hello to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, we're live in Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.

Investigators are working with some new clues about what may have happened in the downing of the EgyptAir flight.

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ALLEN: Data shows that automated smoke alerts went off near the jet's cockpit and in the bathroom just minutes before it dropped off the radar. Aviation experts say the alerts do not necessarily mean that there was a fire.

Greek and Egyptian officials say search crews have found debris, luggage and human remains in the Mediterranean about 290 kilometers north of Egypt's coast. Let's bring in Arwa Damon who joins us now from Cairo International Airport.

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ALLEN: She's looking into many of the aspects that are going on there in terms of the search and rescue and the investigation. Hi there, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Natalie. And all of these new details that are emerging about these various smoke alerts that went off are really to a certain degree just adding to the mystery and speculation surrounding the circumstances that may have brought this plane down. They really don't offer a lot of clarity as to whether or not it was terrorism or some sort of technical malfunction.

Because as a plane is coming apart according to some analysts it can end up sending off all of these various types of alerts.

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DAMON: The plane's systems go into haywire to give that kind of an example as it does fall apart which does seem to be the case as this particular aircraft went tumbling into the sea. They have managed to sadly recover some more body parts as well as some more luggage and other portions of the plane. But the actually body, the bulk of the plane itself, that critical black box that would be providing investigators with crucial information, no one knows at this stage exactly where that wreckage is.

What we do have at this point in time is a better idea of where it may be located. This has been an unspeakably difficult time for the families of course not only having to cope with this sheer scope of their emotions in the face of a tragic loss but also with the frustration of not knowing what happened and not necessarily having closure.

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DAMON: Some families, in fact, did not attend some of the memorial prayers that were happening in Egypt yesterday simply because they didn't want to pray for the dead.

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DAMON: They wanted to be able to keep clinging to that hope that just maybe their loved ones are still alive, Natalie.

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ALLEN: Yes, and Egypt, of course, will be spearheading the investigation and what do we know about Egypt Airlines as far as the safety record?

DAMON: Well, look, the airline itself has had something of a checkered past but it has all things considered -- it's not considered to be one of the more sketchy airlines that are out there.

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DAMON: It does have a fairly you know decent record but instances and incidents do happen. This is something that you know Egypt has come under quite a bit of scrutiny for not necessary Egypt Airlines directly per se but Egypt as a nation. Because it was a plane that took off from the country's Sharm el Sheikh airport, that Russian budget airliner, MetroJet Airlines that came down over the Sinai when ISIS claimed responsibility for a small bomb they managed to sneak on board.

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DAMON: It was also on an Egyptian airline flight that had taken off from Cairo going to Alexandria where a mentally disturbed man also pulled out what he claimed to initially be a suicide belt forcing that plane to divert to Cypress and that caused quite a safety incident. That ended up without casualties and a fairly peaceful sort of resolution. But this whole affair is bringing Egypt and airlines going back and forth from Egypt under a certain level of scrutiny although not Egyptian Airlines themselves per se.

That being said, Natalie, the crew colleagues, colleagues of the crew members as well as family members of the crew who died in the flight have been fairly frustrated by the fact that they feel as if Egypt Airlines and Egypt as a country are being unfairly blamed in this particular instance for this particular aircraft going down.

[03:05:10]

ALLEN: Well, that's a sad part of the story then for sure. Arwa Damon, for us live in Cairo, thank you, Arwa.

Experts speculating that the flight may have been tampered with before taking off from Paris. But that leaves a number of possibilities as to where that could have happened. According to flight tracking data the plane stopped in Cairo, Tunisia and Eritrea on Wednesday.

Geoffrey Thomas is Managing Director at AirlinesRatings.com he joins us again from Australia. And Geoffrey, what about all of those stops? Can a bomb be placed on an airport and detonate hours and hours later?

GEOFFREY THOMAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AIRLINERATING.COM: Look indeed, Natalie. This is -- if it turns out to be a bomb and we don't know that yet.

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THOMAS: We're simply looking at the level of security at airports which is a very, very valid thing to do because as was mentioned just a few minutes ago, a small bomb was smuggled on that MetroJet aircraft in October last year which killed 224 people.

Now Cairo has tightened up security. But as was - (inaudible) a person got on board with a fake explosive belt even though he was frisked. So you have to ask your question about the level of security and how seriously they take it given the evidence that we saw. But when we talk about this particular flight, as you suggest it took off at first flight of the day was from Asmara in Eritrea, to Cairo, then two flights to Tunis in Tunisia before heading off to Paris.

Now the issue with Asmara is that there is serious question marks about inexperienced security staff and unpredictable security outcomes that's a report by the U.S. government to their diplomats. And with Tunis, as we know last year, there was the tragic massacre of 31 Britons and the British government is warning Britons that Tunisia in their view, is the most dangerous country in the Middle East to travel to.

So there are serious question marks about some of the airports this airplane visited and it would be very easy particularly with inside help to smuggle something on board a timer for 12 hours, 18 hours and walk away.

So if it does turn out to be a bomb, then there's going to be some very serious head scratching about this and what can be done to tighten up security at some of these regional and smaller airports that feed into the major hubs.

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ALLEN: And as far as, let's say Charles de Gaulle which we know stepped up security in the wake of the Paris attacks, what might they be doing to help security airplanes in between flights when they're on the ground there? And where, perhaps, would someone try and hide a bomb on an airplane if places like Charles de Gaulle are walking through the plane and doing checks of it to see if anything has been tampers with?

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THOMAS: Well, securing all the aircraft at Charles de Gaulle overnight would be a very difficult thing to do. It would require a lot of resources and of course, you know, there's about 15, 16,000 commercial airliners flying the world today. So if we're going to be securing aircraft overnight it's going to require a lot of personnel. So that's a big question mark about what actually can be done.

But as far as, I mean there, are literally hundreds of people that work in and around airplanes, all sorts of trades and disciplines are required to service and maintain aircraft. And so it's a very difficult thing to do to safeguard them in that respect.

As far as hiding an explosive device, there are lots of places, I mean, one of the ideal ones if you like and I hate to use that word is the electronics bay which is access either through the cockpit or just behind the cockpit typically. And there are other locations in cargo holds. There are all sorts of places where an explosive device could be placed on an aircraft to be detonated at a later time. So it's a -- it's a very troubling pea shoot, very complex and really quite daunting for security authorities.

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ALLEN: And we know that that avionics bay on this airplane was -- there was an indication of some smoke in that area as well as other areas near the cockpit. So much to look at. Thank you Geoffrey Thomas for us once again.

THOMAS: Pleasure, Natalie.

[03:10:08]

ALLEN: Well, weather conditions have cooperated so far with the massive search and rescue operation. But that could change. To learn more about that and what these rescuers are up against as far as the Mediterranean Sea here's Derek Van Dam.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Natalie, it's been clear for the most part leading up to this moment in time as dawn breaks over the eastern half of the Mediterranean. Now we are starting to see cloud cover shift in and this in advance of an approaching cold front that's going to change the weather in the ways that I'll tell you just now.

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VAN DAM: I've highlighted the region that the search operation is ongoing with. Here's the cold front. This is the area of high pressure that's brought the clear conditions so far. But this cold cover approaches, look at the cloud cover increasing. It's not rainfall that I'm concerned about it's the amount of wind that will pick up behind this front and that will obviously have an impact on the ocean swells.

It is possible that we experience swells on the eastern Mediterranean in the line of 1 to perhaps upwards of 3 meters, even perhaps locally higher. So that's obviously going to hinder the search and rescue operations that are ongoing across this area.

And look at the winds coming out of the northwest especially towards early Monday morning and into the day on Tuesday. They could easily gust over 50 to 60 kilometers an hour. You can imagine what that means for helicopters even aircraft searching the region let alone the ships and vessels across this particular part of the Med.

Now, take a look at the ocean currents. This is also a factor that's been impacting well what is the potential debris field across this area? We have ocean currents that - these are also known as eddies, little circulation patterns that are present across all oceans of the world. And this has already been determined at least this potential oil slick that has been picked up by a satellite overhead. You can see that very narrow black spot on the T.V. screen behind me. And that is about 40 kilometers away from the last known radar position. That last moment in time that they had communication with the downed airplane.

Now this is interesting because as they scour the ocean bed floor as we take you underneath the surface of the water you can see that it's relatively flat. Now when we compare that to perhaps MH370 a few years back, the Indian Ocean, had many mountains, many crevasses that could easily hide a plane's wreckage. But with this particular situation we have a relatively flat seabed so that could help in the search for the all important black box that contains so much important information.

By the way the depth in the eastern Mediterranean also known as (inaudible) sea basin, roughly 2500 meters deep. And because this is still a search and rescue operation the potential for survivors are there. So we have to take into consideration the water temperatures right now Natalie, between 19 and 22 degrees. But time is ticking very quickly because as you see on this graph, the expected survival rate of a fit, young, healthy individual is around 40 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: Yes, not looking good. All right, Derek. Thanks.

Nieces, nephews and a man nearing his wedding day, in fact the co- pilot, just a few of the people who died on board the EgyptAir plane. Now we're hearing from some of their families who are struggling with their losses.

Here's CNN's Miguel Marquez.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The crushing reality setting in; their loved ones, gone.

MOHAMED RAMY, FAMILY MEMBER OF VICTIM: (As translated) We were at a press conference he said, they said nothing. Some people just collapsed then left.

MARQUEZ: At Cairo's Al-Sadiq Mosque, a special Friday prayer for the victims of Flight 804, a painful gathering of friends and family. Devastated, an uncle of the plane's co-pilot, Mohamed Mamdouh Assam.

YASSER ABDEL GHAFFAR, UNCLE OF CO-PILOT: He was about to get married. He was really, really in a relationship. And he just introduced me to his -- sorry.

MARQUEZ: Ten crew members, 56 passengers, two of them infants all looking forward to reunions and new adventures in a disorienting turn, today their loved ones in shock, inconsolable. (Marah Hamdi) was a Canadian living in Cairo, mother of three, the school her kids attended posted this on Facebook. "She was a devoted and loving mother always there to offer a helping hand with a pure smile."

Richard Osman, a geologist from Wales working in Egypt. The 40 year old leaves behind two infant daughters.

ALISTAIR OSMAN, BROTHER OF VICTIM: He was just you know, a very admirable person and I think a lot of people admired him for his strength and values.

MARQUEZ: (Pascal Hess), an independent photographer from France almost didn't make the flight. He lost his passport the week before the trip. He was 51 years old.

[03:15:03]

MARQUEZ: (Ahmed Hala) was headed to Egypt to visit his sick father. The 40-year-old director of a Proctor and Gamble facility in France was said to be always smiling. The family of Mirvat Zaki Mohamed, the head flight attendant on 804 says she was just starting a new life. "She was a newlywed who got married six or seven months ago" she says. "I asked God for the flight to be hijacked instead of what we've been told. We have hope."

With debris from the plane now being found, hope overtaken by grief.

And now comes the pain staking task of finding the plane, recovering the bodies, doing DNA testing and reuniting the families with their loved ones. These families have a long, hard road to go.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, New York.

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ALLEN: They'll have much more on the search for the Egyptian airplane.

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ALLEN: I'll ask an expert in crash investigations if the reported smoke alerts could bolster a theory that someone set off explosives mid-flight.

Also ahead here this hour, Donald Trump touts his stance on gun rights while slamming Hillary Clinton. We'll tell you about a new endorsement he's received from a key gun lobbying group.

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[03:20:10]

ALLEN: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom" we are learning more about the shooting that took place near the White House on Friday. The U.S. secret service says a man approached a check point and brandished a gun. He was ordered to stop and was shot by an agent when he didn't comply. CNN's Joe Johns has more.

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JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Security lockdown here at the White House the secret service says a man with a gun approached a security check point right around the corner from the front door of the White House. He was told numerous times to put the gun down and when he did not do that he was shot in the stomach, taken into custody, then taken to the hospital. The man's name was not immediately released.

(JOHN ANDULA, WITNESS): I was like five feet away from the first fence where the public is, and I hear -- I saw the guy into the other fence with the white shirt, you know, close to the first fence. And then I turn because I was on my phone. And then I hear the gunshot, very strong, very -- you know, and then I turn and the guy was on the floor. So I yelled to my family, the guy got shot, the guy got shot. And then I hear the police cars come with their guns and you know, and handcuffing him and they start pushing out. That's what I saw, that's what I heard, yes.

JOHNS: Authorities say the suspect's weapon was taken into custody and his vehicle was seized. The President of the United States was not in the White House at the time of the shooting but the Vice President was secured.

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JOHNS: No one other than the man was the gun was injured. Joe Johns, CNN, The White House.

ALLEN: And now to the election campaign and the race for the White House. Presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump received a key endorsement on Friday from the National Rifle Association, a powerful gun lobbying group.

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ALLEN: He took the opportunity to go on the attack against his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton on gun rights. The two are increasingly going after one another as they focus on the general election. Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Picking up the endorsement of the nation's top gun lobby, Donald Trump paid tribute to the NRA and then within seconds fired off some tough lines of attack at Hillary Clinton.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I called her crooked Hillary. She wants to abolish the Second Amendment, so we're not going to let that happen.

ACOSTA: Trump who once supported an assault weapons ban, says he now backs a broad expansion of gun rights, adding that last year's terrorist carnation in San Bernardino, California, and Paris would have been avoided had some of the victims been armed with weapons of their own.

TRUMP: If you would have had guns on the other side it might not have happened.

ACOSTA: And the presumptive GOP nominee slammed Clinton as unqualified to be President. Tying the EgyptAir disaster to a record on terrorism as Secretary of State.

TRUMP: I've been looking at airplanes getting being blown up in the air and lots of bad things happening. Bernie Sanders who I'm sure you all love, he did say one thing that was very interesting. He said that Hillary Clinton is unqualified to be the President of the United States. He said she suffers from bad judgment and she does.

ACOSTA: Even though investigators have not publically concluded the EgyptAir jet was targeted by terrorists Trump went as far as to warn what would happen if warplanes are taken out.

TRUMP: You're going to have a depression worldwide the likes of which you've never seen because nobody's going to travel, there will be no anything.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, Chris, it does appear that it was an act of terrorism exactly how, of course, the investigation will have to determine.

ACOSTA: Also speculating on the apparent downing of the EgyptAir jet, Clinton is hitting right back at Trump. CLINTON: I know how hard this job is and I know that we need

steadiness as well as strength and smarts in it. And I have concluded that he is not qualified to be President of the United States.

ACOSTA: The results, well a new poll shows Clinton is holding on to a slight lead over Trump they are both deeply unpopular. More than half of those surveyed in a New York Times CBS News Poll say they have unfavorable views of Trump and Clinton. Though 70% say Trump lacks the right temperament to be President, an area where she performs better.

Trump is also spending much of his time shoring up his support among conservatives bragging how many guns his sons own.

TRUMP: Well, they have so many rifles and so many guns sometimes even I get a little bit concerned, I say, that's a lot.

ACOSTA: And pointing to Clinton's comments on gun control.

CLINTON: Here again, the Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment and I am going to make that case every chance I get.

TRUMP: Gun-free zones. We're getting rid of gun-free zones OK. I can tell you.

ACOSTA: Trump is also taking a victory lap after his big wins in the primaries, urging Republicans to rally behind him even working in a few double-stuffed jabs at his old rival Chris Christie.

[03:25:07]

TRUMP: I'm not eating Oreos anymore you know that, but neither is Chris, you're not eating Oreos anymore. No more Oreos. Don't feel bad for either of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Well, while Hillary Clinton still leads the Democratic race, rival Bernie Sanders is not backing down. He's taken some wins from Clinton as he prepares to stay in all the way to the party's national convention in July. Sanders says the super delegate system in place rigs the nomination for an establishment candidate.

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BERNIE SANDERS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over 400 of these super delegates indicated their support for secretary Clinton before anyone else was in the race. In other words, the establishment determines who the anointed candidate will be before the first voters got into the process. I think that that is a very, very bad idea. And it's an idea that we intend to change at the convention.

ALLEN: And here's where the delegate total now stands, Clinton leads by 290 pledged delegates with super delegates included that lead grow to 770.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: Well, we've got more ahead here on the campaign.

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ALLEN: Donald Trump says he's got a short list for possible running mates even though he's not officially the Republican presidential nominee yet. We'll tell you who is on that list and how each of them could help Trump, that's coming up.

Plus new details that could help investigators solve the mystery of EgyptAir flight 804.

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[03:30:40] ALLEN: And welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. Here are our top stories.

(HEADLINES)

ALLEN: Officials hope new details from the EgyptAir flight will help them figure out what went wrong. Here's John Berman with more on what we do know about what happened.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Day two of an intense search and recovery operation over the Mediterranean Sea. A European Space Agency satellite may have picked up the biggest clue on Flight 804's location so far -- a mile-long oil slick in the water around the area where the plane dropped off the radar. It's too early to tell if this is from the missing plane. Search crews are investigating.

Also, possible debris has been picked up by the Egyptian military. Personal belongings and aircraft parts, including seats, were recovered from the water along with human remains. That's according to Egyptian authorities. Until the plane is found and the black boxes recovered, why this plane crashed will remain largely unknown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot make speculation for the time being because there is no evidence of any -- any proof whether this is one thing or the other.

BERMAN: Still U.S. officials believe terrorism is the likely cause, though no group has claimed responsibility for bringing down the plane. Investigators are looking into what, if any, role the crew may have had in the plane's disappearance.

There were ten crew members on board. The captain, Mohamed Shokair, had a good reputation as a pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours. His co-pilot, Mohamed Assem, had more than 2,700 hours of flight time. His uncle described him as a kind person with a sense of humor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say he was the only one that would really bring smiles on our faces. So what happened is -- really very much unfortunate.

BERMAN: At this mosque in Cairo, a prayer service for the dead. This grieving man says he lost four relatives on board the flight. 66 people in total were on the plane. The passengers were from a dozen countries around the world though most were Egyptian and French. Family members met with EgyptAir officials who say they are still in the process of notifying next of kin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: John Berman reporting there for us. Making the search more difficult, the presumed crash site includes some of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean. Greek, British, and U.S. aircraft are backing up Egyptian naval ships. Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson has more now on how they are focusing their hunt.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's from the cockpit windows here, the air crew of this military C-130 cargo transport airport have their best visibility over the Mediterranean Sea.

[03:35:03] The air crew also in the side windows here get good visibility down on to the sea as well. The Greek Air Force have two of these aircraft out over the sea. They have a surveillance aircraft as well. We go to the British military have a naval vessel in the area and the U.S. Air Force is contributing several Orion P-3 surveillance aircraft to the recovery effort.

Already, some debris has been recovered. That is allowing the effort to focus -- focus in on a precise area. Now, this area is just southeast of where the aircraft disappeared off the radar. It is a little north of where that false debris field was found on Thursday. Of course this a concern. The debris spotted by the air has to be checked on the ground. That slows down the operation but that is part of the effort that's underway.

The Greek Air Force here putting a lot of effort into this. They're also saying that they're willing to use their air base, like this one here, offering it to allies to join the effort to help Egyptian authorities discover precisely where this EgyptAir aircraft went down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Nic Robertson for us there.

I spoke earlier with Dr. Alan Diehl. He's a former investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, and the author of "Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives One Crash at a Time."

I asked him about the potential significance of the smoke alerts that were reported on board.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. ALAN DIEHL, FORMER NTSB INVESTIGATOR: That could mean one of two things. And of course, Natalie, I'm always speculating. You realize that. But that could be a terrorist setting off, letting off a bomb in the lavatory and then having that explosive shock wave go into the avionics compartment, which is below the pilots' flight deck. Or it could mean that the smoke detector in the lavatory is just quicker and better than the avionics smoke detector. Ergo, the problem may have started in the avionics bay. And of course the loss of the flight control computers and the other systems that we know about so far, the windows and so on, that is very intriguing. We saw this was critical in the loss of that AirFrance Airbus over the South Atlantic years ago. The pitot -- the airspeed tubes, the pitot tubes, in that case, failed and that was broadcast. So this is very, very interesting evidence.

ALLEN: And I want to ask you, too, the Greek air officials that tried to reach the plane and the pilot, and they got no response, what does it tell you? What reason, other than some sort a major catastrophe, would keep pilots from saying mayday or indicating a problem?

DIEHL: Well, we all -- Natalie, we always say aviate -- you've heard this before -- aviate, navigate, and communicate. But in fact, Natalie, I've not an airline pilot's license. I'm not -- never flow the airlines. Never flown an Airbus. But what pilots do if there's an ongoing emergency like a smoke alert would be try to troubleshoot this. We've seen this before many, many times. A Swiss Air aircraft in the '90s over the Atlantic had that problem. It was several minutes before they keyed their mike and issued an emergency call.

So pilots troubleshoot. They know that probably the controllers aren't going to be able to help them and at that point they don't know if they need any rescue assets. They're trying to find out is this a real alarm? How bad is that smoke in the lavatory or the avionics compartment?

So I think it's very consistent with how pilots actually behave. I'm happen also to be an aviation psychologist, Natalie, but we see this over and over where they troubleshoot before they communicate anything.

ALLEN: Well, Greek officials were tracking the plane when it made that sudden move to the left and to the right and descended. Will they be able to tell how far the plane traveled horizontally, how many miles, say, before it went down?

DIEHL: Well, it sounds like it basically made that 90-degree left turn and then a sudden right turn. And of course when you're having an emergency you want to get off the airwaves. So the initial 90 degree turn is consistent with how an airline pilot would behave if he thought he had an emergency. I don't know the exact distance, I don't know if anyone has released the information, the horizontal distance. But it seems like the aircraft spiraled down the 360 degree turn. Maybe they were thinking that the island that they just passed has the closest airport.

On the Airbus and on the big Boeings, the new Boeing, there's actually a display that shows you where the nearest suitable airport is. So it may have been behind them, so that -- again, speculation here, Natalie. That may have been what they were doing, thinking about diverting back toward the Greek island there that they had overflown shortly before the emergency. So we -- so many things we don't know, Natalie, and I'm always speculating. I know you realize that but we have to be a little careful here.

[03:40:00] ALLEN: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. As we always do in the initial stages of an investigation of this magnitude.

The plane was on the ground in Paris; it's an hour and a half. It had come from other areas of Africa. When we hear experts talk about doing security sweeps of an airplane, can they do that in a relatively short amount of time? And how thorough do we know these sweeps might be?

DIEHL: Well, Natalie, time is money. And they -- we know that all airlines want to turn those airplanes around, as they say, and minimize the time on the ground. But the fact -- you know, if you have an adequate security staff, 90 minutes should be enough.

But again, you know, we saw this in MetroJet where somehow they got that soda can bomb aboard that Russian aircraft that went down in the Sinai last year. So obviously, you know, it can -- things can slip through. But 90 minutes is not -- it's an adequate time. I don't think this suggests that EgyptAir authorities or the French airport authorities weren't being thorough. I think that's pretty standard. As a matter of fact, that might be a little longer than we see here in the States, Natalie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Dr. Alan Diehl speaking with me earlier.

Let's look a little more closely at flight data recorders. Black box is the commonly used name for them but the units aren't actually black, which most of us know by now. They're orange to make them easier to spot in wreckage.

The data recorders are located in the tail of the plane where they're less likely to be damaged by an impact. They record technical information from a flight, things like altitude, air speed and heading, as well as audio from the cockpit and the engines. Two recorders for voice and data can be combined in a single unit.

To help search teams find them, flight data recorders send out a homing signal for up to 30 days after a crash. That radio ping can be detected even when it's being sent from more than 4,000 meters -- that's more than 13,000 feet -- under water.

Well, search teams have yet to find the data recorders for this flight or much else at this point. Even small pieces of debris could be instrumental to figuring out what happened to the downed plane. Forensics teams are ready to start piecing together the mystery. Our Kyung Lah paid a visit to a forensics lab to find out how they do their work. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's in the wreckage of EgyptAir Flight 804 that investigators will inspect for evidence of a possible explosive device.

THOMAS ANTHONY, USC AVIATION SAFTEY AND SECURITY DIRECTOR: If we compare the sides, there is a difference a very distinct difference.

Walking us through this bomb research lab, former FAA aviation security manager Thomas Anthony says, investigators look for telltale marks of each type of bond.

ANTHONY: C4 is very adaptable for the purpose of the terrace. Because they can be formed into shapes

LAH: C4 doesn't burn.

ANTHONY: It does not burn. It releases a high temperature, a high- pressure gas is there shocks. Look at the edges here the edges and the black powder are very very different. They have this sort of like almost coral like look to them. This is napalm. Look at all the residue of the napalm that was left

behind. That's something that is indicative and characteristic of the napalm.

LAH: Are there numbers of explosives?

ANTHONY: There are dozens of types of explosives. In view of the terrorist -- a terrorist is likely to follow up a success with a similar form of attack.

LAH: Last October MetroJet Flight 9268 crashed on the Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. ISIS claimed in a propaganda magazine that they brought it down using explosive material hidden in a soda can. A picture shows wires and a detonator with an on and off switch. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the photo.

As relatives of the passengers wait through the agonizing search and recovery. The victim's bodies will also hold forensic clues. If it was an explosive the direction of the blast and what type.

This recovery will be underwater like the AirAsia Flight 8501 disaster in December 2014. Essentially eroding some of the evidence, but not all of it. A lab can still detect evidence underwater even on melted steel. Anthony says is critical to have forensics proof in an aviation investigation. But what's just as important, the investigation beyond the wreckage.

ANTHONY: Not what happened only, but how it happened so that that vulnerability can be identified and fixed.

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE) [03:45:01] ALLEN: So Egypt is reeling from a national disaster. Ahead here, we'll look at the country's struggle for stability.

Also Donald Trump won't be alone on the Republican presidential ticket. Who might be on his short list to be a running mate?

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ALLEN: And welcome back. Donald Trump just a few weeks into the process of vetting potential running mates and he's been uncharacteristically quiet about who he is eyeing for vice presidential slot. Trump has said he's looking for someone with experience in government. Our Ryan Nobles takes a look at who may be on Trump's short list.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for president, it's time to start thinking about running mates. And along with his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, Trump could be could be zeroing in on a set of characteristics that could help him in a potential political partner.

Things like loyalty, diversity, Washington experience; someone with a conservative core and a candidate with the potential to unify the Republican Party. The first place he may look -- Chris Christie. He was the first sitting governor to endorse the Trump campaign. He's someone with extensive executive experience, especially with tough economic issues, and he'd also be an effective surrogate, someone willing to go on the attack if Trump asked.

Trump may also want to consider Susanna Martinez. She's currently the governor of New Mexico with the ability to flip a blue state red. If elected, she Martinez be the first female vice president and she also would be the first Hispanic to ever serve on a major political party's presidential ticket.

Now Trump may think he needs help in the political arena and that's where former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich could be of big help. Gingrich was the speaker during the Clinton administration. He really understands Congress and he also has deep D.C. ties, something that could be a help to a future President Trump as he attempts to navigate the nation's capital.

Now, Trump may want to beef up his conservative credentials and that's where someone like Alabama senator Jeff Sessions could be of help. He has a long record on issues like immigration, taxes, and abortion. Sessions also serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which could be a big help to conservatives concerned about the type of judge that Trump may appoint to the Supreme Court.

[03:50:05] Finally Trump may go for a grand gesture of unity by looking to one of his former rivals. By tapping either Ted Cruz or John Kasich and adding them to the ticket, Trump could unify the Republican Party, something they desperately need in a potential general election match-up against Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Now, Trump said he's narrowed down his potential choices to about five

or six names. It's clear he's got a lot of thinking to do before making a final decision.

In Washington, I'm Ryan Nobles reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: The loss of Flight 804 is yet another tragedy for Egypt. Coming up here, why this is just the latest disaster of many.

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ALLEN: For Egypt, the loss of Flight 804 is just the latest in a string of disasters. Political instability has wracked the country since the 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak and the struggle with terrorism has also damaged its reputation.

As CNN's Ben Wedeman explains, the all important tourism industry has suffered greatly.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The last five years have been rough on Egypt. The hope and optimism born in the uprising that deposed President Hosni Mubarak have been eclipsed by instability, terrorism, violence, and repression.

[03:55:12] In 2012, Egypt had its first ever democratic presidential election, electing the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi. But after a year, he was ousted by the Egyptian military after massive popular protests. Then defense minister Abdel Fattah El Sisi took power and later won a presidential election. Sisi promised to bring stability and prosperity and crack down on terrorism. But so far he's failed on all fronts.

Militants in the Sinai Peninsula have set up an ISIS statelet there and they claimed responsibility for the bomb that brought down a Russian MetroJet airliner in October 2015. This came a month after Egyptian security forces killed 12 tourists and wounded ten others in the country's western desert after they were mistaken for terrorists.

Tourism is an important part of the Egyptian economy and has taken a nosedive. And with the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804, things will probably only get worse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for joining me. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with George Howell right after a short break.

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