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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Sonar May Have Found AirAsia Flight 8501; Sony Hack Attack: An Inside Job?; Edmonton Mass Murder
Aired December 31, 2014 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 believed to be underwater. Sonar technology possibly spotting this plane on the ocean floor as more bodies of those onboard are now recovered. But right now, the mystery of why the jetliner fell from the sky remains as the efforts to recover the black boxes gets tougher.
Live team coverage breaking down the very latest on our big story this morning.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, December 31st, New Year's Eve. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East.
We welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world.
We begin with word that sonar has detected objects believed to be areas of Flight 8501 on the bottom of the Java Sea. It's still not known if the Airbus is in one piece or broken up. Meantime, officials say a seventh day was recovered overnight. They include one of the plane's flight attendants. AirAsia says the first two bodies -- the first two of those bodies are being transported to Surabaya for possible identification.
Right now, dozens of ships and planes are combing the area in what is now a grim search and recovery operation. Investigators hope they're a step closer to finding the flight data recorders, the so-called black boxes, that could help them determine exactly what brought the plane down.
CNN's Gary Tuchman live on the phone from Indonesia -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We're at a naval air base here in Surabaya, the first two bodies, the first two victims have just arrived. The military plane carrying them from Borneo Island. They just landed here at this naval air base.
And there's a procession of 100 army, air force and navy men and women who are carrying the caskets with flowers on top. One of the caskets has a big number 1 on it. The other one has a big number 2 on it. They're the first two victims. And they are now as we speak being loaded into hearses. The hearses --
ROMANS: Gary Tuchman on the phone for us from in Surabaya. You can see from those images the two of the victims are now being returned to land. They have been retrieved from the water. Caskets bearing the numbers one and two. It would be a long grim task. Eventually, 162 of those bodies we hope can recover.
CNN's David Malko has just been to the hospital where the remains of those onboard AirAsia Flight 8501 will be taken for identification. He joins us now via Skype from Surabaya.
Certainly, a lot of work to be done, David, right now, located the plane, still retrieving bodies, a lot of work to do, even as the families grieve and hope for some -- I don't know, some clarity on whether their loved ones have been found, David.
DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. A long grim task as you put it. I've just been to the police hospital where presumably the hearses will be driven once the human remains are loaded off the plane and off the tarmac there at the base.
And outside, on the hospital grounds, about a dozen members of the DVI, of Disaster Victims Identification units are going to the motions and preparing to receive the remains in the next hour or two, outside of the grounds of what appear to be shipping containers, or actually refrigerated shipping containers, two of them where the remains will be stored before they are taken indoors or under tents on hospital grounds -- you know, just a stark in-your-face reminder of the human tragedy here. Dozens of gurneys are being prepared to receive victim who will then undergo the formal identification process.
Now, just next door to the hospital where we were, police headquarters for Java, that will become the new crisis center here for family members. So, families of the 162 passengers and crew on board that flight, invited to come, make themselves at home. Meet caregivers, religious officials, and that will be where they receive updates from officials. They'll be able to monitor news on giant televisions that had been put up in this auditorium and continue to hope for news of their loved ones.
You know, I have to tell you, Christine, just talking to some of the family members, one gentleman in particular who lost four relatives, including two granddaughters on the way to Singapore for holiday, says, you know, the best we can hope for is that their remains are returned. So, certainly a grim task ahead and a lot of waiting ahead -- Christine.
ROMANS: We wish all the families -- we wish the families the best and pray for them in these days and these days ahead.
David Molko, thank you so much in Surabaya, Indonesia.
As we mentioned right now, bad weather -- bad weather stalling the search in the Java Sea. They have located the wreckage using sonar and now comes the difficult task of trying get in there and take a look at things.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more on what these search teams are facing due to weather -- Pedram.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine, you know, the conditions are going to go from bad, right now, to worse over the next 24 hours unfortunately.
And I want to show you, because we have about hour and a half, hour and 45 minutes of daylight across this part in the world left in place. Thunderstorms are beginning to develop. This is the infrared satellite imagery, which shows you the thermal signature, essentially the temperatures atop the cloud tops -- the darker they are, the higher the clouds are, the stronger the thunderstorms are.
We have those right in place, and strong thunderstorms to the northern portion of the debris location and notice plenty of cloud cover to the south as well. The concern builds over the next 24 hours. Sometime Thursday, around 11:00 a.m., look at the active weather in place there, as we push through the debris field Thursday afternoon. Strong thunderstorms accompanied by very powerful winds. We got a repeat performance come Friday morning as well across this region, with very active line of thunderstorms coming across this area. And finally see them improve through Friday night.
But my biggest concerns are the winds associated with this, because this is about 24 hours from right now. Tomorrow afternoon, around 3:00 in the afternoon or so, you're looking at winds 55, maybe 65 miles per hour across the sea field.
Now, notice the Java Sea, very few spots. You're going to have the winds in that color contour shade of dark red, of course, it falls right in across the debris area. So you take that wind into consideration what would translate into the wave heights across the open waters. That is somewhere between 18 and 25-foot wave heights into tomorrow afternoon across this debris field. The currents in this area typically at the rate of roughly one-mile-per-hour. We're about 82 hours remove from when this plane went down.
So, you're looking at 80 miles of movement over the past couple days, and as the debris field scatters about with the winds we'd expect, one of the first areas you'd think it would be on to would be some of the coastal regions of Borneo. It's a very marshy landscape here. So, this is kind of really what complicates matters if this debris field keeps scattering about, with the winds that we expect in the next couple of days, the recovery efforts become that more challenging as we head into the weekend -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Pedram Javaheri, thank you so much for that, Pedram.
And now that the wreckage has been located, investigators are a step closer to retrieving the so-called black boxes and finding out exactly what caused the plane to crash. They'll be able to hear the last minutes of the conversations among the crew on the flight deck. They'll also be able to see exactly what's happening on the instruments in the final moments.
Based on what we do know, we asked aviation expert, Captain Desmond Ross, what may have happened to Flight 8501. Here's what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN DESMOND ROSS, DRA PROFESSIONAL AVIATION SERVICES: You've got two choices, really. The aircraft broke up at high altitude (AUDIO GAP) surface of the water in pieces, or it arrives at the surface of the water still impact and an attempt to land it, or it went straight in nose first.
In either case, the aircraft would not remain intact, even if it landed at a level altitude, there's no way it's going to remain completely intact given the waves at that speed, well in excess of 100 knots. Even if some kind of control, even it would have hit the waves about 100, 150 knots, the aircraft would break up, because you're hitting rocks at that speed, the water is basically like concrete at that speed.
So, I'm a little puzzled with how -- why the aircraft struck that point. I'm also particularly puzzled, having seen some of the raw images that were taken by the searchers yesterday, one of the bodies in particular, in fact two I think that I spotted, were not clothed, and this to me indicates that they'd fallen.
It's quite a common occurrence when a body falls through space, through the air. It reaches a total velocity that is very high, 200 miles an hour, maybe more. That speed, the wind drag will tend to remove loose clothing. Jackets, shirts, ladies' dresses. (AUDIO GAP)
At that speed, which explains why the clothing was gone. Given I've seen two of those, I wonder how that happen, did in fact that fall from great altitude. Did it in fact somebody manage to open the door or try to open the door, or did the aircraft start to break up while at still at some altitude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Relatives of the 162 people on board that flight are dealing with unimaginable grief. Just hours after the crash was confirmed, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes delivered a heartfelt apology to those families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY FERNANDES, AIRASIA CEO: The slight benefit is that for people in there, there is some closure. This is a scar with me for the rest of my life. It doesn't change anything. But with very little percent, there is at least some closure, as opposed to not knowing what's happened and holding out hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: He has been tackling AirAsia first major crisis head on as chief executive. Soon after the plane disappeared, the CEO took to Twitter to end out messages of support. Earlier, Fernandes posted that seeing the evacuees has been so destroying. And soon after the plane had disappeared, the company changed its logo from red to gray on its social media sites.
But Fernandes is no stranger to tough challenges. Back in 2001, he bought that failing company for a token 25 cents. The air carrier had two airplanes and $11 million in debt. He bought it for a quarter.
Now, AirAsia is the largest low-cost carrier in the region. Shares of the flight carrier are down, less than 1 percent right now. Just two days ago, AirAsia had its biggest one-day decline in more than three years. For the year, the stock is still up in 2014.
AirAsia one of those airlines that become synonymous with the big growth in travel over the past years. The tragic crash of AirAsia Flight 8501 not only affecting those on board but families of those onboard missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
CNN's Will Ripley joins us with that part of the story in about 15 minutes.
North Korea blamed for a massive Sony hack attack centered around the controversial film "The Interview." But could the FBI be wrong? Could the Sony hack attack have been an inside job? We'll explore that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: We are following the breaking news. Search crews using sonar may have found the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 on the bottom of the Java Sea. Grief-stricken families were informed of the news by Indonesian officials.
Overnight, the body of a seventh victim was retrieved from the water. It's still not known if the plane is in one piece or broke up when it crashed. Right now, this search and recovery operation involving dozens of ships, dozens of planes, is being hampered by bad weather.
We're going to have all the latest developments on the AirAsia crash throughout the morning.
Publicly, the Obama administration is still blaming North Korea for the cyberattack on Sony Pictures and says it is likely they had help. But cybersecurity experts are now telling the FBI that it is possible the big Sony hack may have been an inside job.
We get more from CNN's Pamela Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Christine. FBI officials we've been speaking with are adamant that the initial assessment that was publicly revealed that North Korea and solely North Korea was behind the hack is still the case.
Officials say they're view has not changed. Even after FBI agents in St. Louis met with cyber experts with the security firm called Norse. And this firm launched its own investigation, and they claim they found evidence that it was actually an insider job, that a disgruntled Sony employee who had been with the company for 10 years and was let go last May was actually the one who used the administrative credentials to take over the Sony system, and actually played a role with the hackers who called themselves Guardians of Peace.
But the FBI officials we've been speaking with say that what they presented was essentially misinterpreted. That it was just a narrow part of the investigation.
This was not the company in the private sector that was brought in to help with the investigation. So this company was not on the frontlines of what was going on. So, FBI officials say the conclusion they reached was from not only their own intelligence, but as intelligence from other agencies within the intelligence community and the U.S., as well as the Department of Homeland Security, and foreign partners.
And the FBI did lay out part of their case about why they reached the conclusion they did. But we're told that that was just the tip of the iceberg. As this investigation continues, the FBI could release even more information backing up their case -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: OK, Pamela Brown, thank you for that.
Now, there's been a dramatic drop in arrests in New York City in recent weeks because police officers reportedly fear for their safety. Some police officers telling "The New York Post" that arrests have plummeted following the murder of two NYPD officers who were gunned down while sitting in their squad card in Brooklyn.
Meantime, there was no resolve after a two-hour meeting Tuesday between Mayor Bill de Blasio. Leaders air their grievances with de Blasio who called the meeting to try to repair a fractured relationship between the city hall and police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK LYNCH, PRES., NYC PATROLMEN'S BENEVOLENT ASSOC.: There were a number of discussions especially about the safety issues that our members face. There was no resolve, and our thought here today is that actions speak louder than words, and time will tell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, one of the two officers gunned down in Brooklyn, the funeral has been set for Sunday.
Police in Edmonton, Alberta, say a man described as depressed and suicidal shot and killed eight people in three separate locations before turning the gun on himself. Two of his victims were children. Edmonton police says the mass killing was triggered by a domestic dispute. The gunman's family had contacted police and they were looking for him when the killing spree occurred.
A tragic accidental shooting at a Walmart in Hayden, Idaho. A 2-year- old boy managed to get hold of a handgun that was in his mother's purse and fatally shot her. Police say the 29-year-old Veronica Rutledge had a concealed weapons permit. She was legally carrying that gun in her purse. She was shopping with her son and her three other children while visiting relatives in Hayden. He somehow got ahold of the gun, shot her and she died.
We're learning new details this morning about a fatal police shooting in Berkeley, Missouri, just several miles from where Michael Brown was gunned down back in August. City officials report that witnesses say the victim 23-year-old Antonio Martin was armed and pointed his gun at an officer before he was shot and killed. The shooting last week sparked violent classes there between police and angry residents.
Security is usually tight in New York's Times Square in New Year's Eve. But this time, the NYPD is being extra vigilant, utilizing technology to combat any violent or terrorist incidents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES O'NEIL, NYPD: There will be hundreds of cameras, some which are displayed on the screen in our JOC, our Joint Operations Center, and monitored live via the NYPD's main awareness system. This sophisticated network of closed circuit TV feeds 911 calls, suspicious package alerts and radiation level readings. This system works in real-time to send alerts to train police and security personnel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Extra officers are also being assigned in anticipation of planned anti-police demonstrations.
Breaking news this morning: sonar equipment possibly finding the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501. The news making a big impact on friends and family onboard another doomed airliner. That part of the story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's hard to imagine with the families who lost loved ones in AirAsia Flight 8501 are going through. First, the discovery of the debris and bodies now what is believed to be the plane on the bottom of the Java Sea. The tragedy has also reopened some emotional wounds for others around the world.
CNN's Will Ripley is looking at that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this tragedy is not just affecting those in Indonesia and the immediate families and the community that are suffering so much right now. But it's also affecting people all around this region, people are following it very closely. It's front page news on pretty much all of the major papers and news
channels here in China and throughout the Asia Pacific region. And there was one regional network that was caught in a very disturbing situation for viewers. They were simulcasting a local Indonesian television station when graphic images showing a half partially clothed body floating in the water were shown on live TV.
We've talked about how it was extremely upsetting to the families in Indonesia who were watching that signal live. But that signal was also shown live via this regional network in China. It was shown in Malaysia. It was shown in Australia, very upsetting to a lot of people here following this so closely.
I've been talking to the MH370 families and I was sitting yesterday with Steven Wang, a young man whose mother was onboard Flight 370.
And he told me that he was hoping for a miracle for the passengers on AirAsia Flight 8501. He was hoping that perhaps there might be some survivors. It was during our interview that the news came in and in fact debris had been found and bodies were being pulled from the water -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Will Ripley, thank you for that, Will.
The death toll expected to rise in that ferry fire off of Greece's Adriatic Coast. Look at those pictures. Right now, 11 people have been confirmed dead, but dozens of others are missing. And there is confusion over how many people were onboard since migrants were stowed away on that ship. The wreckage is set to be brought to Italy so investigators can look at what sparked the deadly fire.
More than 100 arrested outside the Kremlin over the jailing of a brother over an outspoken critic. Alexei Navalny was spared prison time in a fraud case but his younger brother Oleg was sentenced to serve 3 1/2 years. Both denied the chargers. Protesters say Oleg is being used as a pawn in a larger battle to silence critics of Vladimir Putin as the country's economy falters.
A United Nations resolution aimed at forcing Israel out of the Palestinian territories it occupies failed in the Security Council. The measure fell one vote short, getting eight of the nine it needed. The United States voted know and had threatened to veto. The U.S. has insisted on a negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinian, not an imposed timetable.
All right. Can this be the source of Ebola? A new study suggests a small insect-eating bat, not a fruit bat, may have been the source of this year's Ebola outbreak. The research team went to the village where that known first transmission happened. After conducting interviews and testing animals in Guinea, they say the 2-year-old boy who was the first to die in the current outbreak may have been infected by the bats while he and other kids were playing in a hollow tree near his village. We're following breaking news this morning: sonar equipment believed
to have located the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 on the ocean floor. We're live with the difficult task of recovering these victims and figuring out what went so wrong. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
