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239 Missing as Jet Vanishes Off Vietnam; $1M+ Bond Set for Mother Accused of Attempted Murder; CPAC Presidential Straw Poll Unveiled; Dead Woman Found Dead after Six Years; Home of the Future; Search for the Perfect Clock
Aired March 08, 2014 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She actually told them to close their eyes and go to sleep. He was taking them to a better place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Charges filed against a mother accused of trying to kill her three children by driving them into the ocean. We are now hearing the 911 calls from hours before that event.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: Any new American must do what all of us are required to do: respect the rule of law. Now, Mr. President, I hope you are listening, because that goes especially for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the conservative party of the year, but have any stars emerged? And what about all the talk about in- fighting? Two voices on the right share the elephant in the room.
BROWN: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for being here with us on what's shaping up to be a busy Saturday morning.
JOHNS: Absolutely.
BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown.
JOHNS: I'm Joe Johns. It's 10 a.m. on the East Coast, 7 in the west. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We begin with a mystery at sea unfolding now under the cover of darkness after a jet carrying 239 people vanished off the southern coast of Vietnam.
BROWN: Just last hour a Malaysian transportation official vowed that the search will continue around the clock. And he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ABDUL AZIZ KAPRAWI, DEPUTY TRANSPORT MINISTER, MALAYSIA: We cannot detect the aircraft. So -- but we are very sure that the disappearance will be around in the sea. It won't be on the land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The USS Pinkney is now headed from the South China Sea to the area where Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370 was last reported, as liquid and rubbish are spotted in waters off Malaysia and Vietnam.
BROWN: And according to the airline, three Americans including an infant were on board the Boeing triple-7, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. And we are now getting word that an Austrian who was on the passenger manifest wasn't on board at all and that his passport was stolen two years ago. The same may be true in the case of an Italian citizen.
JOHNS: Now let's bring in CNN airline and aviation correspondent Richard Quest, who's following the developments from New York.
Richard, what do you make of this talk about passports missing and so on? Does that give you any reason to believe this was something other than a terrible accident?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN AIRLINE AND AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Not yet. Flight manifests are notoriously unreliable on international flights at the extremes: different names, different local pronunciations. All these sort of things can mean that a flight manifest, different languages, a flight manifest doesn't necessarily look neat and tidy when -- particularly when you've got several hundred people on board.
The fact that, however, the fact that two passengers were onboard, traveling apparently on stolen or lost passports on an international flight where the destination is China and where the use of that passport might have been expected to throw up, because of the connection between the various immigration authorities that is troubling. That is going to give some cause for concern. And no doubt, will be a factor for maybe the criminal authorities rather than the accident investigations. But at the moment, it would be way jumping a leap to put the two together.
JOHNS: All right. So -- so let's just run through the possibilities here. We've said on some of our earlier programs here on CNN that weather was probably not a factor.
So of the other things that potentially could have caused something like this that investigators would be looking into, certainly there would be a question of operator error. After that, a mechanical malfunction. Then I suppose there's that third question, it's too early, certainly, to rule out, though, the notion of ill will from, you know, person "X."
QUEST: Yes, and I mean, you say weather. Weather as such, when you talk about weather, you're talking about extreme weather leading to the break-up of the aircraft. No, that we can pretty much rule out. That doesn't really happen. But weather leading to a chain of events in the same sense of flight 447 a couple of years ago, that still has to be on the -- on the agenda.
Look, let's put this in brass tacks. What you're saying here is you have a range of possibilities that we won't know. Everything from will ill, terrorism right the way through to malfunction of the airframe, right the way through to some form of untoward incident leading to the way the pilots flew the aircraft.
You've got an entire range of options.
And until they actually find the plane and the plane, you know, the plane will give up its secrets. Of that I am absolutely certain. The cockpit voice recorder, the data recorder, the ACARS messages, we don't know yet was the plane emitting messages to Malaysian airlines as it started to fail? We're a long way from finding that sort of information.
BROWN: But what we do know, Richard, is that there wasn't a mayday call. Is that right? What does that tell you?
QUEST: It tells me that whatever happened was dramatic, it was drastic, it was catastrophic, and for whatever reason, the pilots involved were unable to get a call away.
Now, does that mean because they were incapacitated? I don't know. But, you know, we've got an example. Again, I keep coming back to this. The closest case we've got in recent years is Air France 447 over the south Atlantic. And in that case, the plane, which left the sky, fell out of the sky. There was no mayday message there, and they had four minutes to give a mayday message. So we can't say yet. The investigations, the NTSB, the American NTSB, the British Air Accident Investigation Board, the French BEA, they'll all be involved, but they will be dissecting this bit by bit.
BROWN: Still so many unanswered questions. And really eerie, Richard, because you actually met the co-pilot of this plane, Fariq Hamid, and actually sat in the cockpit of a similar aircraft just a few days ago. Tell us about him and what you learned through this experience.
QUEST: It was. I mean, we were very lucky and privileged. We'd been granted to film on the flight deck of a Malaysian flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur. We were filming for CNN Business Traveler. It was all authorized and properly managed. We had a safety captain who was there, as well. And Fariq was flying the aircraft.
He's a relatively new -- he's an experienced first officer. And he was flying the triple-7 and did a picture perfect landing to Kuala Lumpur. In the left-hand seat -- and I must just say, in the left- hand seat was the enormously experienced senior training captain, who we believe might also have been involved in this.
BROWN: He'd put in like 18,000 hours, more than that.
JOHNS: It's amazing.
QUEST: Absolutely.
BROWN: All right. Thank you, Richard Quest. We appreciate it.
JOHNS: Dozens of relatives of missing passengers or crew members have gathered at the Beijing Airport, some overcome with grief and fearing for the worst.
BROWN: CNN's David McKenzie is in Beijing, where the flight was supposed to land.
David, set the scene for us. What are you hearing from people there?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we're hearing from them, Pamela, is frustration, anger, and, of course, sadness as they wait these agonizing hours, trying to figure out what happened to their loved ones.
People coming in and out of that hotel where they've been put while they wait for any word from authorities, what happened.
And certainly, the information so far has been pretty slim to them. Some of them expressing frustration that no one is really telling them what's going on.
We've got word that Malaysian airline authorities, a large contingent of them, are coming in to Beijing. They should have landed already to give support, counseling, and information to the families and loved ones.
But at this stage obviously it's looking very bleak indeed. It's been many hours since that plane lost contact somewhere over the airspace of Vietnam, and people will obviously kind of be expecting the worst at this point, or so, as they follow our reporting, which suggests that there have been debris and oil slicks seen on the surface of the ocean somewhere between Vietnam and Malaysia. So not looking good at this point and a lot of very, very tense hours here in Beijing.
JOHNS: Absolutely.
BROWN: When you see the faces there, your heart goes out to them.
JOHNS: Very, very hard. David McKenzie, thank you so much for that.
So what could have caused the plane to disappear? According to Malaysia Airlines CEO, so far it does not look like it was bad weather.
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AHMAD JAUHARI YAHYA, CEO, MALAYSIA AIRLINES: Our early review of the weather conditions shows there's no bad weather system at that point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So for more on this let's go to our Jennifer Gray at the severe weather center.
Jennifer, tell us about the weather conditions at the time the plane left Kuala Lumpur Airport.
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, conditions were more than OK. Temperatures were around 77 degrees. Winds out of the northeast only at about three miles per hour. Visibility at six miles. So you didn't have strong crosswinds; you didn't have fog. Visibility was fine.
And looking at the South China Sea area, you can see clear as can be during the past 24 hours. But of course, those ground observations really don't mean much when you're cruising at 30,000 feet. You want to look higher up in the atmosphere. And so we did that, as well. We looked at wind shear in the area. A lot of times that can cause some turbulence. We looked at those reports. Nothing showing even turbulence in the area.
So we definitely agree with all the folks that have been saying that weather was probably not a factor, guys.
JOHNS: That's right. That's for sure. We've been so focused all morning about what happened out there we really haven't talked about what's going on domestically. What does the weather look like here this weekend?
GRAY: Oh, man, it is going to be nice. How about a warm-up? A little taste of spring for the South. We have some air that's going to pull in from the Gulf of Mexico. And that's going to warm us up, especially here in the Southeast.
Look at these temperatures. By Sunday, Charlotte should be at 66 degrees. That's six degrees above normal, hitting 70 by Monday. Look at Dallas: 71 on Monday, almost 80 degrees by Tuesday. New York City, you're almost at 60 degrees by Tuesday.
So a lot of areas in the Northeast. We have a little bit of a cool- down on Sunday. That includes you, D.C. Here's some video.
JOHNS: Yes.
GRAY: But then rebounding nicely by Monday, guys. We are going to have a nice little breather by the beginning of the workweek.
BROWN: We like to hear that.
JOHNS: It's about time.
BROWN: It is about time.
GRAY: I know.
JOHNS: Come on. All right, Jennifer, thanks for that.
GRAY: All right.
BROWN: Thank you.
Coming up right here on NEW DAY, could the crisis in Ukraine have a ripple effect? How Russia's actions could impact countries around the globe. That's coming up.
JOHNS: Next, witnesses say the woman behind the wheel of this minivan looked possessed after she drove her children into the ocean. But were there warning signs? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: New developments this morning in the case of a pregnant mother accused of trying to kill her three children. Ebony Wilkerson made her first court appearance earlier today after being charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder.
JOHNS: Police say Wilkerson rolled up the windows and told her children to go to sleep before taking them on a terrifying ride into the ocean. Let's bring in CNN's Nick Valencia.
Nick, what have you got?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I just got off the phone with her public defender, James Purdy, and he told me that the bond for Ebony Wilkerson was set at $1.2 million. Now we'll break that down for you.
At $1.2 million bond was $300,000 per attempted first-degree murder charge and another $100,000 per child abuse charge.
Lots of eyes on this case. Her attorney, I spoke to him a couple of hours before that. He said a big issue for them and what he's going to try to argue is her mental health. He's saying that she's very, you know, prone and susceptible to mental-health issues.
BROWN: And there was a 911 call made hours before the incident...
VALENCIA: That's right.
BROWN: ... that kind of gives you a little window into what her mental health.
VALENCIA: It's a chilling call when you consider the circumstances. Just two hours before, Pamela, her sister made this phone call. I want to play this phone call for you and tell you -- we'll talk about it after -- after we hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY: She did intentionally try to kill the children. Witnesses observed this. We had witnesses who actually saw her go into a surf. We had witnesses who tried to get the children out of the car, which she tried to keep them from rescuing the children. We also have the fact of what the children have told us, that their mother was trying to kill them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VALENCIA: So that's not the phone call, but that is the sheriff of Volusia County. He's convinced, considering the details, as you heard him there, witness testimony, as well as interviews with the children, that Ebony Wilkerson did this on purpose.
JOHNS: She tried to keep them from rescuing the children.
VALENCIA: According to witnesses, that's right. Witnesses thought it was a joke initially, Joe, when this car drove on the surf.
BROWN: Yes.
VALENCIA: And it wasn't until they heard those faint cries for help from the window that two onlookers decided to check things out, and luckily for the children in that minivan, they were able to be rescued. But according to witnesses, again, as you mention, she was trying to keep them from helping the children out.
JOHNS: It's incredible.
BROWN: You can't wrap your head around it.
VALENCIA: It's hard.
JOHNS: Thanks, Nick.
VALENCIA: You got it.
BROWN: Thank you.
VALENCIA: All right.
JOHNS: As diplomatic powers try to hammer out a solution in Ukraine, Russia is standing its ground and pushing back against the west. Coming up next, Ukraine's sovereignty isn't the only thing at stake.
BROWN: But first in the Los Angeles public schools, nearly one in five kids drops out before graduation. But this week's CNN Hero is helping teenage girls in L.A. find their voice and their future. Meet Karen Taylor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I blossom with each pen mark.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I found myself in the words.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl has a story to tell.
KAREN TAYLOR: Some of our girls are facing some of the greatest challenges teenagers could ever face. Pregnancy, incarceration, violence in their family, at school. Those girls need a mentor.
They need to be inspired about their own voice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life in the light can be so bright. Nothing can be so pure.
TAYLOR: Writing and self-expression can give them a tool for moving forward.
Say something that nobody else has said before, because you have your own way of saying things.
We match underserved girls with professional women writers for mentoring and group workshops.
I want to match you, Christa (ph) with Christi (ph).
The moment you match a young person, "Tell me about something you're passionate about," the writing and the ideas just flow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what you're going to read today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was kind of scared, like I'm really quiet and I keep to myself. When I met Emily and she's so excited and enthusiastic about writing, and I absolutely love her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Writing gave me that position in life, like I'm a girl and I have a story to tell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The senses are diluted by the sparkly things across their eye. Thank you.
TAYLOR: We need to help girls see that their voice matters.
You've got a lot of good stuff here. And what I would like to hear more is about you.
To give a girl tools to be able to be positive and thrive and rise above whatever challenges she's facing. What's better than that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never underestimate the power of a girl and her pen! Woo!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never underestimate the power of a girl and her pen! Woo!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never underestimate the power of a girl and her pen! Woo!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: As the world waits to see whether the people of Crimea will vote to become a part of Russia, the stakes are high for international community.
BROWN: Just days after President Obama signed an executive order preparing for sanctions, there are growing concerns that Vladimir Putin's actions could impact more than just Ukraine sovereignty. JOHNS: So let's bring in vice president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center, Aaron David Miller. And this week you wrote an op-ed on CNN about how the crisis in Ukraine could affect places like Syria and Iran. Could you talk a little bit about the fallout that you see occurring in other spheres?
I don't know if we have his mike there. Can you hear me? Aaron David Miller, can you hear me?
All right. Then we're going to have to just move on and get back to Aaron David Miller as soon as we get communications established there.
BROWN: The beauty of live television, right?
JOHNS: Absolutely.
BROWN: Thanks for bearing with us, everyone. And we're going to go to some of our top stories that we're looking at today.
At No. 1, a mystery at sea unfolding now under the cover of darkness. After a jet carrying 239 people vanished off the southern coast of Vietnam. Last hour a Malaysian transportation official vowed that the search will continue around the clock and that it's focused on the sea, not on land. According to the airline, three Americans including an infant, were onboard the Boeing triple-7 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
JOHNS: No. 2 on the list, the jobs report was much better than expected. The economy added 175,000 jobs last month, a big improvement from January. But the unemployment rate is up to 6.7 percent. So why the higher unemployment rate? People are feeling better about their chances of finding work and re-entered the labor market.
BROWN: At No. 3, was Oscar Pistorius a paranoid cheating gun-loving boyfriend with a temper? In wrapping up first the week of the Blade Runner's murder trial, an emotional ex-girlfriend accused the Olympic sprinter of sleeping with guns and cheating on her with Reeva Steenkamp, the 29-year-old model he later shot to death. The defense denied many of her allegations, and the trial has been adjourned until Monday.
JOHNS: There's more backlash for SeaWorld after the controversial CNN documentary "Blackfish." A California lawmaker has unveiled a new bill that would ban the park from using whales for entertainment. The bill would allow orcas to be on display but bans breeding and captivity and prohibits orcas from being imported or exported from the state. SeaWorld says the premise of the legislation is, quote, "severely flawed."
BROWN: And one day after a judge ruled in favor of commercial drone pilots, the FAA is pushing back and appealing the court's decision. The agency says the operator violated the strict laws of the sky by not getting authorized for the flight ahead of time. The FAA argues the court's ruling puts the safety of people and property on the ground in jeopardy. JOHNS: It's the last day of the conservative conference in Washington, D.C., known as CPAC. We'll talk with the chairwoman of the Tea Party Express and a commentator from the right about whether the party brought the movement together or if the bash just bred more infighting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: All right. Now let's go to vice president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center, Aaron David Miller.
This week you wrote in CNN an op-ed about how the crisis in Ukraine could affect places like Syria and Iran. Talk to us a little bit about the ripple effect you see of this crisis.
AARON DAVID MILLER, VICE PRESIDENT, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: Well, you know, big powers, when they act or when they don't act, small ones pay very close attention.
And you have a situation here where the United States has very bad hands, very bad cards. Putin has history, proximity, geography, all on his side. And small powers -- Iran, Syria, North Korea, even the Israelis -- will be watching very closely to see whether or not the United States can come up with an effective response. Certainly not military intervention, but -- but sanctions and political pressure, to roll back what Vladimir Putin was done.
And, of course, the outcome here is not going to be a happy one. The reality is the Iranians are going to look at this, they're going to say, "Hey, the west is preoccupied with sanctions. Maybe they'll loosen ours."
The Syrians will continue, Bashar Assad, to violate the terms of the chemical weapons agreement, which the Russians helped broker.
So whatever -- however this turns out, Putin wins, Putin loses, you're still going to end up with a Middle East that's going to be more complicated and more difficult for the United States.
BROWN: And you argue that this whole situation is more favorable for Putin compared to how -- the outcome could be for President Obama. I want to read something that you wrote on CNN.com this week. You said, "President Obama is facing a crisis in Ukraine where geography, history, and proximity favor Putin and leave Washington with a weaker hand. Perhaps some face-saving win-win can be devised. But if not, and perhaps unfairly, because Obama's options are bad ones, America will again be judged a weak and feckless power."
Now given the position you say the U.S. is in this particular scenario, what should our strategy be?
MILLER: Well, I think we have to play the bad cards that we have. Look, in 1956, Soviet Union invaded Hungary. The Eisenhower administration really couldn't act to stop it. In 1968, the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia. Johnson preoccupied with Vietnam, couldn't stop the blockade. And even Mr. Putin in Georgia acted in 2008 and while we responded, Putin essentially got what he wanted.
The real problem here is the geography is destiny. And we don't have the cards. We can do sanctions, we can impose political pressure. We can perhaps find a way to convince reluctant Europeans, the Germans and the Brits, to toughen sanctions and maybe we'll even go after the oligarchs and the Russian money which would be a blow but this is not going to be a short movie.
I suspect it's not going to have a happy ending for the short term and, unfairly or not, this president who is viewed already as risk averse rather than risk ready, on his watch is going to have to preside over perhaps the most assertive Russian move in Eastern Europe over the course of the last 30 or 40 years.
JOHNS: Speaking of history, do you see this as the worst crisis with Russia since the Bay of Pigs and do you think that the way Putin responds to Western pressure will sort of determine how others smaller powers respond to the U.S. in the future?
MILLER: I mean, it's really hard to say. The whole notion of American credibility is a much misunderstood term. The notion somehow that had we acted in Syria Putin would have weighed the costs and consequences of his move into Ukraine differently to me really doesn't make much sense. I think the United States still the world's most consequential power with the best distribution of political, military, economic, and soft power simply confronts a reality.
Vladimir Putin has undertaken an imperial move even while he's no longer in imperial power. And let's be clear. What is it that the United States really is prepared to do about this? This is going to be another frozen conflict where the Russians over the short term will prevail, long-term consequences, like Russia's invasion of Hungary and the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, ultimately did not work out for the benefit of the Soviet Union.
We won the Cold War. They lost. But Putin still has the capacity to -- to defend what he considers to be vital Russian national interests. And frankly, we can't really do much to stop him.
JOHNS: Aaron David Miller, always good to talk to you. Thanks so much for that.
BROWN: Thank you.
MILLER: Pleasure.
JOHNS: It's been a three-day love fest for conservatives and it all wraps up this evening outside Washington, D.C. when the Conservative Political Action Conference unveils its much anticipated presidential straw poll.
We've already heard from Republican heavyweights like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell who toted a rifle on stage and just last hour Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann had this to say. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: Today there are 20 million Americans who want a full-time job but they can't find one. We have the lowest labor participation rate since women joined the workforce in the 1970s. So you see, with so many Americans struggling in this Obama economy, I think it's incumbent upon us that our first duty has to be to help our fellow American workers. Not lower their wages by rapidly adding millions of unskilled laborers.
It's time that we learn the lessons of 1986. Number one, secure the borders first and then second, build the dang fence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Joining us now, Amy Holmes, a conservative and anchor at theblaze.com and Tea Party Express chairwoman Amy Kremer.
Michele Bachmann proposing a wall when even some of her fellow Republicans on the Hill admit immigration requires a much more nuanced solution.
Does this really resonate with the conservative base still?
AMY HOLMES, ANCHOR, THE HOT LIST, THEBLAZE.COM: Well, you know, I know that you've covered CPAC for many years. And what the media often overlooks is that CPAC is full of young people. A lot of those attendees are college activists and they are there for red meat. This is a rally. This is a way to get back to some conservative principles.
And look, we know from polling data that a majority of Americans do believe that we need to strengthen our borders and approach this with border security first. But I think we need to look at this three-day conference as really an opportunity for conservatives, Tea Party members and Republicans, and I consider those different groups of people, to come together to celebrate the right.
AMY KREMER, CHAIRWOMAN, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: And I agree. I mean, this is -- you know, people are there for they want change and they want -- they stand on fiscal responsibility, limited government, free markets. And what is going on right now in Washington with this administration and under Harry Reid's rule in the United States Senate, I mean, with Obamacare, the job problem, there's so much that's not going right.
And that's why we need change. And to listen to these great activists, you know, talk about the Ted Cruzs and Rand Pauls of the world, you know, there's an excitement and enthusiasm there that hasn't been there for a long time. And so it's exciting to be part of that and to listen to the people and their energy and enthusiasm.
BROWN: We heard earlier this week Paul Ryan talk about the infighting within the GOP. Let's take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), MINNESOTA: The way the left tells it the Republican Party is in this big mess of civil war. It's Tea Party versus establishment, libertarians versus social conservatives. There's infighting, conflict, back biting, discord.
Look, I'm Irish. That's my idea of a family reunion. I don't see this great divide in our party. What I see is a vibrant debate --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right. Civil war or friendly family squabble? What do you think? Amy Holmes?
HOLMES: Well, you know, it's been unfriendly at times. But over the weekend I think much friendlier. We saw that Chris Christie was invited this year. He was not invited last year. But again, members of the right, folks on the right who didn't necessarily think that he was conservative enough for CPAC last year, they also are rallying around him because they see him getting so much incoming from the left.
So I think that that's showing some of the interesting going on with conservatives. Also when we look at this straw poll there's going to be a lot of pressure on Rand Paul to be able to win this thing because his dad has in years past.
JOHNS: So -- and that's the next question. We can't let you get away without asking. Who is going to win this thing and do you think these results are going to give us any hints about 2016?
Let's start with you, Amy Kremer.
KREMER: Well, I think it's going to be really interesting. And I wouldn't be surprised if Rand Paul or Ted Cruz win it. I mean, they both -- like I said before, there's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for them. And their message is good. I mean, they are strong fighters, fighting on principle and finally somebody standing up and doing that. And so I wouldn't be surprised if it's either one of them.
JOHNS: Amy Holmes, what do you think?
HOLMES: Well, as I say, the pressure is on Rand Paul because we know that his dad has one the CPAC straw poll and Paulistas tend to be very well organized. I'm not going to make prediction. I think the two Amys on your show this morning --
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: So we said your last name every time.
JOHNS: Amazing.
BROWN: You know, it seems like every year there's a new star, someone that's sort of thrust into the spotlight with CPAC.
JOHNS: That's right.
BROWN: Is there anyone this year? Any stars that have emerged?
KREMER: Well, I think, you know, like I said, these -- we've elected new senators and there's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for them. And some new members in the House. And that's what people are energized about. The Republicans that have been in office 30, 40 years, you know, they're part of the problem. They contributed to this mess and gotten us into it. So really, I think some of the new stars are some of the new ones that have been elected last cycle but also some that may be elected this next cycle.
And that's what we're focused on out here in the states is electing true conservatives and, you know, retiring some of these -- we appreciate their service but they've been there too long and it's time for them to go home and spend some time with their grandchildren.
HOLMES: Oh, ouch.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: All right. Amy Kremer and Amy Holmes, we'll end it on that note. Thank you very much.
KREMER: Thank you.
HOLMES: Thank you for having us.
BROWN: And coming up right here on NEW DAY, the body of a Michigan woman discovered inside her home. Get this, she's been dead for six years. Why did it take so long for anyone to find the body? That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Woman's automatic bill payment helped hide the fact that she died in her home six years ago. This is in Pontiac, Michigan. Authorities say the woman would be 49 years old if she were still alive. And get this. Her body was mummified because it was found in a closed car in a closed garage. Now neighbors are wondering how could this have gone unnoticed for so long.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is kind of off because I've never seen anybody move around in there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terribly shocked. I mean, nobody cared about this person? And nobody realized that she wasn't there and that, you know, nobody -- nobody was concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Really just bizarre.
JOHNS: Yes. I know. It's troubling.
BROWN: Lots of unanswered questions. CNN's Alexandra Field live with more on this story.
Alexandra, nice to see you. What else are police saying?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This whole thing is so disturbing. And so many people have been asking how this could go on for so long. Well, I spoke to the sheriff out in Oakland County and he says that this was really a perfect storm. The woman who is believed to be Pia Farrenkopf was last seen in September of 2008. And that's around the time that she stopped working. So an employer wasn't looking for her.
Investigators tell us that she had an estranged relative here on the East Coast but they had been estranged for many years so that person wasn't looking for her. Her mail was being collected directly at the post office so there were no letters that were piling up outside her house. A neighbor actually continued to cut her grass for years at a time. And now the undersheriff says that tens of thousands of dollars that were in her bank account actually helped to mask the fact that she disappeared so for so many years. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MCCABE, UNDERSHERIFF, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: All of her bills were paid by electronic automatic deduction from a local bank. And so her electricity was being paid, her gas was being paid, her cable TV was being paid, her house payment was being paid. At one point in time she had $54,000 in the account.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: Years later, of course, that money finally ran out, that's when her home went into foreclosure. The bank then sent contractors over to the house to do some repair work and it is a contractor who finally made the discovery -- Pamela, Joe.
JOHNS: So just given the fact that -- the facts are so odd here, there's got to be an investigation going on. Any sign of foul play? Anything to indicate that there was something other here than a natural cause of death?
FIELD: So we've seen hazmat crews going into the house and the sheriff says that's because of concerns about mold inside the house which was obviously largely abandoned for so many years. But the sheriff says that they have found nothing inside the house, nothing inside the garage or the car that would immediately indicate the cause of death here or why this woman was found in the backseat of her Jeep.
It could really take weeks now for the medical examiner to have a clearer picture. That's when the toxicology reports will come in. So we could, of course, learn more from that.
JOHNS: Strange story. Thanks so much for that, Alexandra Field.
BROWN: And to think she said it was a perfect storm of factors.
JOHNS: Right. Including electronic bill pays, which is so fascinating.
BROWN: Yes. And the fact that her neighbor mowed the lawn and --
JOHNS: Right.
BROWN: It's just --
JOHNS: You have to have somebody go check on you at the very least.
BROWN: Yes. Absolutely. All right. Still to come right here on NEWSROOM, how would it be to use your smartphone to control everything in your home? We're talking your light, air conditioning, even your coffeemaker to brew a fresh cup of Joe. You name it. Stick around to see just how cool an Internet-connected smart home could be.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Imagine if you could read your favorite novel in less than 90 minutes. A new app promises to help you do just that. Take a look at this. It's called the Spritz speed reader. The app uses technology called rapid serial visual presentation. The technique highlights certain letters of a word forcing your eyes to focus on one spot.
Experts say this method can actually speed up the way you process words and, get this, the app's maker says once users get used to it, people can read up to 600 words a minute with this tool. Amazing.
BROWN: Well, we've heard of smartphones, right? But what about smart homes?
CNN Money tech correspondent Laurie Segall got to tour what could be in store for all of us in the near future, an Internet connected home that lets you use your phone to control your world. Lock doors, turn off lights and, yes, even brew fresh coffee on demand. That's what I would care most about.
JOHNS: That is amazing. That's right.
BROWN: So check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the home of the future.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment you step out of bed. In this house everything is connected by smartphone. It's owned by tech entrepreneur Matt Mullenweg, an investor in SmartThings, the company responsible for all the technology.
(On camera): Your home is smart. What can it do? How does it know you're awake?
ALEX HAWKINSON, CEO AND FOUNDER, SMARTTHINGS: Yes. So you can -- it can sense it based on motion or you can of course tell it good morning by hitting the button on the job I'm up and then you can see the house senses it, the lights are coming on in the bedroom.
SEGALL (voice-over): Walk into the kitchen.
(On camera): It started brewing the coffee for you. And the coffee is actually brewing behind me.
HAWKINSON: The coffee is actually brewing now.
SEGALL (voice-over): How is your commute? Your kitchen lamp will tell you. Green means no traffic.
HAWKINSON: You put it near sort of commute pattern and it checks the traffic and then it will tell this lamp to change colors based on the timing of your commute.
SEGALL: Your home can even tell you the forecast. Just open the door.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The current temperature is 53 degrees.
SEGALL: Smartthings make use of a hub that's kind of like a router. Once you've installed it, it can download different apps on the Smartthings platform to control different devices.
HAWKINSON: Your home becomes programmable in the same way you can put apps on your phone, you can install an app of what type of coffee do you want to have brewed in the morning.
SEGALL: It seems like something out of science fiction. But it's just part of the morning routine for Matt.
MATT MULLENWEG, INVESTOR, SMARTTHINGS: What I see happening in sort of connected home that right now expensive system. And that's been radically democratized. For now you can buy these little cheap devices, on the smartphone, and there needs to be a platform for it.
SEGALL: The tech is also being used to keep your kids safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chemical cabinet has been opened.
SEGALL: And here's a cool one. Your connected home plays your music of choice when you step inside.
It's part of a larger trend of technology moving beyond your smartphone.
(On camera): It's almost like when you look at the app you're texting with your home.
HAWKINSON: Yes, we wanted to make it very intuitive. So to make it easy, people are used to texting with each other and we give your home a voice. It's called hello home and you can say good morning and you can say good night and have it react around you.
SEGALL (voice-over): Good night, home.
Laurie Segall, CNN Money, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Yes, I don't know. That's going a little far.
BROWN: I know.
JOHNS: Isn't it kind of creepy, walk in the house, hello.
BROWN: Hello.
JOHNS: Like how? Remember 2001 at the same time?
BROWN: Of course. I don't know. I like the idea of just pressing a button and having fresh brewed coffee, though.
JOHNS: That's very nice.
BROWN: And if it helps me sleep in a few extra minutes in the morning, I'm all for it.
JOHNS: So be it.
BROWN: So be it.
(LAUGHTER)
Laurie Segall, thank you for that.
JOHNS: It's almost time, by the way, to set your clocks forward an hour. Do that automatically.
BROWN: Unfortunately because we're working tomorrow so we're going to really feel the brunt of that.
JOHNS: Yes. But did you know that your watch loses time every month? Scientists are now trying to make a clock that would never slow down. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Here's a reminder. Don't forget we told you this. Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow so set those clocks forward.
BROWN: Did you know that your wristwatch actually loses time every month?
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr tells us about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chicago asks the age old question and the Pentagon is looking for the answer. This high-tech lab of lasers and mirrors measures the movement of atoms, 429 trillion atomic vibrations add up to just one second.
STEPHANIE TOMPKINS, CHIEF OF STAFF, DARPA: That vibration is sort of the smallest unit of time that we can actually measure.
STARR: Their goal is to make the most precise clock in the world. Currently, the source for precision time is GPS satellites, which contain atomic clocks used to synchronize clocks on the ground, but the Pentagon worries the satellites could be jammed, so they want an even more accurate alternative.
Your wristwatch loses a second every 30 days. Clocks on GPS satellites lose a second every 30,000 years. This program is aimed at building a clock that wouldn't lose a second for a billion years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care what you say, mine says they should have gone 3 minutes ago, so send them.
STARR: Synchronizing time has always been vital for soldiers, but now, it's more important than ever.
TOMPKINS: You've got all of these high speed aircraft, you have precision guided ammunitions, you have cameras and sensors and radars that are all operating simultaneously. You have to actually view that synchronization much more precisely.
STARR: So if GPS goes down, troops will face new dangers.
TOMPKINS: If you were to lose a couple of billionths of a second, your positioning starts to get off by about a meter. You lose a few more billionths of a second, and now you're starting to get off by several meters.
STARR: And your life won't be so smooth either. GPS time is in everything from power grids to your cell phone to the ATM you use to get cash. Without precision time, that ATM would eventually stop.
If we can tell time more precisely, you still may be late for work, but now, you'll know exactly how late you are.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: How about that?
JOHNS: That's pretty amazing. Barbara Starr, thanks for that.
