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What Will Follow Crimean Independence Vote?; Has Time Come for New Flight Data System?; Great Lakes Freeze Sets New Record; Malay Authorities Turn Info on Two Passengers With Stolen Passports Over to U.S.; Newtown Shooter's Father Speaks to "New Yorker"; Colorado Pot Shops Collect Cash, Luring Criminals

Aired March 10, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Nick, we mentioned that we are now less than a week away from the referendum on whether the Crimea will remain part of the Ukraine, both pro- and anti-Russia rallies taking place over the weekend.

Any clues as to how this vote will go, and will it have credibility if indeed it passes?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know pretty much how the vote is going to go. I think nobody here expects it to be anything other than a resounding move towards greater independence for Crimea.

What we think is on the ballot is a choice between joining Russia and being more independent or no longer a part of Ukraine, no remaining in Ukraine choice for those voting.

Pretty clear where this is going to go, a lot of people here very vocal in their support of Russia, and, of course, as many perhaps as 18,000 Russian troops, although not here by name, but here certainly in person, coming into this peninsula to perhaps enforce that de facto takeover.

The real question is, how does Kiev react? How do the perhaps 30 percent of the population here who aren't pleased to be joining Russia -- how did they react? And, of course, how does the world react to a vote that's being rushed through, been brought forward two weeks, certainly.

The paper's being rush-printed right now for a vote, and of course, many people realize that democratic politics here, elections, and in Russia and the former Soviet Union, they're often -- everyone knows the result before they go through the turnstile, quite often.

That's not really in doubt here. The question is, what follows next? Is it peaceful or is this the beginning of a worse problem?

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: You'll be there for us. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks.

I tell you what. There is one fact that a lot of us are struggling with, and that is that no one knows where this plane is. It's an airliner that we're talking about, as you know, where 239 people were onboard and it's gone.

Five years ago, we were talking about an Air France flight that vanished, and since then, four iPhone models have come and gone, but airlines are still stuck with the decades-old technology of flight- data recorders. And without them, we don't have any clue to what goes wrong. There has to be a better way.

Clive Irving joins me now from London. He's a contributor to The Daily Beast, senior consulting editor for Conde Nast Traveler.

So, Clive, there is a technology called the automated flight information reporting system, and it can send out tons of information in the event of an emergency, so why isn't this at least on every plane?

CLIVE IRVING, CONTRIBUTOR, THE DAILY BEAST: That's a very good question.

We could be -- have in our hands at this moment, we could have all the same data that's in that flight recorder that they're looking for now in that vast ocean. We could have all that same information in our hands if it was streamed live in real-time from the plane as it flies.

And if it, as it seems, there was a catastrophic -- sudden catastrophic failure, we would have the same information about that. We would know that something radical happened or we would know that something was going wrong in advance.

Now, doesn't it seem crazy that the principle behind the flight recorder is that the crucial evidence goes down with the plane and then you have to set out and find it?

PHILLIPS: And critics say, yeah, this all sounds like a great idea to have this and to update, but it costs money.

So, I was asking, how much? Put it into perspective. And, by some estimates, it could cost $5 a minute to stream live this data from the airplanes. So, did the airlines --

IRVING: So what? That's not a lot of money.

PHILLIPS: Did the airlines have a point because that's -- do they have a point when they say it's too expensive? For an eight-hour flight, you are talking $2,400.

IRVING: I don't think they have a point at all. I would check that number, too, because I think our experience with technology is it gets cheaper and cheaper all the while.

And I think another point to be made is that the reason why it's not -- the mystery is why hasn't this been done so far? And I think, ironically, one of the reasons for that is that flying has become so safe that data retrieval's got a very low priority because it's not seen to be urgent. And, of course, you don't have to do this for flights over land. It's really become crucial for flights over water.

PHILLIPS: And you know what's interesting, I guess now this tragedy, could this be the moment that things change just because of where we are technology-wise, as well?

Because this search is going to cost millions of dollars -

IRVING: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: -- so are we paying for the airline's refusal to just go ahead, move with the times and adopt new technologies?

IRVING: We know what it takes to make something happen in this kind of area. It takes a shock, a severe shock.

Now, the Air France 447 disappearance that you referred to, four years ago, somehow didn't engage us in the same way that this is engaging us, because this seems to be even more of a mystery than before.

And, as you rightly said, the cost of these investigations, these searches can go on for years and reach many millions of dollars, which is far more that it would cost -- we're talking about this at the same time as we're talking about installing streaming so that people can have cell-phone conversations or at least read texts on their cell phones in planes.

Where is the sense in that priority?

PHILLIPS: It's renewed a debate and also a very interesting discussion. Once again, Clive Irving, thank you so much.

IRVING: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Coming up, the father of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza speaks out for the very first time. He says his son would have killed him too if given the chance.

It's a fascinating interview. That's coming up.

And the Great Lakes, frozen, Lake Michigan practically a sheet of ice, our Ted Rowlands is there, though, aboard a giant ice breaker.

We're going to talk to him live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The Great Lakes have set a frigid new record this winter. Lake Michigan is now 93.3 percent covered in ice.

The National Weather Service says that last month's frigid temps caused the ice concentration on the surface to rapidly increase. The previous record was set back in 1977.

Our Ted Rowlands is right there in the middle of it all on an ice breaker right off Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, actual beautiful part of the country as we well know.

This is one of our favorite states, Mr. Ted Rowlands. Tell us about it. You've got rare access.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. It's been a wonderful day, Kyra.

We are on board the Mobile Bay, which is a Coast Guard cutter and an ice breaker. And check out this ice. It is absolutely incredible.

They are trying to open up the shipping lanes for the Great Lakes shipping season which is just getting under way this week. In fact, today is the first day of what they call the break out. And you can see the chunks of ice are incredible.

And this is an area, actually, that you are looking at right now that they have gone through already and broken up. It refreezes. They break it. They refreeze it.

Commander John Stone is with us, and, Commander, you're saying in some areas you are looking at four feet, which is just an incredible amount of ice. Even this thing's having a tough time getting through.

COMMANDER JOHN STONE, U.S. COAST GUARD: That's correct. So, on the Great Lakes, we've seen over 90-percent coverage through all the lakes this year, and in some places, upwards of over five-feet thickness.

ROWLANDS: We were out today, Kyra, and at one point, the way they do when they get into the really thick areas is to stop, go backwards, stop, go backwards, sort of like when you get your car stuck. It's just rolling back and forth.

STONE: That's correct. We call that backing and ramming. So, the ship can break about two-and-a-half feet of ice continuous, but once it gets over that, we have to go through that process of backing and ramming in order to get through the ice.

ROWLANS: We did a lot of backing and ramming today, Kyra, and we're going to more on Erin Burnett tonight.

It's just incredible the video and being out here, seeing what these guys -

(AUDIO BREAK)

ROWLANDS: -- it is something.

PHILLIPS: Ted, thanks so much.

And as you can see, you can see Ted is kind of going in and out of the picture there. Thank goodness, he is not backing and ramming. Otherwise, he'd be off the front of that ship and we definitely wouldn't have a live connection.

Ted, thanks so much.

You can be sure to catch his full report tonight on "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT." That's at 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Let's get right to that breaking news now. It's coming in now on the investigation into what happened to Malaysia Air Flight 370. Let's get straight to Washington.

Our Jim Sciutto has been working his sources. Jim, what are you hearing?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, a U.S. official tells CNN that Malaysian authorities have shared both the images and biometrics of those two men who boarded that flight, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, with fake -- with stolen passports.

And, so, biometrics would include things like fingerprints, as well as images. You may remember and we reported this earlier, that Malaysian authorities said that one of the men who boarded that plane with stolen passports was caught on camera as he was checking in and that person was described by Malaysian authorities as black or African.

And, so, we're just beginning to get details, and also reported earlier that an Iranian middle man appeared to have bought the tickets for him when they purchased these tickets in cash for this flight bound for China.

But the newest detail there, that those biometrics, as well as their photographs, have been shared with U.S. authorities as they look into this.

Now, I can tell you, Kyra, as well, I've spoke with a number of intelligence officials who've told me, to this point so far, they have nothing to indicate terrorism involved in this flight.

But it is early, and, of course, they're checking out all leads. and this would be a normal lead for them to check out. You have two persons that they want to explore further. They were on this plane with not the proper documentation.

So, for the Malaysian authorities to share those details with U.S. intelligence authorities would make sense so that they can check them, run them through their databases and see it they have any background, any information on them.

PHILLIPS: It's interesting, Jim. You and I have been having this discussion with folks all day about technology, right, and should the black box system be elevated and upgraded so we can find out exactly what happened with regard to that plane.

Yet, we're still waiting. We don't have the information. But technology allows us -- look at how quickly they're moving on the individuals that could possibly be involved in something here.

SCIUTTO: It is true. No question. In our society today where you have cameras everywhere, you very quickly get an image of this person even as they were checking in.

But what you don't have -- you actually have a failure at the start of this, right? Because you had two stolen passports, which Malaysian authorities apparently did not run through the Interpol database which would have shown that they were traveling on stolen passports.

The U.S. does that, we're told, for all folks coming into this country on passports. They run it by that Interpol database, apparently 250 million times a year.

But these Malaysian authorities did not take that check, although it was available to them.

PHILLIPS: Jim Sciutto, thanks so much.

SCIUTTO: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Coming up, the father of Adam Lanza speaks out for the first time since the Newtown tragedy. He says that his son would have killed him, too, if given the chance.

What the father of that shooter regrets, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The father of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, Adam Lanza, is speaking publicly for the very first time.

Peter Lanza spent hours with "New Yorker" magazine beginning last fall and described in intimate detail his thoughts about his son's mental state.

He even went as far as to say that Adam Lanza would have killed him if he had the opportunity.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti has more now on this revealing interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Peter Lanza, the father of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza has broken his silence saying, "With hindsight I know Adam would have killed me in a heart beat if he had the chance."

In his first interview since the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut nearly 15 months ago, Lanza tells the "New Yorker" magazine he has met with two families of his son's victims, saying, "A victim's family member told me that they forgave Adam after we spent three hours talking. I didn't even know how to respond."

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC360": Twenty little children, six adults.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Unimaginable horror grips the nation.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, "LEGAL VIEW": Police have now identified the school shooter as Adam Lanza. CANDIOTTI: Lanza says when he realized what happened, he called his wife at work, telling her over and over, "I think it's Adam. It's Adam."

Lanza says he knew his son had problems but he was difficult to treat. In his words, "He did not want to talk about problem and didn't even admit he had Asperger's."

Lanza also describes changes he saw in his son. "It was crystal clear something was wrong. Asperger's makes people unusual, but it doesn't make people like this."

Authorities later found that Adam had holed up in his room, windows covered by black garbage bags seen in these photos.

Peter Lanza says as things got worse with his son, Adam's mother, Lanza's ex-wife Nancy, cared for him primarily. In his words, "She wanted everyone to think everything was OK."

He adds, "She didn't fear her son. She slept with her bedroom door unlocked, and she kept guns in the house, which she would not have done if she were frightened."

These photos released late last year by the Connecticut state police show an open gun locker, several firearms, and lots of ammunition inside the home.

Peter Lanza says he is haunted by his son, dreaming about him nightly, detailing one nightmare, being hunted like one of his son's victims.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And that was our Susan Candiotti.

Coming up in just about 15 minutes on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper, Jake actually spoke with the author of that article in "The New Yorker." Jake joins me now, live.

So, Jake, what is he saying about that pretty incredible interview?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "THE LEAD": Andrew Solomon who wrote the story is somebody who has covered this issue before.

And I had to say, just as a father and as somebody in the public who was shocked and outraged by what happened, I asked Mr. Solomon, what do you think -- what do you say to people like me who are mad at Peter Lanza, mad at Nancy Lanza for not stopping their son?

This is what he had to say to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW SOLOMON, "NEW YORKER" MAGAZINE: In retrospect, should his parents have insisted that he have more therapy? Perhaps. Should he have been on a different medication? Perhaps. But I think the decisions they made, the relative mix of laissez faire and indulgence is a mix that's often worked well for people who have the kind of mild autism that Adam had.

If we blame Nancy and Peter Lanza, what we are really saying is this can't happen to me because I'm a better parent than they are.

And Peter Lanza said very powerfully, I want everyone who read this to be aware, that this could happen to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: And that's why Peter Lanza gave the interview, to try to give some comfort to the parents of the victims, and also to try to prevent this from happening again, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jake, thanks so much.

You can catch the whole interview, coming up on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper. That's starts in a few minutes.

Also, coming up next, the pot business, booming in Colorado, there's just one question, though, how to handle all of that cash. That's next.

But, first, how Priscilla Presley is helping a lifelong Elvis fan in today's "Impact Your World."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA PRESLEY, DREAM FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR: Hi, Reba.

REBA ROBERTS, TERMINALLY ILL PATIENT: Hey.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Elvis fan Reba Roberts was so thrilled when Priscilla Presley came to visit her Santa Barbara hospice facility she broke into song.

Presley is a Dream Foundation ambassador. The charity grants wishes to adults with terminal illnesses.

PRESLEY: The requests you would think would be crazy things, but they're not. They're simple. They're about getting back with your family, having a reunion.

CUOMO: Like seeing your sister for the first time in four years. That was Roberts' wish.

ROBERTS: We just hugged and hugged and hugged.

PRESLEY: Really when you stop and think of it that you offer comfort, a closure to not just the recipients but to the family members, what they go through -- to try to grant that last wish when they really can't.

CUOMO: According to the Dream Foundation, around 20,000 wishes have been fulfilled in the past two decades.

PRESLEY: As sensitive a journey that this is, to see the smiles and the appreciation and the love, it's really unmatched that you're doing something and able to help others. The impact is immeasurable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So here's a problem a lot of us would love to have, so much cash there's nowhere to put it.

Marijuana shops in Colorado are accumulating money at a dizzying pace, but banks are not real thrilled about taking it, so the growing stacks of greenbacks are -- you got it -- luring in the criminals.

Here is CNN's Ana Cabrera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a budding business, already bringing in big-time money but with few places to put it.

How much money are you making?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last month, we did about $1 million in sales.

CABRERA: A million in month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A million, yes.

CABRERA: We wanted to know what happens with these pot profits. We agreed to hide this dispensary owner's identity for safety reasons.

What do you do with all this cash?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we are fortunate enough to have a bank. We bank with a company in (inaudible) "don't ask, don't tell" relationship.

CABRERA: So they don't know you are actually a pot shop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I think they have a strong suspicion that we are, especially when you have to turn in all your documentations to the bank. It says exactly what you are. With them, we can ignore it.

We take great pains to help them ignore it by paying our vendors with cash and we also Febreeze the money so it doesn't smell like marijuana when they get it and we use an armored car service to come pick it up and take it to the vault for us.

CABRERA: While banking is happening, the majority of dispensary owners are forced to hide their earnings elsewhere.

KRISTI KELLY, DISPENSARY OWNER: We try not to keep any amount of cash in high levels in any one location. CABRERA: Big stashes of cash locked away in safes, guard dogs to discourage attackers, for everyone in this federally illicit business, security is a huge concern.

All dispensaries are required to have surveillance cameras eyeing every corner, and lot of dispensaries also have alarm systems and panic buttons like this, just in case of an emergency

Then there are dispensaries that are taking security to a whole other level.

LEO PAVLUSHKIN, FORMER RUSSIAN SPETSNAZ: My theme is that I say, "You mess with the Russian, you face the repercussion."

CABRERA: Six-four, 275 pounds, Leo Pavlushkin is a former member of Russian special forces.

PAVLUSHKIN: Spetsnaz, yes. Russian special forces, yes.

CABRERA: He is now a member of the Blue Line Protection Group, a private company providing armed security for dozens of dispensaries.

PAVLUSHKIN: -- who will command trying to overtake the place, will try to start shooting or hurt somebody or trying to do whatever. I mean they can be unpredictable.

CABRERA: In Denver, there had been about 150 reported burglaries of licensed marijuana facilities in the past year. Business owners say banking needs to be addressed for the sake of safety.

KELLY: I hope we don't have to see something bad happen before the federal government takes some serious action to resolve this as a problem.

CABRERA: Ana Cabrera, CNN, Denver.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, Ana, thanks so much.

Be sure to catch Sanjay's new special, "Weed 2: Cannabis Madness," premiering tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern.

Thanks so much for watching. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.