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Frantic Families Gather in Beijing; Did Two Passengers Have Stolen Passports?; German Chancellor Key to Solving Ukraine Crisis?; Sexual Assaults in the Military; Printing Food in 3D

Aired March 08, 2014 - 14:30   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Rescue crews are scouring the South China Sea right now looking for any signs of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 after the jetliner vanished about 26 hours ago.

This is new video of the search operations. The biggest clue to the plane's whereabouts. Traces of oil in waters over the search area spotted by a Vietnamese aircraft. Officials say the oil slicks are between six and nine miles long.

The Boeing 777 disappeared not long after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was headed to Beijing with 239 people onboard. Most of them Chinese nationals. At least three Americans are among the passengers.

And there is some confusion surrounding the identities of two European passengers. Malaysia Airlines says there is one Austrian and one Italian passenger on board the missing jet, but Austria and Italy deny that saying the citizens in question had their passports stolen, saying this, quote, "We are aware of the reporting on the two lost, stolen passports. No nexus to terrorism yet, although that's not -- that's by no means definitive. We're still tracking."

That coming from a U.S. intelligence official.

Meantime, the passenger's families are getting increasingly worried and frustrated.

Andrew Stevens is joining us now from Beijing where relatives of the 154 Chinese nationals on board are gathering at a hotel complex.

So, Andrew, what are officials telling the family members right now?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they really can't tell them too much at this stage, Fredricka, because we just don't know exactly what the facts are. What happened to that plane. As you say, the loved ones of the families and friends of the people onboard that flight have gathered in a hotel in Beijing and Malaysian Airlines itself gave a conference -- a press conference at a separate hotel just a short while ago, and they said they were doing everything in their power now to care for those people whose -- who had loved ones aboard that flight.

Now we don't know at this stage when we are going to get some firm evidence about exactly what happened at that -- in MH-370. What we do know is what you were saying is that the plane disappeared from radar, disappeared from air traffic control just two hours into the flight. It would have been at cruising level. This has been described as the safest path of the flight and it was suddenly a very, very instantaneous event by the looks of it that cut all communications. There's been no warning, no mayday sent out.

So family are left not knowing anything. You can imagine just how heartbreaking and just how difficult it must be for these families to cope with what can only be at this stage 26 hours after the event, what is likely to be very, very bad news.

There is a sea search continuing in the early hours. It's now 3:30 in the morning here in Beijing. The air search will resume at first light. There's a team coming down, a salvage team and diving team coming down from Beijing to an island nearby, and they will head off at first light as well via boat to look around those oil slicks to see what they can see.

There's nothing to firmly link the two, the oil slicks with the plane at this stage but certainly it is a very ominous sign.

WHITFIELD: All right. Andrew Stevens, thank you so much in Beijing.

All right. It would appear that two passengers on that missing Malaysian airliner were using stolen passports. Passengers believed to be from Austria and Italy were reportedly traveling on passports stolen years ago.

CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes joining me now.

So this means we really don't have many real clarity on the people who may have used these passports to get on board, but give me and idea how potentially alarming, concerning this is to you, that there might have been someone who could get on a plane by way of using a passport that's been lost or stolen?

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, you're right, it is alarming. But in addition to just the passports, they would require a visa. If you have European passports, or even a U.S. passport, you need a visa to enter China. You need a visa to get a boarding pass along with your passport. Evidence that you've got a valid visa to go with the travel document, in order to even get the boarding pass and ever board that aircraft.

So that's something that the government of China is going to have to reveal, the issuance of their visa, where did that occur? Was that in a particular embassy or consulate around the world, that the visa was issued? And that would have meant that they would have had that passport or those two passports in their hands, and they would have been in a position to make an inquiry with the various databases, such as Interpol, to determine if those passports were stolen. So that adds to the mystery. Seven passengers apparently booked codeshared flight, that flight was a codeshare with China Southern Airlines, and of the seven passengers, the two stolen passports were being used by two of the passengers. So that adds a new dimension to trying to do investigation in China as to how the visas were issued and where they were issued.

WHITFIELD: And how helpful might any kind of surveillance video be perhaps at Kuala Lumpur as these passengers boarded or went through security?

FUENTES: Well, it'll be very helpful. You do have 250 people getting on the aircraft. So it may be difficult to match each person, and unfortunately, because the plane crashed, you know, if you were doing this investigation and all the passengers were sitting in detention somewhere to be interviewed it'd be easier to match the videos with the clothing that they were wearing and their faces, but in this particular case, you don't have that. So that's going to be difficult as well to match up which passengers use those two passports.

WHITFIELD: And you were mentioning to me earlier, this is just -- this is just as much a paramount concern as it is trying to locate the plane, and all of these things are going to be investigated simultaneously?

FUENTES: Well, that's true. If it turns out that the plane had some catastrophic failure that was entirely mechanical, and had nothing to do with these two passengers, then this whole issue of trying to determine -- I mean it raises other issues about identification and travel documents, but it may not be related to the issues that are central to the cause of that plane to go down.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tom Fuentes, thank you so much.

Our own Richard Quest recently met some members of the missing crew while doing a report for CNN International, and earlier today he described that experience and revealed what he learned during that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AIRLINE AND AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, two or three weeks ago we were filming on Malaysian Airlines, in the cockpit, for "CNN BUSINESS TRAVELER," this has all been authorized and was properly regulated. There was a safety check captain with us as well. And it was apparently the same co-pilot, and we believe maybe the same captain that was onboard the aircraft.

These are the pictures of landing the aircraft at -- we were flying down from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, and then it is one of those very strange coincidences.

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: You know, this flight disappeared just about a third of a way into the six-hour flight. Technically. What's happening at that point and what might cause a problem? I've heard this might have been considered the safest part of the flight? QUEST: There's no question. This plane was -- the phrase is in the cruise. It was flying at about 36,000 fleet according to the various logs. It will have been maybe drifting up slowly as it was burning off fuel, but that's -- but this was -- the plane would have been on autopilot. Both the pilots would have been doing regular check calls, en route checks, to the various air traffic controllers. In this case we believe it was already under the control of Ho Chi Minh traffic area.

You know, this is the one point of flight where you don't expect anything to happen. It's not takeoff. It's not landing. The plane was proceeding in an orderly direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Quest there.

She leads Europe's strongest economy. We'll tell you why Germany's Angela Merkel could play a pivotal role in diffusing the crisis in Ukraine.

And don't forget to set your clocks ahead tonight before bedtime. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m., and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Obama made a series of key calls to world leaders today on the situation in Ukraine. He spoke to several European leaders including the presidents of the Baltic countries.

Secretary of State John Kerry also got on the phone issuing a warning to Russia's foreign minister. Kerry said any further military escalation or steps to annex Crimea would close any available space on diplomacy.

Those discussions coming as a standoff over Crimea is heating up. Pro-Russian protesters gathered in one city in Crimea in support of Crimea joining Russia. Nearby, protesters also demonstrated against Russia demanding troops get out of Crimea.

And an unmarked convoy of about 70 military vehicles was spotted on a road leading through Crimea's capital city today. Crimean officials say it's believed to be carrying Russian soldiers.

And Russia's president continues to defy Europe and the U.S. by using military force in Ukraine. But one country President Vladimir Putin may not be able to anchor too much is Germany. Some believe Chancellor Angela Merkel might emerge as the key figure in this crisis.

Brian Todd explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's no secret President Obama's strained relationship with Vladimir Putin isn't helping in this crisis. But who can solve it? It may be the stoic daughter of a pastor, Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel.

ANNETTE HEUSER, THE BERTELSMANN FOUNDATION: Vladimir Putin knows from experience dealing with Merkel for many years right now that the last enemy that he wants right now in Europe is Germany.

TODD: Germany has huge economic leverage over Putin. It buys more than a third of its natural gas from Russia, exports technology and cars to Russia. But analysts say what makes Merkel so crucial in this crisis is that she has something that Obama doesn't, a personal connection with Russia's president.

FIONA HILL, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: They have a lot of connectivity because Putin speaks very fluent German and Angela Merkel herself speaks Russian.

TODD: She grew up in East Germany under the communist system dominated by the Soviets. Putin was a KGB officer who served in East Germany.

(On camera): A German official told us Merkel and Putin are not friends but she has a realistic picture of the Russian leader. And by all accounts, she's shown him a certain savvy and toughness that he respects.

(Voice-over): Several years ago, Putin brought a large dog to a meeting with Merkel. Apparently wanting to test her, knowing she has a fear of dogs. She was terrified, says one analyst, but didn't flinch. Kept negotiating with Putin for more than an hour.

HEUSER: She did not blink because she understands the Russian mindset. She knows that the Russians and in this case Vladimir Putin wanted to play Russian chess with her, which means the person who blinks that first has lost.

TODD: Merkel's relationship with President Obama recently became strained with reports the NSA tapped her cell phone. But analysts say it's her credibility with both the White House and the Kremlin that is making the difference.

PROF. ANGELA STENT, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: And I think she's probably more willing to take into account to listen to what Russian concerns are and to try and dissuade the Russians from thinking that everyone else is ganging up against them.

TODD: And Merkel has her own stake in this. Because of those economic ties, Germany could be among the biggest losers if this Cold War-style standoff gets worst. That's why she's been more reluctant to push sanctions against Russia and doesn't want to kick Putin out of the G-8.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. And back here at home, the Conservative Political Action Conference wrapping up tonight. A big highlight will be the presidential straw poll results. They are closely watched. And a fun early gauge sometimes of some of the names popular with conservative activists. Last year Rand Paul narrowly one. The year before that, Mitt Romney won.

Stay with CNN for this year's results and analysis of what it could mean for 2016 as soon as we have those results.

And the mother who drove her minivan in to the ocean with her kids inside makes her first court appearance. What she said, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New developments right now in the crisis in Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry had a critical phone call today with Russia's foreign minister.

Erin McPike is live for us now at the White House.

What was said?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you mentioned, Secretary John Kerry did call Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and those two have actually spoken quite a bit in the last week. He said that he wants to facilitate direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. This is something that they've been calling for. But I also want to read you a part of the readout of this call.

Secretary of State Kerry made clear that continued military escalation and provocation in Crimea or elsewhere in Ukraine, along with steps to annex Crimea to Russian would close any available space for diplomacy.

Now, that is important, Fred, because I want to also point out that just yesterday we were reporting on another conversation between Lavrov and Kerry in which Lavrov basically said that if the United States moves forward with sanctions against Russia that would boomerang back and hit the United States.

They said that these talks will continue, but -- and obviously we know that President Obama has been speaking to foreign leaders as well today, but this was another important conversation between Lavrov and Kerry.

WHITFIELD: All right. Erin McPike, thanks so much at the White House.

And new developments involving the case of a pregnant mother accused of trying to kill her children by driving her minivan in to the ocean with them inside. Earlier a judge in Daytona Beach, Florida, set Ebony Wilkerson's bond at $1.2 million. She is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Police believe Wilkerson might be mentally ill. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted.

The controversy surrounding allegations of sex assault in the military intensified this week. An Obama administration official tells CNN the army's top sex crimes prosecutor is being investigated over allegations that he groped a female lawyer.

Our Pamela Brown has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was a top Army prosecutor tasked with protecting victims of sex crimes, training and managing a team of 23 special victims prosecutors in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Now Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Morse is embroiled in a sex scandal of his own.

According to an administration official, Morse has been placed under criminal investigation for misconducts. A female lawyer says he groped her in 2011 in a hotel room at, of all things, a sex assault conference.

Morse joins the ranks of other high-profile military leaders in trouble for inappropriate sexual conduct, including Brigadier General Martin Schweitzer, under investigation by the Army for sending a crude e-mail.

REP. JACKIE SPEIER (D), CALIFORNIA: There was an e-mail in March of 2011 by a brigadier general after meeting with a congresswoman in which he apologized for e-mailing it late because he had masturbated three times over the past two hours after meeting with the congresswoman.

BROWN: Another brigadier general, Jeffrey Sinclair, one of the Army's top commanders in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty Thursday to three charges in a sex assault case, but not to other more serious charges.

SEN. KRISTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: I plan on trying to reform the whole system.

BROWN: On the same day, sexual misconduct cases in the military took center stage on the Hill after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand lost her hard-fought battle to reform how those cases are handled. Her bill fell five votes short. But Gillibrand vows to continue her fight.

GILLIBRAND: This is one fundamental problem that the victims have said they're not reporting these cases because they don't trust the chain of command. That's one issue that must be addressed.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

BROWN: The bill's failure to pass pleased the Pentagon brass who had strongly opposed the bill. Meantime, our attempts to reach Morris were unsuccessful. An administration official tells CNN's told Barbara Starr that the army removed him from his position as soon as it learned of the allegations -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Pamela Brown.

All right: Cookie cutting is going to a whole new level. Imagine printing all sorts of food in 3D? We're live at the South by Southwest Festival, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The 21st Annual South by Southwest Festival is under way in Austin, Texas. The festival has become the place to preview the technology of tomorrow, and what's catching the eye of many is being able to print your food.

CNN's Laurie Segall is there and joins us now.

Laurie, I think last year you were showing us about the whole 3D pictures and people making shoes and that kind of good stuff. So now, food? Why would I want to do that?

(LAUGHTER)

LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECH CORRESPONDENT: What's next? Well., who wouldn't want a 3D in Oreo? There's an actual vending machine here. We can go in and 3D print an Oreo. Now it uses the 3D printing technology to print out different creams.

But I got to tell you, Fredricka, you woke up, you press make a cookie, and two minutes later an actual Oreo kind of comes out. And I tasted it and tasted very much like a good Oreo. So, you know, the idea here is to have these conversations about technology and about what's next.

Now I spoke to the VP of marketing at Oreo and I asked him about the future of 3D printing when it comes to food. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does this translate to other types of food? Could we one day truly 3D tacos perhaps?

I think one day you'll be able to 3D print a lot of things. Everything from chocolate to candy. So that's already being done right now. But again I think it's not so much just about the technology, although it's a breakthrough. It's really about how to you begin to understand what consumers want and deliver those kind of customized experiences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEGALL: Fredricka, I'm waiting for the 3D printer in my home where I can just print out my own Oreos. Sound really cool. And you know I should mention right now we're doing live from chaotic moon, essentially this is an office full of mad scientists. I mean, these guys are creating such cool technology. If you look behind me there's a drone behind me that has the ability to stun someone.

They actually did a demo yesterday. We're going to have that for you tomorrow, but it's about, you know, looking at these prototypes and having these conversations about technology and saying, hey, this is here. This is -- Austin is right now full of entrepreneurs showing what's next and what other conversations we are going to have in the future -- Read? WHITFIELD: All right. And then a conversation that is going to happen tomorrow involves Ed Snowden. He is the man who leaked U.S. intelligence, and in what way is he speaking? And what is he expected to say?

SEGALL: You know, this is a big deal, because it's the first time Edward Snowden has really talked to an audience full of tech folks since the NSA revelations. You know, Julian Assange spoke today. The one thing, you know, I've been coming here for years. So one that's really different this year is this is a conversation about privacy, about government overstepping.

There are a lot of folks here in the tech room that, you know, obviously have their concerns. So, you know, Snowden will be taking live Q&A. It will be really interesting to see what he has to say and a big deal that he's actually addressing pretty much and audience full of entrepreneurs and the people building the technology of tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fascinating approach. Laurie Segall, thanks so much.

SEGALL: Thank you.