AirAsia Search; Boehner Re-Elected Speaker Despite GOP Opposition
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Happening now: exclusive views of the AirAsia crash search. We're learning about new finds in dangerous water and a warning to the plane's pilots that may have been missed. Nuclear threat, North Korea edging closer to being capable of a nightmare attack that could reach the West Coast of the United States. New Ferguson investigation, the NAACP alleging prosecutor misconduct in the grand jury proceedings after Michael Brown's death and asks a judge to take new action. And the so-called weeper of the House. John Boehner gets emotional, very emotional as Republicans take control of Congress and he overcomes GOP challenges to his power. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in</s>THE SITUATION ROOM. ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: We're following breaking news at the AirAsia crash site. Dive teams are standing by to rejoin the search now if there is a break in bad weather that has kept them out of the water for about 24 hours, and it is just after sunrise off the coast of Indonesia when the search usually gets back under way. Investigators are studying two new metal objects discovered in the crash zone as crews tried to get closer to the area where they believe the plane went down. We're covering all the news that's breaking right now. The State Department's deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf, she is standing by live,along with our CNN correspondents and our analysts. First, let's go to our aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh. She has the very latest -- Rene.</s>RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the search area has expanded to account for the sea current moving critical pieces of evidence belonging to the doomed jetliner. Meantime, CNN has obtained a hard copy of the weather report authorities say the pilots didn't pick up prior to takeoff.</s>MARSH (voice-over): Indonesian officials say AirAsia Flight 8501 threw through storm clouds that could have caused icing on the plane and that may have caused the crash. This document obtained by CNN shows the official government weather report forecasting conditions the pilots would encounter. Indonesian government officials tell CNN, there's no indication AirAsia staff picked up a hard copy, potentially a missed opportunity to discuss the report with the agency.</s>PATRICK SMITH, AUTHOR: I'm not necessarily seeing these things as any indication of negligence on the carrier's part, on the crew's part. I mean, it depends. We don't know exactly what weather information, what weather data the crew didn't allegedly see and how relevant that is to what happened.</s>MARSH: The airline says the pilots got the documents electronically, but since the crash, Indonesia now requires pilots to do face-to-face briefing with flight operations officers about conditions on the flight path. More than 40 vessels, 20 helicopters, and 97 divers are deployed to the search zone.</s>BAMBANG SULISTYO, INDONESIAN NATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE CHIEF (through translator): The USS Fort Worth detected sonar of two metal objects, but we still need to confirm if this is part of the plane.</s>MARSH: One object, about 56 feet long, the other, 14 feet, elsewhere, a life vest, safety cards and bodies recovered, a total 39 of the 162 people on board pulled from the Java Sea. Muslim religious leaders on a search helicopter pray for the victims. Indonesia's military chief now offering to take families to the crash zone for some closure.</s>GEN. MOELDOKO, INDONESIAN MILITARY CHIEF (through translator): I will prepare Hercules and ships either tomorrow or anytime. I will offer my help to the families of the victims.</s>MARSH: Today, monsoons, rains, muddy water, high waves and poor visibility hampered the dangerous underwater search for the plane's black boxes. The boxes have locator pingers that can be detected with sensors. But each day of delay, the batteries come closer to running out. The manufacturer tells CNN fresh batteries were installed just last year. They will fade in another three weeks.</s>MARSH: This has not only resulted in a policy change for Indonesia's aviation system, but AirAsia now also requires a face-to-face weather briefing between pilots and the government's weather agency. We should note the airline's handling of this weather information prior to takeoff remains under investigation, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. Rene, Thank you, Rene Marsh reporting. Let's go live to Indonesia right now. CNN's Kyung Lah is on the scene for us. She's been inside the AirAsia search command center. What is the latest over there, Kyung?</s>KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in Jakarta, it is where the shots are being called. It is the nerve center, the place where the head of the operation is determining where the search will take place. And we got a very rare look at this nerve center. The head of the operation showing us how he directs some 20 aircraft and 40 ships at sea. The aircraft, while we were there, spotted two bodies. And then he dispatched ships to those exact coordinates and then confirmed that indeed those were the two bodies. This is a painstaking process, one that is being repeated over and over again, the planes combing back and forth across the Java Sea, hoping to find any wreckage, any bodies, the head of the operation saying he has two goals. One, find the bodies. Two, find those all- important black boxes. Wolf, and he has a deep suspicion, also, that there could be large sections of the plane sitting at the sea with people still strapped to their seats -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Do they think they have enough personnel, planes, ships, sophisticated sonar equipment, already in place or do they need more?</s>LAH: We actually asked him that exact question. He said he feels that he has the people in place. This is a multinational search. He couldn't tell us even exactly how many countries, how many ships and planes each one had contributed to the search. He says that he believes they have the resources, that they are narrowing down the search. They know where to look. It is just a matter optimizing the pieces that they have in place, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Kyung Lah reporting live from Jakarta, Indonesia. That's where the search is headquartered. Let's get an exclusive look now at an American warship's role in the AirAsia search operation and the frustrations after days of very rough weather. CNN's Paula Hancocks spent some time on the USS Sampson. She is now back on land in Indonesia. How did it go, Paula? What did you see?</s>PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the weather on Tuesday was actually better than it has been for many days. This is what we heard from the U.S. commander on board as well. But even though it was better above the waves, below the waves, the divers still couldn't get in. It was too murky. But it is a 24-hour operation at sea. As you say, we have got an exclusive look to see what the U.S. effort is.</s>HANCOCKS (voice-over): Scouring the vast expanse of the Java Sea. Those on board the USS Sampson work around the clock to find anything connected to Flight 8501.</s>CMDR. STEVEN M. FOLEY, USS SAMPSON: Recovered a lot of debris and bodies, and quite tragic it sounds, it just brings closure to the families.</s>HANCOCKS: A visit of appreciation Tuesday from Indonesia's military chief.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gets really choppy. This is about the best it's been.</s>HANCOCKS: General Moeldoko has a few words for the U.S. troops, words, he says, are meant for all countries who are helping.</s>GEN. MOELDOKO, INDONESIAN MILITARY CHIEF (through translator): Thank you very much.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're trying to do is rule in or rule out...</s>HANCOCKS: The general is convinced they are working in the right area, but he is also acutely aware of the challenges of this mission. "Strong winds and currents," he tells me. "The waves are not easy and muddy waters make it hard for divers. I welcome the families here to see the situation for themselves and to throw a flower into the water." Aboard the KRI Banda Aceh, he meets his own troops coordinating the search efforts. (on camera): This is really the command center of the operation at sea. This is an Indonesian warship. Behind me, you have got a U.S. helicopter that has just touched down, which shows the cooperation that's needed for this kind of operation and the international help that is being put into it. (voice-over): Russia, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, to name but a few countries working together. But without the chance of better weather, the best technology in the world will inevitably have its limitations.</s>HANCOCKS: It's just gone 6:00 in the morning. It is light, as you can see. This is often the time the aerial search starts. We have certainly been hearing helicopters in the air once again and, of course, we will be waiting to hear whether or not divers can get into the water today -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: We will stay in close touch with you. Paula, thanks very much. Let's bring in our aviation analysts, Miles O'Brien and Peter Goelz, our law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes, our aviation correspondent Richard Quest and then the aviation writer and author Clive Irving. Richard, these two metal objects that were found today, what is your sense? Are these objects part of the plane or just another false alarm?</s>RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: We don't know and we won't know. One can speculate to the nth degree. But clearly what we have heard so far from various ships and helicopters, for example, when Reuters reported that they thought they had found the tail, there is so much garbage in that part of the world in the ocean. It is heavily shipped. It's heavily trafficked, so it is not surprising they are finding these pieces. But as in Paula Hancock's report, you heard the U.S. Navy officer say they are picking up debris so they know they're in the right place. Wolf, it really is just a question of time and effort.</s>BLITZER: But, Tom, the debris they're picking up, the wreckage, that could be from some ship that was sunk during World War</s>II. TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No, exactly. Wolf, but there's debris all over. They're discovering even recent ships that have sunk in the Java Sea. We're learning that our oceans are filthy.</s>BLITZER: They certainly are. Let's talk a little bit about the communications, Miles, because it is so frustrating. They were flying at 36,000 feet. The pilot called ground control asking for permission to go up to 38,000. The maximum is, what, 40,000, that kind of Airbus can 90. Didn't hear anything. But that was really the last we heard. After that, there was silence. No more maydays, no more nothing. Right?</s>MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Yes. When you look at the radar data, there's some troubling information here. It is hard to know really what was really happening because we're measuring ground speed and it may not be very accurate. But what it does indicate is that the aircraft was dangerously close, if not at its stall speed, meaning not the engines quitting, but aerodynamic stall, meaning it would fall out of the sky. So a big question here is, he was not cleared of that altitude and yet ascended. Was that an emergency operation on the part of the pilot or was that an updraft which he could not control? Was he going for a ride courtesy of Mother Nature? We don't know that.</s>BLITZER: He was technically allowed to go up, even though he hadn't received permission yet if he felt there was an emergency under way.</s>O'BRIEN: In an emergency situation, the captain can do anything he needs to preserve the souls on board the aircraft. That's for sure.</s>BLITZER: What's your analysis? Peter, why was there no mayday, for example? What could have been the cause for no mayday?</s>PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Simply, they had their hands full.</s>BLITZER: It only takes a second to push a button and say mayday, mayday, or then go back and do whatever they were doing.</s>GOELZ: There's always a reluctance to call out mayday. But when you're flying the plane, that's your first responsibility. The nonflying pilot has got his responsibilities. He is reading out a checklist. He is reaching for a checklist. I just think their hands were full in a very challenging, eventually catastrophic...</s>BLITZER: The fact there were new batteries inside these so-called black boxes, but no pings have yet been detected, what does that say to you?</s>GOELZ: It doesn't surprise me. It is disappointing. The black boxes often become covered with silt and covered with metal. You have got to be directly over them. It is hard to find something in the ocean. It took us days to find the black boxes at TWA 800. We were right over it. The pingers, we never picked up.</s>BLITZER: Clive Irving, as of today, and correct me if I'm wrong, no critical wreckage that would give an indication of the cause of the crash has been found. How unusual is this?</s>CLIVE IRVING, THE DAILY BEAST: Well, I want to talk about the frustration I think we all feel. All this searching, expensive searching, work it's doing would not be as important as it now is if we had the proper tracking system. I know we all feel the absence of that. I just want to explain something, because I don't think many people understand this. I went Inmarsat in London, the people who tracked 370, and they have this satellite system which could provide the information that we need to solve these problems. And I didn't understand how this worked. And what's important to understand about what they can do, they already have equipment in more than 80 percent of the world's wide body fleet that could be used to transmit crucial information. That would take two forms. The first would one be the moment a plane was upset or deviated from its intended course, as we have been just talking about, the upset of this plane is very clear, from the moment that upset occurred, the plane would start transmitting crucial information, data through its satellite system to the ground, so that even before it hit the water, we would have a picture, digital picture. That information would override all other information on the network. It would get priority. It would go to the ground. The second thing we would have, of course, if we had that, we would know exactly where it went. In one stroke, one technical stroke, we would have the information that we sorely lack now. What went wrong? What upset this plane and where is it? And it's the scandal I think, as other analysts have said on this program, it's a scandal that the industry and the people who regulate the industry are still sitting on their hands and they're not doing it. How many more times do we have to go through this tragic and really compellingly sad situation before something is done?</s>BLITZER: I think, Richard Quest, you agree with Clive on that. It is a scandal that the technology is there, but they don't use it.</s>QUEST: Yes, and I do agree with Clive. And I also know the arguments and the political arguments for and against it. And they don't really hold a lot of strength at the moment. There are competing -- Inmarsat has one system it's put forward. There are competing systems that are also saying, no, the Inmarsat isn't the right system. There are competitors. It is a complex issue. But the issue really, Wolf, is that the leadership of the industry has to now say this is a case where we must move forward.</s>BLITZER: Richard, let me interrupt. Why didn't that happen immediately after the Malaysian airliner disappeared?</s>QUEST: It did to a certain extent. They had to find out what was the best way forward and IATA was tasked with this tracking task force. But this task force put forward its report in December, Wolf. Its task force was considered in December. But ICAO, this is the body that -- the international aviation safety body, they are not due to meet until February. Now, you know, I know, everybody in the industry knows that something needs to be done. But it's this lack of urgency to now do it. We're talking here, just to put in it perspective, 447 took ages to time, 370 took ages to find now. Now 8501 is taking ages to find. Many of these issues could be mitigated if the industry moved forward.</s>BLITZER: Miles, you want to weigh in on this?</s>O'BRIEN: Yes. I just think Richard is right on top of things here. This is a solvable solution. There is a solvable solution here, and it goes back to 447 and before that. This industry has sat on its hands on it and it really is up to all of to us demand it, I think.</s>BLITZER: Yes. And I know you're frustrated as well and you have worked at the NTSB. You worked with these international organizations. They're just sitting on their hands over there.</s>GOELZ: ICAO make molasses look fast-moving.</s>BLITZER: Yes. You agree, Tom?</s>FUENTES: I think one of the arguments will be someday more compelling if it turns out that somebody did survive the crash and died of exposure or shark attack or something in the water because they weren't located soon enough afterwards. So, that would be even worse.</s>O'BRIEN: And one thing that could change, the FAA could unilaterally make this a regulation.</s>BLITZER: Why don't they?</s>O'BRIEN: That's the thing. If the FAA does it, that has a ripple effect around the world.</s>BLITZER: Why don't they?</s>GOELZ: They choose to act in concert with other bodies. They won't do it alone. They would like the British and the French to come along with them.</s>BLITZER: Richard, we learned today the AirAsia pilot didn't pick up the necessary weather report in person. He may have read something online or got something on his iPad or whatever, but didn't have that in-person weather briefing before he took off. How significant is that?</s>QUEST: I'm going to go out on my own here and say it is not significant really at all. No pilot goes into the air without knowing what the weather forecast is. If he had the chart, if he had read it, it's part of the -- now, if he didn't have any briefing himself, if he didn't bother to look at the charts, if he didn't read the e-mails, then it is simple negligence. But I can't imagine any pilot would willingly get behind the side stick of an aircraft without knowing what the weather is. The fact that he didn't talk to a man to his face I happen to think is pretty much irrelevant. And more importantly, he had the details. He had his weather radar on board. He knew what he was probably going to face. And the Indonesian authorities need to be looking at their role in that rather than trying to blame the pilot.</s>BLITZER: Clive, I'm going to show our viewers some pictures of the seats that were recovered from the wreckage. When we see these pictures, what does it say to you? Can we tell from the damage of these seats what may have caused the plane to crash?</s>IRVING: We can't tell what caused the plane to crash but you can tell the consequences of the crash, I think. I saw when I looked at those photographs some interesting stuff. But the main impact on the seats is in the lumbar and bottom area, which suggests to me that the plane hit the water with some force, because they suggest spinal compression. You can see if you look at the junction of the back of the seat and the back end of the cushion part of the seat. You can see there's maximum damage and pressure has been done in that location which seems to me to prove the bodies were really literally -- by the enormous g forces that were exerted on them were rammed down into those seats.</s>BLITZER: Clive Irving, thanks very much. Peter Goelz, Miles O'Brien, Tom Fuentes, and Richard Quest. We will continue the coverage of this story.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.</s>BLITZER: And we have some breaking news coming into THE SITUATION ROOM, disturbing information. An active shooter now reported at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. We're standing by. We're getting information on what's going on. An active shooter at this medical center. We will have details in just a minute.