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Search Crews Scramble To Relocate Pings; Obama Pushes To End Pay Gap; Boston Bombing Survivor Struggles And Overcomes
Aired April 08, 2014 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour here, you're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Right now, the U.S. Navy's towed pinger locator, this TPL is scouring, and now a narrow section of the Indian Ocean, listening. So the search area is smaller thanks to these two possible black box pings, which are now guiding the search. But so far, they've been unable to find another ping.
So one of the reasons is because the ocean is actually such a noisy place. Other sounds under the surface could be drowning out any other signals coming from those key data recorders. CNN's Rosa Flores took a pinger out on the water to show some of the obstacles they could be encountering in the Indian Ocean.
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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what a ping sounds like.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very high frequency.
FLORES: The critical sound searchers are hoping to hear in the deep and rough waters of the Indian Ocean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's deep and it's dark. It's salty. It's high pressure. It's hard to work.
FLORES: Here in Rhode Island's Bay, researchers show us the challenges search crews face as they try to hear the ping from Flight 370's data recorder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is a hydrophone.
FLORES: We drop an underwater microphone, a hydrophone, off the back of the boat as it moves farther away from the pinger that's already been submerged and even less than 100 yards away, the ping starts to fade. Distance isn't the only problem out in the Indian Ocean. There are other noises competing with the sound of the pinger like sea life. One dolphin species sounds like a black box pinger and this is the sound of rain underwater.
(on camera): Let me get away from the loudest part of the boat, so I can show you one of the biggest obstacles that searchers have in the open sea. Just ship noise, even here, listen to how loud it is. (voice-over): There are at a minimum 15,000 ships on the oceans any given day creating even more obstacles for a search that's already daunting.
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FLORES: Now let me add one more complication and this is how sound travels in water. High-pitched sounds, oceanographers, tell me, don't travel very far, and a pinger is a high-pitched sound. So Brooke, when we talk about the depths of the Indian Ocean, and in this case we're talking about two to three miles deep and the range of this pinger is two to three miles, they tell me you would literally have to be on top of this pinger to listen to it if you're at the surface.
BALDWIN: Rosa Flores, thanks for the demonstration. And here as we talk about the search area for Flight 370, whittled down to 30,000 square miles. Yes, just 30,000, just a handful of devices are being tasked of finding this plane.
Let me go to CNN's Tom Foreman in Washington with a look at these underwater devices being used. We just heard from Rosa. But walk me through how they are using these different pieces of technology. How will this work?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in a simple sense, think about what Rosa said there, you can get the broadest picture from the least precise equipment. The more precise you get, the slower it all gets. You think about what the Chinese were using. They basically went out with a small listening device that wasn't really designed for this sort of thing. They said they read something.
One of the reasons they doubt that is that pinger is really made for shallow water, not really made for this kind of deep water work where you're talking about two and a half, three miles deep. The level we're at right now, you just mentioned it a minute ago, that's the towed pinger locator. It can go to about a half mile off the ocean floor here, listening for the ping of the black box.
Everybody says much more robust piece of equipment than what the Chinese had. But even if you hear something, you can't necessarily hear it again and it doesn't exactly tell you where it is. To get to that level, then you go to something else, which goes even more slowly like the Bluefin 21. This is basically an underwater robot, sort of looks like a torpedo, and it goes along creating a sonic map of everything on the floor. It's not looking for this item down here.
It's simply saying, let's map everything down here, and then you can look at the images and decide if you see something that looks like a ship. And if we get to this point, Brooke, and we don't know if we will, if they really want to go after something, they would almost certainly at this depth bring in some sort of a robot and this would have articulated claws, it can open almost four miles deep, and it could grab some of this debris and start bringing it back.
We are right now a long way from this. Even if we get to this point, very slow, painstaking work. The job will not get faster if they think they're closing in, it will get slower, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Let's remember, it wasn't about the pings of a wreckage before, they were able to find the black boxes. They still work even if the pingers don't. Tom Foreman, thank you, sir.
FOREMAN: You're welcome, Brooke.
BALDWIN: Coming up, President Obama pushes for equal pay, even though it doesn't quite exist in the White House. Why the gender gap is becoming a hot topic in politics, next.
And just minutes from now, a CNN special report, Anderson Cooper joins me live with Adrianne Haslet Davis. She lost a leg in the Boston bombing, just about one year ago, but that didn't stop her from becoming a dancer. Do not miss this live conversation coming up.
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BALDWIN: Did you know today is equal pay day? The push to make sure men and women get equal pay for equal work. First of all, the top job for women back in 1950 was secretary. Want to guess what it is now 60 years later? If you guessed secretary, you are correct. The most equal jobs out there is pharmacist. But women still make just 91 cents for every dollar a male pharmacist makes. President Obama called for an end for this today and lashed out at his Republican critics.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This isn't just about treating women fairly, this is about Republicans seemingly opposing any efforts to even the playing field for working families.
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BALDWIN: To discourage paying women less, the president signed two executive orders today, but if you look at the calendar, you'll see there is a reason Democrats are making this a priority. Chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, joins me now live from Capitol Hill. Dana, this is about more than equal pay, isn't it?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is about politics. I know you're shocked to hear that. But if you really turn any corner here on Capitol Hill, anywhere in Washington really today, you're going to hear this discussion. In fact, if you look at the Senate floor as we speak, there have been a number of Senate women talking about this issue. They're pushing a bill today on equal pay day, that the Democrats say will close some loopholes, and equal pay law signed into law.
As you can imagine, there is some pushback from Republicans especially female Republicans on the tactics used to address this issue. Listen to first Nancy Pelosi the top Democrat in the House and then the top Republican woman in the House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: It's really interesting to see the resistance. And I must say, my sister, my daughter, my mother, they're not less worthy for the respect of the work they do than a man doing the same job.
REPRESENTATIVE CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R), WASHINGTON: So women, women understand the direct impact of the policies and the impact that they have on them. So on this equal pay day, I would urge us to stop politicizing women, and let's start focusing on those policies that are actually going to help women, and everyone in this country have a better life.
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BASH: Now, Brooke, just to button up the substance what they're talking about, the Democrats, the legislation that they have, Republicans say that it would unfairly hurt businesses and Republicans say they're going to introduce their own legislation to address this tomorrow. But let's look at the politics of this. We found some numbers that are really fascinating, that illustrate why Democrats are pushing this so hard in this midterm election year.
Look at what happened in 2006, the year Democrats took over Congress, both sides, 55 percent of Democratic women went to the polls. Pretty good number. When they lost the House in 2010, 48 percent went. So women, they so depend on the Democratic side, on women to get out there.
In fact, a senior Democrat who was really involved in the strategy told me earlier today that they're very worried about a double-digit drop in female voters for Democrats in this midterm election. They are trying so hard with this message in particular to motivate women to get out there, obviously they hope for the Democrats.
BALDWIN: So they want the women to get out there and vote quickly, though. I also know, I know you played the sound bite from a congresswoman, but Republicans are also accusing the White House of hypocrisy. Why is that?
BASH: They are on a number of levels. First of all, the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, just a few moments ago came out and ticked off statistics that he said shows that poverty has gone up among women during the Obama years and income has gone down among women during the Obama years. That's on the substance side of it.
But also on the symbolism side, you see Republicans citing a conservative think tank study that says there's not pay equity, even inside the White House walls. White house officials say that's not exactly true. They argue you definitely see senior women and men working side by side, and that they do get the same pay.
Equal pay is one thing, you well know, Brooke, that there definitely has been a reputation of being an old boys club at the White House, which is definitely different from equal pay. That is still very much there. All of those things combined are part of the Republicans' arsenal to hit back on the Democrats. BALDWIN: OK, Dana Bash in Washington. Dana, thank you so much.
BASH: Thank you.
BALDWIN: Now this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Part of my PTSD was always thinking a bomb would go off. I thought we were going to die. I felt the direct impact. It immediately blew off my left side. When I do it, I feel so free. Click, click, flow.
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BALDWIN: What an awesome story. She is the woman who refuses to let the Boston terror attack take away her dream of dancing. And tonight on CNN, she tells her powerful story and guess who gets to join me next, Adrienne herself and Anderson, standing by live. Guys, we'll talk about this amazing documentary coming up tonight. Stay right here.
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BALDWIN: Tonight a CNN special report will show you a comeback that starts off in terror and ends in triumph. "The Survivor Diaries" is about 32-year-old Adrianne Haslet-Davis. One of 264 people injured just about a year ago now when those two bombs ripped apart the Boston marathon finish line. There on Boylston Street.
Haslet-Davis, a professional dancer lost part of her left leg. Through her video diaries you'll see how she overcomes this tragedy, walking, dancing once again on a prosthetic leg. But her new normal has dark moments as well. She and her husband explain how the wounds are more than physical.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They lit fireworks over the harbour and all of a sudden, we heard explosions, and I started screaming and crying. Call 911! Can we please have someone stop setting off fireworks, please? I had gone through many, many stages. Not only of PTSD, but also of mourning the loss of my leg. I'm so over stumbling over steps.
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BALDWIN: Adrianne Haslet-Davis and Anderson Cooper both join me. Thank you for coming on. Adrianne, what we saw, so chilling, you with your husband, in the fireworks scene. You allowed us, you allowed CNN to show very dark, very raw moments. Why share this? Why say yes?
ADRIANNE HASLET-DAVIS, BOSTON BOMBING SURVIVOR: You know, it was really important to me to be able to show not only the positive side, and, you know, what people really saw bedside when Anderson and I met the first time, but it was important for me to show the dark sides as well. And it's no secret when you go through something like this, there are many dark sides.
BALDWIN: Anderson, she mentioned when she first met you, you and I were in Boston for quite a while last spring. We talked to quite a few people. But Adrianne, specifically, tell me about the first time you two met.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": She kind of let us come to her hospital room and it was a couple days after the bombing, really. We met with her mom first, and Adrianne and her husband, Adam. I was blown away by Adrianne's strength, by her determination not to let this define her, not to let this alter her life. She knew it was going to alter her life, it already had. But not just to walk again, but to dance again, which is something she loves. It's her joy.
It's what she's done professionally. And we just wanted to, you know, see more of Adrianne, learn more about her. She's bravely agreed to let us follow her on what has been a -- obviously an incredible journey for her. Tragedy and tremendous triumph. She's let us come along for both of those.
BALDWIN: Tremendous triumph. We'll get to more of the dancing. Part of this special, there's a scene where the prosecutors, they want to hear from you, they want your opinion on the man who allegedly set those bombs off. And you with are asked then if you think he should get the death penalty. In the piece, you say you hadn't made up your mind. Have you now?
HASLET-DAVIS: I have. You know, I thought long and hard about it. And I just took some personal time to decide what I really wanted. Adam and I, which we talk about in the piece as well, had made the decision not to talk about it beforehand what the other would let the prosecution know. And it wasn't until we talked to the prosecution that he and I looked at each other and we had the same answer, and that's what we support the prosecution to seek the death penalty in this case.
BALDWIN: Can you describe the evolution, how you came to that conclusion, and why?
HASLET-DAVIS: You know, it's a really personal decision. It's not anything I took lightly. I really wanted to make sure that it was something that I could live with for the rest of my life. And I really do support it. The journey to reach that was a little personal. But I will say that it -- he did this, and he did something horrific and tragic. If he can't face the consequences of that, then he shouldn't have done it. We all know he shouldn't have done it in the first place, but he had to have known what he was doing.
COOPER: I also think it's one of the things, about Adrianne, and other people, she doesn't use the name of the person who is going to be standing trial. She doesn't use the name of that person, nor any of their family members. I think that's really powerful statement about where the focus for Adrianne is and where the focus for a lot of the survivors is, and should be for us all.
BALDIWN: I got it. What about this prosthetic, Anderson? I know, Adrianne, jump in, MIT, this is pretty fancy stuff, from what I can tell. There are scenes with you dancing, and just tell me a little more about the big feat of technology, which apparently didn't stop Anderson from stepping all over your toes.
COOPER: I think I literally stepped on her brand new prosthetic, which I apologize for enormously because I'm such a bad dancer. Adrianne started about talking again from the get-go. I said to her in the hospital room, I'm a terrible dancer, but I would love to take a dancing lesson from you when you are dancing again, not thinking she would follow through on it.
BALDWIN: But she did.
COOPER: She did. So she very kindly, very gently gave me a dance lesson. It's painful for me to watch this because I'm such a bad dancer. But it's an extraordinary thing. One thing that Adrianne discovered is the limits -- there have been tremendous strides, and advances in technology for prosthetics, largely due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's for repetitive motion, for walking, for running, for dancing there are different kinds of stresses on a foot. Adrianne has developing with an MIT Lab, a revolutionary prosthetic.
HASLET-DAVIS: It feels really just incredibly close to the real thing, to feel the foot move and to watch my foot move as I dance is incredible. The feeling is indescribable. I feel fortunate to be face to face with the advancements.
BALDWIN: That's incredible. You're incredible. I have 8,000 other questions for you, but I have to leave the two of you there. Hopefully they'll be answered in this fantastic special tonight, survivor's diary tonight. Anderson and Adrianne, thank you so, so much. We will be right back.
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