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President Obama Visits Malaysia; Search for Flight 370; NRA Takes on the Anti-Gun Lobby; Two Catholic Pope to Become Saints

Aired April 26, 2014 - 16:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have got to begin to address them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coping is how we deal with our feelings. We're giving families a sense of hope. We're helping to heal wounds and bring families back together again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Huge inspiration. All right, "SANJAY GUPTA, MD" is coming up in about half an hour.

What do you have for us?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, imagine having two sons with a fatal disease. One of them gets an experimental therapy and thrives. The other doesn't, just has to sit by and watch.

As a father myself, I can't even imagine this scenario. But we're going to show you the real battle that this family is facing today, "SGMD" 4:30 Eastern.

WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to that. Thanks so much. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Wait a minute. Hold the phone. Hold it. Who do I see here?

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It's me.

WHITFIELD: No. No, no, no.

LEMON: What did I do?

WHITFIELD: You don't call, you don't write. Oh, my gosh. Here you are in person.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Don, I missed you.

LEMON: Fred, I -- listen, I've been working 24 hours a day. You know, the plane. I've been working during the week and then --

WHITFIELD: I know. I know. You've been doing great work.

LEMON: The weekends --

WHITFIELD: You know I'm only kidding.

LEMON: Thank you. I know. I miss you, though.

WHITFIELD: Just miss our little interaction here at the end of my day and the beginning of yours.

LEMON: You look very springy and very lovely.

WHITFIELD: Hey, but I'm glad to see you. Thank you.

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Flattery will get you everywhere. How are you doing?

LEMON: I'm doing well.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I'm just kidding.

LEMON: Busy news day. I've got to run. It's beautiful here in New York.

WHITFIELD: I know you do.

LEMON: I hope it's that way in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: All right.

LEMON: Thank you, everyone for watching. I'm Don Lemon.

WHITFIELD: We'll catch up.

LEMON: Thank you very much. I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Again, welcome to the NEWSROOM, everyone. I want to start with an enormous storm system that's going to beat up much of the country this weekend all the way from the plains to the Atlantic. Beaches all day today and all day tomorrow. Those of you in Raleigh, North Carolina, well, you know that yesterday you got -- you got a taste of what's to come.

Several tornadoes touched down, ripping out trees, damaging some homes, but there's no reports of anyone hurt. No report of anyone hurt. And right now an almost perfectly vertical line of severe storm -- of a severe storm is worrying people from Minnesota to the Mexican border.

In Toronto, well, look out because Oklahoma and Texas as well. The tornado, I should say, watch, lookout because it's all the way to Oklahoma and Texas as well.

Busy weather weekend now for Jennifer Gray. Jennifer, kind of got that -- messed it up a little bit. But this is a very potentially destructive system that is hitting much of the country today. What's getting hit first and how hard?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. This is an ugly one. We really haven't seen much severe weather this season. And so it is beginning this weekend. Sort of kicking off the season.

Today, we're looking at an area mainly north Texas, southern Oklahoma. But it does stretch all the way up into portions of Nebraska. Tomorrow marches on to the Mississippi River Valley and then on Monday, it will be heading to the East Coast, including places like Atlanta.

So this is going to be a multi-day event. Right now not much on the radar. We are seeing a couple of showers in the Rockies. Right where that severe weather threat is, not seeing much. But the sun is out. Things are heating up. So in the next couple of hours, we do plan on those showers and storms to start to fire up right along that dry line.

So high pressure is going to scoot off to the east. We have this upper level low. We have the dry line that's going to be approaching. And then in the coming days, we'll see the showers and storms fire up today, tomorrow, Monday and, Don, even into Tuesday. We're going to be watching this. So this will be lasting quite a bit.

All the ingredients are there. We have very warm, moist air coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. Warm, dry air coming in from the west. Cooler air from the northwest. And with that upper level support, there you go. You're going to get quite a few very strong thunderstorms. Today looks like mainly large hail, damaging wind type day.

Tomorrow that's when we move into the -- where we could see the big tornadoes, very large hail, very gusty winds. And so that's going to be the day where we'll really going to be concerned about, especially the Ark-La-Tex area, places like Little Rock, Shreveport, and then that threat, Don, moves over to the east a little bit more as we go through Monday.

LEMON: All right, Jennifer, thank you. We'll be watching it along with you.

Other news to report to you this afternoon. President Barack Obama is overseas on a four-nation trip through Asia. Today he is in Malaysia, the first American president to visit that country since Lyndon Johnson. It's part ceremonial, part serious business and it comes at a time when Malaysia is fully involved in searching for that airliner that vanished seven weeks ago.

Want to go to CNN's Erin McPike, she's at the White House today.

Erin, how much is that missing plane coloring the president's visit to Malaysia? ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it certainly has been a factor this weekend. And although he did not mention the missing plane in remarks that he made at a state dinner in Kuala Lumpur last night he did grant an interview to the Malaysian newspaper, "The Star" yesterday. And in those remarks he offered his condolences to the people of Malaysia and he also made some important points about the help that the U.S. has provided that country.

And I want to read part of those comments to you. He said, "As a friend and partner of Malaysia, the United States was one of the first countries to join in the search for the missing plane. U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and personnel remain on the scene assisting in the search. Our FBI is working closely with Malaysia on the investigation into what caused the aircraft to disappear and will continue to offer our support and assistance as the search and investigation continue."

And that's of course significant because we have heard from some officials overseas that the search could begin to wind down. But of course, President Obama committed the U.S. to continue in those search and investigation efforts.

He also pointed out in those remarks that the cooperation and partnership between a number of countries has been very critical in this effort. And he said that the U.S. and Malaysia and other countries are going to be working together on how to prevent future things like this from happening and how they can improve aviation security.

All this is important because the Malaysian king actually made some comments yesterday in which he commended the U.S. for all that they have done to support Malaysia throughout this time.

And then I would also point out, though, that tomorrow the president -- President Obama will be meeting for a long time with the prime minister, spending a lot of time with him. They have a bilateral meeting scheduled then a working lunch. And then the two of them will have a press conference. So we would expect that the missing plane will probably come up in that press conference -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Erin. We appreciate that.

We want to go to Ukraine now. Because where a chaotic situation continues to unfold there. And a phone call today between Russia's foreign minister and Secretary of State John Kerry, Russia stressed that Ukraine must cease military operations against pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country. Those groups have seized land and government buildings and refused to leave. Ukraine's acting prime minister commented while traveling in Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARSENIY YATSENYUK, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER: We urge Russia to pull back its security forces, not to provoke and not to support Russian- lead terrorists that are located and deployed in eastern and southern Ukraine. We urge Russia to leave us alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Meanwhile, concern is mounting for the safety of eight international observers who were seized by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Observers are tasked with implementing an international deal signed nine days ago in Switzerland.

The mystery of Flight 370 now in its eighth week. We're going to take you live to Perth as the Bluefin-21 scours the final 5 percent of the search area.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared seven weeks ago, triggering an international hunt of massive proportions. And right now the Bluefin submersible is scouring the final 5 percent of the search area. After that, Australian officials say the search area may expand.

I want to go to our correspondent live at the search base in Perth, Australia. It's Mr. Michael Holmes.

Michael, what are you hearing about the Bluefin's progress?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Don. So far we know Bluefin is on its 14th mission, as you said. We expect word in the next few hours on how it's done. The search, of course, ended after a bit of a software glitch. But it was down again pretty quickly and scanning the ocean floor.

As you said 95 percent covered before this mission so we would expect mission 14 will lift that figure to 100 percent of this current covered area of focus.

Confirmation also of what we've been reporting to you in recent days, Don, that the next area to be looked at is adjacent to the current 10- kilometer or six-mile radius around that most promising acoustic sound. This is going to be just north of the current site around where they've got the third acoustic sound, what they hoped was -- and hoped then and hope now was a ping from one of those black boxes -- Don.

LEMON: So, Michael, you know, we have been hearing for over a week now that the air search will end soon. What are you hearing about that? Are planes back up for several more days now?

HOLMES: Yes. It's been strange really. We'd heard that part of the search would have ended days ago, the search leader, Angus Houston, saying as much. But of course, as we know, it has gone on. Now Monday, the Australian prime minister is expected to make a statement on the whole operation. And then hopefully, we'll learn there more about the plans for the whole search as well as that sea and air search.

Indications, of course, from both the Aussie and Australian prime ministers that the search itself will continue. And in the big picture, I suppose, Don, and you've been discussing this on your show, when you consider that after the Air France crash back in 2009, it took two years to get the black boxes.

Then what we're seeing now could really be the beginning of a long process. Searchers are hoping, of course, it doesn't take two years.

LEMON: Yes. Very long process. You're right about that, Michael. You know, search crews working around the clock, they're coming up empty.

My question is, I mean, what's the mood among the search crews? Are they discouraged or still even just as determined as when they started?

HOLMES: Yes. You know, I know when they started this sort of focus search area that we've been talking about for the last week or more, they were confident. They were actually confident that they were in the right place, that that area they've now nearly finished searching would have yielded some results in this mystery and the word confident was used.

Now I suppose committed would be the next best word. They're not giving up. They're determined to find the plane. But I think you could say they're disappointed. It wasn't in this area. It was strange how several people told us who were involved at senior levels of this search that they were confident they'd find something on this. But -- on this particular area. But of course, they haven't -- Don.

LEMON: All right, we're watching and waiting along with our Michael Holmes.

Michael, thank you very much. We appreciate you.

You know, it's been 51 days of searching and nothing to show for it. Families are fed up and they're taking it to the streets right now.

What is next in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

With me now is aviation analyst Michael Kay, a retired lieutenant colonel and a pilot for -- with the Royal British Air Force.

Michael, you know, does it make sense the Bluefin-21 churning through the ocean and is it time for them to rethink their search operation now?

LT. COL. MICHAEL KAY, BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOT: I think the whole strategy of the operation is an iterative process, Don, and what I mean by that is on a daily basis Angus Houston will be analyzing all the data he's got and he'll be coming up with new ideas, new strategies every day. I mean, what I would say is that if we rewind a little bit and we go back to when the aircraft went down and then we have this huge area over 10 million square miles, and then we had the Inmarsat analysis come up and everyone got excited about these northern and southern arcs, and then some of the assumptions based on speed and height drew us down into that southern area and remarkably we got these pings.

So we've gone from 10 million square miles down to about 300 square miles. But it's all kind of back to front. We were looking for the needle, if you remember, without the haystack, and we were relying on those pings from the black boxes and they only had a life of between 30 and 40 days.

About day 38 Angus Huston had this big decision to make -- does he pull the ping locater, thinking that the batteries are dead and put the Bluefin in? Because when he does that, he effectively is resigned to the fact that the next phase of this operation the Bluefin bit is going to take a long time.

Back to Air France 447. It took two years to find that. So I think that was the decision, the hard decision that Angus Houston has to make back then 12 days ago. And we're only 12 days in. We've got a long way to go.

LEMON: But this one -- you know, it's interesting because 447 at least there was something, right, that we -- that we knew about. This flight is a complete mystery. So we know nothing. All the ELTs, none of the alerts went off. Nothing happened. Pretty much wasn't tracked on radar.

So as a former member of the military if you were heading this up, what would be your first step in sort of re-jiggering the search option?

KAY: Yes, well, there are kind of a number of different search options going on. We have the first phase which is the subsurface ping locater. That was in unison with the air search. Now these -- the air search is as key as a ping locator which is as key as the Bluefin because what we're trying to do here is one of Angus Houston's chief priorities is to try and link something to MH-370 and its resting place in that -- in the area.

And that the priority, the reason why it's priority number one is to give the families and their loved ones that closure. That's the most important thing at the moment. And the where and the what and the why, the what and the why will take many, many years. But their absolutely priority now is getting that linkage of debris. And that's why the air search is so important.

LEMON: So you would continue on with the air search if you were leading the search now? You would continue on with that? And would you change the search zone? Or would you change what you're doing with the Bluefin? Would you bring in more apparatus? What would you do?

KAY: It's a process of elimination. I think you've got to keep going over the search area, eliminating the places where you've looked and then moving on to the next event.

LEMON: Over and over, just like you're vacuuming, over and over?

KAY: Yes.

LEMON: Just keep doing it. KAY: I mean, the problem is, though, is that the air search that's been going are the tempo which is unsustainable to do every day. We're on day 50 and the crews have been working around the clock. And there will be a natural pause, there'll be a human factor's natural pause because of the fatigue on the air crews. There will be fatigue on the airplanes. The more these airplanes fly, the more they're going to have to go into a deeper servicing, which will mean longer on the ground.

So there's going to be a natural pause anyway. And I feel that Angus Houston will now go into a more reactive air search than a proactive air search. And what that means is that he's been flooding the area with all those maritime surveillance assets proactively in the hope of finding something. I think he'll go now more to a reactive so in the hope that satellite picks something. Remember in the early days we saw those satellite pictures.

LEMON: Right. Right. Not as much equipment, you mean?

KAY: Well, I just mean that the aircraft will still be there, but they'll be sort of on the ground in a standby role to ready to go out and look at something if they find it rather than spending 24 hours a day or daylight hours sort of over the ocean tops, Don.

LEMON: Michael Kay, thank you. Good to see you. Appreciate it, sir.

Straight ahead here, the challenge for the NRA. A famous billionaire now bank rolling a gun control campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The battle lines are drawn in Indianapolis, and that's where the National Rifle Association is holding its annual convention. 70,000 supporters of the Second Amendment are ready to take their -- take on their newest challenge. A well-funded gun control effort launched by former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Several potential Republican candidates are set to take the podium.

And CNN's Alexandra Field joins me now to talk about that.

How's the NRA responding to this?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Well, this is their big event. Very high-profile event so they know they've got the microphone and they've got the audience here. Some 70,000 people turn out for this event every year.

Republicans already taking the stage, grabbing the mike. They are taking this opportunity to unleash some criticism. Plans to promote gun control efforts and policies. Here is what some of the Republicans are already saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) FLORIDA: We're all outraged and heartbroken at recent incidents in which so many innocent people have lost their lives. But public policy must always be guided by common sense. By embracing what works and rejecting what does not. Making it harder for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves has not, does not and will not prevent future tragedies such as these.

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL, (R) LOUISIANA: Now these folks on the left, they are audacious. But I'll share a secret with you. They're also gutless. They refuse to admit their real agenda. The truth is that Michael Bloomberg, Eric Holder, so many of President Obama's wealthiest liberal backers in Hollywood do not, in fact, believe in the Second Amendment at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: All right, Don. You just heard Louisiana's governor, Bobby Jindal, name former New York City, Michael Bloomberg. There was a clear reason for that. Bloomberg has recently announced that he's going to bank roll this gun control effort. The NRA previously has not responded to Bloomberg's plan.

LEMON: Right.

FIELD: But just yesterday, Wayne LaPierre from the NRA finally gave his response and here's what he's saying on their behalf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE LAPIERRE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NRA: You know, Bloomberg vowed to spend $50 million to beat us in November. He said he'd do everything he could, with all of his 50 million, to confront and defeat the NRA. Well, here is our response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Bloomberg says he has $50 million to attack my gun rights. Well, I have $25 to protect them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got $25.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got $25, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's one guy with millions. We're millions with our 25 bucks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: $25, Don. That is the price of a starter membership with the NRA. So you can see that they are continuing that push to line the coffers.

LEMON: So that's the question then. Because this is the first time they've really faced a challenge by someone like Michael Bloomberg who has a whole lot of money. Are they prepared? I mean, I guess this $25, that's how they're going to sort of, you know, go up against Michael Bloomberg. But do you think -- he's got billions.

FIELD: He does have a lot of money. So this is going to be a very interesting fight. And you're right to point out, this is a worthy opponent for the NRA in terms of cash flow, certainly. But the NRA has been in this business for a long time. They've got a sophisticated campaign and lobbying arm. They're good at raising money. Now it will -- you know, may even be a question of how quickly Bloomberg's organization can exert, you know, the level of influence that the NRA already has in this fight. So we'll see how much influence this money will buy.

LEMON: It's going to be interesting to watch.

FIELD: Sure is.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Alexandra. Appreciate that.

You know, it's history in the making now as Pope Francis prepares to elevate not just one but two Popes into sainthood. We're going to get a preview from the Vatican, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: On Sunday for the first time in history, the Catholic Church will canonize two Popes on the same day. Pope Francis will preside over a special ceremony that's expected to draw upwards of two million pilgrims. They will witness Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII becoming part of the community of Catholic saints.

CNN's Delia Gallagher is among the Catholic faithful in Rome -- Delia.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Don, as you can see behind me the crowds have already arrived for tomorrow's ceremony. They're going to sleep out in order to stake out their place here. They've got sleeping bags, chairs, backpacks, food provisions and they're young and old, ready to come to participate in this ceremony.

We've seen flags from the United States, from France, from Brazil. But by far the largest contingency is from Poland, as would be expected. We know that because they put the names of their towns on their hats and on their flags and on their jackets. Many from Wadowice which is John Paul II's hometown.

Now tomorrow many dignitaries and heads of state are also expected. But the Vatican doesn't issue official invitations to this so there is no official list. It's a come one, come all ceremony. We do know that Pope Emeritus Benedict has said that he will be there alongside Pope Francis and some 1,000 bishops and 6,000 priests to help them celebrate this very unique moment.

Of course, two of the women that have made this day possible will also be present, and they are the two women who received miracles because of the intercession of John Paul II and John XXIII. There is a French nun who was miraculously healed, the Vatican says, from Parkinson's disease, which was the same disease that John Paul II suffered from. And a Costa Rican woman whose brain aneurysm disappeared without explanation after she prayed to John Paul II.

Everybody here and ready for tomorrow's event. Back to you -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Delia, thank you very much. Very exciting. Hey, have you heard the story about the L.A. Clipper's owner apparently caught on tape, allegedly making racist remarks? Now people are calling for a boycott of the Clippers and for him to step down.

We'll have that story for you at the top of the hour.