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New Day Sunday

MH370 Grieving Families Blocked from Temple; Four Arrests in Murder of Kremlin Critic; Obama Speaks Out on Clinton's Emails

Aired March 08, 2015 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you with us.

I want to get right to our breaking news this morning. New details about massive failures that played a role in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, one year ago today, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Right. We still don't know why this doomed plane went missing or what happened to the 239 people on board. But in a new report, the Malaysian government puts some blame on confused radar operators who went back and forth for hours asking if they had seen the plane.

PAUL: The report also revealed the battery of the underwater locator beacon on the flight data recorder had already expired. Meaning, it wasn't guaranteed to last the full 30 days that search teams were hoping for.

JOHNS: Investigators also found no indications of unusual behavior among the pilots and crew and they said there was no sign of bad weather.

PAUL: Families of Chinese nationals lost aboard are saying the report is meaningless that was released as they attempted to gather in Beijing to mourn the people that they loved.

And CNN's David McKenzie is there -- where police we understand, David, are stopping some of these families from grieving at a temple. What's happening?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi, I know it's hard to believe but a year since the flight vanish and most on board were Chinese, the family members who have been grieving all this time haven't managed to get any closure. They wanted to get together and grieve and pray for their family members and look what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: The family members of those on board MH370 had planned to come here, to this temple, which is in Beijing, to pay their respects one year on. Frankly, there are more police here than family at this point. Some of them say they intimidated. Normally, I would be able to get in this area.

Excuse me. Don't push him. Normally, I would be able to get in this area. But through here family members maybe about ten and they are not letting me get in.

Just come inside, please. You can't do this. Don't touch me. This is -- this is family members who are trying to grieve and you're stopping us! Two hundred thirty-nine people died on this plane and you're telling me they can't come here to commemorate?

"I just want to know why the police are treating us like this", says Ming. "We didn't do anything illegal. We are just looking for our families. Why are they doing this?"

"On March 8 last year, my husband was on MH370 last year and was supposed to land at this time and he never came. I'm just looking for my husband."

Though they want to commemorate one year after the plane has vanished, they are basically intimidating the families and many of the families have said they are being detained several times by the Chinese authorities and it's pretty tragic a year on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Well, Christi, it might seem extraordinarily they are doing this, but in a way, the family has become a liability to the communist party. They don't want them to gather and cause a fuss or even talk to the international media.

All this time, though, they don't know what has happened many of them, in fact, most of them tell me they still have some hope that their loved ones might be alive but they aren't moving any closer to closure with this report, and when asked to say what's going to happen to them next -- Christi and Joe.

PAUL: So sad.

David McKenzie, thanks for bringing that to us.

JOHNS: This morning, we're learning, one of four men arrested this weekend in the murder of a top Putin critic is a former police officer. The suspects are accused in the assassination of Boris Nemtsov in the heart of Moscow last Friday.

Grainy surveillance video captured his attack. You can see Nemtsov, one of Russia's most prominent offensive figures, walking home with his girlfriend when a gunman fired four shots into his back steps from the Kremlin.

Former British ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, reacted to the news and talked about a possible motivate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BRENTON, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: I would guess -- obviously, I don't know -- if you're shopping for a hit man in today's Russia, the place you go is the North Caucuses, in Chechnya in particular, where lots of outlawry, lots of (INAUDIBLE), lots of people who are in effect guns for hire. My guess is, if these guys, if indeed they did it, were probably hired by someone further back, rather than themselves initiating the crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: We know that all four suspects are ethnic Chechens and two of them are brothers.

PAUL: Well, President Obama is talking for the first time about the e-mail controversy swirling around his former top diplomat. Hillary Clinton, however, she is not talking. Is that going to help her? Is that going to hurt her? We will dig into that.

Also, a Spanish dolphin trainer accused of abusing animals has been found ahead. Still ahead, we're going to show you the video at the center of the alleged abuse and talk more about what's going on now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: President Obama is speaking out for the first time on the e-mail controversy swirling around his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She's come under scrutiny for using a private e-mail account while running the State Department. In an interview, President Obama says he is glad Clinton wants to make her e-mails public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL PLANTE, CBS: As president, when did you first learn that Hillary Clinton used an e-mail system outside the U.S. government for official business while she was secretary of state?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the same time everybody else learned it through news reports.

PLANTE: Were you disappointed?

OBAMA: Let me just say that Hillary Clinton is and has been an outstanding public servant. She was a great secretary of state for me. The policy of my administration is to encourage transparent and that's why my e-mails -- the blackberry that I carry around -- all of those records are available and archived, and I'm glad that Hillary has instructed that those e-mails that had to do with official business need to be disclosed.

PLANTE: You say you had the most transparent administration ever. You said it again a couple of weeks ago.

OBAMA: It's true.

PLANTE: How does this square with that?

OBAMA: Well, I think the fact she is going to be putting them forward will allow us to make sure that people have the information they need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: While President Obama is speaking out, Hillary Clinton isn't saying much at all about the e-mails, at least right now. There is a lot of speculation she would address the issue in Miami last night. She did not.

So, will that silence help Hillary Clinton or hurt her?

Let's dig deeper into this right now. CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Cardona. Also joining us, Lisa Boothe. She is the senior director of the Black Rock Group and a Republican strategist.

So, should Hillary have addressed this controversy?

And, Maria, I'll start with you. Doesn't she just sort of kick the can down the road by not talking about it or is it better to wait until all of the e-mails are out in public and have the debate them?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think she did the most important thing, Joe, which was essentially say that she wanted these e-mails to be made public and that the State Department is now reviewing that to make sure that happens as quickly as possible.

I don't think she needs to say anything more until she actually announces her campaign. At that time, sure, she will be asked these questions and then she will answer them. But what she will also do, Joe, is to put forward a very aggressive and forward looking strategy and platform as to why she should be president of the United States.

And what is so puzzling to me, Joe, is that what people are not focusing on is that she didn't do anything different than what her predecessors did at the State Department. In fact, she has gone above and beyond because when the State Department requested for all previous secretaries of state to make their e-mails public or to forward them to the State Department for preservation, she, so far, has been the only one to comply.

And so, when you look at the opposition, Jeb Bush had his own private e-mail account only disclosed 250,000 of 3 million e-mails. Rick Perry destroyed e-mails after seven days. Scott Walker when he was county executive had private e-mail accounts which were investigated because they were doing campaign work.

So, if we're going to hold her -- either we hold her to the same standard or let's dispense with the hypocrisy.

JOHNS: All right. So, you were talking about that tweet that Hillary Clinton issued on Wednesday saying, she wants her emails released, but she's been silent on them otherwise. Now, let's dig down on that.

Why send out a tweet and nothing more?

Lisa, I'll ask you, does this just sort of energize Republicans and people on the right who can make the case that Hillary Clinton is not being transparent even as she is moving closer to what could be a presidential run?

LISA BOOTHE, SENIOR DIRECTOR, BLACK ROCK GROUP: Well, I don't think it's just for the people on the right, and the fact of the matter is, she is not being transparent and this is so incredibly different than Rick Perry or Jeb Bush because she had top secret information that she was e-mailing through a non-secure server. Those issues are of top security concern, so that is incredibly different than someone like Rick Perry or someone like Jeb Bush and this is incredibly problematic for Hillary Clinton because it underscores the narrative that Hillary Clinton is out of touch elitist who is above it all.

And look, the Obama administration has been marred with the lack of transparency and Hillary Clinton is a part of that. In 2008, she said she was one of the most transparent public figures, but she is anything but!

And also, this comes on the heels that the information that the Clinton Foundation accepted donations from foreign governments who are lobbying the State Department, which puts into question it was her decision making at the State Department influenced by those donations? And the fact of the matter is, by her e-mailing through private accounts on a private server also raises questions of what information is she is not putting out there? Because she had has a private server she controls what information is out there! And also, it underscores her judgment and her decision making ability! The fact she is e- mailing about issue of the top national security through an unsecured server.

CARDONA: I have to jump in here, Joe, because the State Department has been very clear that there was no classified --

BOOTHE: Actually haven't. Given misinformation about it.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNS: Just one at a time, guys, please!

JOHNS: There is no classified information in those e-mails. So, let's be very clear when Republicans talk about this they have to get their facts straight and that is one of the things they don't like to do because if they have to meet Hillary Clinton on the battlefield of ideas, clearly they come up completely empty.

JOHNS: OK. So, President Obama speaking now for the first time about the e-mails, does that actually help or hurt Hillary Clinton? Lisa, start with you.

BOOTHE: Well, I think it hurts her because, look. The fact the matter is she is an extension of an unpopular president who has a failed record in the eyes of the American people, which we saw during the 2014 elections because his policies were soundly rejected by historic proportions.

So, I think this hurts Hillary Clinton. And again, the biggest problem Hillary Clinton has is the fact this paints a narrative, an existing narrative and underscoring an existing narrative she is out of touch elitist and it's the same thing that Bill Clinton had as well, is that she is out of touch elitist who is, you know, above it all.

So, I think this raises a lot of questions in the eyes of the American people.

JOHNS: Maria?

BOOTHE: And if I'm a Democrat, I'm sitting there asking myself, is Hillary Clinton the best we have?

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNS: Maria, go ahead and answer that question.

CARDONA: I actually think it helps Hillary because it was a full-throated support of what a great secretary of state and public servant she is. And again, I'll underscore, Joe, how many emails of Republicans have of hers from the State Department? They have hundreds and hundreds of them.

BOOTHE: But it's not all of them!

CARDONA: If the only thing -- if the only thing that they can underscore at this point is the fact that she had a private e-mail account, you find me a voter that supports Hillary Clinton on the issues but refuses to vote for her because of this? Republicans are living in la-la land if they think this is the only thing they can go after her for --

BOOTHE: No, this is --

CARDONA: -- you know what? Bring it on. I think they love this because the Benghazi, quote/unquote, "scandal", hasn't amounted to anything!

BOOTHE: No! The former director of litigation at the National Archive --

(CROSSTALK)

BOOTHE: -- only time they said this was accepted is when the level official did not --

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNS: All right, all right, all right!

CARDONA: -- Republicans are empty.

JOHNS: Thank you very much.

I don't think this issue is going to change any minds on Hillary Clinton right now.

Maria Cardona, Lisa Boothe, thanks to both of you.

CARDONA: Thank you so much, Joe.

JOHNS: You bet.

PAUL: Always such a good discussion.

JOHNS: I know.

PAUL: Let me ask you this question: were the bones of John the Baptist really found? That's the focus of tonight's brand new episode of "Finding Jesus" here on CNN. Coming up, we are talking to the co- author of the book that inspired the miniseries "Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, or Forgery".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: David Gibson is the co-author of "Finding Jesus: Fact, Faith, Forgery", and a reporter with Religion News Services. Tonight's episode looks at a potentially ancient discovery, identifying the bones of John the Baptist to see if he was related to Jesus.

So, David, I'm curious -- thanks for being with us, first of all -- what goes into deciphering whether these are, indeed, ancient relics or if they are not authentic?

DAVID GIBSON, CO-AUTHOR, "FINDING JESUS: FAITH, FACT, FORGERY": Well, you first have to determine if they are human bones and then you have to do the DNA testing and carbon testing to see, OK, are they about 2,000 years old? Then, can the DNA tell us what geographic region they come from? Did they come from the Middle East or someplace else? Because these -- the relics of the bones of John the Baptist have been some of the most popular, and widespread relics in all of Christianity, to the extent that we know the vast majority of them are not true.

The question we want to answer, after all of these centuries, two millennia, could any of these actually be the bones of John the Baptist who was, we believe, the cousin of Jesus of Nazareth?

PAUL: Right, right. What do you think is the fascination behind the search for truth in this, particularly for a faith where faith itself, you know, faith is so revered and believing in something regardless of whether you see signs of it?

GIBSON: Yes, that's the central question really. And Christians believe that you -- the religion is about both faith and reason. God has given us reason as well to perceive, you know, why Christians believe, and when you -- you know, you're supposed to be able to look at history, at the signs of the times and to see what Jesus was saying back then and how it applies today.

So, it's really important to know who the Jesus of history was but, of course, there's a huge gap. You know, we have the nativity story, the Christmas story of Jesus in the manger, and then, there's virtually a 30-year gap until suddenly he appears there before John the Baptist in the River Jordan being baptized, launching his ministry at the messiah.

PAUL: Yes, good point.

I'm wondering what kind of reaction you received from the first episode last week? What have you been hearing from people?

GIBSON: Tremendous reaction. It's really been gratifying. And again, you know, we wanted to do this because there is such interest in the Jesus history, but there are also so many exaggerated claims.

This isn't just a medieval problem where people were sounding off all these relics that weren't the real deal. You see this still today. What is real when you see these headlines that there's a new gospel, there's a new fragment or something out there.

You know, what is real and what is false? And above all, what is the truth about Jesus?

PAUL: Well, there's no doubt it is intriguing and riveting and we're so glad that you're bringing it to us. David Gibson, thank you so much.

GIBSON: Thanks for being here. Thank you.

PAUL: Sure. Joe?

Just a reminder, too, by the way -- brand-new episode of "Finding Jesus" starting tonight at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

JOHNS: Christie, a new investigative report gives us a better picture of what happened the night Malaysia Air Flight 370 vanished. An aviation expert says some of the findings are scandalous.

For the families of Flight 370, the past year has been devastating. Next hour, we'll take you live to Kuala Lumpur where families are commemorating their loved ones.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHNS: Good morning.

Ahead on NEW DAY: massive failures, possible negligence, shocking new details from a new Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 investigative report, all of this despite assurances from the Malaysian prime minister that the missing plane is going to be found.

PAUL: Also, we have new information this morning about the unarmed teen shot dead by Madison, Wisconsin, police, as protests continue for the second straight day now.

Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAUL: We begin with breaking news. So grateful to have your company as always. I'm Christi Paul.

JOHNS: And I'm Joe Johns, in for Victor Blackwell.

PAUL: Yes, chaos, confusion and human error.

JOHNS: We're learning new information about missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.