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Hala Gorani Tonight
Officials: Black Boxes Recovered From Colombia Plane Crash; Trump Working To Fill Key Vacancies In New Cabinet; Trump's Tweets Raising Eyebrows; U.S. Blames Human Error For Strike On Syrian Forces; U.N. Seeks "Pause In Fighting" In Syria; Former Football Coach Charged with Sexual Assault; Cubans Unsure What Trump Means for U.S. Relations; U.S. City Fights Human Trafficking; Solar Power Could Get More Indians on the Grid; Stephen Hawking Meets Pope Francis. Aired 34p ET
Aired November 29, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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[15:00:17] HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones sitting in for Hala Gorani. We are live from CNN London and this is
THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
We begin tonight with breaking news. Both black boxes from the plane that crashed near Medellin, Colombia have now been found. That's according to
Colombia's Civil Aviation Agency.
While in Brazil, football fans have gathered not to watch their heroes, but to mourn their passing. The plane was carrying members of the country's
Chapecoense football team when it went down. CNN's Rafael Romo has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): A devastating sight, the Colombian country side littered with debris after a
charter plane crashed in the town of Serro Gordo, southeast of Medellin. Among the dead are players from the Brazilian football team, Chapecoense.
The aircraft was carrying 81 passengers and crew including more than 20 journalists. Search and rescue efforts has been difficult due to the
rugged mountains and inclement weather.
Chapecoense was on their way to Colombia to compete in the first leg of the South American cut finals. The team took a commercial flight from Sao
Paolo, Brazil to Santa Cruz, Bolivia where they picked up this charter flight.
They were headed to the airport in Rio Negro, Colombia when it went down. According to Colombian officials, the pilot declared an emergency a few
minutes before the crash saying he was having some sort of electrical failure on board.
Satellite images show scattered showers and thunderstorms moving through the area at the time of the crash, which would have caused some inflight
turbulence.
However, it will take some time for investigators to determine the cause of the crash. The Colombian Air Force had to abort their mission to the site
due to poor visibility.
Chapecoense had just celebrated a win last Wednesday. The team has been described as the Cinderella story and they surprised many with their
winning performance in recent years making it to ninth place in Brazil's tier one league.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: The Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency says they denied the charter request of the Bolivian Lamia Corporation to fly the team from Sao
Paolo, Brazil to Medellin, Colombia. Why was the request denied? Well, apparently, it didn't comply with international regulations. Rafael Romo,
CNN.
JONES: Now let's get more now on this horrific tragedy and its effects on the world of sports. Patrick Snell joins me live from CNN Center.
Patrick, the chairman of the Board of Chapecoense responded to this crash. His team of course were on board.
He said in a statement yesterday morning, "I was saying goodbye to them and they told me they were going to search for the dream, to make this dream a
reality, and we very excited shared this dream with them very much, and the dream was over this morning." Chapecoense was really something of a
Cinderella story up until today.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: You're quite right. It really has been a huge, hugely poignant story to report on, to read up
about. You're quite right. This is a Cinderella story of Brazilian football.
Let's just breakdown the journey they were taking and just show you where they were coming from in the southern part of Brazil, this is Chapeco, a
city of around 200,000 people, close to the Argentinian border.
And the team in such high spirits began this journey flying to Colombia for the first leg of the (inaudible) final, a two legged final. I just want to
so you how big this achievement is.
When I used that word, Cinderella, I don't mean it likely because this is in club that was only founded in the early 1973 to be precise. As recently
as 2009, they were actually playing in the fourth tier of Brazilian football and they got into the top flight of Brazilian football in 2014.
That is quite an achievement.
[15:05:02]They have only been there since 2014 and actually as the Brazilian season nears its end, they're actually ninth in the standings as
of right now ahead of powerhouse names like (inaudible) as well.
So that just gives you an example of how far they have gone. But look, let me take you back six days. This was the scene, this is a team celebrating
a historic victory over a big (inaudible) San Lorenzo.
This is when after they booked their place in the final, and then you transition and compare that with the heart wrenching scenes and the somber
images that we were seeing in the dressing room from earlier in the day. The players left behind that didn't travel. You see the devastation there.
Back to you, Hannah.
JONES: Yes, a meteoric rise, Patrick, and now Brazil punching into national mourning as well. But how is the wider football world been
responding to this tragedy?
SNELL: Hannah, you know when you think of Brazil and Brazilian football and culture there is no bigger name than Payle and you're quite right, the
words and tributes have been pouring forth for Payle himself from this tweet, "Brazilian football is in mourning. It is such a tragic loss. My
since condolences to the families of the deceased. Rest in peace."
And from the Brazilian Football Confederation president, Marco Polo Delnero, "We are living one of the most tragic pages in the history of
Brazilian sport and I regret deeply the loss of players, coaching staff, media professionals, managers, and crew. May we all have a lot of strength
and light to overcome this moment."
But I just want to bring in the fact that the Colombian team that they were about to play, Chapecoense, what a terrific gesture from them, they have
actually publicly stated that they feel now that the championship should have been handed to what would have been their opponents.
This is a mark, a tribute, as a mark of respect, hand the trophy, give them that symbolic title as well, and also Brazilian clubs as well offering
reportedly to loan their players to them to what would have a rival club for a year free of charge as well.
But also elsewhere in the footballing world, reaction coming in, let me take you to two powerhouse names from Europe as well ahead of their
routine, training sessions. Anything but routine, anything but routine when you look at this.
This is Real Madrid, the 11-time champions of Europe, a minute of silence for (inaudible) ahead of a training session today. They are great rivals,
but there are no great rivals on days like this. The football community pulls together. This is Barcelona ahead of their training session
impeccably observing a minute of silence as well. Back to you.
JONES: Patrick, we appreciate it, thanks very much indeed on how the football world is responding to this horrific event and we will have plenty
more on the breaking news we're bringing you this hour, about the two black boxes that have been recovered and the information that that might give us
as to how this plane crash actually happened.
Turning now to the United States, the transition of power, Donald Trump is showing that he is serious about dismantling President Barack Obama's
signature health care program.
Today, he named a fierce critic of Obamacare as his health and human services secretary, that's Republican Congressman Tom Price. We are
expecting at least one other big appointment today. Our sources say former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao has been tapped to head the Transportation
Department.
Trump apparently hasn't made up his mind yet about secretary of state. He meets for a second time with one leading candidate for that role, that is
Mitt Romney, for dinner this evening.
Well, even as he build his cabinet, Trump is firing off tweets, attacking the media, and the constitutionally protected form of protest. He says
burning the American flag should be penalized with possible jail time or loss of citizenship. A White House spokesman responded with this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Many Americans, the vast majority of Americans, myself included, find the burning of the flag
offensive. But we have a responsibility as a country to carefully protect our rights that are enshrined in the Constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Let's talk about all of these developments now with Karen Tumulty, a national political correspondent for "The Washington Post." Karen,
thanks for joining us on the program.
Let's talk about the drip, drip announcements of this cabinet to start off with. It is quite an unconventional approach. What do you make of Donald
Trump's style in announcing his cabinet picks? Is this a man in control?
[15:30:00]KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "WASHINGTON POST": He's almost brought the culture of reality television to a
presidential transition. He likes to sort of build up the suspense, build up the drama and certainly nowhere more than in this secretary of state
decision where there are a bunch sort of candidates duking it out behind the scenes.
In front of the cameras, Trump aides, Kellyanne Conway is out on TV denouncing one of the possible contenders for the job even as Donald Trump
himself is having dinner with Mitt Romney. It seems in part to be aimed that kind of maximizing the suspense, maximizing the drama. There is a
real sort of showmanship to it.
JONES: Let's talk about defense then and the possible picks for that role. General Petraeus has been named and of course, the irony of this is that
General Petraeus is a man who was disgraced for his mishandling of classified information when Donald Trump has spent months criticizing
Hillary Clinton for her alleged mishandling of classified information as well. That doesn't seem to fall to him, though, when it comes to his
defense pick.
TUMULTY: We'll see where he goes on this choice, but you know, at this point, one thing is clear is that foreign policy as it has with most recent
White Houses is much more likely to be run out of the White House than it is of the State Department.
JONES: Donald Trump has spent quite a lot of time in the last couple of days taking on the media, particularly taking on CNN as well and free
speech. Let's start with the idea of the punishment if you burn the American flag, how controversial is that? Is it even possible to bring in
the kind of jail time or punishments that he has been suggesting in 140 characters on Twitter?
TUMULTY: It's far from clear why he is deciding to do this. The fact is that the number of flag burning incidents in this country has gone down
quite a bit, and what it would take to impose some kind of legal penalty on it would be a constitutional amendment.
So is Donald Trump ready to spearhead the drive for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Because the Supreme Court has spoken on this issue at
least twice and in both cases, they have said that burning the flag, as repugnant as most people find it, is a constitutionally protected form of
free speech.
JONES: OK, so that is an attack on free speech, thinking about the attack on the free press essentially as well. He seems to be sort of deliberately
antagonizing the media and this is all so unprecedented when you think that no other presidents or presidents-elect has really done this to this scale
just ahead of getting into the oval office. Why is he doing it?
TUMULTY: He is doing it because a lot of people will stand up and cheer for him when he does it. The media is despised by most people in this
country. It is just sort of, you know, it is his choice to do this. We have not seen him move seriously to do anything like tighten the liable
laws or some of the things that he threaten during his campaign.
That is something that I personally and I think most people in my profession would take a lot more seriously than the sort of fits of peak
that come through his Twitter account.
I think at some point we will have to all just grow a thicker skin on this because it is just a way of -- it's an applause line just like, you know, a
campaign speech to beat up on the media.
JONES: Yes, the media will have to do something about it if we are going to keep up with the allegations coming from the president-elect. Karen, we
appreciate it. Karen Tumulty, thanks very much indeed.
We now want to talk to one of our reporters who is personally targeted by Donald Trump in this fire storm of tweets the other night, our senior
Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, joins me now live. Jeff, have you done anything to particularly annoy Donald Trump in the past? Do you know
why you were targeted?
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think as Karen said, it's a way to engage his supporters. It is a way to -- there
are fewer sort of elements of society or professions that are more unpopular, perhaps Washington, than the media.
So by engaging Donald Trump, you know, simply is cheering on his supporters. But last night in particular, it seemed as though, just by
given the timing of the tweets, Donald Trump was responding to a story that we had here on CNN really pointing in direct terms that yes, he has said
that he would have won the popular election if not for millions of people voting illegally.
So he was making a suggestion there was a voter fraud. Well, in fact, he did not come forward with evidence of that, his aides have said, you know,
there is no evidence of that. Independent election officials in both parties have said, no, there is no evidence of that.
So we simply called that out and said there is no evidence. Shortly after that Donald Trump began retweeting messages from his supporters that were
raising questions about his fraud suggestions here.
[15:10:12]So his supporters believe him. No doubt about it and he is certainly entitled to that, but he has not entitled to his own facts and as
of yet, he has not put out any evidence that information, you know, to show that millions of people voted illegally.
So I responded to him last night on Twitter, asking him for that evidence and he went into a few more tweets, you know, sort of taking a swipe at
CNN, which he likes to do.
JONES: He certainly does. When you contacted the transition team, Donald Trump's team, and said what is the evidence that shows that there has been
illegal voting going on in the United States, and they said they don't have anything. Is there any embarrassment to the fact that they don't have
anything to back up what the president-elect is saying?
ZELENY: No, not at all. I mean, they believe that this is one way that Donald Trump engages with his supporters. He has been unable to go to
campaign rallies now since the election has been over because there are no rallies for 20 or 21 days or so.
So I think by going on Twitter, he engages directly with some of his supporters here and imagine the thrill of this one person right here we
have on the screen @filibuster. That was sent from someone that says they're a 16-year-old.
Imagine the thrill of a Donald Trump supporter at age 16 who is suddenly singled out like that from all of the tweets out there. He certainly got
thousands of new followers. So this is a way for Donald Trump to engage his supporters, never mind the facts that there is simply there is no truth
to a lot of these allegations.
He can certainly take a criticism at CNN. That's, you know, certainly within his right here in the U.S. He's constitutionally protected by that,
but his facts are one thing and we simply are asking them for that evidence and so far there is no evidence that it exists.
JONES: That 16-year-old better watch out he doesn't call for the cabinet anytime soon. Jeff Zeleny, thanks very much for joining us on the program.
Appreciate it.
Donald Trump isn't just focused on domestic issues today, the office of British Prime Minister Theresa May says the two spoke by phone and agreed
to continue building a close relationship during the transition period.
They also discussed the importance of NATO and the need of member states to meet their financial commitments, something that Donald Trump himself
talked a lot about during the campaign.
Still to come tonight, the Pentagon concludes its investigation of deadly strike on Syrian aligned forces two months ago. We'll get a live report
from Washington on that.
And they're running out of food in a war zone. The disaster facing Aleppo, civilians is about to get even worse. All of that and much more when THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: It's a blunder that may further complicate U.S.-Russian relations in Syria. The U.S. thought it was hitting ISIS, but coalition aircraft
killed dozens of forces aligned with Syrian troops instead.
[15:20:10]Now the Pentagon is blaming human error for that deadly mistake just two months ago. CNN's chief U.S. security correspondent, Jim Sciutto,
joins me now live. Jim, human error, is that a good enough explanation for those on the receiving end of this airstrike?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It is arguable there would be none good enough, but U.S. Air Force Central Command went
through the process here. They looked and said it was a series of unintentional errors basically reading the intelligence wrong.
They were off about two miles. They misread what they thought to be ISIS fighters when in fact they were Syrian fighters allied with the Assad
regime and Russia.
(Inaudible) as you dig down on this report, there was actually a dissenting intelligence analyst on determining these were ISIS fighters because among
the group of fighters was a tank.
Other intelligence analysts said that, well, ISIS has been known to steal tanks so it could still be ISIS. There was one analyst who said, listen,
if it's a tank, it may not be.
But this is what often happens, sometimes people reading the same intelligence make different conclusions and this one was a deadly mistake.
The other thing that came out in the investigation was that the U.S. and Russia have actually set up a hotline for just this very purpose, and this
was a case where the U.S. gave Russia advanced warning that this strike was going to take place.
As it was underway, it was clear that it was not the forces the U.S. believe. They were talking, the Russians actually called the U.S., but
they could not get through to the point of contact. It wasn't there.
Rather than relaying the message, the Russians waited a number of minutes before that point of contact was available that was about halfway through
this airstrike when that information was conveyed and they stopped the airstrike, but of course, that was after several people were already
killed.
JONES: Jim, what is the likely response from the Assad regime and the Russians as well given that both of them are seemingly intentionally
targeting civilians with their airstrikes?
SCIUTTO: Well, that's just exactly the point that should be kept in mind here. This was a mistake. It was a deadly mistake. U.S. thought it was
ISIS. It was forces allied with the Assad regime and Russia.
But let's be frank, there is an enormous amount of evidence that has been compiled that Russian airstrikes and Assad regime airstrikes, we know this
for years, have intentionally targeted civilians, hospitals, et cetera.
We've seen the human cost of that in a city like Aleppo that is underway so just as you look at this big picture that's something that has to be kept
in mind. This was a mistake, but there have been many intentional strikes targeting people not involved in the fighting at all.
JONES: Jim, we appreciate it. Jim Sciutto, thank you.
The senior special advisor to the U.N. envoy to Syria tells CNN he thinks a humanitarian pause in the fighting can be achieved in Aleppo. Jan Egeland
says all of the powers involved in Syria, including Russia and the United States will meet on Thursday to hear that appeal.
Ground forces loyal to the Assad regime that entered the area on Saturday, they have gained the dark red areas, you see on this map, since then. The
U.N. says around 16,000 civilians have been displaced and an estimated 250,000 remain in Eastern Aleppo. They are running out of food and clean
water.
Earlier today, I spoke to Stephen O'Brian, who is the U.N. under-secretary- general for humanitarian affairs. I began by asking him how the world can sit idle while genocide unfolds in Aleppo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHEN O'BRIAN, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: I think we need to be cautious about using words like genocide or
(inaudible) saying who is to blame. We're in a very large situation where for many years and indeed in recent weeks, the United Nations,
humanitarians, and their implementing partners in the local NGOs and local people have been working feverishly to try to reach people in desperate
need of food, shelter, medicines, and treatments --
JONES: But nothing has changed. This is the problem. This has been six years of civil war in Syria. It's really only been in the last couple of
few weeks that we have seen this big uptick in the regime action and Russian action in Aleppo itself. I'm wondering about the U.N. in
particular. Is the U.N. now defunct of purpose given the fact that is has failed to act to save these people?
O'BRIAN: Well, I think if you were to ask many people in Eastern Aleppo and the rest of Syria, look, whatever we do is never going to be
sufficient. But there have been extraordinarily brave and courageous U.N. and humanitarian problems.
Many of whom have lost their lives and some of them have been injured who have saved millions and millions of lives over this course of the Syrian
terrible civil war. So yes, it will always be insufficient because of the scale of what we're faced with is so huge.
JONES: But the regime is now dropping leaflets on the civilians in Eastern Aleppo telling them that the world has forgotten you. The world is
ignoring you. Are they right? Are these 200,000 people just sitting ducks waiting to be killed?
[15:25:10]O'BRIAN: They haven't been forgotten because of course, I'm not only been having this interview. I've been making these points for years
or the last 18 months and certainly the Security Council. The question is there is always only a political solution in order to stop the siege and
attacks, violence, death, and bombs.
But in the meantime, the humanitarians, the ones who have braved reaching people and trying to reach people, to secure a grim of safe passage, the
money from the donations from the taxpayers that's watching this program that you are broadcasting.
They're the ones that give us the means to do it, but to start attacking the United Nations humanitarians are the ones who are actually reaching
people. I think you would get a very different answer if you asked some of the people in Aleppo, whose lives have been saved because of the brave and
courageous United Nations.
As I said this is not sufficient because not enough people have saying, but I think to suddenly say just as it is happening that the United Nations,
the highest body in the world, with no alternative in order to try and find some resolution between these terrible disputes that breakout between non-
state actors as well as state is now defunct --
JONES: Do you have a plan, though? Is there a plan of action? You mentioned there about speaking to people directly in Aleppo. We were
speaking to a group called "Doctors Under Fire" just last week and they were saying that they have a plan. They know what they want.
They want no fly zones. They want aerial aid drops. They want safe channels of passage for aid and people. Does the United Nations have a
proactive plan than can actually be implemented before we see the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of more people?
O'BRIAN: Not only do we have a plan, which has been agreed by the armed opposition groups, but not by Russia and not by the government of Syria at
the moment. We have had many plans which have been agreed on by the other side at times and in many other places as well as Aleppo.
In other countries, in Yemen, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, but what does matter is to recognize that there is a massive difference between
particularly given the scale we're dealing with, wanting things to happen.
And of course, we all want safe passage. We demand safe passage as part of the impartial, independent and neutral humanitarian principles and law that
we can demand that with member states.
They don't have to agree, but we demand it. But we do need to make sure we can get our drivers, to get in the cabs and drive, and they are not
suicidal. They are certainly brave. We had 20 of them killed very recently as they were trying to deliver that aid.
JONES: Do you personally feel let down by the politics?
O'BRIAN: I know that there would be less humanitarian need in the world if the politics at the local level and the highest international level were
working.
JONES: Let's talk about numbers, 16,000 people have been displaced so far in Eastern Aleppo in this conflict. There are several hundred thousand
people still remaining there. These people want to leave. They are currently trapped. If they do try to get out, do they have anywhere safe
to go? Are they safest in effect under the regime control?
O'BRIAN: It's now about 20,000 who have fled and about 200,000 we estimate still stuck in Eastern Aleppo and the main flight is to the west into
Western Aleppo. We have about prepositioned food for 40,000. There are places where U.N. and humanitarian partners, including NGO's and others are
in a position to receive people where they choose to come to.
But of course, part of what is humanitarian is people must be free to go where they wish, not to be corralled into places, which are to be further
entrapment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: That was Stephen O'Brian, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief speaking to me earlier on.
Law enforcement sources tell CNN they believe the Ohio State University attacker was inspired by ISIS and the cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki. Earlier the
media wing of ISIS said Abdul Razak Ali Artan was an ISIS soldier, though, it didn't offer any evidence of that.
The investigators says there is no indication Artan communicated with any terror group. He had posted on Facebook that he was sick and tired of
seeing fellow Muslims, quote, "killed and tortured."
Artan rammed his car into a group of people on campus then charged passersby with a knife. Eleven people were hurt. A police officer shot
and killed him when he ignored orders to stop.
Still to come on THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, we return to the investigation into the plane crash in Colombia. What could have led to the tragedy that
killed at least 75 people? Do stay with us for more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:05] JONES: Welcome back to THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Let's take a look at this hour's top global headlines stories for you.
Colombia's Civil Aviation agency says both black boxes have been found after a plane crash. Officials say they found six people alive from the
wreckage. And the death toll stands at 75. The tragic flight was carrying a Brazilian football team and several journalists.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed a fierce critic of Obamacare to his cabinet. He taps Republican Congressman Tom Price as
Health and Human Services Secretary, calling him part of his dream team that will overhaul the U.S. health care system.
Hundreds of buildings has been destroyed in fires near America's Great Smoky Mountains National Park as the resort-to-see of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
has been inundated by forest fires. Dozens of structures including a 16- storey hotel has burned. The area has been suffering from a record drought.
I've got more now on our top story. Colombian Air Force officials say they had to abort one mission to the plane crash site because of the weather.
Well, let's get more on those conditions and find out if it may have been a factor at all in this accident. Meteorologist Tom Sater is at the World
Weather Center for us.
Tom, what are you learning?
TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, Hannah, in most cases in tragedies like this where there are airlines that go down, we can give you a
definitive answer. If thunder storms were there, blossoming at the time of the event, we can tell you yes or no. If the skies were clear, it's a
little more difficult with this tragedy.
The inner tropical convergence zone this time of year triggers massive thunders storms across the northern countries in South America. There's no
rhyme or reason. You can't track this like a cold front. They develop out of nowhere, really giving fits to pilots and meteorologists alike. And you
could see thunderstorms that were in the air.
During the afternoon, the cloud tops of some of these storms reached 48,000 feet. That's much higher than your flight level, at 30,000 or 39,000. So
it would make sense that if pilots are going to see this, they'll fly around them.
This is a little more difficult. At the airport, we can see some large thunder storms at the time of the event. And keep in mind, this is about
10 p.m. at night. But near our crash, though, and there's a small one, we cannot knock out the possibility, maybe, that caused a problem. But let's
dig in a little bit more.
After they left Bogota and they went to the north, you're going to start to get an idea of the terrain. The airport Medellin's about 2,100 meters.
Where the crash site zone is 2,700 meters, so it's much higher. That could be quite a problem.
We know from search teams on the ground that gave us a GPS positioning of where this is right now. It's between the towns of La Ceja, La Union. And
so you can see that, of course, it's more difficult to get there by vehicle, so that, of course, with thunder storms in the area, some crews
had to turn around. But notice the terrain. We can even show you some of the photographs and it makes you wonder if the pilot was even able to see
this patch of clearing. Most likely not because it was 10 p.m. at night.
[15:34:55] But take a look at this. If we go back to "Flightradar24," this website gives us an idea of the flight path. Notice the interesting
circulation toward the end. One would wonder, were they given maybe a little time before they landed? We know that's not the case. Were there
thunderstorms? Yes. Maybe they were circulating that for a little bit.
We went back and looked at past flights. Most pilots that enter this airport do this same maneuver because of the high elevation. So everything
seem to be normal. Even at looking at the flight data. In blue is your elevation for the aircraft and yellow is the speed. Everything seemed to
be fine, 30,000 cruising altitude. Everything was fine to the end, until just before the crash.
We have a little dip and then an increase in the speed. But with an increase in the speed, you do not have an increase in the elevation. So
we're not sure, was he in a downdraft and tried to get back up? Did he see a mountain and had to lift? Only the voice and data recorders will be able
to tell that. Unfortunately, for the crews there and the investigators, more rainfall and it gets a little heavier in the next 24 hours.
Just a tragic story, Hannah.
VAUGHN JONES: It certainly is. Tom Sater, thanks very much indeed. We're going to get more now on what could have happened to this plane and what
investigators will be looking for, of course, as they continue to comb through the wreckage as well. I'm joined now by the CNN aviation analyst,
Les Abend.
Les, great to have you on the program. The breaking news that we've been bringing our viewers this hour is that both black boxes have indeed been
found. Now, how crucial will that be in terms of trying to determine what did happen?
LES ABEND, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, the black boxes are part of the evidence, Hannah. It's all part of the jigsaw puzzle. And Tom was talking
about one piece of the jigsaw puzzle, which happen to be the environment in this pick or tease (ph) weather. So was this airplane involved with a
weather event? Did it experience turbulence or thunder storm? It's hard to day. Those black boxes will help with that.
Both with the cockpit voice recorder and the digital flight data recorder will indicate, you know, what was the airplane doing at the time? What was
the crew talking about? There was speculation about an emergency was declared. Was their emergency as a result of the weather or was the
emergency already had occurred as a separate event? It's all very hard.
I always preface these accidents that are such tragedies, and especially in this particular case with such young folks on the airline that were revered
by the Brazilians, that this, indeed, has to be looked at from every aspect. To me, looking at the crash site photos itself, it would indicate
that this was a lower speed event because there's big fragments of the airplane. And the fact that we have six survivors is also an indication
that, perhaps, this all occurred at a lower speed.
So you factor all this stuff in. Did they have an emergency where not only was he environment, with the weather that Tom spoke of, being a factor, or,
you know, was the emergency itself a factor? There is a lot of terrain challenges in this area. Did they lose their situational awareness and not
know where they were? This is all items that the investigation team will look into.
And I've flown down to this country and it is very challenging. It require very specific airport procedures before we actually flew into, for
instance, Bogota is the one I was more familiar with.
VAUGHN JONES: Les, 81 people on board this flight. Is there any way of knowing from the information that we have, so far, of whether the plane
went down immediately, whether any of those 81 on board will have known that there was a problem before the crash?
ABEND: You know, it's hard to say at this point in time. I'd hate to speculate on that and, you know, cause some angst with the families.
VAUGHN JONES: Sure.
ABEND: You know, they may have been experiencing turbulence. As far as did they know that there was a problem where they might be impacting the
ground, it's very hard to say. It seems to me that the weather situation would preclude anybody being able to look out the windows especially in the
dark of night, if there was rain showers and so and so forth.
VAUGHN JONES: Right.
ABEND: So that's a hard question to answer right now.
VAUGHN JONES: What about the aircraft itself? There have been some suggestions today that the plane should have never been in the air at all
anyway, and it was quite an old aircraft.
ABEND: Well, interesting you just say that. This aircraft is a derivative of an older model called BAe, British Aerospace, 146 four-engine airplane,
as this one was, but this was a more technologically advanced aircraft. It improved upon a very, what happen to be in the States -- we did fly them a
lot in the United States with regional carriers -- a very inefficient airplane and a lot of carriers got rid of them very quickly.
Unfortunately, among pilots and among mechanics, it had a reputation for unreliability. Not serious stuff necessarily but it's departure
reliability was very much suspect.
VAUGHN JONES: And, Les, just one final question. Six people, we understand, have survived although in hospitals still and we will, of
course, monitor their recovery. How miraculous is that to survive a plane crash from that kind of altitude?
[15:40:10] ABEND: Well, it's very miraculous, but let me preface that with the fact that this will help the investigators with clues. The fact that
they survived would give a good indication on what the attitude of that airplane was. In other words, as it pitch up, nose down? Was it a low
speed event? Which leads me to believe it was because we did have survivors. If it was a high speed event, there would be a lot of fragments
and no chance of surviving any sort of blunt trauma like apparently these folks have.
VAUGHN JONES: Les Abend, thanks so much for your expertise on this. CNN's aviation analyst Les Abend.
ABEND: My pleasure.
VAUGHN JONES: We turn now to the sex abuse scandal rocking English football right now. Barry Bennell, the former coach at the center of the
allegations, is being charged with eight counts of sexual assault against a teenage boy. It comes as the head of English football says the allegations
are one of the biggest crisis his organization has ever faced. Erin McLaughlin has the very latest.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hannah, it's clear the U.K. Football Association realizes its credibility is at stake. More than 20 former
football players have come forward alleging abuse as children. For the first time, F.A. Chairman Greg Clarke took questions about the growing
scandal. He acknowledged the, quote, "moral consequences" of failing to deal with these issues in the past. He was asked if the F.A. had evidence
of a cover up. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG CLARKE, CHAIRMAN, THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: I don't know if it was covered up or not, I really don't know. I suspect that like many big
problems, people aren't drawn towards them. My methodology is, if there is a problem, run towards it, embrace it, fix it, disclose everything that
happened. I think institutionally, all organizations that are male-based used to protect themselves by keeping quiet and closing ranks. That's
completely inappropriate and unacceptable today, which is why we had an independent-led inquiry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: The F.A. Chairman emphasized that he did not want to speculate. He says the F.A. is working to be as transparent as possible.
He said an independent investigator is working to create a time line that dates back to 1990 to establish the facts then release the findings to the
public and accept the consequences. And no time line has been established for the investigation. He made clear that it would not interfere with
ongoing police investigations.
Now, when I asked, Clarke said they are in contact with FIFA, which says they're monitoring the situation. The F.A. is trying to encourage victims
to come forward. The hope is to fully understand the extent of the abuse in order to help the victims and make sure this never happens again --
Hannah.
VAUGHN JONES: Erin McLaughlin there. We're staying with this story. And meanwhile, Chelsea Football Club says it is opening an investigation into
an unnamed employee in the 1970s who has since died. And the statement does not specify the nature of this investigation, although it does mention
sexual abuse.
Still ahead on the program, Cubans concerned over Donald Trump. As the island nation mourns the death of Fidel Castro, it worries about what the
President-elect might mean for relations with the United States. That story is up next.
Also ahead, we'll tell you how one American city is combating a surge in human trafficking by putting the problem center stage. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:49] VAUGHN JONES: Welcome back. People in Cuba are preparing for a large rally in Havana's Revolution Square to mourn the death of long-time
former leader Fidel Castro. World leaders have begun to arrive to pay their respects. Among the first there is Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro.
And it's another day of long lines at Castro's memorial site. Cuba is in the midst of nine days of official mourning that will come to an end with
Castro's funeral on Sunday. The Russian and American presidents will not be there.
It is unclear if relations with the U.S. might change under Donald Trump. And some in Cuba are already worried. Ed Lavandera has more now from
Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the shadow of this historic church, Chef Hector Santana is building his future on Angel Hill in old Havana.
Santana says it's a myth that Havana is nothing more than crumbling buildings. Four years ago, he and his business partner, Jacqueline Fumero
opened Cafe del Angel, or Angel Cafe. Since the thawing of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, he says he's seen tourists
flooding this colonial era neighborhood.
So they had a restaurant here. There was two tables. They're expanding here, have tables outside. And now, they're going to put four tables
inside because they're getting so much business so they're able to expand. That's what you're seeing here.
Santana is spending his modest profits expanding this restaurant at an uneasy time. For the first time, Cubans will now experience operating
their own businesses without the ever present gaze of Fidel Castro looming over them.
Donald Trump is threatening to, quote, "terminate" the reestablished diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. Trump administration
officials say Cuba needs to become less repressive, free political prisoners, and embrace a more open economic system.
Jacqueline Fumero says she doesn't think Trump will close the door that President Obama has already opened. She says it's like Cuban and American
politicians have given a baby sweet candy, and they can't take this opportunity away now. Fumero and Santana say running a business in Cuba is
far from easy. Strict regulations and permits are tedious. But Santana says this opportunity is the reason he stayed in Havana.
He says in recent years, with the opportunity to open up a business here in Havana, if he wasn't able to do that, he probably would have left the
country by now. Santana says he wants to continue building his future here, and he's banking that the angels are looking over his small cafe.
LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Havana, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: To the U.S. state of California now, the city of Oakland recently shut down its streets for an unusual reason, a hip hop concert designed to
raise awareness about human trafficking.
The "CNN FREEDOM PROJECT" is bringing you a whole week of special coverage looking at the all too prevalent trade in human beings. Our Sara Sidner
has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A hip hop concert with a noble purpose. The city of Oakland closing down a busy section of downtown to send a
strong message. Human trafficking has no place in this city.
MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: And we are very excited to be announcing the launch of reportjohn.org.
SIDNER: The site aims to crackdown on demand for the sexually exploited by encouraging people to photograph the license plate numbers of vehicles
belonging to suspected sex buyers. Once uploaded to reportjohn.org, police send a warning letter to the address where the vehicle is registered.
The concern, though, is whether the site itself could be exploited with license plate numbers being sent in anonymously by people simply looking to
cause problems for the owner of that vehicle.
[15:50:04] SCHAAF: This is an innovative approach. Every innovation has its risks, but we have already sent out 200 letters and we have not gotten
a single complaint.
SIDNER: The city, like many others around the country, is hoping to fight back against the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It's an issue
front and center in Oakland and the entire San Francisco Bay area.
In September, four OPD officers were fired as part of a department-wide sex scandal that began last fall. One has pled not guilty. An 18-year-old
former prostitute alleged she had sex with police officers starting when she was just 17 in exchange for money or tipoffs about upcoming raids.
SCHAAF: It's shameful that the city of Oakland is one of the biggest hot spots for human trafficking, but it would be more shameful to be silent
about it.
SIDNER: And while the scandal continues to rage, the city's concert, festival organizers, and performers are resolute, saying this is a chance
to write a new chapter for the future of the city.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Oakland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUGHN JONES: Tomorrow, a teenager refugee in Athens tells us how he and other young refugees like him end up tangled in the sex trade just to
survive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's shocking. It's shocking, really shocking. You know, they are desperate. There is no way out, unless they find money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I am not doing this because I like it. If I wanted to do something nice, I would date a girl. I was forced
to do it because I had no money. Otherwise, I would stay with a girl instead of going with an old man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUGHN JONES: So it's all part of the "CNN FREEDOM PROJECT" special series tackling demands. Stay with us on THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. We'll be right
back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUGHN JONES: All this week on CNN, we're taking a closer look at one of the world's fastest growing economies. India's huge population puts huge
stress on its power grid, but a clean and abundant energy source could be the key to providing electricity to more people. Andrew Stevens bring us
this installment of "INDIA 2020."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW STEVENS, CNNMONEY ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: The sun goes down and the lights come up. Most people around the world would take that for granted.
But in India, nearly one out of every four people does not have access to electricity. It's primarily a problem in rural areas, but even big cities
suffer from frequent power outages.
At this hospital in Delhi, solar panels help take the burden off of the building's backup generator. Doctor C.M. Bhagat says this system has
lowered his electricity bills by nearly 20 percent, and that's not the only benefit he sees.
DR. C.M. BHAGAT, BHAGAT CHANDRA HOSPITAL: It gives me satisfaction that I'm helping in direction of the carbon footprint. You see, we are all part
-- a very minuscule part, we are -- of this planet, but I think we can all make small, small contributions to save this planet.
STEVENS (voice-over): Dr. Bhagat says he plans to increase his use of solar energy. Hospitals and schools make up most of Orb Energy's
commercial clients. The Bangalore-based company sees ripe opportunities ahead.
[15:55:05] N.P. RAMESH, COO, ORB ENERGY: We find that solar today is starting to compete with the normal grid power. We have installed about 30
megawatts of solar so far. And our goal is to do about 2 gigawatts by 2022.
STEVENS (voice-over): Orb designs and manufacturers a range of solar systems, from water heaters to street lights. It recently started a
financing division to help customers with the initial investment. It says most products begin to pay for themselves after one to three years. In
early 2017, Orb opened a third factory to produce its own solar panels. Ramesh says that's an important step to control the quality and the price.
RAMESH: It's about 70 percent of the cost of the total system, so we would like to control these. These modules come with full cells, so that means
we don't cut the cells. The productivity improves when you do these kind of modules, and these are the exact kind of modules which are required for
bigger power plants.
STEVENS (voice-over): ORB also makes small charging stations that can power televisions, mobile phones, and labs. The company started selling
those kits in Africa two years ago.
RAMESH: There is an opportunity for doing the bigger power in Africa, but as of now, the focus is more on the smaller systems. It's a different
market from India. India is more starting to become more metro, whereas Africa still would take, I think, five to six years before it's up to this
stage.
STEVEN (voice-over): The International Energy Agency predicts that renewables will become the biggest source of energy in India by 2035. And
solar power may well bring light to millions of people currently living off the grid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUGHN JONES: And finally, this evening, to a meeting of great minds that don't necessarily think alike. Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and Pope
Francis met on Monday at a science conference. The former is one of the world's most famous atheist which would, in theory, make for an awkward
meeting with the head of the Catholic Church. However, it's not his first audience.
And just before the meeting, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences tweeted that three Popes had already acknowledged Professor Hawking's scientific
contributions, so Pope Francis makes four.
This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thanks so much for watching. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
