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Epic and Monumental Flooding in Midwest; No Hope for Survival for 8 Mexican Miners; Workers Enter and Install Air Ducts in Japanese Reactor Building; Search Teams Retrieve Body from 2009 Air France Plane Crash; Vice President Biden to Visit Pentagon Today; 9/11 Pentagon Victims Honored; 'Secret, Stealth' Choppers Used in SEAL Mission

Aired May 05, 2011 - 13:30   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Randi Kaye. It is about half past the hour. Here's a look at stories you may have missed during our special coverage of the president's visit in New York City.

Flooding in the Midwest is now being described as epic and monumental. All along the Mississippi River, from as far north as Minnesota and south to Louisiana, water-logged residents are hoping for some sort of reprieve. Eleven counties in Mississippi have been declared federal disaster areas. About 20 miles of westbound Interstate 40 in Arkansas have been closed due to the flooding. Meteorologists don't expect floods to fully relent before early June.

Mexico's labor secretary now says there is no hope of survival for eight miners still missing after an explosion. That word comes after a sixth body was found today at the mine in Sabinas, Mexico. Fourteen miners were trapped in Tuesday's blast. Experts from Chile who aided in the rescue of the 33 miners in October, were expected to arrive today to help in the search effort. The mine had been operating for only 20 days when the blast happened. A 15-year-old worker had both arms amputated after being seriously injured in that blast.

Workers entered a reactor building at Japan's damaged nuclear plant for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami damaged that facility back in March. They went in to install air ducts for a ventilation system in the number one reactor building to help filter radioactive contamination out of the air. Once the radioactive emissions are reduced, workers will be allowed to stay in the building to install a cooling system that Tokyo Electric plans to use for a cold shutdown of this reactor.

Search teams retrieved a body from the wreckage of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. The remains, still attached to the seat, were recovered from a depth of about 12,000 feet and will be sent to a lab for DNA analysis. The discovery comes only days after the flight recorders were recovered. Officials are still working to retrieve information from them. All 228 people aboard the Airbus A-330 were killed when the plane which was headed to Paris from Rio de Janeiro crashed on June 1st, 2009. The cause is still a mystery. Well, it seems one of the choppers used by the SEAL team to hunt Osama bin Laden was anything but standard issue. Full of advanced technology that governments around the world would love to get their hands on. More on this secret chopper and who has control of its wreckage right now. That's in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: You're looking right now at live pictures outside the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Vice President Joe Biden is there. He's expected to be joined by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. This is a memorial service where the 9/11 Pentagon victims will be honored. For the last few hours you've been watching the service there in New York City with the president.

We want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence to give us a little more on what we might expect to see here at the Pentagon today.

Chris, what can you tell us?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, I mean, you know, obviously the big focus today was in New York because President Obama was there, because that's where the Twin Towers fell.

But you know, the Pentagon is a very, very important part of this narrative when you talk about Osama bin Laden. It was not only hit on 9/11, but it's also been, you know, some of the plans that were worked through to try to get him were actually worked through there at the Pentagon. Obviously, a lot of cooperation between the intelligence and the defense communities. Obviously a lot of families that were affected by what happened when that plane slammed into the Pentagon that morning.

There's been an ongoing Pentagon memorial there. Every day we go to work, you see the tourists coming to see the Pentagon memorial. And at times, honestly, you sort of after a while, this may be bad to say, but you sort of forget it's there. It's something that's always there and you're just always hustling to work. And I think it's days like this that make you sort of stop and really remember what happened at the Pentagon that day for those families.

KAYE: And from what I understand, Chris, we're just getting a little bit more information, it seems that the vice president will lay this wreath exactly at the impact site at the Pentagon. He'll place the wreath in front of the one blackened stone from September 11th =, 2001.

In New York, Chris, we know that the president was really looking to connect with the families, make them -- let them know they haven't been forgotten. Certainly in the last days all the talk has been about Osama bin Laden. But it was so important for the president to let the families know that they are being remembered, as well here.

Do you get the same sense that the vice president will send that message to the families there at the Pentagon, as well? LAWRENCE: I'm almost sure he will, Randi. Not only him but also Defense Secretary Robert Gates, as well. Remember, the defense secretary has already announced that he'll be stepping down and retiring in just a couple months from now. So really, you know, this may be his last time to really connect with this site and connect with a lot of those families and to, you know, sort of relay his thoughts and his feelings about, you know, what happened that day and about, you know, what has happened since in terms of their lives.

KAYE: And I understand that he'll also be meeting with -- the vice president will also be meeting with these families privately. The first responders as well as some of the family members.

What do you think they want to hear from them today? What do you think they need to hear from the vice president today?

LAWRENCE: I think it's so unique to every family member. I mean, in much the same way that when you looked at what happened in New York, in the rebuilding of that Ground Zero site, you had so many different opinions about what should go there, from rebuilding an office tower, to a park, to a memorial and what that should look like.

In that same way, I think every family has dealt with this differently because every family's loss was so unique to them alone. So it's hard to say, you know, with a sweeping hand exactly what every family wants to hear.

But I think, in general, at events like this, you know, you want to hear comforting words and for a lot of families, and I just take this away from what I heard from some of the families up in New York a short while ago, you know, a lot of times they can feel very isolated in their pain, in their grief, as the nation and the rest of us sort of move on with their lives and move on to other things. You know, those families are still dealing with that loss. You know, it could be a husband, a wife, a child. Those things just don't go away as the rest of us sort of move on with our post-9/11 lives.

And so I think some of it may just be having someone like the vice president or the secretary of defense or any other dignitary there say, look, we remember and care and it still matters.

KAYE: I'm curious, Chris, what is the feeling in Washington, D.C., as we continue to watch this ceremony as it is about to get under way here at the Pentagon? What is the feeling now that bin Laden is dead?

LAWRENCE: Well, I think now, today, you're starting to start to see things go back to somewhat normal. But, you know, I remember the White House, the feeling that night on Sunday night when that huge crowd turned up at the White House spontaneously. You know, you think about that, at almost midnight on a Sunday night. No one really expected that to happen. And sort of there was this outpouring of emotion and just joy.

I think now things are starting to settle back in. But there still is a feeling on the street as you talk to people about the wow factor. The wow, that chapter, that part of the last 10 years about where Osama bin Laden was and what he was doing. That's over now. And I think it's really starting to settle in to Washington, that that -- at least that part of the chapter has been closed.

KAYE: Do you get the sense at the Pentagon since you cover the Pentagon that there's a sense of relief? Or, do you get the sense that they still think there's much more work to be done here in terms of al Qaeda and the fight against terrorism?

LAWRENCE: Well, both, if that makes sense. Incredible relief and not only relief, but pride.

You know, when you think about it, Osama bin Laden picked these targets for a reason. You know, the World Trade Center was sort of the economic hub of America. It represented the financial and economic might of the United States. The Pentagon is sort of the symbol of the U.S. Military that is projected all around the world in which Osama bin Laden had spoke (sic) out against on many occasions.

So these were targeted strikes designed to hit specific targets in America. And so there's this certain amount of pride, I think, by the folks in the Pentagon that this mission was carried out so professionally, you know, with no loss of life. And that after all these years, you know, together the U.S. intelligence community and the U.S. Military can say that they finally completed that mission to find and kill Osama bin Laden.

KAYE: All right, Chris, we're going to continue to watch and wait for this service here to start at the Pentagon, which is honoring the first responders and certainly paying respect to the family members, those who lost loved ones when the Pentagon was hit back on September 11, 2001. We'll be speaking more with our Chris Lawrence.

We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And once again, we want to take you back to the Pentagon.

Here's that ceremony.

(LIVE COVERAGE OF PENTAGON MEMORIAL SERVICE)

KAYE: And once again, these are live pictures of the ceremony now underway at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on this important day for 9/11 victims, for first responders.

You can see the vice president has placed this wreath at this one blackened stone at the Pentagon, right in front of it, from September 1th, 2001. There's an inscription there as well. He was joined by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is there as well.

Our Chris Lawrence is with us. He's been watching this with us as well. Chris, you know, you can't help but just go back to that day, that very, very sad day back in 2001. You know, just when you think that you can move past it, you see a moment like this and it just brings it all flooding back.

LAWRENCE: Yes, no question, Randi. I mean, 189 people died, including those on the plane. It was a horrible moment for the people who had come to work that day at the Pentagon.

The difference, I think, though, when you compare it to what happened in New York, obviously the scope and size, a huge difference, but the rebuilding also has gone much differently there at the Pentagon. Where in New York you had, you know, a huge amount of controversy over what would go on that Ground Zero site. Meanwhile, the Pentagon quietly cleaned out its debris, finished its investigation of the crash site and rebuilt that area, and they built a permanent memorial on that site.

And they also, there's also on that -- right near that very site is also a multi-faith chapel. You know, with all the controversy over the mosque that was to be built near the Ground Zero site in New York, the Pentagon has had a multi-faith chapel there near that site for years now.

The different religions take turns, from, you know, there will be a Jewish service, say, at 2:00, an Islamic time for Muslims to come worship at 3:00. They even bring in, say, a rabbi once a week or an imam once a week to lead prayers.

So even the rebuilding has gone differently at the Pentagon than it has, say, at Ground Zero.

KAYE: If you can, can you tell us about that inscription on that one black stone? And do you still see people, given you work at the Pentagon, all these years later, do you still see people come there to pay their respects on any given day?

LAWRENCE: All the time, all the time. I mean, you see people pouring off the Metro train. And, you know, every day you pass by there you see them either walking to it or walking away from it. So it is still a huge deal, I think, for Americans to come and see this for themselves.

Especially, you know, for those of us who live in, say, New York or Washington, we sort of live around this every day. But you forget that this huge part of America that maybe only comes to Washington or comes to New York once every few years, if that. And so for them to actually stand there and to think about what happened back on September 11th, 2001 can be a very profound and moving experience.

KAYE: What do you make of the tone there, today, as this wreath was placed?

LAWRENCE: It seemed very, in some ways somber, but in a way, as I've just heard people talking over the last couple days leading up to this ceremony today, also a bit of relief and a little bit of pride. I don't think it's -- I say somber because it's a very serious occasion when you mark the death of so many people, but at the same time it's a different feeling than probably what you would have seen on the anniversary or the one year or two-year anniversary of September 11th in say, 2002 or 2003 because this is not the September 11th anniversary. This was specifically because Osama bin Laden has been killed and he was revealed to be the person who ordered those attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center.

So I think while it is a somber occasion, the whole purpose of it is really one to say that Osama bin Laden, the person who ordered these attacks, has been killed and he was killed by the U.S. government.

KAYE: Yes. It's such an interesting line for both the vice president and all of the officials there and the president in New York City today. You know, they want to be careful not to celebrate too much, but also, certainly, to acknowledge the great task that has been accomplished as well.

Chris Lawrence watching it at the Pentagon along with us. Chris, we'll be back to you as we can.

And we will take a quick break. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before it's its crash, the helicopter that Navy SEALs used to hunt Osama bin Laden may have looked something like this, your basic Black Hawk. But it seems the chopper is anything but standard issue.

Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us again with some details of this doctored chopper.

Chris, what have you been able to learn?

LAWRENCE: Randi, on the Internet the aviation experts have been buzzing about this since the first images of this downed chopper hit the Internet. Here's what we have been able to determine in just talking to some of these experts who saw some very different things in this that they had never seen before.

If you take a look at some of the pictures, you can see it's unlike most Army Black Hawks, which are painted sort of an olive green. This one is painted gray, but not just any gray. It's sort of an infrared suppressant gray, something which would protect against surface-to-air missiles.

Also, if you look at the tail rotor, it's covered by what looks like a hubcap. And what that would do is reduce the acoustic signature of the helicopter.

We also talked with another expert who said, that's just the beginning of how many modifications have been made to this Black Hawk.

KAYE: So, in other words, there's this disc over the rotor, so it sort of muffles the sound. Is that is how it works?

LAWRENCE: That's right, exactly, it muffles the sound. We also talked to an expert at Jane's, he's the aviation desk editor, who noticed other modifications as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARETH JENNINGS, JANE'S AVIATION DESK EDITOR: Other kind of design aspects in this particular shot here are kind of attributable to stealth qualities, include the five bladed tail rotor here. On a conventional Black Hawk you have four blades.

The addition of the extra rotor blades on the tail rotor hub reduces the acoustic signature of the helicopter, thereby making it harder to hear, giving the SEALs that extra few minutes to get over the compound before anyone on the ground quite knows what's going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: You've got to remember, the reports we've been getting from the neighbors there in that Pakistani neighborhood is that they did not hear that helicopter coming until it was almost right on top of the compound.

KAYE: Which is pretty amazing.

Chris, you know, ABC's "Good Morning America," they created a comparison of the sound difference between a basic Black Hawk and stealth Black Hawk.

So let's let our viewers listen to that and then we'll talk more about it in just a second.

LAWRENCE: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM ABC "GOOD MORNING AMERICA")

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This is what a standard Black Hawk helicopter sounds like.

This is the sound of an earlier, experimental version of a stealth helicopter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I mean, it almost sounds like whatever it is, is going in the other direction, going away from the target, don't you think? And is this a game changer in terms of this technology?

LAWRENCE: It very well could be, Randi, in that, you know, there's been rumors out there that some of this technology was out there.

In fact, when you look at other stealth fighter jets like the F- 22, they're coated with a special covering that reduces their able to be picked up by radar, it gives them a sort of stealth capability. But the problem has always been, on a helicopter, that sort of coating is very hard to maintain. But one of the experts we talked to said, in a one-off mission like this, you know, even if that coating sort of came apart, it wouldn't matter as long as it got the helicopter in there without being detected.

KAYE: And from what I understand, the existence of this stealth helicopter has always been rumored, but hadn't actually been seen.

So is this the world's first stealth helicopter of its kind, as far as you know?

LAWRENCE: It's hard to tell. Nobody in the Pentagon is talking about specific capabilities of this helicopter.

And if you look back in history, you know, we found out about some of the stealth airplanes that were being used, the stealth jets that were being used during the invasion of Panama in 1989, but it turns out, they had those use in use since 1980. So we went nine years before anyone knew that these were actually flying.

KAYE: All right, fascinating stuff just to see this new technology, and you wonder where it's going to show up next.

Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. Chris, thank you.

LAWRENCE: You're welcome.

KAYE: A look at President Obama's trip to Ground Zero in honor of the 2,976 victims of the 9/11 terror attacks, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)