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More Information On the Search for Missing Air France Jetliner; 65th Anniversary of D-Day

Aired June 06, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

I want to give you more information now on this breaking story. This is about the search for the Air France jetliner that simply vanished from the sky that was making its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Now the Brazilian Air Force is reporting new details about discoveries being made in the ocean by way of the help of naval vessels that were also in the vicinity, locating bodies and even other piece of evidence that is linked to this flight.

Our Karl Penhaul is joining us now from Recife, Brazil, with more information on how they are trying to piece all of these little details together -- Karl?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) it's a little less than an hour ago now, that was a giant press conference by the Brazilian Navy and the Brazilian Air Force. And what they are told it is now a Brazilian naval vessel has recovered two male bodies from the ocean that they presume came from that doomed Air France flight.

In addition to the two bodies, what the naval and air force authorities are telling us is that they have recovered a number of items of luggage. They've recovered a suitcase. They've recovered a backpack with a laptop computer inside, and they have also recovered a leather briefcase.

Inside that leather briefcase was Air France flight tickets. The name on those air tickets, the Brazilian authorities tell us, correspond to a name that was on the flight manifest from that Air France flight.

In addition to that, they have recovered other pieces of debris, including a blue seat, blue, of course, being the emblematic cover of Air France.

The Brazilian authorities say that there is a serial number on that seat. But so far, Air France has not confirmed whether that serial number corresponds with the serial numbers of that Air France 330 plane -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And so, Karl, give me an idea how this either helps searchers pinpoint an area, or what this tells them about how broad this debris field just might be.

PENHAUL: Well, because of the confusion that there was earlier this week about what debris had been sighted, what debris had been recovered, there was a false alarm when some palettes were recovered. That now seems to be just general flotsam and jetsam that was floating out there in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Brazilian authorities are being very careful to talk only about specifics right now.

In terms of those specifics, they say that the two bodies that were recovered this morning along with that luggage and some debris was recovered about 450 miles north of the Brazilian island of Fernando De La Unia. That would put it at the spot about 670 miles from the Brazilian coast proper.

What the Brazilian authorities are also saying is that there are some vessels engaged in a retrieval and recovery operation, whilst other vessels and other aircraft continue to comb other sections of ocean to see if they can -- (INAUDIBLE). They are conscious of the fact -- (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: OK. That's Karl Penhaul reporting there from Recife, Brazil. You can tell the transmission a little spotty there. And when we're able to reestablish communications with him and when we gets more information on the search now of debris that they've already recovered now from the ocean as it relates to the Air France flight that presumably just disappeared from the sky about a week ago.

And now also the recovery of two bodies that were located and some identification that now confirms, according to the searchers, a relationship between the debris they found, the bodies they found, and that Air France flight. The search continues, however, for exactly why this plane had trouble, what happened, and where the rest of the debris might be located there.

Meantime, the other story that we continue to follow on this 65th anniversary of D-Day taking place in Normandy and even in this country. In Normandy, gun salutes, speeches, and silent tributes all in remembrance of what veterans call "the longest day," D-Day.

Sixty-five years ago today, allied forces launched the liberation of France, overwhelming German forces on the beaches of Normandy. More than 150,000 troops took part.

By the end of the day, 2,500 allied troops were dead. Many of them are buried in the nearby American cemetery.

Today dignitaries, including President Barack Obama, came to pay their respects. Our senior international correspondent Jim Bitterman has been there all day. Quite an emotional day, particularly for these veterans who made the journey this year, or perhaps make it every year,. many of them in their mid-80s and beyond -- Jim?

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And I think one of the things that's happening is the number of veterans who actually have direct memories of D-Day are dwindling as the generations pass here.

In fact, one of the things that's interesting is the perspective of D-Day has changed, because after the 40th anniversary of D-Day, which was one of the big celebrations and commemorations here, it was the generals telling the story, and then the colonels and captains.

And now we're down to the privates and sergeants and their recollections of the day. And, of course, they were the ones who stepped out into enemy fire.

We moved away from the cemetery where we were earlier about two miles down the beach. We're on Omaha beach still. And part of the casualties of the people that were killed and lie in that cemetery today were killed here because this monument you see behind me, it's a monument to those -- the war and the heroism that took place here on D-Day, was actually, before this, was a drillman 88 millimeter gun emplacement.

And it had a commanding view of the beach. They had a free fire zone right down the beach. And the 29th infantry division, which came ashore here, American infantry division, had the strongest shore and to take cliffs, which are behind the camera here.

And it was a difficult task indeed, a very bitter fight all day long, very bloody battle. And it was the kind of battle which was fought all along Omaha beach. Omaha beach was probably the bloodiest battle along this beach.

As I said, it's a day of reliving history, and that's exactly what President Obama did earlier in the day when he met with veterans who have fought on D-Day. And he did a bit of commemoration himself to the sacrifices they made.

Here's the way he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You, the veterans, are why we still remember what happened D-Day. You're why we keep coming back.

You remind us that in the end human destiny is not determined by forces beyond our control. You remind us that our future is not shaped by mere chance or circumstance. Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each individual man and woman. It has always been up to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMAN: President Obama there, speaking earlier in the day. After that speech, he met with some of the veterans, and then got aboard the Marine One, the helicopter that he flies around in, and went up and down the beaches for an aerial tour.

He's back in Paris tonight and will leave France back for Washington tomorrow -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: There was also an interesting, I guess, occurrence during this commemoration. Traditionally it's the Queen of England who's usually in attendance. There was a big of a snafu, right, Jim, about her invitation? But instead the Prince of Wales was there.

Is everyone happy, in terms of these allied countries, is everyone happy with the presidents, the representation, the commemoration?

BITTERMAN: I think so. It was a little bit of a snafu, as you indicated. I think it started with the fact President Sarkozy had it in his mind to make this a one on one with President Obama today.

And then because of the fact that others were involved here, other allied powers were involved, they wanted to get involved in this commemoration. And so Gordon Brown was invited, the prime minister of Great Britain, and Stephen Harper of Canada.

And in the process apparently someone had forgotten to send off an invitation to the queen, who at least the newspaper reporter was at bit miffed at that. So Prince Charles came on behalf of the royal family. So, in the end, it all worked itself out.

I must say that the speeches today from the four countries involved here at the ceremonies were just very spectacular, and all directed, not so much the polemics we have heard over the past few days, but the record of the veterans themselves. So it was a very moving occasion -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Jim Bitterman, thanks so much, appreciate it. And, of course, Jim is going to be joining us again, and we hope you do to.

In the 4:00 eastern hour today we will be focusing on just not Normandy, but, overall, President Obama's trip this week -- Middle East, Europe as well as North Africa. And in that journey, there were some pretty profound messages, particularly to the Muslim world.

So how is America's appeal abroad changing? How is it modified as a result of what took place this week?

We want to hear from you. You can send us your comments or questions in our blog, CNN.com/newsroom, then click on my name, or I'm on Facebook. And join the conversation today at 4:00 eastern time.

Onto the nation's capital now. A lot of people are heading for the World War II memorial. They have been descending upon it all day, as a matter of fact.

And our Elaine Quijano is there. She's been talking to veterans. And they've been sharing their stories, and it's nice that these stories are being shared with the younger generation, lots of grandchildren who have been in tow to hear these stories first account.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know what's so interesting, Fredricka, as we take a look into the World War II memorial behind me is that it's not just a generational difference. We have not seen not just a generational diversity, if you will, but also an international crowd that I've noticed here on the mall as well. All day long, in fact, we have been seeing tourists coming down by the busloads to check out the World War II memorial. But also on this D-Day, of course, to pay tribute to the veterans, including a group of five D-Day veterans who were able to, for the very first time, lay their eyes on the memorial dedicated to their service.

And the reason they were able to come is because of the Honor Flight Network. Earl Morris is head of the Honor Flight Network. Earl, thanks for being here. Tell us a little about what happened and what took place here earlier today.

EARL MORRIS, HONOR FLIGHT NETWORK: Yes, we brought in four different groups from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, and also Ohio. And in that group were several World War II veterans who we know exactly where they were at 65 years ago.

So it's a tremendous blessing for us to make that happen for them, because this is their memorial. They had never seen it. And we were grateful to be able to make that happen for them.

QUIJANO: And we were talking before hits. It's obviously a race against time for you. How important is it for you each day that goes by, each year that goes by for the work that you do?

MORRIS: Every single day sadly, we will call up a house, and we say we have a seat available for you on an aircraft. Can we please speak to your husband -- only to find out he didn't make it.

And you get that close to getting these veterans to their memorial. That's what keeps us up at night is trying to come up with ways to get as many veterans out here as safely as we can, because in another five to seven years, it's a moot point. They're gone.

So we need public support. We get no government financing at all, so we're depending upon the public to make the dreams of over 8,000 World War II veterans on our waiting list come true.

QUIJANO: One of the things that was so striking is the reaction that strangers have once they spot one of these World War II veterans. You noticed that as well. What does it feel like when you see that happen, that kind of spontaneous interaction that happens, perfect strangers walking up to World War II veterans, recognizing their service?

MORRIS: These veterans have no idea how revered, how cherished, how loved they are by this nation. And they are so humble. It really flabbergasts them when somebody comes up, looks them in the eye, and says thank you for what you have done.

And then for us as organizers, to step back and see that happen, that's one of the greatest rewards to this program.

QUIJANO: And I understand the veterans can't be here right at this moment because they are back on the plane. It's been a whirlwind day for them.

MORRIS: Yes. They get up really early in the morning. A lot of them fly home late at night.

But let me tell you what happens, Elaine. Every single one is younger. As the day goes on, there's a bounce from their step, their shoulders are held back. They get off the plane about in their 60s. They got on the plane in their 80s, they get off the plane in their 60s.

QUIJANO: Thank you so much.

MORRIS: Thank you.

QUIJANO: Thank you, really appreciate it.

So the Honor Flight Network, a program that brought some veterans here, including, as I said, Fredricka, a group of five D-Day veterans. Remarkable stories, too, when you talk to these men who were 19, 20, 21 years old, really fascinating to hear their stories from that day and of that time.

They are so absolutely matter of fact about it. But you are talking about, of course, life and death situations, some real life heroes here.

And it's been very moving to see the reactions from people around us as they thank them.

WHITFIELD: And it's so astounding that so many of these vets, when you talk to them, when you take the time to talk and listen to these stories, it's as if it happened yesterday. Their memories are very clear on it, even though we are talking about 65 years ago.

Elaine Quijano, thanks so much for Washington. Appreciate it.

And we're not done talking about the various tributes to our heroes. Later on this hour, we'll take you to Bedford, Virginia, home to the National D-Day Memorial. We'll look at the financial struggles and how you can help.

The pilot who safely landed his plane in the Hudson River a few months back is being honored today in his hometown. I'm talking about Captain Chesley Sullenberger, aka, Captain Sully. He's the honored guest at the D-Day celebration in Dennison, Texas.

In about an hour, Captain Sully is expected to deliver the commencement speech at his hometown high school.

Captain Sully and his crew saved 155 lives after an engine on the plane failed.

He couldn't escape controversy in either life or death. This morning funeral services were held for a provider of late-term abortions, Dr. George Tiller.

He was shot and killed last Sunday at a church where he served as an usher. Today's services were held at a different church nearby. Wichita police and the U.S. Marshal Service prepared for an overflow of attendees, but not all were mourning Tiller's death. Some abortion opponents promised to protest.

Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department announced a federal investigation is being held into Tiller's shooting.

And the prosecuting district attorney says the 51-year-old suspect, Scott Roeder, will not face the death penalty if convicted, saying Tiller's killing does not fit the state's criteria for capital punishment.

We're getting new information in that fatal daycare fire yesterday in northern Mexico. The death toll has now risen to 31 confirmed dead and more than 100 hurt.

We're told the worst of the burn patients have been brought to two children's hospitals, actually, here in the United States.

Political hot buttons -- full-steam ahead for healthcare reform from the White House and Congressional Democrats.

And judicial philosophy, or words of inspiration? GOP objections to Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A little bit more information on this breaking story we're following now off the coast of Brazil, where the Brazilian air force is reporting finding debris that is related -- they are confirming it is related to the Air France jet that simply vanished from the sky last weekend.

And we have on the phone with us right now journalist Marcel Ambrosio, who is an aviation expert, and he also is the executive editor for "Journal del Brazil." And he is with us now on the line.

So this press conference took place involving the Brazilian air force and Navy, Marcello. And this information was revealed about a blue seat that is indicative of an Air France flight, a brief case, also some tickets information that corresponded with a passenger who was, indeed, on that plane, and two male bodies also located.

Can you tell me a little more about what was said about the location of this search? And it was indeed a naval vessel that actually located this debris, right?

MARCEL AMBROSIO, AVIATION EXPERT: Right. First the -- the first sight of debris was spotted by the Brazilian air force aircraft, Air 99, at dawn, and the (INAUDIBLE) was 60 miles from the point.

So just after that, the vessel came to the area and found who male bodies, as you said, fit with the blue color which belongs to Air France equipment, a leather briefcase with some documents which belongs to a passenger which was on AF-447, and a backpack with a laptop inside it was the air tickets of Air France, AF-447 flight.

So this is confirmed that the first bodies are found. AMBROSIO: And Marcello, did the officials indicate whether all of these items that were recovered, was it all in the same vicinity, or did they collect these items strewn out with some distance in mind, and after making the collection of these items then had the press conference?

AMBROSIO: Well, they are refining the area, using the technique they call "back-drift," which reveals calculus about sea currents and winds and the location of the first debris in order to increase the area to search.

The point today, they found the bodies and debris was 69 kilometers south from the front of the left contact of the airplane. So it's not too far away from the point where they were searching for.

I believe that if they are finding bodies on the surface, probably there were more bodies trapped inside the wreckage, and they are escaping from in any way to the surface. So I believe that we will find other bodies in that same area soon.

WHITFIELD: And, Marcello, did they give any further indication of the currents? There's been a lot reported over the week about the types of currents in this path of water here, and how that that makes this search all that much more difficult. Did they elaborate on that at all today?

AMBROSIO: Yes. The point is that's the area where the accident occurred is almost in the middle of the ocean. And we have there the kind of ridge, underwater ridge with a lot of cliffs. You have strong underwater currents.

So I believe that the information that you start to see some debris floating. And the big ones, it's not a small part of the airplane, it's relatively big. It means that we will probably have some big parts of the fuselage under the water.

I believe that, in fact, this could be a sign for the rescue team that they will be close to the point, and they will find a big part of the airplane, of the wreckage.

WHITFIELD: Is this still a location that it was earlier believed that the depths of this water could be between 3,000 and 4,000 feet? Is that accurate for this particular area where the debris was located?

AMBROSIO: Yes, sure, sure. It is a mid-ocean range. It's very deep. It's 3,000, 4,000 feet. But there is a lot of technology now to -- to search in this situation.

WHITFIELD: And it's very mountainous, apparently, below this surface.

Any indication during this press conference that took place under two hours ago now, where some of the this information was revealed, any indication whether they are willing to say how many ships, how many aircraft are now being diverted for this area that you just moments ago reported as being a refined area of the search?

AMBROSIO: No. I know that they are concentrating on relocating all of the air force in this area. I knew there were 17 vessels working, and a lot of different airplanes working there.

This particular vessel which found the bodies, they are returning to Fernando Del Lo Unia, which all of the materials were, where some teams of forensic experts are waiting to start, first, DNA examinations in order to establish the identity of the bodies.

WHITFIELD: Marcello Ambrosio, thank you very much, executive editor of the Journal "Go Brazil," also an aviation expert, a columnist. Thanks so much for your insight.

And Mr. Ambrosio was able to get a lot of detail there and help elaborate, along with our reporting from Karl Penhaul there in Brazil, about what has been located as it relates to the search for the Air France flight that simply vanished from the air.

Now we understand confirmation of two male bodies. Mr. Ambrosio was just reporting those bodies were located on the surface of the water, simply in the middle of the ocean there as this flight was making its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris last weekend.

Also located today, according to the air force and navy with Brazil, a briefcase. Tickets were inside a backpack, tickets with information that corresponds with one of the passengers on that Air France flight, as well as a seat that has signature markings of Air France as well.

So we'll continue to try to get more information on these discoveries being made today as it relates to the Air France flight 447. And when we get that, we will be able to bring that to you as soon as possible.

Meantime, we are going to focus on some pretty nasty weather here in the states. It's pretty hard to find dry land, particularly in Miami's south beach area. Hard to believe that's south beach.

The National Weather Service says anywhere from seven to nine inches of rain fell in just a couple of hours. Some say they saw hail as big as golf balls, while others saw as many as 100 lightning strikes within a matter of minutes, much of Florida certainly not living up to its reputation as the sunshine state.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in the severe weather center. Please tell me it's going to dry out for the folks there soon.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not today, unfortunately.

Yes, we could see some severe thunderstorms in this area once again this afternoon. We have pretty nasty ones right now towards Miami and into the Ft. Lauderdale area that could produce winds 50, 60 miles an hour.

No warnings right now, but be aware as they continue to pop up across the region for this afternoon. It's also causing some delays at the airports. Ft. Lauderdale, you have a ground stop until 2:45. That means if you're trying to get there, you can't take off at this time. Also delays out of Miami.

A little bit of fog for you in the San Francisco area.

We also have some showers up north but it's doing OK at the airports from Chicago on up towards the Minneapolis area. Some of these thunderstorms could become severe later on this afternoon, from Iowa stretching down into the Rio valley.

Otherwise, it's looking pretty quiet across the country. Fire danger, though, across parts of the southwest -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK. Thank you so much, Jacqui. We will check back with you a little bit later.

Eight months after Hurricane Ike roared ashore on Galveston Island, Texas -- I mentioned we will see Jacqui later. We're going to see her on location as well, talking about what she witnessed there in Galveston as that area tries to recover after hurricane Ike. That's about 20 minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Thousands are meeting in coffee shops and living rooms today to talk about healthcare reform. The event organized by the president's camp, come as a bill laying out his healthcare goals circulates on Capitol Hill.

The president wants to lower costs and extend care to 50 million uninsured people. Mr. Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to plead for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We must attack the root causes of skyrocketing healthcare costs. Some of these costs are the result of unwarranted profiteering that has no place in our healthcare system. And in too many communities, folks are paying higher costs without receiving better care in return.

And yet we know, for example, that there are places like the Mayo clinic in Minnesota, the Cleveland clinic in Ohio, and other institutions that offer some of the highest quality of care in the nation at some of the lowest costs in the nation.

We should learn from their successes and promote the best practices, not the most expensive ones. That's how we will achieve reform that fixes what doesn't work and builds on what does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Congress still hasn't figured out how to pay for healthcare overhaul. It could cost up to $1.5 trillion over a decade. It's been a pretty busy week for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. For three days she was on Capitol Hill meeting and greeting senators and answering questions about controversial comments that she made in the past.

We learned those comments weren't a one-time thing. We're talking about her saying she hoped a Latina woman with her experiences would oftentimes reach better decisions than a white man. In papers she submitted, that comment came up in speeches from 1994 to as recently as 2004.

In the Republicans weekly radio and Internet address, the senator leading the GOP vetting of Sotomayor questions whether she -- or whether she should let her personal views, or whether she does let her personal views color her decisions as a Supreme Court judge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, (R) ALABAMA: I'm troubled by President Obama's use of the "empathy standard" when selecting federal judges. With this view, that a judge should use his or her personal feelings about a particular group or issues, to decide a case, it stands in stark contrast to the impartiality that we expect in the American courtroom.

If a judge is allowed to let his or her feelings for one party in the case sway his decision, hasn't that judge then demonstrated a bias against the other party?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, our Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has been tracking the Sotomayor story. So where does it stand right now, because we know Sessions really can identify in part what Sotomayor's going through, because he had a very similar experience while trying to get confirmed for that post because of language that he used that some found to be a little controversial.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Exactly. Back in 1986, our Dana Bash, our senior congressional correspondent, doing a nice piece on that yesterday. He was not confirmed. And now, of course, he's the top Republican on that committee, Fred.

Short-term, I think you will hear a lot of newsmakers over the next few days on the Sunday talk shows, like our own "State of the Union" with John King, they will be discussing that questionnaire that you were just talking about and her "wise Latina" comments now that we learned she made them a number of times.

She did not talk about this, herself. She stayed quiet. But senators that met with Sonia Sotomayor say that she has said that maybe they are a poor choice of words. You will hear a lot of talk about that.

The other thing we will be seeing over the next few weeks is the timetable, Fred. When will the confirmations be held? There is a fight right now between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats probably want these hearings to be held in July. The president has said he would like it all done before the Senate goes on recess in August.

Republicans are saying, not so fast, Mr. President. This may have to go down towards September. So that will be the next big fight.

WHITFIELD: What is also interesting about the comments, the wise Latina comments, is that there is some history in her using that parallel. But sometimes there would be the omission of the word "Latina," sometimes the omission of the word "white" or "white man." But no one had a problem with it at the time.

STEINHAUSER: And that's what her supporters are saying, that tn 1998 she already made some of these comments, and Republicans did not bring this up when she was being confirmed for a federal appeals court position back in '98. So that is part of the argument, Fred, definitely.

WHITFIELD: Now let's talk about one of her staunch critics in the past week or so, Newt Gingrich. An about-face, he is almost backtracking some of his comments that he used to describe her as a "racist."

STEINHAUSER: Yes. And that was two weeks ago. And then just a couple days ago --

WHITFIELD: What made him change his story?

STEINHAUSER: He did change his story to a degree. He said, I wish I hadn't made those comments. But he did, at the same time, criticize her comments.

Why did he make an about-face? Maybe quiet pressure for Republicans in Congress saying ...

WHITFIELD: Maybe.

STEINHAUSER: ...to the former house speaker, you're not helping our cause at all here. Tone it down.

And there's one other thing. Newt Gingrich may want to run for the presidency in 2012, and maybe it's better if he doesn't use language like this.

WHITFIELD: Aha, interesting. All right Paul Steinhauser, thank you so much. Something tells me and everybody else we will still be hearing a lot more dialogue about this as we try to nail down the date in which confirmation hearings would actually take place.

Thank you so much, Paul. Appreciate it.

STEINHAUSER: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Trying to keep the house. A summit brings troubled homeowners and lenders together. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. A little bit more information now on this breaking story we continue to follow off the coast of Brazil, where the Brazilian Air Force and Navy are now confirming locating two bodies that they are confirming are indeed related to the Air France jetliner that simply vanished from the sky, flight 447, last weekend.

Now they're finding some debris as it relates to that aircraft in addition to the confirmation of the two bodies. They're also finding airline tickets that confirm that airline ticket as it relates to flight 447, also a blue seat, which is a signature seat to Air France, and also a backpack with a laptop.

Lots of information they are uncovering just now according to reporters on the scene are saying that this is allowing investigators to now refine their search location as they look for more evidence, more clues as it relates to this Air France jetliner.

So joining us now from Charleston, South Carolina, to help us better understand where this investigation would go, Mary Schiavo. She's a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. She is now a private attorney specializing in aviation issues and has represented a number of passengers and crew families in just about every major U.S. airline crash since leaving the department of transportation.

So, Ms. Schiavo, thank you so much for joining us right now.

MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: When you hear information like this, two bodies that have been located as well as evidence of this plane, evidence of other passengers located in a particular area, what does this tell you about where the search goes now, and how they piece together this little bit of information to get a better picture of what happened?

SCHIAVO: Well, yes, it's horribly sad news for the families. But it's very important news for the investigators. France's CEA will, of course, take the lead, and they are being assisted by Brazil's CENEPA, which is their accident investigation agency.

And they have set up the morgue to receive the bodies in Recife, Brazil. But France will take the lead on piecing together any pieces they can find, and they will take them back to France.

I have worked on three different crashes in Brazil and a couple in France, and France usually does their accident reconstruction back in France, and where their accident investigation is headquartered in Paris. The U.S. will assist the national transportation safety board.

WHITFIELD: And right now France, Brazil, even some American investigators are helping in this search that this debris was located in this particular area. What kind of apparatus will be need? Because we're talking about the middle of the ocean. We're talking about depths between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.

What kinds of apparatus will be needed to help locate more evidence, more debris, more evidence of the passengers and crew?

SCHIAVO: Four things in particular. One, they are doing over- flights with aircraft and various navies involved. And also the United States Coast Guard is extremely good at this.

The airplanes literally fly a grid. They have maps off the ocean into squares of several miles of length and width, and they overfly those to look for any wreckage.

The ships on the site have come in with sonar and radar, and they will be searching under the ocean floor and then under the water on the ocean floor, and then, of course, picking up any wreckage that they have.

And then they also have submersibles. And the submersibles will be deployed when they request narrow in on the spot, and by finding these bodies in the wreckage, they have clearly narrowed in on the area. And the submersibles will search, too.

And then, of course, they will use the data that the plane sent out itself through satellite communications as it was crashing.

WHITFIELD: Mary Schiavo, former inspector general with the U.S. department of transportation, now private attorney, joining us from Charleston, South Carolina. Thanks so much for your insight. Appreciate it.

As we continue to get bits and pieces of information about this investigation throughout the day, we will bring that to you as soon as we get it.

Meantime, so far this year, more than 1 million foreclosures have been filed. Not all of those people will lose their homes. Some will actually find help in places like Baltimore.

A foreclosure prevention summit is under way in Baltimore, and just about winding up. And Elijah Cummings is a Democratic Congressman from Maryland. He actually hosted the summit.

The congressman is with us right now. Good to see you.

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS, (D) MARYLAND: Good being with you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I know the answer to this, what precipitated this kind of summit, because too many people are losing their homes, too many foreclosures have taken place.

But what is the real objective here to make sure that people don't lose everything?

CUMMINGS: The objective was to bring the banks and service companies and lenders together with people who find themselves facing foreclosure.

The problem was that many of my constituents were listening to President Obama talk about the things that he was trying to do, and certainly the Congress was trying to do, and hearing the banks saying they wanted to help.

But a lot of times, they could not get the banks on the phone, could not meet with them. And they found themselves, Fredricka, while they were waiting to get together with the bankers, going into foreclosure and possibly losing their homes.

WHITFIELD: And I talked to a lot of homeowners who said part of the problem was even trying to get through ...

CUMMINGS: That's right.

WHITFIELD: ...to a bank, trying to get somebody to give me a clear-cut answer, somebody to take my calls, and how frustrating it was. Meantime, the clock is ticking and the calendar moving, and, presto, everything's gone.

CUMMINGS: That's right.

Today we had more than 1,000 people show up to restructure their loans. And I am very, very pleased to say that just based upon the polling that I took, just exit polling today talking to my folks, I would say 85 percent of those people got some good results. They got reductions in their mortgage payments.

We had 19 lenders to come out to sit, and they are still sitting with folks one on one. Actually -- we actually set up the interviews before the people came in the door this morning.

WHITFIELD: But how did a lot of these people know that their lenders were there and this meant access, I need to show up?

CUMMINGS: What we did, we went on the radio, we went on television. We did everything we knew how to do to get people to call us.

And then we worked with other organizations, like NAC and others, to set up people with their lenders. And so the lender knew that folks were going to be there today, and the folks knew that the lender was going to be there today.

WHITFIELD: And so people were able to buy some time. They are now going to be in their homes a bit longer, if not as long as they, you know, can afford to stay in the homes as a result of this summit.

CUMMINGS: I have talked to people today within the hour who have saved as much as $300 to $1,000 per month on their mortgages. And a lot of that was retroactive, made retroactive six months.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. It must make you feel good, too, knowing you're solution-driven here. You're able to help people find some solutions, get some access, stay in their homes. CUMMINGS: I honestly did not expect the banks to do as much as they did today. And I've got to be frank with you, I was a little pessimistic about this.

WHITFIELD: You're a skeptical, too.

CUMMINGS: Yes. But the fact is, is that the banks came through. Citigroup, Bank of America, so many of them, Countrywide, came through, J.P. Morgan Chase.

And so, again, we had 19 bankers, and they covered 95 percent of all of the loans that we had to deal with today.

WHITFIELD: Good news. We love to be able to report on some good news.

CUMMINGS: I'm telling you ...

WHITFIELD: Especially in this climate.

CUMMINGS: That's right. That's right.

So we're going to keep some people in their houses. I figure if we can bail out the banks, we ought to be able to help people who find themselves in difficulty with regard to foreclosure.

WHITFIELD: We have been hearing that from ordinary citizens all along, haven't we?

CUMMINGS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings. Thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

CUMMINGS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Remembering D-Day, and its veterans, not just today, but forever. In Virginia, an ongoing struggle to keep a national memorial open.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A memorial dedicated to World War II veterans in a town that lost many of its young men is in jeopardy of closing. CNN's Kate Bolduan has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The small town of Bedford, Virginia, suffered among the country's greatest losses on D-Day. Out of a population of just 3,200, 19 soldiers from this community died in the invasion. That's why the National D-Day Memorial was opened here in 2001.

MILLS HOBBS, D-DAY VETERAN: This is black, this is Zorfus (ph), this is Cochran (ph). BOLDUAN: Eighty-seven-year-old Mills Hobbs is one of the few surviving men of the 115th infantry. He remembers the invasion in vivid detail.

HOBBS: You didn't know where any bullet was coming from or any shell was coming from, what direction, aimed at who, or nothing. You only knew that you could be the subject that it was seeking 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

BOLDUAN: But now the very memorial honoring Hobbs and the thousands of other soldiers who fought that day could itself be lost, a victim of a struggling economy.

ROBIN HALSEY, DAUGHTER D-DAY VETERAN: I know things are tight because of the recession, but everybody should throw in a little bit to keep this monument open. It is absolutely fabulous.

BOLDUAN: The memorial is privately funded, and donations, which make up more than half of its funding, are way down. The foundaton's president says the situation is dire.

WILLIAM MCINTOSH, PRESIDENT, D-DAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: Obviously, this is something that nobody wants, and it's something nobody wants to contemplate on the 65th anniversary of D-Day.

BOLDUAN: So he's begging for help, approaching universities about taking it over, but no luck.

Congressman Tom Perriello, who represents Bedford, introduced a bill this week to transfer the site to the National Park Service, but that could take years, and time is something the memorial and its biggest base of support, World War II veterans, don't have.

HOBBS: We were just like brothers. We would stand up for one another no matter what.

BOLDUAN: Mills Hobbs says it's memories like he hopes live on, memorial or not.

HOBBS: I hope they learn that freedom ain't free, and that they'll never forget it, never forget it.

BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A number of nonprofit organizations are reaching out to veterans and families of the fallen. See how you can help at CNN.com/impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

This breaking story that is unfolding off the coast of Brazil as the search continues for any evidence of that Air France flight 447, simply vanished from the sky a week ago.

Well, now the Brazilian Air Force and Navy are confirming locating the bodies of two men as well as evidence of air -- that Air France flight.

They located a computer bag, and inside the computer bag, also tickets that correspond with that flight 447.