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Searching Ocean Bottom Is Complex, Difficult Task; Plane Crash Reconstruction; UConn Wins NCAA Basketball Title; Obama Signs Equal Pay Executive Orders; Man Who Struck Boy With Truck Is Beaten By African-American Teens

Aired April 08, 2014 - 15:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour, I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN here.

Australia searchers picked up two signals in the Indian Ocean. Now the race is on, so to speak, to find them before the trail goes cold, finding these black boxes from hopefully the wreckage.

Right now, the U.S. Navy's tow pinger locator is scouring this now narrowed section of the Indian ocean searching for the black boxes. So far, the ocean, since this weekend, has been silent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID JOHNSTON, AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: You can be assured that we are trying everything at this difficult, complex task in these -- at least these next several days, whilst we believe the two pingers are still active.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The search is going on in a totally unforgiving place, one of the most remote areas on the planet, and it's giving search teams almost no margin for error.

Alistair Dove is the director of research and conservation at the Georgia Aquarium, so, Al Dove, welcome back.

ALISTAIR DOVE, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And let's begin with the depth of this part of the world. Just for reference for people, when you think about the Titanic, for example, they were talking about a depth of 12,000 feet, right, more or less?

DOVE: That's right.

BALDWIN: And it took them 73 years to find the Titanic. And we're dealing with -- they're dealing with 15,000.

How do you even know what's going on down there? DOVE: Thankfully technology's come a long way, since we started searching --

BALDWIN: That's a plus.

DOVE: -- for the Titanic, but you should never underestimate how difficult it's going to be to work in this area.

We're talking about pressures that are pervasive and incredibly strong. It would crush concrete. We're talking about 7,000 pounds per square inch on every square inch of everything that you send down there, so it really makes doing anything down there tremendously difficult.

I love the elegant CNN animations you guys have been running that show the ship and tow pinger locator and the thing on the bottom, but it really doesn't show --

BALDWIN: Lacks perspective.

DOVE: -- the full scale --

BALDWIN: How deep!

DOVE: -- how deep we're talking about. It really is beyond the pale of what most people can really wrap their heads around.

And the crazy thing is this is the ocean. This is the ocean in most parts of the world. It's not particularly special to be two or three miles deep.

That's what the ocean is like, and that sticky bottom that they have there makes everything difficult once you get to the bottom, as well.

BALDWIN: So, even the fact that they have narrowed the search area, it seems to be moving eastward, it's closer to shore, which is great for the planes so they can maximize flying time, that doesn't improve what lies beneath the mystery.

DOVE: No, it actually makes it a little bit harder. When we very first started looking at the very southern end of the southern track, you were in that area near the (inaudible) plateau towards Antarctica where it's about 11,000 feet deep.

So, we're now actually deeper than we were when we were on the southern part of the track.

So, in that sense, it's a little bit harder, but the truth is any time you go beyond a few thousand feet and you're into perpetual darkness and you're into --

BALDWIN: Perpetual darkness.

DOVE: Yeah. So, that's a good thing, too, because that means the ship can operate on a 24-hour cycle. It really doesn't matter when they deploy. It's not flying a plane over the area where you really need daylight hours to be able to do that.

When you're deploying a submersible or some other submarine device going into the inky depths, it doesn't matter if you deploy at 1:00 in the morning or 1:00 in the afternoon. It's dark, either way.

BALDWIN: OK. What about still the fact that they have not found any debris? They're honing in on the pings that could be related to the two black boxes. That's what they're trying to find, so maybe, maybe wreckage way far deep down.

But you know about the currents in this part of the world. Is it possible that -- what's it been, four weeks, five weeks now -- that that junk may be long gone?

DOVE: It's possible that we're dealing with quite a big debris field, but, again, that's a two-edged sword. It can help you find it because it's larger, and the debris is spread over a bigger area, and your chances of encountering that are better.

But, really, the currents are not the primary problem. The primary problem is the depth and the pressure and the lack of tools that can routinely go to those kind of depths and allow you to work at those sorts of pressures.

There are really precious few tools on the planet that can do that. And it's really -- is going to make things extraordinarily difficult.

BALDWIN: So discouraging, the more you learn about the searches in that part of the world. Hopefully, they can find the pings again.

Alistair Dove from the wonderful Georgia Aquarium, thank you so much.

DOVE: My pleasure.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, piecing together wreckage from a downed plane, if Flight 370 is ever found, if they find the debris we were just talking about, the wreckage, an aviation accident lab like this one could actually be key in figuring out what happened, working backwards to answer those questions.

So, next, we'll take you live to California and talk to someone who looks at this type of wreckage, each and every day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: When and if Flight 370 is ever found, the task of putting the pieces back together, this wreckage, to retrace, to figure out what led to this crash will be a lengthy one, because all the parts and the pieces have to be put back together just like a puzzle.

So, to CNN's Stephanie Elam we go, live in Los Angeles, who is -- you're inside the University of Southern California's Aviation Institute Accident Lab.

Tell me what they do there, Stephanie? STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, it's amazing. They've got wreckage of other plane accidents here, and they're saying, when you take a look at accidents, you learn so much from it. And once you learn what something looks like, you don't forget it.

I want to introduce you to Michael Barr. He's an aviation safety expert. And, Michael, when you look at like the cockpit of this plane, for example, when does your investigation begin?

MICHAEL BARR, INSTRUCTOR, USC AVIATION SAFETY PROGRAMS: Actually, when I cross the field, when I first see the airplane, the wreckage, I'm starting my investigation right there.

And it starts telling me how the airplane impacted, where it impacted.

ELAM: And, so, looking at this, this cockpit is decimated. It is extremely decimated when you look at this. What can you tell from this one?

BARR: It tells me already it hit on the right side of the nose. And it was probably a high-angle descent, and watch the nose, it just bent to the left.

So, now, I know that, and I want to confirm that by going back and looking at the fuselage.

ELAM: OK, so, when you take a look at the investigation, and you look at the fuselage, do you -- are you examining what the humans who are in control of the plane were doing at the same time as you're looking at the plane? How do you break this down?

BARR: I break this down just to mechanical, just the parts. Somebody else will look at the human angle in this.

And I'll break this down into subparts. You've got to bit this at a small bite at a time. Don't get overwhelmed by all that you see here.

ELAM: But, so, for me, I have an untrained eye. Looking at this, this is extremely overwhelming, how much damage happened to this plane.

But to you, it's not that way, right?

BARR: No. No. I know how it hit. I know approximately the impact, as far as the force. I can go back and look at the wings and I can tell by how they're bent and how they're mal-shaped.

And, sooner or later, I will break this down to find out if there's any mechanical problems. In this case, there was absolutely no mechanical problems. This aircraft stalled in icing conditions, and it was a human error, and not a mechanical error.

ELAM: So, many plane accidents, is it easy to discern, once you get this much of a plane, to discern if it was a human problem or if it was mechanical problems? BARR: I would say it's never easy, but I could do -- the majority of the time, I will come up with probably a 90 percent to 95 percent chance of what happened in this aircraft accident.

ELAM: And you can do that even if you don't have all the parts or does that make it -- that's a part of the puzzle, if you will, that makes it hard?

BARR: I will never have all the parts. Never. But the more parts I get, it's like a mosaic. The more bits I can put in the mosaic, the better my picture will be. The better the picture, the better I can come up with an understanding of what happened.

ELAM: And, so, Brooke, talking to Michael, he was saying that, you know, when you look at all these pieces, and everyone wants to find those black boxes, those flight-data recorders, but really, when you take a look at all of this together, it tells him so much in their investigation that they can learn from that, so that if they find the wreckage but don't find the black boxes, they still might be able to do it.

BALDWIN: I have another question for you, but I saw -- did we lose her? We have her? OK, there, we see you. We see you.

ELAM: I'm still here.

BALDWIN: I was hanging on Michael's every word, because my next question would be, as he talks about this mosaic, with the 777, I mean, this is a major, major jet, finding all those pieces, A, I'm wondering what a challenge that is, and B, trying to figure out the genesis of the crash, water versus land?

ELAM: Water versus land?

So, what Brooke wants to know is, basically, when you take a look at this, all of those pieces and how you compare that to like this is a much smaller plane, but all of those pieces together, and also a plane that lands on land -- versus a crash that happens in the water, how you work with that?

BARR: A crash on land is much easier, because the parts stay where they landed. In the water, you're working with currents and winds, and so the pieces won't be where they have the initial impact.

So, water is much more difficult. The deeper the water, the more difficult. We have other accidents that happen in shallow water. We got most of the pieces back.

But deep water, we have a very, very hard time doing that.

ELAM: And then, also, just because of the silt at the bottom of the ocean, as well, and how pieces could be buried in there, too, Brooke.

It's amazing actually that they've learned so much from these wreckages, and that they're able to take so much from it. But each little plane -- each part that they see, they can look at things immediately before they even touch the plane and can tell you what happened. It's an amazing science.

BALDWIN: It is incredible, illustrations all around you and folks like Michael being able to sort of backwards retrace how these planes went down.

Stephanie Elam, thank you both very, very much, at the USC Aviation Institute Accident Lab here.

Coming up, much more on the missing plane.

Also ahead, President Obama today, signing not just one, but two orders aimed at helping women earn equal pay for equal work, and it comes as a new report shows that's not necessarily the case at the White House.

We'll look into that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Ah, yes, celebrations at the campus of the University of Connecticut today, UConn took home its fourth NCAA basketball championship last night with a win over Kentucky.

The number seven seeded Huskies made an unlikely run to the championship, capping off a win over Kentucky, but after the game, UConn star point guard Shabazz Napier took quite a swipe at the NCAA.

You see, UConn was banned from the tournament last year. They even lost scholarships for failing to meet academic standards.

And Napier said the punishment actually pushed his team to work that much harder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you describe this one?

SHABAZZ NAPIER, UCONN POINT GUARD: Honestly, hey, I want to get everybody's attention right quick. If I could have your attention? If I don't have your attention, let me get your attention.

Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the hungry Huskies. This is what happens when you banned us last year, two years. We worked so hard for it, two years and hungry Huskies! Hungry Huskies!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And tonight, UConn's women's team will play for the national championship. The same school, winning both men's and women's tournaments, this has only happened once, U-Conn in 2004.

More news in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: President Obama today called for equal pay for women, signing two executive orders to encourage that and calling out anyone who says there is no such thing as a pay gap between men and women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They say it's a myth. But it's not a myth. It's math.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Here he is, signing away.

The president, though, a bit of a problem, this conservative think tank pointing out, according to this recent study, that women earn about 88 cents for every dollar a man makes not at some random company, but according to them, this is happening at the White House.

So, Jake Tapper, give me a perspective on that, one, but, also, two, tell me about how much of this today really is about equal pay versus about getting ladies to the polls in November?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly politics is always at play with anything the White House does, but I'm sure they would argue that this is about equal pay, per se.

But you're right that the message that the White House has delivered has been clouded to a degree by this study indicating that the average man at the White House is paid $73,000 while the average female is paid $65,000.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was asked about the study yesterday. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that those studies look at the aggregate of everyone on staff, and that includes from the most junior level to the most senior.

What I can tell you is that we as an institution here have aggressively addressed this challenge, and obviously, though at the 88 cents that you cite, that is not 100, but it is better than the national average.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, the national average, we should point out, is the average salary that women make versus the average salary that men make.

It is not what women make for the same exact job as men make and that's why a lot of critics are saying that the White House explanation as to why there is a disparity in the average female versus male pay there at the White House is the same basic explanation around the country, that women make choices. A lot of women are more likely to leave the job for some years to begin a family, start a family --

BALDWIN: Sure.

TAPPER: -- and the similar explanations.

Of course, discrimination does play a role as well, but a lost criticism of the 77 cents on the dollar figure because of what we see with the White House explanation.

BALDWIN: And, also, just quickly, I was kind of surprised in looking at what else came out today, as far as the leading job for women, is the same as it was 60 years ago at secretary. Did you know that?

TAPPER: I did. I learned it from your show earlier today. I think one of the things that's interesting that we were talking to Senator Marco Rubio earlier today and he said that he thought that the bigger issue when it comes to pay equity is the opportunities that there are for women, especially when it comes to educational opportunities.

Now, that's not as much of a quick fix, of course, as legislation at a splashy White House event. That has to do with years and years of making sure that those opportunities are there for women, especially making sure that opportunities are there for women and girls in math and science where they are often discouraged from focusing their careers.

But, no, it's remarkable that secretary is still the number one job.

BALDWIN: It is. I didn't even know it was still OK to still say secretary. But anyway, I digress.

Jake Tapper, thanks for tuning in and paying close attention to the show, earlier today.

TAPPER: I always do. You know that.

BALDWIN: We'll do the same with you in eight minutes from now, "THE LEAD" with Mr. Tapper, starting at the top of the hour.

Before I go, though, today is the day Microsoft has actually cut the cord with Windows XP, no more support, no more security patches, no nothing, which means much less to individual users than it does to banks and retailers.

So, 95 percent of ATMs still use XP, which, without the support of Microsoft, is likely to suffer more cyber attacks, such as the one that we all -- many people experienced. We all reported on from Target late last year.

Tech specialists say the dwindling number of XP users should upgrade as soon as possible.

And coming up next, a man tries to help a young boy after a traffic accident, but he is attacked the minute he gets out of his car, this victim, beaten so badly he is now in a coma and that attack has outraged a lot of the people.

One of the teenagers that is accused was in court today. We'll tell you what happened, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well-wishers have donated more than $130,000 to this grandfather in Michigan. His name is Steven Utash, and when he tried to do the right thing, all the wrong things happened.

Utash hit a boy who dashed in front of his truck. He stopped, got out to check on the child, and then was beaten so badly, doctors put him in a coma to help him heal.

Three of his suspected attackers were in court today.

CNN's Miguel Marquez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The court is going to set bond in the amount of $500,000.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seventeen-year-old Bruce Wimbush, charged as an adult for his alleged part in a brutal, group beating, part of the incident caught on grainy surveillance video, the attack left the 54-year-old Steve Utash in a coma.

Police now looking at whether Utash was beaten because he's white.

CHIEF JAMES CRAIG, DETROIT POLICE: The issue of race is being looked at. It's not the only thing. It's not a sole focus.

MARQUEZ: Utash was beaten after his car struck a 10-year-old who, police say, darted into traffic.

The surveillance video shows David Harries moving quickly and suddenly into Utash's oncoming vehicle.

When the 54-year-old tree trimmer stopped to help Harris, he was attacked, say police, by at least half a dozen African-American men.

FELICIA UTASH, BEATING VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: It's hard just see him laying in the bed not knowing who we are, where he is, or what's going on.

MARQUEZ: The case, another tough blow for Detroit, a city struggling with economic decline and urban decay. This, another shock to the city.

FRANK BECKMANN, HOST, "FRANK BECKMANN SHOW" (voice-over_: We have a larger population in this city that cares.

MARQUEZ: Its own citizens questioning this horrendous beating and race in this predominantly African-American city. CLIFF WOODARDS II, DETROIT DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If this perhaps were to have been reversed, there would have been marches, there would have been rallies.

MARQUEZ: The relatives of an unnamed 16-year-old being held in a juvenile facility for his alleged beating say they can only hope Utash recovers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We pray that he comes back to his natural state.

MARQUEZ: It is a hope shared by the children of this father of four.

JOE UTASH, BEATING VICTIM'S SON: I just hope that he comes out of this and remembers his grandchildren.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, four people total have been held in connection to this beating. There may be other arrests. The charges so serious they could face is life in prison.

Mr. Utash remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma. And the 10-year-old that he hit, he is back home recovering from a leg injury.

Brooke?

BALDWIN: Miguel, just quickly, do you have any idea -- do doctors have any idea how many more days they might have to keep him in this a coma?

MARQUEZ: They don't. As far as we understand from the family, his condition has not changed in several days. They are hopeful at this point, but that is all they are, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK, Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

And before I let you all go, we talked to Adrianne Haslet-Davis, one of the Boston bombing survivors. She has this incredible, incredible story, with Anderson Cooper hosting this documentary.

I just want to remind all of you to watch tonight at 10:00 Eastern. It's called "The Survivor Diaries."

And that's it for me. I'll be watching there, as well.

Thanks for joining me. I'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.