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Biden Delivers a Fiery SOTU Address; Israel-Hamas Ceasefire and Hostage Deal May Not Push Through by Ramadan; Groups Fight Total Abortion Ban's Impact In El Salvador; Malaysia May Renew Search 10 Years After MH370 Disappeared. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 08, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is "CNN Newsroom".

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: So let's build the future together, let's remember who we are, we are the United States of America.

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. President delivers a fiery State of the Union address as he looks ahead to a possible second term.

Plus, TikTok calling for action after U.S. lawmakers advance a bill that could possibly ban the app.

And later, ten years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, the Malaysian government says it's ready to launch a new search.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. President delivered a high-stakes speech to one of the biggest audiences he'll get before the November election. His State of the Union, a key opportunity to sell his vision to a deeply divided country.

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Joe Biden entered the joint session of Congress to loud cheers of "four more years". Early into his opening remarks, he warned about some very real threats. Here he is.

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BIDEN: Freedom of Democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time. Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.

Now, my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, "do whatever the hell you want". That's a quote. A former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader, I think it's outrageous, it's dangerous, and it's unacceptable.

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BRUNHUBER: Biden also vowed to fight for reproductive rights. Kate Cox, a Texas mother who had to leave her state to get a lifesaving abortion, was one of his special guests.

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BIDEN: There are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need.

Those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out, when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, we won in 2022 and 2020, and we will win again in 2024.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, the speech was filled with references to Donald Trump, without actually using his name, President Biden simply calling him my predecessor. He reminded Americans that it was only three years ago when, quote, insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy.

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BIDEN: America stood strong and democracy prevailed. We must be honest. The threat to democracy must be defended. My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that. This is the moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here's the simple truth. You can't love your country only when you win.

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BRUNHUBER: He then urged lawmakers to respect free and fair elections and restore trust in U.S. institutions, because history is watching. CNN's MJ Lee reports from the White House.

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MJ LEE, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We knew, of course, heading into this evening what the major issues and the themes were that the president wanted to hit on. What we didn't know was whether he was going to actually land the delivery. You know, there was an interesting moment when he got into the House chamber and got to the podium and before he started delivering his speech, he said and joked, if I were smart, I'd go home now.

You could easily imagine that some of the aides that were watching the speech probably had that voice in the back of their heads.

But what I am told in the conversations I've had tonight with campaign officials and White House officials is that they were very, very pleased with the way that the president was able to deliver this very important speech.

I'm told that there was applause and cheers both here at the White House and at the Wilmington campaign headquarters where aides were gathered around televisions to watch the State of the Union remarks.

Aides are telling me that they felt like the delivery was high energy, that the president landed some of his major lines.

[02:05:00]

They appreciated the banter that he had with some of the Republican lawmakers when things got a little bit more raucous as the president was trying to call them out for congressional inaction in some of their policy positions.

They also felt like there were no major mistakes throughout the course of this lengthy speech. And one campaign official that I was speaking to said one thing they appreciated was what they felt like was sort of a split screen moment and split screen moments that they saw playing throughout the evening where the president would talk about some of the accomplishments of this White House and the administration, things like removing lead pipes, things like taking on big pharma.

And they liked that Republican lawmakers in some of those moments didn't stand up to cheer for some of those policies.

That sort of gets to the contrast that, of course, the president and this White House really wanted to use the speech to draw between Democrats and Republicans. And because this was a speech where the delivery was going to be so important and probably just as important as the actual words that the president said, that was one of the major reasons that I think both here at the White House and at the campaign headquarters, aides were feeling really, really good about the president's third State of the Union speech.

MJ Lee, CNN, at the White House.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, in his rebuttal to Biden's State of the Union address, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump focused on the southern U.S. border using his usual anti-immigration rhetoric. In a true social post, Trump's criticized his successor for undoing his immigration policies. Here he is.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I left office, we gave Joe Biden the most secure border in U.S. history. We gave him remain in Mexico. Very tough to get, but I got it. Safe third agreements, the asylum ban, Title 42, 571 miles of border wall, rapid deportations and much more. We had the safest border in the history of our country.

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BRUNHUBER: And the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate issued the Republican rebuttal. Alabama's Katie Britt called Biden a dithering and diminished leader in her remarks delivered from her kitchen.

All right. I want to bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, who's a professor of government at the University of Essex in England. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, Natasha, as we say, a fiery political speech, really different from previous State of the Union speeches. What's that to you?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROF. OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Well, you're right. It is different than State of the Union speeches, which are mostly about recommending legislation to Congress. This was the speech of Biden's life. He really had to prove to the American public that he's fit to lead for another four years. And he had to show a lot of energy and he had to be quick on his feet. He had to strike the right balance.

And I think he did a fantastic job last night. He was able to touch upon the key points that he needed to. And he was able to joke a little bit about his age. But I think you saw throughout, he didn't have any major gaps. He didn't have any hiccups. He stayed really focused and he surely delivered at least what the campaign wanted him to do. As you mentioned, he didn't call out Trump by name, but he had some really key points of illustrating how dangerous a Trump second term could be by goading Russia, for example, to go after U.S. allies, U.S.-NATO allies if they didn't pay up.

And I actually think the best line of the speech was you can't love your country only when you win. That's really key to understanding the basics of democracy, that democracy isn't always about winning. It's about understanding to be tolerant of the other side. And he pointed out that the Republicans and Trump were rewriting history about what happened on January 6th, that this really was the biggest threat to U.S. democracy since the Civil War.

BRUNHUBER: You spoke about delivery a couple of times there. I mean, much was made on both sides about the style rather than the substance in this case with the age issues hanging over him. Some Democrats saying he had great energy, some Republicans saying both that they couldn't understand him because he was mumbling, others accusing him of shouting. What did you think about this battle that will be waged on this issue, not obviously just in reference to last night, but as a preview of what we'll see throughout the campaign?

LINDSTAEDT: I think this is going to be a major theme in the campaign where Republicans are just going to go after him for his age and make fun of him. But the evidence last night was pretty clear that he is still quick on his feet and that he actually, I think, relishes getting into these little back-and-forth with Republicans and going off script a little bit.

[02:09:59]

And I think that for the Democrats, they'll have to focus on the major issues of the campaign and not get caught into defending his age. That's going to be dangerous for them if the age thing is the entire thing, what the next campaign is about in eight months to come.

They need to focus on the fact that Donald Trump is the biggest threat to U.S. democracy. He's an autocrat. We need to take him for his word. He has, through his Supreme Court justices that he's chose, personally picked, seen the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Women's reproductive rights in most countries are improving. In the U.S., it's one of few countries that it is not improving.

And also, I think he did a good job of calling out Republicans on the immigration issue, which is a major issue for Republicans, that there is a bipartisan bill that they could sign if they wanted to, but they're not basically because Trump doesn't want them to and is ordering them not to, because then that takes away the biggest issue of the campaign.

So I think it's important for the Democrats to stay focused on the issues and to get away with, to get away from focusing on Biden's age.

BRUNHUBER: You spoke about bipartisan there. I mean, it's hard for any speech these days to change minds with the extreme polarization in this country, but I'm thinking of the Nikki Haley voters, the never- Trump Republicans who now have a choice. Do you think Biden's speech, you know, could it move the needle with them at all?

LINDSTAEDT: It's possible. And that's a really good question, because we still have probably 15 percent of the electorate that isn't sure who they are going to vote for yet. So it would be impossible to win over the Trump base. They are transfixed by him. There's nothing that's going to change their mind.

But I think it did a couple of things. It definitely energized the Democratic base, energized Biden supporters, and it possibly could change the mind of those that are undecided. I mean, there were times during the speech you could see some Republicans nodding their heads, either in agreement or just couldn't really disagree with what Biden was saying about, in particular, the immigration bill and a few other issues. There are other times, as was mentioned in the report in the split screen, they weren't applauding.

And that, in some ways, does look unpatriotic. And for those that aren't members of the Trump base, like, why do you want the U.S. to lose right now? Why do you want things to not go well in the U.S.? Just in order to win election, that we really need to be more focused on trying to accomplish things than just being against one another as a result of all this polarization.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there. Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much for your perspective. I really appreciate it.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me. BRUNHUBER: Well, President Biden also used his speech to welcome Sweden into NATO just hours after the country formally joined the alliance. He also sent a message to congressional Republicans who've been blocking more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. Listen.

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BIDEN: Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that it needs to defend itself.

Now, assistance to Ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership.

America is a founding member of NATO, the military alliance of democratic nations created after World War Two to prevent war and keep the peace. And today, we've made NATO stronger than ever. We welcomed Finland to the alliance last year. And just this morning, Sweden officially joined and their minister is here tonight. Can you stand up?

Welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

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BRUNHUBER: And to drive another point home, Biden also recalled the famous Day of Infamy speech by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941. Biden used that reference to say that democracy is under attack both at home and abroad. Nick Paton Walsh has more from Odessa, Ukraine.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We didn't have some magical new policy wheeled out here to get over that Republican roadblock. And indeed, the Republicans and their rebuttal didn't even seem to address this heartily themselves either. So I think Ukrainians will hear some sense of backing for how prominently Ukraine was in his discussion there and how he sounded that alarm about what an imminent threat that is for U.S. security as well.

That 1941 comparison, you know, it's stark, frankly, to stand there and say we are on the brink of potentially another world war. Not exactly the words to use, but the timing you've got to bear in mind.

Three years after 1941 came 1944. And while Biden said he doesn't want American troops on the ground here in Ukraine, his plan is not for that. By 1944, they certainly were. So I think it's a deeply serious series of comments we heard about Ukraine.

[02:15:06]

But again, no way of getting around that roadblock. The $60 billion isn't suddenly here. There are other mechanisms potentially for frozen Russian assets that have been floated. That wasn't put out to nice. And so I think maybe some Ukrainians seeing him there essentially pointed the finger again at Republicans for not getting the aid through, despite reminding everybody how utterly dire it is right now. They need that aid. Not in a few months.

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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Donald Trump is preparing to host Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the Republican presidential candidate's Mar-a-Lago estate in the coming day. Although Hungary is a member of NATO, Orban has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has pushed legislation targeting immigrants and sexual minorities.

All right, still ahead, the World Food Program warns Gaza is on the verge of famine as President Biden announces a significant new plan to get more aid into the enclave. We'll have details on that next. Stay with us.

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BIDEN: Tonight, I'm directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters.

No U.S. boots will be on the ground. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.

Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren't caught in the crossfire.

Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. As we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time.

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BRUNHUBER: Now President Biden there announcing he's directed the U.S. military to establish a temporary port in Gaza for aid deliveries. Now, it's not clear when the port would be up and running. Some reports suggest a month, maybe two, would be needed. And, of course, it needs Israel's buy-in.

Now, Israel, for its part, has prepared a new land crossing directly into northern Gaza. That's according to a senior U.S. official.

The World Food Program warns Gaza is on the brink of famine. The U.N. says only half of the more than 220 aid missions it planned in February were facilitated by Israeli authorities and allowed to enter Gaza. And even fewer, just a quarter of proposed missions to northern Gaza were granted.

Now, the U.N. is welcoming the newly announced efforts, although one official called the airdrops and sea corridor just a drop in the ocean of what's needed. Meanwhile, it appears a ceasefire and hostage deal is unlikely to

happen before Ramadan begins on Sunday evening. Hamas delegation left Cairo on Thursday after days of talks with no apparent breakthroughs. The U.S. had been pushing for a deal before Ramadan, as Israel had threatened a ground offensive in Rafah if there isn't a deal in place by then.

[02:20:02]

We're live now to London and journalist Elliott Gotkine. Elliott, we heard from President Biden last night on the hostage and ceasefire negotiations. So take us through in general what he said and where things stand right now.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Kim, as you say, those hostage talks, the talks to try to get those Israeli hostages freed in exchange for a truce and also more humanitarian aid going in and the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, those talks are at an impasse.

They've not completely broken down, but they are at an impasse. And as you say, this deal, which President Biden wanted to be in place or said he hoped would be in place by last Monday, and then this new kind of unofficial deadline for the start of Ramadan, it's not going to be in place before then, despite, President Biden says, his own best efforts.

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BIDEN: I've been working nonstop to establish an immediate cease-fire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released, all the hostages released, to get the hostages home and ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring, something more enduring.

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GOTKINE: And the CIA Director Bill Burns has again been back in the region, not in Israel, but he's been in Egypt and Qatar this week, Egypt and Qatar being the key mediators between Israel and Hamas to try to get a deal over the line.

And so far, at least from the Biden administration's perspective, they say that Israel has broadly accepted this framework for a deal of six- week truce in exchange for the freeing of Israeli hostages and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and a surge in aid going into the Gaza Strip.

But that, in the words of President Biden, it is in Hamas' hands right now. And indeed, in his State of the Union address, he said quite specifically that if Hamas were to free the hostages, lay down its arms and also hand over those responsible for its October the 7th terrorist attacks, that this war would be over tomorrow.

Instead, because there has been no deal in place, the concern now is that Israel will proceed with its ground operation in Rafah, where there are around a million, million and a half people who have taken shelter, where Israel says the remaining battalions, the last bastion of Hamas remains and therefore needs to be destroyed.

So there are concerns that that is now going to be the next step and that that, of course, could also impact the negotiations for a hostage and truce deal, negotiations which, as I say, are at an impasse but haven't completely broken down yet. And so long as they are still ongoing, there is still hope that a deal will be done at some point in the future. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. Appreciate that update. Elliott Gotkine, Live in London. Thanks so much.

Nightmares unfolding in Nigeria, where armed men reportedly kidnapped hundreds of school children in the northwestern town of Kuriga on Thursday morning. A member of the community who confronted the abductors was killed, a local official says. Reports on how many children were abducted vary. They range from 227 to 287.

Now, CNN can't independently verify these figures, and as of now, it's not clear who's behind the kidnapping. Mass abductions from schools aren't uncommon in the country, but early figures indicate this could be the largest incident since 2021.

U.S. lawmakers turn up the pressure on TikTok over concerns about Americans' personal data. Still ahead, a new bill that could make the social media platform off-limits in the U.S. Stay with us.

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[02:25:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".

In his State of the Union address earlier, President Biden made several strong comments over China. Now, some are worried the U.S. is losing to China, but Biden trying to reassure the nation, saying Washington is standing up to Beijing.

CNN correspondent Kristie Lu Stout joins us now from Hong Kong. So, Kristie, the president didn't mince words about China. Take us through what he said.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, the president, in fact, flexed American might over China in the State of the Union address. And he did reiterate that the U.S. wants competition with China, not conflict. But he emphasized the U.S. will win the competition for the 21st century against China or anyone else.

Earlier today, we heard Biden say that America is standing up against China, both in terms of trade and foreign affairs. He also said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BIDEN: We're standing up against China's unfair economic practices. We're standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. I've revitalized our partnership and alliance in the Pacific. I've made sure that the most advanced American technologies can't be used in China.

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LU STOUT: Now, those words come right after China slammed the U.S. for its trade and tech policies. It happened at the National People's Congress this week. In Beijing on Thursday, we heard from the foreign minister who blasted the U.S. for a bewildering level of trade curbs. This is what Wang Yi also said.

Wang Yi is saying, quote, "if the U.S. is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself", unquote.

Now the U.S. has been limiting China's ability to get access to sensitive technology like chips, semiconductors, over fears that such technology could be used to bolster the PLA, the Chinese military. The U.S. has also used sanctions against Chinese entities over a number of issues, from allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang to the illicit fentanyl trade to support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

And Wang did add, the Chinese foreign minister, that there have been improvements in this fraught relationship, especially since Biden and Xi met in San Francisco in November. And we have seen some improvement in the tone of the relationship in the form of high-level military communications have resumed. A working group has been set up to address the flow of fentanyl to the U.S.

But last month, Wang Yi, China called on U.S. to lift sanctions. That is a sore point for China. So that, along with the tough language that we have been hearing this week out of Beijing, out of Washington, D.C., all reminders that the tension is still very much there. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, thanks so much Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong. I Appreciate that.

U.S. House committee has advanced a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. Now, if enacted, the measure would give the social media platform about five months to divest from its parent company, ByteDance, which is linked to China. If it doesn't, TikTok would be banned from U.S. app stores, including Apple and Google. Lawmakers are concerned that Americans' personal data collected by TikTok could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.

But TikTok is pushing back, saying the government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their constitutional right to free expression. It also said the move will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.

But one of the bill's co-sponsors in Congress says that response proves his point. Listen to this.

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REP. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-WI): The pressure campaign that TikTok put in place today, where they forced a pop-up on the app that called members of Congress and also told a lie that we were forcing an outright ban, which this bill is not, proves the danger. They sort of proved the entire point.

[02:30:07]

Imagine if those lies were allowed to spread on topics like our election or a foreign war. So that's what we're trying to guard against.

And in our construct, users can continue to enjoy the app so long as we fix the ownership problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: As protests and observances take place across the globe in the coming hours on International Women's Day, human rights and women's groups in El Salvador are still fighting the country's total abortion ban. They're shining a light on cases where women who've suffered a pregnancy complication have faced criminal charges.

CNN's Isabel Rosales has details.

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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lilian just spent seven years in a Salvadoran prison. The 28 year-old was sentenced to 30 years behind bars.

Lilian was convicted of abandonment and neglect, and later for aggravated homicide in the death of her newborn baby. She says the child suffered health complications and while under a doctor's care, died just 72 hours after birth.

LILIAN, RELEASED FROM PRISON (through translated): If they had detected the girls illness in time. She wouldn't have died. I would not have lost so many years of my life in prison. I would not have missed my other daughter's childhood.

ROSALES: Lillian said she was undergoing a procedure for a tear in her uterus and was sedated when the baby died. But prosecutors accused her of not taking care of the fetus during pregnancy.

LILIAN: They wanted to free themselves from blames, so they accused me of having killed, abandoned, and neglected her. The police came to arrest me at the hospital.

ROSALES: El Salvador has one of the strictest abortion laws in the Americas. And the government makes no apologies, saying those who break the law will be prosecuted.

But with the help of human rights organizations and women's rights groups, some Salvadoran women are rising up against the country's total abortion ban and harsh criminal penalties. Abortion advocates argue the ban has put women in prison who have suffered complications during pregnancy, like in Lillian's case or in miscarriages.

A campaign over the last decade to free women serving long sentences has led to the release of 73 women for prison. Lillian was one of them.

LILIANA: I am very happy to have been reunited with my family. I am infinitely grateful to all the people who supported me during this process and who fought for freedom.

ROSALES: Alba Lorena Rodriguez said she became pregnant at 21 after being raped. Five months into her pregnancy, she went into premature labor and the newborn died. She says she was arrested at the funeral of her stillborn baby.

ALBA LORENA RODRIGUEZ, RELEASED FROM PRISON (through translator): I felt like the world came crashing down on me because I knew I wasn't going to see my girls and that I was being punished for something I hadn't done, and that I didn't have a fair trial.

ROSALES: It has been 25 years since El Salvador made getting abortions illegal under all circumstances. The country's president, Nayib Bukele, was recently elected to a second term and says there will be no change to the abortion laws. A ban is popular among many Catholics and evangelical Salvadorans, and a deeply conservative country.

The law has come under scrutiny, with cases presented in the Inter- American Court of Human Rights.

ANGELICA RIVAS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We continue to insist to the states that not only does it have to review the procedures at the judicial level. So they are free of gender stereotypes and free of discrimination against women. But it also has to review the legislation and that is one of our demands.

ROSALES: According to one Salvadoran abortion rights group, no women facing aggravated homicide charges tied to stillbirths or miscarriages remain in prison, but they say seven women are still awaiting trial.

Isabel Rosales, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: It's been ten years since the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. Now as family members of those onboard the plane marked the milestone. They're hoping a new search may finally solve the mystery.

We'll have a live report from Hong Kong after the break. Please stay with us.

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[02:36:12]

BRUNHUBER: All right. So have a look closely at this. It's a scary sight as a tire falls off this United Airlines flight heading to Osaka, Japan. It happened during takeoff from San Francisco International Airport Thursday morning. An airport spokesperson says the debris fell into one of their employee parking lots now, as you can see, a number of cars were damaged by that.

The plane Boeing 777 diverted to Los Angeles where it landed safely, and there were no reports of injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration says it plans to investigate the accident.

Friday marks the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Earlier this week, the Malaysian government said it may renew the search for the doomed flight. In the early hours of March 8, 2014, Flight MH370 was heading to Beijing, but after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, it dropped off radar after turning unexpectedly to the West and vanished.

Aviation experts tell CNN improved detection technology could help them find out what happened.

CNN's Anna Coren reports.

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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere in the depths of this vast, seemingly endless Indian Ocean, is believed to be the resting place for the 239 souls on board MH370, the Boeing airliner that vanished a decade ago.

Multiple searches spanning hundreds of thousands of square kilometers found nothing. Dozens of pieces of floating in washed up debris, the only evidence of the 777.

For the families and loved ones of those who made that fateful flight on the 8th of March 2014 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, it has been an agonizing ten years. At a memorial in Malaysia, time has not eased their anguish and pain.

SARAH BAJC, PARTNER PHILIP WAS ONBOARD MH370: Families need closure. The world needs closure, and somebody needs to be held accountable.

COREN: Sara Bajc hasn't spoken to the media for many years.

So lovely to meet you.

Her partner Philip, was onboard MH370, and the search for answers consumed her life as it did for so many others who shared in the collective anger, frustration, and grief.

BAJC: Waking up in the middle of the night and expecting him to be there. That still happened for a while, and maybe that's because of the lack of closure.

COREN: She believes closure only comes once MH370 is found and there's now renewed pressure from the families and a verbal commitment by the Malaysian government to reactivate the search.

ANTHONY LOKE, MALAYSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER: This is the biggest mystery of the aviation in the whole world, and we must solve this mystery. It is a commitment and a promise that the search will go on.

COREN: Malaysia has agreed to speak to Ocean Infinity. The U.S. marine robotics company that ended its last search in 2018.

But world renowned aviation expert Richard Godfrey believes they'd be looking in the wrong place again.

Armed with new information nation from the latest technology, he believes he knows the coordinates of the crash site and the area they need to search, 1,500 kilometers off the coast of Perth.

RICHARD GODFREY, AVIATION ENGINEER: I think it will only take one more search. And search technology has improved. The crash location has been more narrowly defined. It will take them. I think just a few weeks to find MH370.

COREN: A bold statement yet one families cling to.

Jiang Hui, who lost his mother on MH370, has taken Malaysia Airlines to court on behalf of the Chinese families that represent nearly two- thirds of the victims.

[02:40:05]

He says he knows his hard working mother who instilled the same ethos in him is driving her son to find the truth.

I can find her shadow in me, he says. Whatever I am doing now is what my mother wants me to do.

As for Sarah, the trauma has forced her to rebuild her life, running an eco-tourism resort in Panama with her new husband. But she says, on this day, her thoughts are always with Philip.

BAJC: I make my coffee exactly like Philip used to drink it, and I sit I think about him and maybe look at some pictures. And then I put it away. You know, I don't think that you can effectively walk forward -- you can't walk forward with positivity and confidence if you're always looking backwards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COREN (on camera): And, Kim, as we heard from aviation engineer, Richard Godfrey, he is certain that MH370 can be found, thanks to four pieces of information and that information is from Boeing, from Inmarsat, the satellite company that tracked MH370 every hour it was still in the air, from data, from oceanographers. And finally from whisper data, which is new technology using radio, amateur signals.

Now he said all of these four different data align and that is why he believes there is now an accurate crash location. He also said that the black box must be recovered because then there'll be able to establish exactly what happened. So the world can learn, you know, lessons for the future and safety of aviation, but more importantly, so that the families can lay their loved ones to rest and to learn the truth -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, still so many waiting for closure.

Anna Coren in Hong Kong, thank you so much.

A chance discovery in southern France is uncovered a rare and surprisingly intact dinosaur skeleton. (INAUDIBLE) report that ten meter fossil was found in 2022. An amateur paleontologist potted an exposed bone while walking with his dog in a forest.

Museum officials excavated and determined it was the Titanosaur or long-neck dinosaur connected from its hind skull to its tail. Paleontologists called it extraordinary.

All right, before we go, we are programming update. Starting Monday, CNN international feature, new lineup in the European primetime hours. "AMANPOUR" and "ISA SOARES TONIGHT" remain at their current times. With 3:00 p.m. Eastern, that's 8:00 p.m. in Central Europe, "CNN NEWSROOM WITH JIM SCIUTTO" will debut. And it will be followed by "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" at a new time of 4:00 p.m. Eastern or 9:00 p.m. in Europe.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

"WORLD SPORT" is next, but I'll be back in 15 minutes with more news. Please do stick with us.

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