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Flight Data And Voice Recorders Recovered From Delta Plane; Video Shows Inside Plane As Passengers Hang Upside Down; JFK Library Reopens After Fed Job Cuts Lead To Brief Closure; Vatican: Pope Francis Shows "Slight Improvement". Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired February 19, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:33:29]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Teams are expected to remove the wreckage of that Delta plane that crashed at Toronto International Airport from the runway today. All 80 people on board the flight survived thankfully.

A senior investigator of Canada's Transportation Safety Board, seen here, revealed that the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have both been recovered.

And also, for the first time, we're getting a glimpse inside of the plane when passengers were still strapped upside down in their seats. The person who took this video told me earlier this week that it was like they were, quote, "hanging like bats."

CNN's Pete Muntean is here.

Pete, where are we in this investigation?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Let's start with the good news first. And this -- is the latest from Delta Airlines. That of the 21 people who were injured in this crash, 20 of them have been now released from the hospital, leaving only one person still in the hospital.

The video from inside that flight really gives you a better idea of the injuries that we're detailed by first responders yesterday. We're talking about sprains, back injuries. They said they treated people for anxiety.

Not all that big of a deal, though, when you consider how bad this crash could have been. People often get injured in an incident like this when they're hanging from their seatbelts and they unbuckle their seatbelt and gravity takes over, putting them on the roof of the plane, which is now the floor.

The big thing now is how this crash happened. And the questions will be answered, in large part, by the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, which are now in a lab being used by Canada's Transportation Safety Board. [13:35:59]

They also said that they will be looking at the condition of the runway. And that is key because there are so many questions in the aviation community now about the weather report at the time, the blowing snow across the runway.

And if there were flat lighting conditions which could contribute to a lot of illusions.

Meaning that it explains the video that we saw where the plane continued descending into the ground without much of a

round-out or a flare, cushioning the descent and really kissing the runway, which is the norm.

I want you to listen now to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, who was on CBS this morning. He said he could not comment on the state of the investigation but commended the flight crew for this incredible response and evacuation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED BASTIAN, CEO, DELTA AIRLINES: The reality is, is that safety is embedded into our system. Air travel in the United States is the safest form of transportation and travel there is, period. And it's because we train for events like this.

And, yes, it's amazing the work that our team did up at endeavor, but that's what we expect out of them because we are prepared for all types of circumstances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: Delta Airlines says the wreckage of Delta 4819 will be removed from near runway 23 at Toronto Pearson International Airport sometime today.

Something else that Delta is doing right now is removing bags from on board the plane. They say that that and reuniting those with passengers will take a matter of weeks.

It's better to have that be the case than take your bags with you and slow down the evacuation. We did see that in some cases of these videos of people evacuating this plane.

All of those things can be replaced. Your life cannot. And seconds are on the line when something like this happens.

KEILAR: Such a good reminder of the dos and don'ts there.

I do want to mention these are actually live pictures. So, as you can see, the fuselage there still on the runway as this investigation continues and a very active scene there with the baggage, we see it underway.

Pete Muntean, thank you. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour.

Incredible video shows a heroic rescue. The moment an Arizona police officer smashes open this window with his baton to save a woman trapped in a fiery rollover crash.

Her pickup had been rear ended by a cement mixer. You see the flames there. The officer and an off-duty firefighter were able to pull her out of the window to safety. Arizona police say that she was taken to a local hospital.

Also, seven men have been charged for their roles in robberies targeting the homes of pro athletes, including Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. The men, allegedly members of a South American theft group -- you see them here -- are accused of stealing more than two million bucks worth of property.

The complaint says the break-ins occurred while the athletes were away or playing in games. If convicted, these folks can face up to 10 years in prison.

And the colonel is leaving Kentucky. He's heading to Texas. After 95 years. KFC headquarters is moving to join its sister brand, Pizza Hut, in Plano, Texas.

That means hundreds of jobs are moving to. Kentucky's Governor Andy Beshear says he is, quote, "disappointed." He says Colonel Sanders would be as well. Is it going to be Texas fried chicken? No?

Just ahead, the JFK Library reopens today after a brief closure tied to federal layoffs. So what is behind the sudden change? JFK's nephew will join us next.

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[13:42:51]

KEILAR: The JFK Presidential Library in Boston is back open today after abruptly closing Tuesday afternoon. We're told that visitors we're escorted out. The doors were locked. Signs were posted citing an executive order.

The library's foundation says the closure was due to the sudden dismissal of federal employees.

I want to bring in Stephen Kennedy Smith, the nephew of former President John F Kennedy. He's also a board member at the library.

Stephen, what led to the decision to close the library yesterday? What changed to allow it to reopen today?

STEPHEN KENNEDY SMITH, BOARD MEMBER, JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & NEPHEW OF FORMER PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY: Yes, so we received that six employees were fired. And those employees were the employees who handled the interface with ticketing and the public, as well as public events at the library.

So we had no one basically to interface with the public. So we had to shut the library down. And that was done without any consultation whatsoever.

So these people are actually paid for by the library itself from revenues that are generated by their activities. And they generate a net surplus for the federal government.

So it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to fire the people who are generating revenue for the organization. So that's number one.

We did get the library open because the senior staff and archivists agreed to volunteer. So they are now manning the desks and, you know, handling the public. They are not trained on the ticketing machines so that the library is free to the public today and going forward until we get that figured out.

But it's just a very chaotic and ill thought-through way to deal with an important, you know, public institution that stands for our sort of historical memory and collective civic identity.

And this goes for all the presidential libraries. You know, we're not a partisan organization. We've given the Profiles in Courage Award to George Bush, to Gerald Ford, to John McCain. Last year, it was Republican secretary of state from Kentucky.

So our -- our role is to educate the public about our shared civic values in American history. So at a time when the country is so divided, it just seems really ill considered and senseless to do something like this.

[13:45:09]

KEILAR: And -- and --

SMITH: And the other thing I'll say is that the national --

KEILAR: And can you --

SMITH: Yes?

KEILAR: Can you shed light on the process of --

SMITH: Sorry.

KEILAR: -- can you shed light on the process of how this went down, how people we're informed, how their supervisors found out, how the board was informed?

SMITH: Yes. I mean, communication was sent to the head of the library that these people were -- were fired. I mean, it's as simple as that. There was no consultation with the board, with the library staff whatsoever. And, you know, to their credit, I mean, the -- the library, the

remaining library staff stepped up and volunteered and tried to help, you know, to keep the library open.

But we were expecting to have the library closed for some time until we figured this out.

I mean, in addition to these people, the national archivist of the United States was fired, as well as her deputy, who's been at the National Archives since 1993. And they are being replaced with political operatives from the Trump organization.

So, you know, it's part of the government takeover and partisan attack on our civic institutions, frankly.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: And similarly, the board of the Kennedy Library was also dismissed without any notice. And David Rubenstein, who's the chair, was also dismissed -

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KEILAR: -- of the Kennedy Center.

SMITH: He attributed his own personal funds to Kennedy Center. Yes. Sorry. He contributed his own personal funds to rebuilding -- the renovation of the Washington Monument.

He bought a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and donated it to the U.S. government. He was setting up an endowment to permanently ensure the financial future of the Kennedy Center when he was let go.

So in terms of, you know, fiscal, you know, this isn't about saving money, obviously --

KEILAR: Yes, and --

SMITH: -- because they're not saving money by doing this.

KEILAR: And you've -- you've laid out a number of ways in which --

SMITH: Yes.

KEILAR: -- you feel like this isn't about being fiscally responsible. What is -- and you've even raised the question of, you know, leaders of these institutions that are so important in sort of a little "D" democracy way.

But what is the symbolism of this library being closed when JFK is -- I mean, he's really the icon of the Democratic Party.

SMITH: Yes. I mean, I don't -- like I want to stay away from making this partisan, right? I -- I think that, you know, the -- the Kennedy library is a place where people can come to be inspired about American democracy, whether they're Republican or Democrat. KEILAR: So you don't think, Stephen, it was targeted?

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Is that what you're saying or you just don't want to comment on it?

SMITH: I mean, I hope that it wasn't targeted. I'm here more to speak to the future of this organization, what I think it contributes to American democracy and what presidential libraries in general contribute.

But it -- it -- the timing is unfortunate, to say the least. And you know, I think it's ill-considered and it should be reversed that these employees contribute funds to the federal government. They serve a critical mission of educating citizens about democracy.

And you know, Democrats can go to the Reagan Library and learn about what Republicans have done for the country. And Republicans can come to the Kennedy library and learn about what Democrats have done.

That's what we need to do right now is -- is build a civic identity that's a common civic identity and not divisive and partisan.

KEILAR: Both phenomenal libraries. I will attest to that.

Stephen Kennedy Smith, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it.

SMITH: Thanks for having me. Thanks for your good work.

KEILAR: Yes. Of course.

[13:48:05]

Pope Francis is now said to be in good spirits, despite the serious health setbacks that has kept him in the hospital for days now. We'll go live to Rome for the latest next.

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SANCHEZ: A day after being diagnosed with double pneumonia, Pope Francis is said to be alert and reactive and showing some slight improvement. The Vatican says he had a peaceful night in the hospital and was able to eat breakfast this morning, get out of bed and sit in an armchair.

CNN Vatican correspondent, Christopher Lamb, is now live with us from Rome.

Christopher, what do you make of this update?

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris and Brianna, we've just had a further update from the Vatican about the pope's condition here at the Gemelli Hospital behind me. The Vatican saying that his condition is stable and that there has been a slight improvement following blood tests. And therefore, there is some encouraging news for the pope as he battles double pneumonia, a very serious condition for a man of 88-years-old with a history of respiratory infections.

The pope also met with prime minister -- the prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. They had a 20-minute meeting. The pope is also, we understand, doing some work. He's making some appointments of bishops. He's seeing -- he's receiving papers.

[13:55:04]

So despite the very serious condition the pope has, there' some encouraging developments tonight -- Boris and Brianna?

SANCHEZ: Christopher Lamb, live for us outside that hospital where the pontiff is being treated in Rome, thank you so much.

So just minutes from now, a federal judge is going to consider the DOJ's request to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. We'll take you live outside the courthouse with an update in just moments.

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