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Lion Air Plane Crash: Debris Found In Sea off Jakarta, Indonesia; Fans Mourn Leicester City F.C. Owner; U.S. Defense Secy. Calls For Transparent Probe; Boston Red Sox Beat L.A. Dodgers To Win World Series. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 29, 2018 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:07] GEORGE HOWELL, NEWSROOM ANCHOR, CNN: A Boeing 737 plane has crashed in the sea near Jakarta, Indonesia, 189 people on board. We are following the very latest in the search efforts, that ahead.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, NEWSROOM ANCHOR, CNN: Plus, a city in mourning. We remember (Inaudible) of the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of them was 97 years old.

HOWELL: Also ahead this hour, Brazil elects one of its most polarizing politicians, the man known as the Trump of the tropics, to be that nation's next President.

CHURCH: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from across the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I am George Howell from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Newsroom starts right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

HOWELL: And following the breaking news this hour, a passenger plane has crashed at sea. Here's what we know at this point. Authorities say that the plane belongs to Lion Air. It is Flight 610. That plane crashed into the sea of Jakarta, 189 people on board, including children. The plane vanished from radar just minutes after taking off on its way to Panko Panong.

CHURCH: The country's search and rescue agents, they have sent boats, helicopters, and 130 rescuers to that crash site. They are working on the assumption that the plane sank. And they are taking equipment to find an underwater locator beacon.

HOWELL: CNN following the very latest with our Correspondent in Hong Kong, Will Ripley, live this hour. Will, the process of recovering various parts of this plane already started. What more can you tell us?

WILL RIPLEY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Hi, George. We just got an update minutes ago from Indonesian authorities who tell us that they are now either on scene or on the way to the scene, 34 nautical miles off the coast of Jakarta, some 300 rescue personnel. We have seen images coming in of divers in the water. There are pieces of the plane that are being recovered, as well as some of the items that the passengers were believed to have been carrying, including a cell phone, life vests, backpacks, the kind of things that people would take on a flight like this, a short flight just about an hour or so.

It was scheduled to be in the air. Although as you mentioned, just minutes after take off, apparently the pilots asked to turn around and go back to the airport. That was just before the plane dropped off radar. It only reached an altitude of about 5,200 feet. And then radar shows before it lost, before it disappeared from the screens, that it made a pretty drastic drop.

Obviously, what that means, and based on the images that we're seeing of what appears to be fuel and debris in the water, this is not looking good for the 189 people on board, 181 passengers and 8 crew members, 2 infants, 1 child. The kind of thing, when you look at the passenger manifest, it always breaks your heart when you think about something like this. People get on a flight, a short flight, think nothing of it.

Never expect, obviously, that something like this is going to happen. This was a relatively new plane. Lion Air purchased this Boeing 737, a new model, just this past August. It only had 800 flight hours. There were thunderstorms in the general area, but not in the immediate vicinity where the plane went down. They were able to avoid the lightning and whatnot. So it really is, at this point, a mystery.

And until they recover the black boxes, including the flight data recorder, investigators are not going to know what happened. I was listening earlier to sound from an aviation expert telling us, though, that if pilots requested to turn around but didn't declare a catastrophic emergency at that point, perhaps they thought that the issue on board was something they could fix.

And obviously, sadly, that does not appear to be the case. So obviously, we are waiting to get more information. It is coming in minute by minute. We have seen some photos as well of family members gathering at the airport in Jakarta. Obviously, as you can imagine, just a devastating time for them. And I am sure they're just clinging to hope that perhaps somewhere in that debris, maybe there could be somebody found, a survivor or whatnot. But based on those images of the mangled pieces of the plane, it's just not looking good.

HOWELL: Will, when you think about the families at this point, you know, the concern that they have, the uncertainty as to what happened to this plane, of course, we'll continue to learn more with you and authorities. Will Ripley, live for us in Hong Kong. Thank you, Will.

CHURCH: And Jon Ostrower joins us now on the phone from Seattle. He is the Editor in Chief for the Air Current, a digital publication about aviation. Thank you so much for being with us. So John, we know the crash occurred about 20 minutes after take off from Jakarta. And the Boeing 737 only climbed to an altitude of about 5,200 feet. From what you have been able to piece together, what do you think may have happened here?

[02:05:07] JON OSTROWER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE AIR CURRENT: You know it's way too soon to tell. You know obviously, these investigations take months, if not years, depending on how investigator -- what information investigators have at their disposal, you know getting the black boxes, examining debris, and looking at radar tracks.

So right now there is this kind of this immediate scramble to lockdown any and all information about what may have actually happened to the 737. So that's really the priority. As the search rescue teams gather on site, look at the debris, recover, you know, the remains of passengers and crew, and also collect black boxes, other evidence to really begin to piece this together.

But, you know, what we have so far is an external radar track from groups like Flightradar 24, which show this sort of erratic flying, and this maximum climb of 5,200 feet. But right now it's pretty limited in terms of being able to draw any kind of conclusions. But certainly, in the hours and the days to come, we're going to know more.

CHURCH: Yeah, indeed. But we do understand that the pilot or pilots requested to turn back to Jakarta, but there was no indication that that was done. What do you think that might signal?

OSTROWER: Well, it certainly tells you that whatever happened didn't happen instantaneously. And certainly, the crew was aware that something was wrong and needed to react and get back as quickly as possible. You know whether or not we have information at this point, we're not sure whether or not there was an official emergency declared or what the circumstances around the radio calls were.

You know, certainly, like I said, that is going to be something that's going to be examined in the hours to come. But really, right now we have a scant amount of information to draw conclusions off of. But, you know, what we do know is that this is a brand new airplane, just delivered several weeks ago from here in Seattle. Actually, I saw it on the flight line unpainted actually before it was delivered.

That was in late July. So just to give you a sense of how new this airplane is to Lion Air's fleet, it is really quite unprecedented to have an accident this close to a delivery of an aircraft, certainly delivery of a new aircraft type like the Boeing 737 MAX.

CHURCH: It is very strange. And, of course, we see those pictures there of the search and rescue teams there at the site. And we know that families and loved ones are waiting for news. It is a tragedy. We will continue to watch and follow this story. Jon Ostrower, thank you so much for lending us your expertise to this subject. Appreciate it.

OSTROWER: Thanks for having me.

HOWELL: Now to the very latest in the deadly shooting at a synagogue here in the United States. The U.S. attorney general in Pittsburgh says he intends to pursue the death penalty for the suspect in that case. The suspect, the man you see there, Robert Bowers. He is accused of killing 11 people on Saturday. The Anti-Defamation League, the ADL, calls it the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in the United States' history.

CHURCH: Pittsburgh hosted an inter-faith vigil on Sunday to honor the victims. Its mayor vows the city won't tolerate hate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL PEDUTO, PITTSBURGH MAYOR: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me tell you something about Pittsburghers. We're tough. We are proud of our blue collar roots. And we're not the type of people that react to threats or actions in a way that ever takes back from us. We will drive anti- semitism and the hate of any people back to the basement, on their computer, and away from the open discussions and dialogues around this city, around this state, and around this country.

We're a resilient people. We will work together as one. We will defeat hate with love. We will be a city of compassion, welcoming to all people, no matter what your religion or where your family came from on this earth or your status.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we are also learning more about the 11 victims. They ranged in age from 54 to 97. All were taken too soon. CNN's Sarah Sidner has more on how they are being remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy five-year-old Joyce Fienberg of Oakland, sixty five-year-old Richard Gottfried.

SARAH SIDNER, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: The names of the victims read out so the world will know who they are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no words. I am shaking inside. I am shocked.

SIDNER: Susan Hartman knew three of the dead, including brothers David and Cecil Rosenthal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The victims need to be talked about a lot. They can't talk for themselves anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cecil was tall. David was small. They stood proud at the front door, at the door that was open into the sanctuary, whichever sanctuary it was. They just stood there. Hello, they gave you a book. Or they said hello, or they said good shabbaz. They were like the ambassadors.

[02:10:12] SIDNER: She and Susan Blackman also loft their family doctor, Jerry Rabinowitz.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't imagine a world without him. Dr. Jerry was just somebody who, when you see him, your eyes light up. And he's gone.

SIDNER: Robin Bloom Freidman is a member of the Tree of Life synagogue. She cannot remember a time when 97-year-old Rose Malinger was not there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spry, vibrant. Just -- you looked at her, she had a lot of years left. She -- you know, and to have this happen is -- I heard the age this morning, and the tears came. She and her daughter went that morning, maybe expecting to go home and have lunch afterwards together. And it's not something we'll ever be able to wrap our heads around.

SIDNER: Each of them had come to pray and celebrate together on the Sabbath, when hatred entered their synagogue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tall white male, short hair, light blue shirt, jeans.

SIDNER: The police dispatching the suspect's description as they geared up for a gun battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a police dog, four down in the atrium. We need armor.

SIDNER: The suspect had walked into a place set aside for peace with guns and a mission to kill Jewish people, and succeeded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the most horrific crime scene I have seen in 22 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

SIDNER: The suspect later telling police he wanted to kill all Jews, according to court documents. In the end, it would be the deadliest attack against Jews in America, according to the Anti-Defamation League, more dead than you can count on two hands, and six wounded, including four police officers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know you have a situation here where you have disturbed minds with hate in their heart and guns in their hands.

SIDNER: The deadly shooting sending a wave of sorrow across Pittsburgh and the world, drawing thousands together to mourn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are like a hand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are like a hand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With various fingers connected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With various fingers connected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So when one finger hurts...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So when one finger hurts...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all hurt.

SIDNER: Sarah Sidner, CNN, Pittsburgh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And the synagogue shooting caps off a week here in the United States that also included a wave of pipebombs being sent by mail. Critics of President Trump, top Democrats and this network were targeted.

HOWELL: The pipebombs were intercepted. The suspect arrested on Friday, the man that you see here, Cesar Sayoc. He's set to appear at a Miami, Florida court in the coming hours. Sayoc faces a string of charges and could get up to 48 years in prison if convicted. Thankfully, no one was killed or injured by the bombs that he allegedly sent.

CHURCH: So let's talk more about this with Juliette Kayyem. She is a former Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and a CNN U.S. Security Analyst. And she joins me now from Boston, Massachusetts. Good to have you with us.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Well, it was a tough week. And, Juliet, the mass shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday shocked the nation, and saw the President suggest an armed guard should have been in the building at the time of that attack, and then continued with a rally. He continued with a rally on the same day. Those 11 people were shot to death. Mr. Trump justified his actions by saying you can't give the killer an edge.

And then he wrongly suggested that the New York Stock Exchange reopened a day after 9/11. What was your reaction to the way President Trump led the country on that grim tragic day?

KAYYEM: I mean he could -- calling it leading is probably a mistake. The President, of course, as you said first claimed that if they had been better armed or had been better security at the temple, no one would have been killed. First of all, there were actually three police officers, very well armed, who are still in the hospital. And now that the names have been released, you see that the victims were in their 70s and 80s.

This is not -- these are not people who would have been armed in any event. And then to move on to a rally in light of this being the worst attack against the Jewish faith in the United States was just sort of shocking in many regards. There is a lot of discussion here about whether President Trump's language has led to this kind of violence in particular.

[02:15:09] Because we had the bombing threats this week, and now with the synagogue, we also had a hate crime against an African-American couple. And so those three incidents, you know, suggest maybe things are getting out of hand, that this racial animus is getting animated from the top. But I will tell you, as someone who worries about the next event.

I am very concerned that the President's lack of gravity in the sense of what is going on will lead others to maybe think that this is -- this violence is actually not a big deal.

CHURCH: I do want to turn to that other disturbing news from last week, the series of pipebombs that were sent to two former Presidents and to other high-profile Democrats, as well as CNN. Again, President Trump's response upset many people, because he refused to actually name Barack Obama and the Clintons and others as targets of those pipebombs.

What happens when a U.S. President responds in such a partisan way in the midst of a national crisis like that?

KAYYEM: So I mean and -- not just partisan. It's just not right to not call the former Presidents who, you know, have been the focus of these essentially assassination attempts. Look, the President has decided he's going to use his -- this opportunity for him, which I think he does view the presidency as an opportunity to divide and not unite.

He's made that clear. It's not particularly political of me to say that. There's nothing he's done in the middle of these sorts of heart-wrenching attacks that will make you think that he wants to unify. He's blamed the media. He's blamed the Democrats. And so we call this, in counterterrorism, right, as sort of form of radicalization that what he's doing is he's somewhat in some ways sort of radicalizing those who do not like Democrats, don't like a certain kind of person.

I'm not saying he's a proponent of violence. I'm just saying that for someone who ought to know that people are hearing him in a way that is leading to the kind of violence we're seeing, as we know from -- in all of these cases. These were politically motivated, that you would think that he would responsibly tone it down, and he has not. I wish I had better news for you. But if this week didn't change his ratcheting up, nothing will.

CHURCH: And thankfully, authorities moved swiftly. They identified the pipebomb suspect, tracked him down, and he is in custody. Juliet Kayyem, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on Newsroom, in Brazil, voters there have picked a polarizing new President. Ahead, find out why he's called him the Trump of the tropics, and what that may that mean for that country's future, plus this.

CHURCH: A British city is in mourning, coming up, how the Leicester City food ball club owner's legacy reached far beyond the stadium.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00] CHURCH: Thousands of people filling the streets of Rio de Janeiro Sunday to celebrate the election of Jair Bolsonaro.

HOWELL: With most of the votes counted, the far-right candidate got about 55 percent of the vote. He defeated his leftist opponent, Fernando Haddad. The campaign was one of Brazil's most contentious and most violent as well. Now that it's over, Bolsonaro insists that he will be a President for every Brazilian. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a defender of freedom, I will lead a government that upholds and protects the rights of the citizens who follow their duties and respect the laws. The laws are for everyone. This is how it will be during our constitutional and democratic government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Bolsonaro's far-right proposals and his promises to drain the swamp have earned him the nickname Brazil's Donald Trump. And on Sunday, Mr. Trump himself called Bolsonaro to congratulate him.

HOWELL: In the meantime, Fernando Haddad said that his fight for Brazil's future will continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not abandon this country. We will put it above everything else. And we will defend our point of view, respecting democracy, respecting the institutions, but without giving up on our position, given everything that is at stake in Brazil from now on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's talk more about this now with Eric Farnsworth. Eric is the Vice President at the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas joining this hour from Washington, D.C., Eric thank you for your time.

ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICA SOCIETY AND COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Pleased to be with you.

HOWELL: So, Mr. Bolsonaro took 55 percent of the vote, clearing the 50 percent threshold to win, and besting his opponent Fernando Haddad 45 percent of the vote. What does a Bolsonaro presidency mean for Brazil?

FARNSWORTH: It's going to be a change. There is no question about it. The Brazilian people voted for change. They are so tired of corruption. They are so tired of crime. They are looking for the economy to be jumpstarted and for job creation once again to be a priority. And this is something that now President-elect Bolsonaro says he is going to be able to do.

And so there are a lot of hopes from the Brazilian people riding on his candidacy right now.

HOWELL: And we are looking at images right there. These images from earlier in Rio de Janeiro, so many people who came out to celebrate his victory. But given the racist, the homophobic, the misogynist comments that the President-elect has made in the past, is there any sense that he might moderate, that he might shift to a more inclusive tone for all of Brazil's people, or is there a concern that he will lead as President in accordance to the things he has said in the past?

[02:24:50] FARNSWORTH: There is a lot of hope that he'll moderate his rhetoric, and in fact, bind up a very polarized Brazil. But I think most people anticipate that in fact, he won't do that. In part because the rhetoric and the things he's said in the past predate in some cases by many years the campaign. And although campaigning and governing are two separate things.

Nonetheless, he does seem to have a record that goes back many years that seems to be fairly anti-Democratic, that seems to be pointed against minorities, and seems to be really challenging the idea of a large inclusive country like Brazil really traditionally has been.

HOWELL: Of the 26 states in Brazil, Mr. Bolsonaro seemed to do best in the western and southern parts of Brazil. His opponent, Fernando Haddad, won in central, northern, and eastern states. What were some of the key issues that made the biggest differences for voters across those regions?

FARNSWORTH: Well, these are traditional strongholds of the Workers Party or the P.T., in other words, the regions that Haddad won. And those tend to be more racially diverse. They tend to be less developed than the southern part of Brazil. And so you have some economic cleavages in Brazil. You have racial cleavages. You have development cleavages.

It's really going to be a challenge, particularly now with the President-elect, who comes into office with some very divisive rhetoric. And so this is going to be a challenge, too. Because -- look, Brazil faces some very significant economic problems that it is going to take a national consensus to actually -- to be able to address. And so if you have a polarized society, and you have President whose government is actually not trying to bring people together, but rather divide people.

Getting that national consensus to drive through economic reform is going to be doubly difficult. And so it calls into question whether indeed he'll be able to create the jobs and build the economic foundation that he claims to be able to do.

HOWELL: Eric Farnsworth, again, thank you so much for your time and perspective.

FARNSWORTH: Thanks very much for having me.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. Still to come, there is grief in the United States after three days of hate-filled crimes, coming up, the deeper questions about what's behind the recent surge.

HOWELL: Plus, we are following the breaking news, this crash of an Indonesian passenger plane that went down shortly after take-off. We'll bring you the very latest on the investigation as CNN Newsroom pushes ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:37] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

HOWELL: We continue following the breaking news this hour out of Indonesia. A passenger plane has crashed into sea. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We want to welcome back our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world. Indonesian authorities confirm its Lion Air Flight 610 that went down. The passenger plane went missing soon after takeoff from Jakarta on its way to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangkok.

HOWELL: One hundred eighty-nine people were on the plane including two infants and a child. Rescuers are still searching the crash site just 34 nautical miles from Jakarta.

CHURCH: We want to bring in aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas now who joins us from Perth, Australia. He is the editor-in-chief and managing director at Airline Ratings.com. Geoffrey, you and I spoke some hours ago now when we first received breaking news on this plane crash. What more have you been able to piece together since then that might get us closer to figuring out what happened here?

GEOFFREY THOMAS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AIRLINE RATINGS.COM: Well, it's all very difficult, Rosemary. We know that the pilot did radio to say he needed to come back. But almost within seconds of making the radio call and radio contact was lost with him and also radar contact was lost and he impacted the ocean approximately 13 minutes after takeoff. The altitude that he reached is a little bit difficult to ascertain.

One report has it about 3,000 feet and another of flight radar 24 was he got to 5,000 feet. But either way, not a very great altitude to gain after 30 minutes of flight. So there's obviously a problem, a serious problem that quickly overwhelmed the crew. And they were unable to communicate any further and lost control of the aircraft. This is a brand new airplane being delivered only apparently a couple of months ago. It's the latest version of the Boeing 737 aircraft, the max seats 210 people, and we understand that there were 188 passengers and crew aboard this early morning flight.

CHURCH: Right. And so when we go through all of those pieces of information, you know, you talked that it didn't climb to very high. We were hearing 52,000 feet. Do you think a little low than that and we had heard two 22 minutes into the flight after takeoff that these problems occurred. You're hearing it was shorter time than that. But we do know that the pilot's request to turn back as you mentioned, that never happened.

Again, just going over that information and it's not a lot. There must be probes of elimination that you go through. We understand two of those some erratic flying, what is all of that signal to you with your expertise? What would you be crossing out? At this point, we know weather is not a factor.

THOMAS: Weather is not a factor. We may be looking at multiple engine failures which is almost unheard off today to have a multiple engine failure. This plane -- twin-engine plane is designed to fly on one engine. It's even designed to fly on one engine if it loses one just on takeoff at full takeoff flight, so very powerful engines. Losing one is not a problem. Probably losing two is a serious problem. I came to think though that this maybe something electrical (INAUDIBLE) it's -- it is very, very difficult to ascertain because of the fact that this airplane is so reliable.

It's one of the most popular aircraft in the world. Thousands and thousands of flying, many flights every day, a great record, and the -- and the airline itself also just past some recent very stringent safety ordinance. It takes all a bucks of -- so this is -- this is really (INAUDIBLE) Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. It is a tragedy in the making here. We know of course love ones waiting to hear some answers. People always shocked and worried when they see incidents like this any plane crash of course.

[02:35:07] Everyone has have the experience on a plane and they want some answers. Geoffrey Thomas, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise.

THOMAS: Pleasure.

HOWELL: People around the world have been following the situation here in the United States. Seventy-two hours of hate in a seventy-two hour period in America. Three different hate field crimes were committed. Two of them were deadly in addition to the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Critics of President Trump were targeted with pipe bombs.

CHURCH: Yes. And a man with a history of racist rants is charged with killing two African-Americans at a Kentucky grocery store. President Trump at first responded with a unifying message then pivoted to blaming the mainstream media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us. It's an assault on humanity. It will require all of us working together to extract the hateful poison of anti-Semitism from our world. The media's constant unfair coverage keep hostility and negative attacks, you know that, only serve to drive people apart and to undermine healthy debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more on all of this, we go to political analyst, Peter Mathews. He joins us live from Los Angeles. Good to see you, Peter. So, why are we suddenly seeing three major hate crimes in just three days here in the United States?

PETER MATHEWS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's horrendous. Senate has to do with the rhetoric that's been actually popularize by President Trump to large extent over the last couple of years in which he points out groups of people. He start off his campaign by saying that immigrants are full of -- they're coming across the Mexican border and mostly rapist and criminals and he goes on to talk about the people who are different Muslims for example and then now the Jewish community has gotten the rant of this as a horrendous, the worst killing of any Jewish worship place in the American history and it's just -- it brings back horrible memories for the Jewish (INAUDIBLE) who know about the Holocaust and what happened across the world.

So you have these three incidents that actually connected in some way because it was -- there were hateful hate driven and don't forget the pipe bombs that were sent to 14 people and CNN as well (INAUDIBLE) President Trump had criticize throughout the campaign and even after the campaign. So he needs to tone his rhetoric down and that's -- there is a connected in my view between the rhetoric especially posture by him also the negligence of the Republican Party to disavow that rhetoric and disavow this attitude and said (INAUDIBLE) of people.

CHURCH: Of course, President Trump rejects that he has anything to do with this. He blames mainstream media, so what needs to happen in this country to tone down the hateful and divisive rhetoric that appears to be tearing this country apart and what does President Trump need to be doing right now?

MATHEWS: Well, I think that there's a false equivalency about the left and the right here. I think it's more so the extreme right that is fueling the hateful rhetoric and cozying up to white supremacist for example and that is (INAUDIBLE) to our system because American democracy like (INAUDIBLE) democracy requires a respect to the opposition and as a human beings (INAUDIBLE) citizens of the United States with different views and have solve problems, they're not evil.

They're not the enemy and that's how we should be looking at each other as we did back in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and then this is shame the most recently under President Trump's administration. It's not even so much presidents before him, so he has (INAUDIBLE) and saying that I will change my ways. I will in fact be a healer. I will encourage people who get to understand each other in America and settle our political differences peacefully.

It has to completely condemn violent action as (INAUDIBLE) the baseball team, the congressional baseball team.

CHURCH: Right.

MATHEWS: (INAUDIBLE) unequivocally against that right away.

CHURCH: So how bigger a role do you think the midterm election is playing in this divisive period for the nation and how possible is it that some level of healing might take place once the November 6th midterms overall depending on the results could things perhaps get worst?

MATHEWS: It's going both ways. It's -- the elections are fueling this hatred because it's a competitive atmosphere. It's extremely -- it's an extreme approach this side is using. At the same time, the extremist are fueling the election overall prospect in result and I've got a feeling I'm pretty sure I predicted (INAUDIBLE) the Democrats will win the House. This sends significant question and (INAUDIBLE) two houses because if the House of Representatives actually represents the American people's public opinion because there's lot of different districts throughout the country.

For the Senate, you have different states with different sizes of population. And by 20 percent of the states -- the United States population elects over half the U.S. senators, so that's disproportionate as representation. That's when the Republicans can actually hold that in a very unrepresented way and once the election is over, I'm not really very optimistic that this whole thing going to be toned down unless the people themselves demand it from the politicians.

[02:40:26] It won't happen the other way around, unfortunately.

CHURCH: We will see. It's just days away. In fact, Peter Mathews, thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this issue.

MATHEWS: My pleasure. Thank you, Rosemary.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on NEWSROOM, investigators are looking at why a helicopter crashed in Leicester, England. That helicopter killing five people including a popular football club owner.

CHURCH: And the latest on the investigation into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death coming up. The Saudi chief prosecutor is in Istanbul. We'll have the details for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD MOBS, LEICESTER CITY FAN: (INAUDIBLE) last year. Last year, he changed for 60 people to renew that season ticket. He paid for them. (INAUDIBLE) jackets and things and I go much (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Fans of the British football club Leicester City are grieving for the team's owner. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai billionaire died when his helicopter crashed and burst into flames in the parking lot just outside the Leicester City stadium. It happened just after Saturday's Premier League match.

[02:44:51] HOWELL: Four other people onboard that helicopter were also killed. The club didn't confirm his death until nearly 24 hours after the crash, but that didn't stop fans and well-wishers from coming together creating a memorial with flowers, scarves, and (INAUDIBLE) CNN Business Correspondent Hadas Gold is following the story live in Leicester. What more can you tell us about the investigation? The question about why this helicopter came down.

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, officials here are on the ground. Investigating that crash that happened just on the other side of this stadium behind me. What happened was, as you said, Vichai, as he is known here in Leicester, did what he was always doing on Saturday night after the game.

He was taking off via his private helicopter from the middle of the field after that game wrapped. But just a few minutes later, the unthinkable happened and that helicopter crashed just outside the stadium in a parking lot.

Luckily, there was no one else around. I mean, there is a lot of stuff around here. There's a hotel, there's a busy street. But the crash as you noted killed five people on board, including the beloved owner of the Leicester City Football Club.

And that you can see behind me this memorial that propped started popping up on Saturday night soon after that crash. And it grew and grew to the point that officials started to build some podiums behind me. And putting up for more flowers.

And people until this morning, I just saw somebody come by and lay down a scarf, put down signs. People are coming by and paying their respects to this man because he was so beloved.

He bought the team in 2010 for $57 million, and it was a team that was struggling financially and was not known necessarily to be some sort of championship team. But within six years, they won that Premier League title. It was seen as the sort of miracle, the underdog story.

And in addition to that as you heard from the fan before I came on, he was known to give out gifts and beers on his birthday and scarves at away games. He also donated millions to the hospital here.

I want to read you a little bit of the statement from the football club. They said, "In Vichai, the world has lost a great man. A man of kindness, of generosity, and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted to his family, and those he so successfully led. Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of a vision for the Club that is now his legacy."

The city is now in mourning, but they are coming together as one to celebrate the life of Vichai. There is one sign I just saw. Written in a child script that I really think, encapsulate how the city feels about him. It said, "Chairman, you made Leicester. Back to you.

HOWELL: And clearly, Hadas, everything you described about him, it is on full display right there behind you. So, many people who brought together flowers, sentiments of just remembrance of this man who made such an impact therein Leicester, and certainly throughout that nation. Hadas Gold, live for us there in Leicester, England. Thank you for the reporting.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back after the break.

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[02:49:57] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Good Monday to you. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, CNN "WEATHER WATCH". You're watching a disturbance of clipper system, stirred across portions of the Ohio Valley over the last couple of hours. And this will set the stage for some blustery weather across portions of the Appalachians winds locally up to 80 kilometers per hour across some of these areas, so continue through Monday morning before conditions begin to quiet down just a little bit across that region.

High pressure back behind it really sets up shop here in sets of a beautiful pattern over the next couple of days in the Southeastern United States, while back towards the northwest, it is an entirely different story.

The Siskiyou's, the Cascades, the Bitterroot Ranger to the Northern Rockies. All of them getting in on a good pout of snow showers across this region could accumulate, generally say, 10 to 15 centimeters. Some of the higher elevations as much as 20 to 30 centimeters. But, always a good start here for the ski season into the higher elevations.

Vancouver, B.C., 11 degrees, some showers possible. San Francisco, beautiful time of year, about 20 degrees there, partly cloudy conditions, and notice the warmth that had been in place and will be over the next couple of days does eventually break down and we'll get more shots of reality here into the northern tier of the United States.

At Atlanta, soars up to about 25 degrees, and then drops back down to just below seasonal values into the upper teens over this upcoming weekend. How about the Caribbean, will expect temps in Havana to be around 28 degrees. Same score out of Chihuahua. While Mexico City into the lower 20s and a few thunderstorms. We leave you with conditions to the south.

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CHURCH: Well, the U.S. defense secretary is calling on the Saudis for a transparent investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

HOWELL: As he traveled to the Czech Republic, James Mattis told reporters he discussed the journalist's death with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister at a conference on Saturday. He said there, it was full agreement from the Minister for a thorough investigation.

CHURCH: Well, Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor is in Istanbul. Jomana Karadsheh joins us now with the very latest on all of this. So, Jomana, what -- what's the chief prosecutor's plans while in Turkey, and what more are you learning about the investigation into the dire death of Khashoggi?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the Saudi chief prosecutor arrived in Istanbul. Overnight and he's expected to meet with Turkish officials including the chief prosecutor here in Istanbul. Those were talking about the prosecutor who has been overseeing the investigation into the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Now, what we understand is that he will be getting briefed by Turkish authorities on their investigation, and also he will be bringing with him the testimony of the 18 individuals that Saudi Arabia arrested in connection with the killing of Khashoggi.

Now, this might not be enough for Turkish authorities as we've heard from the President and other officials, saying they want the 18 extradited. They want to see them face justice here in Turkey where they say this crime took place. And, of course, that requests -- you know, that idea of putting through this extradition request has been knocked down by senior Saudi officials.

We've heard from the foreign minister saying that those 18 are Saudi nationals and they will face justice in Saudi Arabia. And so, we'll have to wait and see how that develops.

Also, Turkey has a number of pressing questions that we've heard from the President and other officials including the idea of a Turkish collaborator who may have helped the Saudi hit squad get rid and dispose of Jamal Khashoggi's body. They say, who is this collaborator if he does indeed exist?

And the most important question for Turkish officials and they want to try and find out if Saudi authorities were able to gather any information on this through their own investigation is where is the body of Jamal Khashoggi, nearly a month since he entered that consulate, since his killing, and we still do not know where his body.

And, of course, so many family members and friends who want to give him a proper burial after all this time, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, that is the big question. Jomana Karadsheh, joining us there from Istanbul, Turkey, where this nearly10:00 in the morning. Many thanks.

HOWELL: Japan's princess Ayako got married at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine on Monday, but true love came at a cost. The 32-year-old groom works for a shipping company, which means that like all female members of Japan's imperial family, Ayako will lose her royal status for marrying a commoner.

CHURCH: But the Japanese government will give her a lump sum of $950,000 for her living expenses that is quite the wedding gift.

All the 12 boys from the Thai football team who were rescued from a flooded cave got a special surprise over the weekend. They got to meet players from England's famed Manchester United Football Club.

[02:55:14] HOWELL: The youth team known as the Wild Boars also got to tour the team's training ground in Stadium, then they watch the team defeat Everton in an English Premier League match on Sunday.

The Boston Red Sox are the World Series champions. Take a look at that. They beat L.A. Dodgers, 5-1. In Game Five the best of seven series, it grounds the Red Sox as Major League Baseball's best team from start to finish in 2018.

CHURCH: And, of course, the city of Boston is experiencing total baseball bliss as fans flood the streets to celebrate. They are really getting spoiled these days. It's Boston's fourth World Series title in 15 years. Prior to that, they had suffered through an 86- year-championship drought. Good job.

HOWELL: You know, Rosemary, I think they're happy there. Boston looks like -- yes.

CHURCH: Yes, just a little bit, baby. Good to say.

HOWELL: You're watching NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell. And I'm Rosemary Church. We'll be right back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.