Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russian Jet Crashes In Siani; Jeb Bush On A Mission; Obama Commits Small Number Of U.S. Ground Troops To Syria; Scrutiny Of Police Officers Has Increased Within Last Two Years; Actress Leah Remini Takes Aim At Church Of Scientology And Its Most Famous Member. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired October 31, 2015 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:09] POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Three o'clock Eastern. I'm Poppy Harlow. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. We begin with breaking news.

This just into CNN. The very first photo of a very grim scene where a Russian jet crashed killing everyone onboard. You can see the absolute devastation there. You are looking at images from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, chunks of debris strewn across the ground the Russian metro jet carrying 224 people slammed into that rocky terrain earlier today.

Right now, the victims' remains are being rushed to a more grieving families are waiting in anguish. Authorities have recovered at 130 remains thus far. Russia state media reporting most passengers were returning from vacation. Of course, they were in the resort, part of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm el-Sheikh filled with resorts, 17 children onboard that flight.

Also just into us here at CNN, I can tell you that both of the data recorders, both of those so-called black boxes have been retrieved. That is according to Egypt's civil aviation minister in Cairo.

Let's go straight to CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. He is in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ian Lee is on the ground there in Cairo.

Ian, to you first. Look, you've covered this area extensively. What can you tell us at this point about the developments of this early stage of the investigation?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we are getting a lot of new information here, Poppy. I will to go over with you. We do know that the search area has the diameter of about five miles. When you look at these pictures that are coming in now, they were from the Egyptian government, a lot of them are what they show is really the terrain that they are dealing with.

Earlier today, we were told by the government that it was a mountainous terrain. And as we can see there, there really aren't many mountains in the nearby facility which will make it easier for rescue crews, really, to go through and try to pick a part what exactly happened and get those bodies. We're hearing from the prime minister that 129 bodies have been

recovered so far. They are being brought here to Cairo. And we're learning from the civil aviation minister about the final moments before the crash. He said which contradicted earlier reports that a distress call was issued. He said no distress call was issued by the pilot. That the plane was there one minute and then it disappeared.

Now the Egyptian government is saying that no foul play is expected or suspected, rather, at this moment. We're also hearing that this plane underwent a routine check before taking off. And that nothing abnormal from radar as they can see. But those two black boxes very crucial have been recovered, they're on the way to Cairo where analysts will go over them, as well as we're hearing that a team from airbus is going to be coming to Cairo, as well from Russia.

So a lot of different people coming in to really try to figure out what caused this tragedy -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Ian Lee live in Cairo for us tonight. Ian, stay with me.

Nic Robertson in St. Petersburg.

Nic, I know you just arrived on the scene. You have got these family members of 224 people they thought would be landing in St. Petersburg. What are you seeing around you?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Poppy. This is where they were arriving through these doors just a few hours ago. They were collecting inside the airport. Now, it's a much more somber picture here now. These flowers are being laid here in tribute while we have been standing here the last few hours. You see the toys at the end there, a man came and laid that white and gray toy the a the end, the flowers people coming in and laying the carnations, the roses here, president Putin has declared a day of national mourning on Sunday.

But already those families who gathered in here a little earlier waiting for their loved ones to arrive. They've been taken away to a nearby hotel. The authorities have already sent in 65 psychologists to help work with them. We're told that 100 people, 100 of those family members have met with a psychologist, already getting medical help.

Also, the Russian authorities have taken DNA samples from 115 people already. They'll continue that process Sunday morning. And in two- hour's time, the first Russian aircraft will take off on its way to Cairo. We're told it's from the emergency ministry. And it'll be going to Cairo to pick up the first of the bodies and bring them back.

So already, the analysis, the early work and beginning to identify the bodies is happening with the families. The grieving process, that is beginning with the families, the government giving psychologists to help them there. And then, of course, the retrieval of the bodies back to Russia here, 214 of the 224 people onboard were Russian. This is being felt deeply here. And this is a small expression of it so far, Poppy. [15:05:11] HARLOW: Nic Robertson in St. Petersburg for us tonight.

Thank you very much.

More now from our aviation panel. Boeing 777 captain Les Abend is with me. Also with us former FAA safety inspector David Soucie. Thank you, gentlemen, both for being here.

I want to get Les, to you first. The civilian aviation minister saying that no distress call is made, and saying quote "there was nothing abnormal before the plane crash. It suddenly disappeared from the radar." As a pilot, what does that tell you?

LES ABEND, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, you know, I was looking, Poppy, at the flight 24, the radar, the Internet site. And it is very disturbing to me what I found was that the airplane made it all the way up to 33,500 feet, and it attained normal speeds for crews. However, it got to very low air speeds which would indicate a stall, a stall situation. So that says to me the airplane wasn't under control. If you look at the crash site itself, there were big fragments there which would indicate to me the airplane came down in a big piece or possibly broke up prior to hitting the --

HARLOW: So let's talk about this brand new video that we just got in from the Sanai peninsula. I mean, absolute devastation. Almost no piece of even the body intact.

David Soucie, to you. When you look at these pictures, what does this tell you?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, I'm not certain we're looking at the entire aircraft with these pictures to be honest with you. As Les said, the possibility that it hit in one piece and hit in several pieces. If it hits in more than one area, if there's more than one impact zone, then that means that there was some separation in flight. Too early to tell that right now. But from looking at the pictures, it doesn't look like a complete accident scene to me. There's no evidence of wings. Yet, there's no evidence of extreme burning from the wings either. So it appears to me as though preliminary, of course, that this is not the entire accident site. There are other places where there are pieces of this aircraft.

HARLOW: Les, it is very rare for a plane to have an incident like this in midflight. Usually you've got takeoff and landing is the most, you know, when you see it the most, this is extraordinary rare. But now, Air France and Lufthansa, two major global carriers are coming out and saying they're avoiding flying around this area right now. Does that surprise you?

ABEND: No, I applaud them. You know, they're exercising extreme caution. I mean, we are still at very preliminary stage of this investigation at this point. So, it's hard to say exactly what's happening. You know, Dave will back me up on this. You can't follow any particular path. I mean, we hear a lot. But at this point, you know, listen, if I was an airline like Lufthansa or Air France, I would do exactly what they were doing. I think it is --

HARLOW: But why are they doing that?

ABEND: Well, it's possible that there was a missile strike. I doubt it very much from the preliminary reports we are getting. But, why wouldn't they --

HARLOW: At 30,000 feet?

ABEND: Well, you know, we bring ourselves back MH17 whether that -

HARLOW: Was that that high?

ABEND: Well, it was. I believe it was in the 30s.

HARLOW: OK.

ABEND: So this airplane, like I said, looked like it attained an altitude of 33,500 feet. So it's possible.

HARLOW: David, as we talk about this investigation moving forward, it is in the early stages, but look, you've got the Egyptian government involved because that's where the crash took place. You got the Russian government involved because this is a Russian carrier. You've got France and Germany involve in terms of the BEA. But ultimately who decides what happened here?

SOUCIE: Well, at this point, the jurisdiction is being handled by the Egyptian government because IKEA rules said that it because it landed there and that immediate investigation is done by that country. However, because it's a Russian carrier, the Russian civil aviation authority is who will actually conduct that investigation.

Now, you need to bring in France because the engine or because the airframe. You need to bring in the United States because of the engines, possibly. I'm not sure which engine this one had. But there is a lot of things to go together in an accident investigation. And that's the responsibility of the investigator in-charge who we don't know who that is at this yet at this point. But we will soon. Especially the fact that we have the two black boxes right now. Those need to be controlled, the custody, the chain of custody, where they go, who handles them. It all needs to be coordinated by the IIC.

HARLOW: Absolutely. And as we just found out in the last few moments, both of those data recorders, the two so-called black boxes have been recovered. Those will provide certainly a lot of answers.

Led Abend, David Soucie, thank you very much.

Next to politics we go. Jeb Bush was once seen as the possible favorite of the Republican presidential nomination. Now, he is fighting the perception that his campaign is in jeopardy saying it's not on life support. But are his supporters and major donors worried? We will take you live to Iowa next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:17] HARLOW: To politics now. And Jeb Bush on a mission this weekend to prove, and I'm using his words, to prove his campaign is quote "not on life support." Today, he is in Iowa. He is focusing on his ground game in that crucial state. After debate performance this week that even his supporters describe as lackluster and disappointing.

And out comes news that Bush's rival, Senator Marco Rubio in Florida as well, has picked up the endorsement of billionaire Paul Singer. That is one of the wealthiest and most influential Republican donors in this country. Singer described Rubio in a letter to other donors as quote "the best explainer of conservatism in public life today." He went on to say quote "in a field full of promise, but also of risk for the party. Senator Rubio is the strongest choice."

Let's bring in CNN's Sunlen Serfaty. She is in Des Moines, Iowa. That is where Jeb Bush is set to speak at this GOP growth and opportunity event.

A lot of folks behind you waiting to hear from him. How big of a step back do you think it is for Bush that Paul Singer did not opt with him and put his money behind Bush? Did he put it behind Rubio?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, definitely a big blow to Bush, Poppy. And certainly, a major boost to Marco Rubio. They both financially, of course, but also almost more importantly, symbolically. Paul Singer, of course, can really donate a lot of money to Rubio's super PAC, millions of dollars if he chooses. But also, this was someone who the Bush campaign has been actively trying to woo. Just in the last two weeks, sources tell CNN's Dana Bash, many advisers have traveled up to New York, really, trying to sit down with him and convince him to come to Bush side. So obviously, that did not turn out as they have wanted -- Poppy.

[15:15:00] HARLOW: Absolutely. And when you listen to what Jeb Bush has said. Another thing he said is I'm running with heart. I'm not a performer. Obviously, signaling to Donald Trump who is still leading most of the polls.

If you look at how Bush is performing in Iowa, let's take a look at this poll. This is the most recent one. Bloomberg Des Moines register showing support for Jeb Bush is just five percent. He trails Carson, Trump, Cruz and Rubio. Are you seeing signs of concern from the Bush camp?

SERFATY: Well, I think when you talk to supporters here in Iowa, they will admit some quiet concern -- cause for concern on his campaign. I spoke with many Bush supporters here at this GOP forum today. And they admitted that, yes, Jeb Bush is going through a rough patch over the course of his campaign. But many say that for now, they are going to stick with him. They still believe in him. Here's what a few of the supporters told us earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON PUGSLEY, BUSH SUPPORTER: I've seen Jeb Bush in front of 20 people, in front of 40 people, in front of 400 people, and he's really glib and articulate. Gets in front of a camera, he gets tongue tied, I think. So you know, through the prism of the TV, you might have questions about him. But if you see him up close and personal, all the questions are answered in the positive, I think.

BARB WINE, BUSH SUPPORTER: I think that really what he has talked about is just staying strong. Just kind of, like, making sure that he stays in the running that he is there, that he's doing his job.

JONATHAN LUTH, BUSH SUPPORTER: I think things are going pretty good. I know a lot of people are concerned about, you know, different things, poll numbers and things like that. But I can't help but look back at, you know, the last few cycles and we're talking about guys like Rudy Giuliani and Rick Santorum. We're not talking about president Giuliani or president Santorum.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And I think one of the most interesting things that came out of talking to a lot of these supporters here in Iowa is that most of the people added some qualifiers to what they told me about the support of Jeb Bush. Many of them saying I support Bush right now. I support Bush at this moment. So, clearly, they're not ready to jump ship. They are not ready to declare that they're not supporting Jeb, but they're certainly leaving a door open, Poppy, for later, maybe moving to caucus for someone else - Poppy.

HARLOW: Absolutely. Sunlen, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Coming up here on Monday night, a CNN Special Report that you will not want to miss. It's been 15 years since that 2000 election. And our Gloria Borger takes you back to Bush versus Gore, the endless election. That is Monday night 9:00 eastern only here on CNN.

Up next though, President Obama, a president elected to end wars is now expanding the U.S. front in the fight against ISIS. Could this move on the ground in Syria be the turning point against the terror group? Or will it just draw America further into a long and bloody civil war? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:36] HARLOW: Nearly $100 million in a new U.S. assistance fund headed to rebel groups fighting against the Syrian government, that word from the state department today. Total support for the Syrian opposition since 2012 now pushing $500 million. Just yesterday, in a very significant escalation in the war against

ISIS, President Obama committed a small number of U.S. ground troops to Syria. This coming from a president elected on a campaign pledge to end America's involvement in wars overseas. It opens a new front in the Kurdish controlled region of the country. And the White House says there will be fewer than 50 special operations forces sent right now to Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These forces do not have a combat mission. This is not in any way an attempt to diminish the risk that they will face or the bravery they will need to summon to carry out these operations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: CNN military analysts, retired army lieutenant general Mark Hertling is with me. He served in Iraq. And when you look at this. Yes, it is less than 50. But I've also heard a lot of analysts and military experts like you say this is very significant in terms of the potential it has against ISIS. Do you agree?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I do, Poppy. And I think the potential for what these small groups of people, these teams can do when they're embedded in the right elements is significant. Especially when you talk about the additional air power that's just right over the border from this location and in through Turkey. You're going to have the capability of supporting not only Kurdish forces, very nationalistic in their approach, but also the fabric of various tribal forces, which are now coming together even calling themselves by one name, the Syrian democratic front. And they conducted some operations beginning last night against is. So you're already sighing some momentum generated by the support that's being given by -- through air power and potentially some guidance on the ground.

HARLOW: It was interesting, obviously, the president got some support for this. Also some pushback. You have Texas Republican and the chairman of the house armed services committee coming out yesterday saying this and saying this. Saying I do not see a strategy for success. Rather, it seems, this administration's trying to avoid disaster while the president runs out the clock. What do you make of that?

HERTLING: I don't buy that, Poppy. I actually think the strategy has actually been pretty good. He is attempting to keep large amounts of American ground forces out of this area of operation and allow the indigenous forces for Syrian rebels and Iraqi security forces to fight the fight. We spent 12 years - I mean, I spent almost over three years of my life in this country and know that you can't lead this fight. We have to have the people on the ground leading it. And I think that's what is we are contributing to in which we said over a year ago, we would do as we saw more and more people stepping forward.

HARLOW: Talk to me about this tactically and strategically how this works when you're putting these special ops forces on the ground in Syria in the north, right, in the Kurdish controlled area while you've got Russian planes carrying out those airstrikes. How much does that complicate things?

HERTLING: You are going to have some distance limitation between the two forces. Russia has not been interested at all into going into the territories where these Kurdish and free Syrian forces are. That's more in the northeast corner. Russia is almost exclusively concerning itself with establishing enclave -- defensive enclave for Mr. Assad while at the same time protecting their port and their airfields in (INAUDIBLE).

So what we are talking about is a separation of distance. And again, it is more - we are contributing more or helping to contribute more to the fight against ISIS. The Russian elements are there to prop up Mr. Assad.

[15:25:40] HARLOW: Are you worried about mission creep?

HERTLING: I am not. I think you may see some additional special operators into this area. The president has been adamant that he is not going to send ground combat forces. And I know there's a lot of semantic debate about this. But I think those of us in the military understand exactly what he means. We don't want large formation of Americans fighting solely on their own. What we will do is contribute to those in the area that want to fight for their freedoms, for their security and that's we are contributing to. And we have seen that in recent reports by CNN and when you're with the Kurdish there.

So, no, I'm not concerned about mission creep. I think we may see some additional special operators going to the region. But it will be minimal in terms of numbers.

HARLOW: General Hertling, thank you for your service. Thank you for your expertise on this. I appreciate it.

HERTLING: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Coming up next, police departments in this country desperately in need of new officers, new recruits. But our Kyung Lah found out, it is a hard sell in a lot of places. Why is that? We will have a report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:00] HARLOW: Back to our breaking news coverage of that Russian metro jet crash that killed all 224 people onboard. We have these brand new photos in to show you. As you can see, the absolute devastation, chunks of metal, debris scattered across Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Both of the plane's flight data recorders though so-called black boxes have been recovered just within the last hour. No survivors. And that means no witnesses to offer an explanation of what could've brought this plane down. What is on those black boxes will critical.

Egypt's aviation chief says the crash is most likely due to a technical failure and there are no signs of terrorism at this point. We'll keep you posted on what we learn. Right now, victims' remains are being rushed to a morgue, grieving families, waiting in St. Petersburg where that plane was supposed to land waiting for answers.

Authorities have recovered the remains of at least 130 people thus far. And Russia's state media reports that most of the passengers were returning from vacation there in Sharm el-Sheikh. Seventeen children were aboard that plane.

This week, we saw President Obama wade into the controversy over the so-called Ferguson effect. The idea that the scrutiny of police officers that have increased since the death of Michael Brown has made some officers reluctant to fight crime. The president's response to that, we can't cherry pick the data.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to be as clear as I can be. I reject any narrative that seeks to divide police and communities that they serve. I reject the story line that says when it comes to public safety, there's an "us" and a "them."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: But here's the thing, police departments across this country right now are struggling to find new recruits who want to take on the job.

CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Los Angeles police academy where the next generation of cops learn how and when to fire, high-speed pursuit tactics and takedown moves on armed suspects.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Suspects, put your hands up.

LAH: A tough job yet recruit officer Asia Hardy longs to wear the badge even if others around her don't support her career choice.

ASIA HARDY, LAPD RECRUIT OFFICER: I think that is not as easy for the people, you know, for our family members or our friends to actually accept the profession that we are going into just because of the perception that African-Americans have toward law enforcement.

LAH: A perception affected by high-profile officer-involved shootings from Ferguson, Missouri to North Charleston, South Carolina, to Cincinnati, Ohio. Outrage leading to high profile targeted killings of police officers. The fallout seen across the country as police departments struggle to attract new officers.

In Philadelphia, the number of police recruits has dropped 47 percent in 2014 compared to 2008. Since 2013, New York the country's biggest police force, applications are down 18 percent. In Los Angeles, 16 percent.

Lieutenant Aaron McCraney joined the LAPD at another tough time for cops, the Rodney King era. He is now in charge of trying to convince future cops to join.

When you go out and talk to recruits, potential recruits, are you hearing them mention news events?

LT. AARON MCCRANEY, LAPD RECRUITMENT SECTION: Sure. It is one of the first questions. They want to know, OK, why should I be a police officer when all of these bad things are going on? Why should I put myself at risk?

LAH: Coupled with relatively low pay and tough entrance standards. And that chance they could be hurt or kill. This is a hard sell especially for women and minorities. But not for Asia Hardy. She wants to improve not just her community, but how others review her and her brothers in blue.

HARDY: Despite all of the backlash that law enforcement is getting, this is a personal choice of mine. This is my passion. I have seen before with it despite anything that is happening right now.

LAH: A number of the police departments with spoke to say it's not just public perception affecting the applications, it's also the job market as well as the economy. They say these things are cyclical and they hope this is the bottom.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Kyung, thank you very much.

Joining me now to talk more about it, CNN law enforcement analyst, former FBI assistant director, formerly a police officer, Tom Fuentes.

Thanks for being with me, Tom.

Tom, if you can hear me, let's talk about why you think is happening. I mean, you heard one of the recruits in Kyung's piece and you heard one of the officers in charge of recruiting say some of the young folks are asking him, why should we be police officers? What's your take?

[15:35:02] TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think it is the concern that, you know, there's a divide between minority communities and police at large. The law enforcement community. And I think that, you know, hearing the president's remarks kind of I found ridiculous, frankly.

I was at the director Comey's speech in Chicago last week. And what he said was the people in the Black Lives Matter movement need to listen to law enforcement community. And people for the law enforcement officers lives matters. Police officers' lives matter movement need to listen to the minority community. So he went right down the middle saying both sides need to talk and need to try to resolve the issues that are plaguing law enforcement and law enforcement in the communities.

So, he wasn't taking sides. He wasn't criticizing. He wasn't cherry picking data. That data came from people who they're talking to. Maybe director Comey watched Brooke Baldwin's talk with the Baltimore officers when they were behind the gangster screen with their voice garbled talking about the trouble they are having on the street. And he has talked to other police officers. He quoted talking to other police officers in New York recently, the director, about the same phenomenon.

So I think what's been coming out of the White House following director Comey's speech was frankly not true, not accurate. And they should listen to the most knowledgeable law enforcement official in their administration.

HARLOW: So let's listen to what part of what FBI director James Comey did say. Let's roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, DIRECTOR, FBI: The question that's been asked to me is, are these kinds of things changing police behavior all over the country? And is that what explains the map and the calendar? The honest answer is I don't know. And I don't know that explains it entirely. But I do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind that's blown through the law enforcement over the last year. And that is surely changing behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: So going forward, Tom, what is the one thing you that think could help most to repair some of those broken relationships between some police and their communities?

FUENTES: I think the communities and the police need to have a serious objective discussion about what it's going to take to bring the homicide rate down in those communities. And frankly, the, you know, the people from the Black Lives Matter movement, the clergy, the community leaders, the politicians are not on the street at midnight dealing with the people with guns that are shooting down young black men. And the director quoted that, you know, that the estimates that he's hearing from police are that about 95 percent of the victims of these homicides, the spike in homicides were young minority members and 95 percent of the people who are shooting them and killing them are from minority groups. And that who is going to stop that? Basically, it's the police. If not any other organization or community leader or activist is going to be out there to take guns away from the people who are killing other kids in those communities.

HARLOW: Tom Fuentes, thank you very much. A lot more to discuss. We'll have you back.

FUENTES: Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Coming up next, actress Leah Remini taking aim at scientology and church's most famous member, Tom Cruise. She spoke out last night about one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. Her criticism of him and scientology next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:20] HARLOW: Actress Leah Remini is known as Carrie on the TV sitcom "King of Queens." But more recently, she is been in the spotlight for her role as a real life critic and a very vocal critic of scientology, once a devout follower. She says her negative experiences with church leaders compelled her to speak out.

And CNN's Paul Vercammen reports that many of her complaints focus on her fellow actor and scientologist Tom Cruise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEAH REMINI, ACTRESS: Anybody who criticizes the church is to cry that everybody's a bigot towards their religion and this is religious bigotry. And I understand the position they're in. And I was in the same position I said similar things about people like me.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Actress Leah Remini's scorching comments come ahead of Tuesday's release of her memoir, Trouble Maker surviving Hollywood and scientology.

On ABC's "20/20," the star of the hit sitcom "King of Queens" described her 30 years as a scientologist. Remini said church leaders reprimanded her for a remark she made while teaching salsa dancing to scientologist most celebrated advocate Tom Cruise and his then girlfriend, Katie Holmes.

REMINI: He was like forcibly kissing Katie. You know, I said, hey, get a room. And I was written up for that.

VERCAMMEN: Remini added later, she became more critical of Cruise saying much of the movie star's behavior, such as jumping on a couch on the Oprah Winfrey show expressing his love for Holmes was unbefitting of a scientologist. The church fired back.

REMINI: Being critical of tom cruise is being critical of scientology itself. You are a person who is anti-the aims and goals of scientology. You are evil.

VERCAMMEN: Cruise has been taking on for his advocacy for scientology before.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you heard of scientology? It is all based on the book (INAUDIBLE). A lot of really cool people are scientologist like Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

VERCAMMEN: South Park creators mock Cruise and became entangled on a battle with that actor and the church. Remini explains she also angered the church during the Cruise-Holmes wedding in Italy and was written up in what was Scientologist called knowledge reports.

REMINI: That I had disrupted the wedding, that I basically destroyed the wedding.

VERCAMMEN: What ensued according to Remini, more scathing, written reports on her. Part of a scientology culture. In a recent statement, the church said about Remini quote" she needs to move on with her life instead of pathetically exploiting her former religion, her former friends and other celebrities for money and attention to be appear relevant again." Remini left the church in 2013 and now she's trying to leave a lasting impression of how she thinks scientology operates.

Paul Vercammen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:45:01] HARLOW: Paul Vercammen, thank you for that.

Coming up next, the tech field is dominated by men. We all know that. But a new film is trying to turn that on its head starting with girls at a very young age. I will speak live from Los Angeles with the director of the film and those female geniuses you see in your screen coming up next.

But first, another one of this year's top ten heroes dedicating her life to helping members of the tribe of South Dakota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's really no businesses to speak of, no industry at all. And so they're very isolated. It's about 40 to 60 miles to the nearest grocery store. So that creates, you know, if you forget bread, you don't go back and get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:10] HARLOW: In this week's American opportunity awesome tech girls. We know that learning to code puts you on a very good path to getting a pretty great job in today's economy. Consider this, by 2017 the app market will be valued at $77 billion. But right now, 80 percent of app developers are men. That needs to change. The new film "Codegirl" tackles that issue head on.

Lesley Chilcott, the director. She also produce "Waiting for Superman" and "An inconvenient Truth" is with me from Los Angeles along with Sana Talwar, Kristal Lam and Alannah Woodward. They are part of the team, Psycho. It is not my name, your name psychos, from Anaheim, California. And they just competed in the global technovation challenge. They had to develop an app in three months and it had to address a problem in their community. Here's a look at the film.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Only seven percent of tech startups are led by women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I feel like I have looked everywhere and that's a problem and if this app could solve it --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the next social media button.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are sophomores and we are all 15 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Join us to save our (INAUDIBLE) environment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to make it perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An actual problem to solve it. Like that is a really good feeling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Girl power. That's all I have to say. Thank you guys for being here. And congratulations on everything.

Sana, let me go to you first. Tell us about the app you guys created?

SANA TALWAR, FEATURED IN CODERGIRL: We created an app called Benefaction. Our motto was to benefit our community through action and we wanted to create -- our goal was to create a more compassionate society in such a self-centered generation. And our app based on like connecting volunteers to local people with teenagers and like college people or even like organizations and connect them and have like a one center location where they can find everything they need.

HARLOW: I love that. Leslie, tell me - I mean, look, you produced this huge hit like "Waiting for Superman" and "Inconvenient Truth." What was it about girls and tech that made you want to make this movie?

LESLEY CHILCOTT, DIRECTOR, CODEGIRL: So many things. In 2013 I was making another film and I heard about this contest and it's one thing to kind of say to a teen girl from any country and say you're smart, you are great in math and science, you know, pick a different career, go into technology and do all these things.

HARLOW: Right.

CHILCOTT: It's another for technovation to come up with this really cool contest. I mean, every high school girl has a cell phone. And then they say to them look around you, what problem do you see and how would you, Sana or Kristal or Alannah, who would you solve it? And all of a sudden they're like I'm 15 or I'm 16, really? What do I think? And I mean, these guys are just a perfect example of how excited these girls, you know, in addition to all of their sports and basketball stars and everything else, and get up like at 7:00 in the morning and work on their apps. So I think it's really transformative and really important.

HARLOW: Kristal, one of the things that stood out to me in the film is one of the girls from the other teams said it's hard to get excited about what you can't see and you don't see many girls encoding. So it's hard to get excited and tell people this is what I want to do. What do you think about that?

KRISTAL LAM, FEATURED IN CODEGIRL: For me, it's actually the opposite because I feel like because I can't see that I want to make that happen. So not being able to see that many girls I want to be that one to spark the growth of technology in the girls' world.

HARLOW: You know, it is interesting, Alannah. The labor department says by 2020, so just about after you guys graduate there will be an estimated 1.2 million job openings for computer specialists and scientists. What do you want to do with this huge skill that you have now? ALANNAH WOOODWARD, FEATURED IN CODEGIRL: Well, I was just really

looking forward to just getting out in the world and doing what I love. I had the privilege of taking a bunch of computer science classes at my high school. And so, just getting out into the world and just knowing that there will be something I can do outside of regular classes and general education that just really makes me super excited to be able to code.

HARLOW: Lesley, you know, we heard Marco Rubio say in the debate this week and many others have said, you know, this -- we should train this generation for this jobs of this generation and of the future. Do you think coding should be mandatory in every public school across this country?

[15:55:14] CHILCOTT: I think that offering coding classes should be mandatory. I don't think it's necessarily needs to be mandatory that everyone should take that but they should be offered. And for me, one of my goals with the film is that every high school girl in America should take at least one coding class if they haven't already. And you know, to address that further, if 51 percent of the population is somehow not involved in the design of technology or any of the major decisions that go along with technology, that's going to bring us back and cause all sorts of problems in the long-run. We can't just be avid users especially as women and girls, we can't be avid users of technology and not also create and write it.

HARLOW: I completely agree. I got ten seconds. Down the line, who is your idol? Sana, Kristal, Alannah, who is your idol? Who do you want to be like?

TALWAR: Marissa Meyers.

HARLOW: Who else?

LAM: My mom.

HARLOW: Who else?

WOODWARD: Audrey Hepburn.

HARLOW: I love all those. I love all those.

Guys, wishing you all the best. It's an inspiring film and I know you're going to go very far. Thank you for being with me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

HARLOW: See you later. For all of you watching, you can see "CODEGIRLS" starting Sunday in theaters. It will be on video on demand starting November 6th. Follow them on twitter @codegirlmovie in the same hashtag. Thank you all.

Coming up at the top of the hour, a scene of horrific, horrific tragedy in the Sinai Peninsula. The wreckage of an airliner carrying more than 200 people onboard. The flight data controllers have been found, but so many questions remain. We will have much more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)