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Alaska Airlines Plane Was To Be Taken Out Of Service For Maintenance On The Same Day Door Plug Blew Out; Putin: We Are Prepared To Use Nuclear Weapons; Sand Dune Protecting Massachusetts Home Washed Away In One Day. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired March 13, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

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[11:32:29]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: We're learning new details about that Boeing 737 Max 9 jet that lost a door plug just after takeoff. Alaska Airlines says the plane was scheduled to be taken out of service for maintenance on the same night -- the same night of the blowout back in January. This comes as a series of problems have called Boeing's standards into question.

Our Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean is here with us right now. Pete, first of all, what can you tell us about the scheduled maintenance of this Boeing 737?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The bottom line here is that this plane should never have left the Boeing factory without the critical four-door plug bolts that hold that door plug onto the airplane. But now, investigators have this new question to ask. When this scheduled maintenance check, the night of the blowout, have caught that omission by Boeing? Would previous pressurization system warnings in the cockpit have led to a check on the door plug?

The NTSB has said those warnings were unrelated to the blowout but it's something no doubt the NTSB will dig into. They have the maintenance records from this airplane. Let's look at the timeline here in the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

This plane was delivered to Alaska Airlines October 31, Halloween Day, 2023. On December seven, there was the first pressurization warning in the cockpit. And then two days before the door plug blew out. And the day before the door plug blew out, there was another pressurization system warning. And then on January 5, that is one the door plug blew out of this flight, Alaska Airlines flight 1182.

Now, Alaska Airlines is disclosing this for the first time after this reporting by the New York Times. In a statement, Alaska Airlines says we remain confident in our maintenance and safety actions leading up to the incident. We look forward to continuing our participation in a robust investigation led by the NTSB to ensure something like this can never happen again. This is only the start of what will be a huge probe by the NTSB. And just yesterday, it announced what it called an investigative hearing. That will be held publicly in August. That means the NTSB can subpoena parties to testify. That could include officials from Boeing.

This is very, very rare, typically reserved for the biggest incidents that have been in the public eye like the East Palestine rail disaster, like the Miracle on the Hudson. No doubt, Wolf, a lot of interest in this, and a lot of people will be watching this hearing on August six and seven.

BLITZER: I mean, potentially related development involving Boeing, there was the death of this Boeing whistleblower. And it's raising all sorts of questions. Tell us about that.

MUNTEAN: There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there online. Here are the facts. John Barnett was this whistleblower. He was a longtime former employee who raised concerns about the Charleston Boeing facility in South Carolina that builds the 787.

[11:35:07]

Here's what police say. Barnett was found dead in his truck in a hotel parking lot with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His lawyers say he was in the middle of a multi-day deposition in a whistleblower lawsuit. And they say he was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. His lawyers say we don't see any indication that he would take his own life.

It's important to note here. Boeing had offered its condolences in a statement, a sad incident that raises concerns about Boeing's manufacturing processes. They have been in the spotlight all the time. This could be just something that is coincidental when it comes to timing, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, very sad -- (INAUDIBLE)

MUNTEAN: Very sad, indeed.

BLITZER: All right. Pete Muntean, as usual, thank you very, very much.

MUNTEAN: Anytime.

BLITZER: And this note to our viewers, if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. You can call or text 988 or visit 988 lifeline.org for free and confidential support.

Still ahead. A chilling new warning from Vladimir Putin. He says Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there's a threat as Ukraine carries out its biggest series of drone attacks overnight. Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[11:40:55] BLITZER: A very alarming new warning from Vladimir Putin to the West over Ukraine. He is saying that Russia is prepared to use a nuclear weapon if Russian state -- the Russian state is at stake. Those comments coming just ahead of the Russian elections that begin Friday.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is following these developments for us. Fred, what's the significance of Putin even raising this issue of possibly using nuclear weapons?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf. I think first and foremost, this is a message for Russia's domestic audience -- for Putin's domestic audience. And he did say this in an interview with Kremlin-controlled T.V. And I think part of it is due to the fact that right now for the Russians on the battlefield, while they feel that they do have the initiative on the battlefield and they certainly have made some territorial gains over the past couple of weeks, even the past couple of months, still the war is dragging on a lot longer than many Russians would have hoped.

And a lot of Russians at home are also feeling the economic pinch of the sanctions that have been placed on Russia by the U.S. and its allies. So essentially, what Vladimir Putin is trying to portray is saying look, there are some hardships, but Russia is still a grand nation and one with a massive nuclear-armed arsenal rivaling the United States. And he even claimed one that is more modern than the nuclear arsenal of the United States. I want to listen to some of what Vladimir Putin had to say.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through a translator): Our triad and the whole nuclear element is more modern. In general, if we talk about the carriers and numbers of warheads, we are more or less equal. But ours are more modern. Everybody knows this. All experts know this.

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PLEITGEN: So, Putin there saying that Russia's nuclear weapons are more modern than those of the United States. Of course, it also, quite frankly, a message to Washington not to mess with Russia and not to get further involved in Ukraine, Wolf.

BLITZER: Fred, we also learned this morning that Ukraine is stepping up its drone attacks against Russia by targeting various oil refineries. What can you tell us about that?

PLEITGEN: Yes. Apparently, overnight, the Russians were saying that the Ukrainians launched the largest drone attack that they have so far in the entire war onto Russian territory. Of course, we've seen a lot of those Russian drones launch towards Ukrainian territory, but now things apparently going in the other direction. The Ukrainians saying that they hit some key and large oil refineries of the Russians, including some very far away from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

One of them is in the area around a town called Ryazan, which is southeast of Moscow. Another one they say was in the Leningrad Oblast, which of course, is the area around St. Petersburg. That is extremely far away from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

And it goes to show apparently, the Ukrainians do have some long- distance strike capabilities with those unmanned aerial vehicles. Of course, this is something where the Ukrainians say this is part of a larger strategy that they have. The Russians, of course, are very angry about all of this, Wolf.

BLITZER: Fred Pleitgen reporting for us. Fred, thank you very much for that update. There's other news we're following, and news that's new this morning.

The United States has deployed a marine anti-terrorism team to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti as that nation continues to descend into chaos. Haiti is in a state of emergency as criminal gangs are terrorizing the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has announced he will resign amid intense international pressure.

Let's discuss what's going on in Haiti with Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean Correspondent for The Miami Herald. She has been reporting on the region for more than a decade. Jacqueline, thank you so much for joining us.

And I want to start with the -- this finding, finding a plan to govern Haiti. Where does that situation stand right now? What's going on?

JACQUELINE CHARLES, CARIBBEAN CORRESPONDENT, THE MIAMI HERALD: Well, right now, we are waiting to see the names that will emerge from this line number group, seven of whom will have voting rights, two will be observers. At the Miami Herald, we wrote a story today that says, well, the Haitians are still having disagreements, you know, questioning whether or not this plan will even work.

So, they were given 24 hours to get the names. As of late last night, they had not bought. We're waiting to see what happens next.

[11:45:06]

BLITZER: Jacqueline, as you know, separate gangs have banded together, and they are terrorizing the country of Haiti. What's the plan to secure the country, first of all, and to actually make it safe?

CHARLES: Well, that's been the debate. I mean, we have a political crisis, and we have a security crisis, and whether or not this political transition is going to calm the gangs down. They do not have a seat at the table.

Currently, the U.S. is putting a lot of weight on the multinational security support mission out of Kenya. But there we saw that Kenya says that they're pausing this because of the announcement from the prime minister. And the fact that, you know, once he resigned, you have to you know, create a new deal -- (AUDIO GAP) proceed. And of course -- of course, there's an issue of money that the U.S. can get from some Republican lawmakers who have questions about this issue.

BLITZER: I thought it was interesting that the prime minister of Jamaica, not too far away, posted online that people need to care about what's happening in Haiti right now because trouble in Haiti could mean trouble in Jamaica. For those who don't necessarily follow the region all that closely, why is that his warning?

CHARLES: Well, that's a warning for all of these Caribbean leaders. I mean, he shares the Island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, its closest neighbor indeed. But Jamaica has already seen where they have a guns-for-ganja trades. The concern is that the insecurity there will either have people take boats and try to go to those islands which we have started to see, or that you will get some of these gang members and other individuals flooding these Caribbean nations. That's a real concern that what's happening in Haiti is a threat to regional security.

BLITZER: Yes. It's very, very disturbing for those of us who love the Caribbean, especially. Jacqueline Charles, thanks for all your important work. We really appreciate it. Thank you very, very much.

And just ahead. A half-a-million-dollar investment designed to protect beachfront homes washed away, get this, in just one day. How one town is trying to fight climate change and losing? Stay with us here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[11:51:33]

BLITZER: A $600,000 investment in Massachusetts lasted just one day before the Atlantic Ocean washed it away. The sand dune was completed just last week and was meant to protect homes against rising storm tides. But despite those efforts, the coastal town's latest line of defense is now gone.

CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is joining us right now. He's live on the scene for us in Salisbury, Massachusetts. What are you seeing there, Bill?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, on a beautiful day like this, you can see why people love this part of Massachusetts. We're right near the New Hampshire border here. And talking to locals who have been coming here since the 60s, they say their kids used to play at the -- at the shoreline, way in the distance there. But year by year, the tides have crept up as a result of about nine inches of sea level rise.

In Massachusetts, you -- if you own a beach house, you own the beach technically. And so, you split it with the state you know the line is somewhere around here. And the state does not put sand on private property. So, it was -- really became incumbent on the folks here to protect themselves from freakish storms that have been coming more frequently, more back-to-back.

And so, they pulled together about 600,000 bucks. They brought in 15,000 tons of sand. If you get a sense of it, it came out and filled up the bottom of this staircase here. And in that one storm -- so this stand historically would have lasted them for three years. Would have protected their home.

But just days after completing it, half of it washed away. $300,000 worth of sand washed away in a single storm, which is obviously very troubling for these folks. Some neighbors opted not to buy into the -- to the fortification project like this home here. And you can see what happened. The waves went right into the living room. It is really the haves versus the have-nots.

But this is, Wolf, only one of 79 towns and cities in Massachusetts that are in this coastal surge zone. And so, protecting all of them would cost tens of billions of dollars right now. So, these very hard conversations are taking place, even along here, where the head of the community organization that raises money doesn't -- he told me he doesn't believe in climate change.

He thinks that this is just bad luck and that it'll be clear sailing from here on. Other neighbors aren't so sure and are thinking about the long-term prospects of at this current rate. You can see waves going up over and across this very thin little island into the wetlands on the other side.

BLITZER: So, what are the next steps, Bill? Any hope of saving this place?

WEIR: It just comes down to money at this point, Wolf. You know if they keep trucking in sand, they can fight it. But at a certain point, can you afford a million dollars a year in sand, and again with 78 other beach towns in similar situations?

So, they're meeting trying to figure it out. They're really hopeful that the state helps them out because a lot of their sand ended up on the state side of the beach there. But it's really just a microcosm of what's happening on coastal communities around the world. Officially, they're preparing in this state for two and a half feet of sea level rise by the middle of the century.

BLITZER: So, what else are you hearing from residents over there where you are in Massachusetts, Bill, especially when they seem to -- some of them seem to be skeptics of climate change?

WEIR: It's really interesting. And if you have that mindset that this is just a temporary disaster and that this place will be here for generations to come, that's very different from folks who look at the signs and say we're fighting a losing battle over time.

[11:55:10]

But the person who's the head of this organization, a gentleman named Tom Saab, he's also a real estate agent so, he has you know, an investment emotionally, financially in this community and saving it. He's the guy that rally these neighbors together to bring in the sand that did save these houses.

So, you need that sort of belief and a place to defend it. But to what point, right? And it's interesting that talking to people who've been living next door to each other for generations, that -- how -- don't really talk about the climate change discussion. But it's being forced upon them more and more with events like this.

BLITZER: Very disturbing, indeed. Bill Weir, we always appreciate your expertise. Thank you very, very much.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer. I'll be back later tonight 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Right back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with CNN. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts right after a very quick break.

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