Skip to main content

tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  March 30, 2014 5:00pm-6:01pm PDT

5:00 pm
the company wouldn't speak to us about it. cnn, washington. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >p s six day si batterip batteries mbatteri fligflightp flight 370's b record he. six days before the all importap important ping sig. ten ships involved. the goal, find four miss tear yous orange objects. they are called promising leads. >> we count an area within approximately -- it included at least four orange colored objects greater than approximately two meters in size each. i must stress that we can't confirm the origin of these objects. let's not get ahead of ourselves. mary says we don't want to get
5:01 pm
our homes up. cautious optimism. those very same orange objects could be ocean trash when crews do find them or they could be the huge break desperately needed to help solve the mystery of flight 370. the whole world is watching and waiting for physical evidence of the missing plane despite those on board. they stay truth needs to be revealed. >> we want malaysia to apologize for the information caused confusion in the first week which delayed the search mission. and we want the malaysian government to apologize for irresponsibly announcing on march 24th that the plane had crashed. >> our reporters and experts tang by, toward bring you the very latest information so let's get started. kyung lah with the search planes that took off. do you know iffist in planes are trying to relocate those four orange objects? what's going on with that? >> reporter: what we do know is
5:02 pm
that the secretary of the ten planes are expected to take off. expected to take off moments from now. there are going to be a total of ten planes. that is going to be one of the targets. but what is really going to come into play with those four objects that you're referring to are the sea vessels. there are ten sea vessels that will be working. they'll be chris crossing back and forth to try to confirm whether any of the objects spotted by the planes are in fact connected to the missing plane. it is the sea vessels that will be able to pick them up and make that confirmation. not those planes. so very important today. more of the sea vessels there. the most we've seen throughout all of this. >> do we know how much of a new search area, how much the search planes have covered? >> reporter: we know yesterday they did comb through about 280,000 square kilometers. that's a significant size. if you compare it to how it was
5:03 pm
on the very first day they were only clearing about 30,000 square kilometers. so it is significantly jumped day by day. and part of it is that that clock that you're referring to is ticking and ticking very loudly. there are only a certain number of days. approximately seven to ten days left for those black boxes. the battery on the black boxes which sends out a ping for it to be detected. so that's certainly all the search teams are aware of that clock and they are racing to try to find the debris before that battery runs out. >> and let's talk about the australian prime minister expected there at any moment to give a press briefing. i believe we have live pictures from where he's going to give that briefing. there it is. tony abbott will be speaking very soon here. is this a morale boost? what is the reason for the visit? >> reporter: we don't know exactly what the reason for the visit. is we know that he was spotted here. he is on the base. he came here about an hour ago.
5:04 pm
the anticipation is that he is going to be meeting with the search crews. he is going to be shaking some hands and making some comments to the press just about how it's going. we're not sure if he will make any specific announcements. but we are anxiously awaiting his comments. >> yeah. and kyung lah will be there and we will report it as soon as it happens. thank you very much for that. let's talk more about the search as we head into monday morning off australia. joining me now, our panel this hour. tim taylor, an underwater ocean explorer. aviation attorney is here and of course, miles o'brian. so tim, they're heading out there with the ping detection device. which is new. this one is on a ship, correct? what's going on? >> well, it is the same one, i believe. they loaded it on to a research vessel. these assets are systems that they can deploy across the world without having them attach to a
5:05 pm
ship. they can put it on any ship of opportunity. that's what they're doing now. >> it is called the ocean shield that they're putting the u.s. pinger locator has been put on the ship. it has big ocean shield on the side. >> they have a few minutes, a few days left to listen for that pinger and everything they can do, they're going to try to do. so getting that pinger, that acoustic hydrophone and listening. even if they're in the wrong area, at least they're trying. >> and there is the shift that we're looking at. let's talk about this. as we await, we want to tell everyone, we're awaiting a news conference from the australian prime minister. tony abbott expected to speak there. as we talk about the pingers, there are some who feel that maybe the time has passed. if not, then it is rapidly deteriorating to find the pingers. >> yeah. i think we mentioned the cockpit
5:06 pm
voice recorder in the sully flight, the one that handed in the hudson river, which was of course exposed to water and of course was recovered with no problem, never pinged. so they don't always ping. there's a lot of reason to believe the air france 447 devices never pinged because they sent the hydro foam pretty much right over where they found it two years later and didn't hear anything. a shred of evidence, they'll put it in the water and hope they hear something. >> they don't know. they don't know either. and listen, that's if the weather cooperates. they're not up against only weather. they're up against the ocean, currents, depths. >> they're up against so much at this point which is unfortunate but they're trying. >> i have a few questions just in the timing.
5:07 pm
and i think everybody is probably togs around some of these things. the pinger they last heard which was the satellite, it was like the last handshake they had from the plane. i know that there are security issues involved but i don't think we've heard anything as to whether or not that could be the point of impact. have they gone there before looking farther north. i have so many questions. >> as we have been saying, we have so many more questions than answers. i don't know for sure if they've gone to that last point. that last handshake. i would imagine they would. that would be logical that they would. >> it is a logical place, of course. that kind of half handshake that we've been talking about. which you know, we've been trying to figure out what that might be. one of the leading scenarios would be, it could be outright impact. more likely as the plane was losing its fuel, it was shifting. electrical distribution. a toll of five generators.
5:08 pm
four on the engines and then one in the auxilliary power unit. and as they were turning off and turning on, as it were, to keep electrical power going, that half handshake might have occurred. >> okay. and i want to tell our viewers, you've looking at the small little box and that is because we're waiting for a press conference from the australian prime minister, tony abbott. at any moment, he is expected to come out. necessary perth, australia. no one is sure why he is there. if this is a morale boolt boost, if there is some sort of information he will give. we'll carry it right here on cnn. my question to you as the malaysian government says, it will not give up on this search no matter how long it takes. is that really realistic? >> well, i think we have to take them at their word. as it relates to the search. i think this search will continue for at least the 30 days. it will probably continue for
5:09 pm
some level after the 30 days but i think each nation will end up evaluating its participation in the search as it continues to go forward. one other point i want to make, the malaysians are running the investigation. the malaysian government. under their accident investigation procedures, which are part of their law, investigations are private in the sense they're not conducted in the media or the public. there's a great deal of information coming out. and we're talking about some of it now. that typically would not be released as part of the briefings. but rather the investigators. so we're engaging in speculation regarding information probably would not customarily be released. i think that there is information being releesd, even misinformation, is what is
5:10 pm
createding the problem here. >> we're talking about how long can this go on. and of course, hopefully they will find something very soon. as you have been involved in searches. how do you figure out when is the right time? >> that's a human thing to do. this is the sensitivity to the families. if you're doing sheer numbers and they want to find this thing and put every as it they can. if you put one degree search vessel on location with one autonomous vehicle, could it take you, assuming they can narrow down the search area to just say 10,000 square nautical miles. you will take eight years. >> what are the parameters? >> you won't launch every day. ooufl weather, down time for maintenance. so a vehicle will probably map 100 square miles a month.
5:11 pm
that's assuming all the down time and travel time. you've got two vehicles launching two of these bluefin systems they have here, it would take four years of looking on the bottom if they don't have the pinger. do they have the budget? and conservatively, $700 million to do that. these assets aren't cheap. >> miles o'brien, do you want to respond to any of that? i have another question. >> it is important and tim brings up such an important point. we're talking about this giant space. and in the case of air france, it was narrowed to 100 square miles the size of new mexico. to even call that a search zone is really kind of a stretch. it is just a huge hunk of ocean. and they've determined this based on some very sketchy information as it is. so the odds seem very much stacked against them.
5:12 pm
>> mark, how much of a role, i imagine it has some, does money play in these situations as to how long the search continues, what's the exposure to the company if they do stop. there are those questions. >> well, i think all these questions are swirling around out there, don. the malaysian governments in charge of the investigation presumably at this stage, they're ones that would be primarily financially responsible as the search efforts continue forward. certainly we've heard at an earlier time during this search that the, our navy had put aside something in the order of $4 million and it had already expended $2.5 million. tim just indicated, we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. there's no right answer that will address all of the questions associated with when do you stop the search, when do you cut it back. there is no right answer. there are too many
5:13 pm
constituencies associated with that particular question, and the answers. >> yeah. all right, guys, miles, mark, everyone. stick around. we'll have a demonstration a little later on. i want you to stick around and talk about it after the break. you see it, we're waiting for a press conference from the australian prime minister. he is at pearce air base where the investigation by air and sea is being conducted. not exactly sure what he is going to say, why he is there. we'll bring it to you live on cnn. coming up, we'll focus on the angles that have not been covered very much. right now an american pinger, they are loaded up and ready to head to the search zone. up next, when the search for flight 370 goes below the ocean they will face new challenges.
5:14 pm
so you can have a getaway from what you know. so you can be surprised by what you don't. get two times the points on travel and dining at restaurants from chase sapphire preferred. so you can taste something that wakes up your soul. chase sapphire preferred. so you can. hey there cashhhhhhp you? (whispering) sorry hi, uh we need a new family plan. how about 10 gigs of data to share and unlimited talk and text. oh ten gigs sounds pretty good. yeah really good. yeah and for your family, it's $160 for four lines. (breaks whisper) what! get outta here! (whispering) i'm sorry are we still doing the whisper thing? or? o! sorry! yes yes! we'll take it. introducing our best-ever family pricing. for instance, a family of four gets 10 gigs of data, with unlimited talk & text, for $160 dollars a month. only from at&t.
5:15 pm
predibut, manufacturings a prettin the united states do. means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented. no one's losing their job. there's no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. the technology is actually creating new jobs. siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done. australia's prime minister tony abbott speaking in australia now. >> thank you. to all of the personnel involved in the search for ill-fated flight mh 370. at the moment we have some 550 personnel on this base involved in the search from australia, from new zealand, from the united states, from malaysia,
5:16 pm
from china, from japan, and from korea. i want to thank all the countries involved in the search. i want to acknowledge the extraordinary work of the malaysian air force. the malaysian air force is not just here right now but it has been in the air searching for three weeks now. and it really has been an extraordinary effort by the aviators from malaysia to come down here over the last few days after all the efforts they've put in earlier in this search. it has been tremendous to see the international cooperation here. we have regular military cooperation with the united states, with new zealand and with malaysia. to see also the cooperation with us from china, from japan, and
5:17 pm
from korea, it demonstrates in a humanitarian cause the nations of the region can come together to work for the betterment of humanity. can work to resolve this extraordinary mystery. can work to try to bring peace and closure to the families of the 239 people on board that ill-fated aircraft. so it is an honor for me to be here, to be able to say thank you to the extraordinary men and women who are involved in this search. it is also an honor for me to be here with air chief marshall retired angus houston who will be helping to coordinate the earth in the days and weeks ahead. it is good to be here with the deputy prime minister and
5:18 pm
minister for transport and the minister for defense, senator david johnson. all of their agencies are working together to try to get the best possible outcome. we've got the australian maritime safety authority, we've got the various air investigation bureau as well as naval personnel, air force personnel, and army personnel here in australia. so it is good to be here to salute the professionalism of all the personnel involved. and to honor the work of all the countries involved in this very important search. i'm going to ask each of the other gentlemen here just to say a few words and then i'll take some questions. if we could, please, confaine the questions today to questions about the mh 370 search. i'll have an opportunity later
5:19 pm
today to take questions on other subjects. >> thanks, prime minister. i'm delighted to be apointed to coordinate the efforts on this very important full backs we have out in the southern ocean. my job will be to head up the joint agency coordination center. i will be coordinating with my people at the international level, at the national level and of course, most importantly, with the families and the media and can i say that my heart goes out to the families who have lost people on this terrible disaster that has befallen malaysian airlines. i will obviously be focused very much on coordination. i'm not here to run the search. i'm not here to do the detailed
5:20 pm
operational stuff that is being taken care of. very professionally by the australian maritime safety authority and the defense force. can i say that as a former cdf i'm immensely impressed with what i've seen today, with what i've heard today, and i'm delighted that we see the nations of the region coming together to do this very complex search and rescue operation. >> thank you. >> i'm pleased again to be back at pearce just a week after i was here last time. and i've noticed the growth and the momentum of the search. even though this search has been going for three weeks, more aircraft, more ships are being added each day. te momentum and the determination of all of those involved, to follow the leads and hopefully eventually locate
5:21 pm
the resting place of mh 370, is much appreciated by everyone. the international effort is particularly notable and i commend all the countries involved in making sure that we work constructively together to get best possible outcome as quickly as possible. the role of angus houston, particularly the investigation of any of the activity, of any of the debris that comes to shore and also, to try and work toward finding the cause of this event will be particularly important. i think the west australian government for available its emergency central to act as a nerve center for this operation and to help support the activity that's are currently during at the australian maritime safety authority in canberra and the safety bureau who have great
5:22 pm
skills in investigating aircraft incidents and being able to work toward identifying the cause. it is a priority for to us try to recover the black box recorder of this aircraft as soon as possible. it is, of course, an australian invention, and our safety bureau has a particular skill in being able to interpret that data when it becomes available. so there are lots of challenges ahead. the key task now is to focus finding whatever we can so that hopefully, the location of this aircraft can be properly identified and we can then proceed to the next stage of the investigation. >> thanks. ladies and jerks today we'll have more than 100 people in the air over th. we'll have over 1,000 sailors in
5:23 pm
the area look fog debris. can i pause to pay tribute to the commanding officer, dave turn he who has been able to ramp up the provision of food and accommodation for more than 500 people in support of the air operation. this is a huge task for australia. it has gone seamlessly. it is a great tribute to the air forces of the various nations involved. they're often flying three and four consecutive 12-hour missions. they are committed, they are most brave and courageous. i want to thank them and all those who support them to try to solve this mystery. lastly can i thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the media for the professional way you've gone about conveying the difficult task of giving information to your countries. we're doing our very best. bear with us. >> do we have any questions.
5:24 pm
>> you mentioned in the search, is there a point -- [ inaudible ]. >> if nothing of substance is found, obviously such a point is eventually reached. but we are well, well short of that point and i think we owe it to the grieving families of the 239 people on board. we owe it to the anxious governments of all of the countries who had people on board that aircraft. we owe it in particular to the malaysian who's are our friends and partners in so many regional ways. we owe it to all of them to do whatever we reasonably can to get to the bottom of the mystery. >> i want to know how confident you are, what is new?
5:25 pm
>> look, this is an extraordinarily difficult exercise. an extraordinary difficult exercise. we are searching a vast area of ocean. and we are working on quite limited information. nevertheless, the best brains in the world are applying themselves to this task. all of the technological mastery that we have is being applied and brought to bear here. so if this mystery is solvable we will solve it. but i don't want to underestimate how difficult it is. >> so how long does it take to search -- [ inaudible ]. >> i'm not putting a time limit on it. i think as i said, we owe it to the families. we owe it to everyone who
5:26 pm
travels by air. we owe it to the governments of the countries who had citizens on that aircraft. we owe it to the wider world which has been trans fixed by this mystery for three weeks now. we owe it to everyone to do whatever we reasonably can. and we can keep searching for quite some time to come. and we will keep searching for quite some time to come. and as i said, the intensity of our search and the magnitude of our operations is increasing, not decreasing. >> was your counterpart too hasty in announcing -- [ inaudible ]. >> no. the accumulation of evidence is that the aircraft has been lost and it has been lost somewhere in the south of the indian ocean. that's the absolute overwhelming
5:27 pm
weight of evidence. and that i think prime minister was perfectly entitled to come to that conclusion. and i think once that concluion had been arrived at, it was his duty to make that conclusion public. we're on the best available intelligence and all available leads. the australian maritime safety authority is an organization which is extremely skilled in this. we have one of the largest, if not the largest search and rescues zones in the world. we've had plenty of experience trying to locate objects, trying to work out what has happened within our search and rescue
5:28 pm
zone. we do it all the time. we're as good as anyone in the world at it. if any organization is capable of coming up with an answer, it is the australian maritime safety authority. i think morale is high. they're tired, sure. but this is what they're trying for. this is what they live for. and i think they all feel a great weight of responsibility but also, a great sense of professional challenge and purpose as they go about this task. >> obviously, as prime minister i've got quite a lot on my plate. particularly as the government intensifies its budget preparations. nevertheless, i am getting several jump dates a day on
5:29 pm
this. my office is in, i would say, at least hourly contact with the people who are coordinating and managing the search. so without saying that i'm as familiar with every element of it as the minute sister for transport or the minister for defense, i'm trying to stay on top of it. right now, this is a major international incident and australia has the lead responsibility, if you like, for operations inside our search and rescue zone. >> [ inaudible ]. >> at the moment, every country is bearing its own costs. and obviously we here in
5:30 pm
australia had bear the costs of running the coordination center which will have about 20 staff under the direction of retired air chief marshall angus houston. so we're bearing the cost. and it is a cost that we think it is only reasonable. as the country in the search and rescue zone, the aircraft has come down. it is only reasonable that we should bear this cost. it is an act of international citizenship. at some point, they might need to be reckoning. there might have to be some kind of tallying. nevertheless, we are happy to be as helpful as we can to all of the countries with a stake in this and let's not forget, it is not just malaysia. there is china, obviously which had the largest number of citizens on the aircraft. then there are the other
5:31 pm
countries that have a legal involvement in this, the americans who built the aircraft, the british who built the engines, the french who supplied the avionics. so this is an important international operation. well, when you are trying to reconstruct what has happened from limited information, as more information comes to light, as more potential becomes apparent, obviously you refine what you're doing. we've now had three weeks to think about this.
5:32 pm
we've now had three weeks to scour all of the bits of evidence that are available and this is the best conclusion that we can come up with. now until we locate some actual wreckage from the aircraft, and then do the regression analysis that might do the regressive analysis that might tell us where it went into the ocean, we'll be operating on guesstimates. nevertheless, this is the best we can do. and i want to stress we've got the best people in the world doing this work. we have got extraordinary minds, extraordinary technology involved in trying to come one the best answers we can. >> how do you plan to communicate to the families? >> well, i might ask angus to
5:33 pm
add to that. but look, i've been, i've had a number of conversations with the prime minister of malaysia. i've had a conversation with the president of china. i've met with the families of two of the australian couples who are on the aircraft. i have spoken to the family of the two australian citizens who were based in beijing. so i've had some contact of my own with the families and obviously, angus will do more in the days and weeks ahead. >> i understand some of the families are likely to come to australia at the invitation of the prime minister. when that happens, we'll have a
5:34 pm
prime coordination role. i think it is important to make sure that the families are kept fully inform in the ongoing search. >> [ inaudible ]. >> i only arrived here in west australia late last night and i'm still into the job. when i know a little bit more i'll be delighted to come back here and indeed to the rest of the media through the rest of the week. i'll be available to speak to you and discuss some of these questions that you have. thank you.
5:35 pm
>> the west australian government has very kindly provided facilities in the city of perth. i understand it is the west australian crisis center and we will be established there with all the equipment necessary to do the very challenging coordination task that the prime has given us. >> [ inaudible ]. >> i'm sorry? i'll ask the deputy prime minister, the minister of transport to add to this. my understanding is that the responsibility for the search is
5:36 pm
fundamentally australia's, given that it is in our search and rescue zone. so initially, at least, it would be our responsibility. i guess at some point, obviously, malaysia assumes a very important responsibility as the nation that owned the aircraft. but we're not quite at that point yet. and we're talking to the malaysian government about what we can do to assist them and koomt with them once that point is reached. >> there is an international convention which most aviation countries called the chicago convention which outlines the procedures that occur in circumstances like this. and as the prime minister said, that convention gives to us as australia the country responsible to search and rescue
5:37 pm
zone. the responsibility to take control of that element of the search. and also, recovery of any items which can be recovered. malaysia is the flag carrier, it has responsibility for the investigation. the conventions the prime minister mentioned earlier gives a large number of other countries the right to be involved in that investigation. malaysia takes the lead. it is able to ask others to assist it, obviously. but the u.s. is the manufacturer of the aircraft. the u.k. is manufacturer of the engines, france is manufacturer of the avionics and there might be some other countries that fit that as well. they have a right to be involved. as do all the countries that have had citizens who have been lost in this accident. so in reality there will be a
5:38 pm
large number of countries who have arrived that will be involve in the investigation. that's why the work of angus houston will be involved in coordinating this is so important? i might just wrap up, as many of you would know, in a few days i'll be traveling to north asia, i'll be in japan, korea and china. one of the focuses will be to say thank you to the people of china, japan and korea for the assistance which their service personnel have been giving to australia in this very important effort. again i want to stress that it is amazing, the good that can be done when countries come together in common humanity. and i am very proud of the way
5:39 pm
australian personnel have worked so closely together with personnel from china, from japan and from korea in this search. and i think it reflects so well on all countries involved. that the work has been carried out with such heart. with such spirit. thank you so much. >> [ inaudible ]. >> all right. lots of information actually given from the prime minister. prime minister tony abbott of australia there. here is basically what he said myself panelist there's join me. we can show all of them. he says they are not giving up on this search. one question from one of the reporters there was how long can this go on? he said no time limit here. we owe it to everyone who flies by air, we owe it to the families, to the countries, to the people out searching to figure this out. he said we will get to the bottom of this. it is extraordinarily difficult. it is a vast area.
5:40 pm
they're working with sometimes limited resources when it comes to the weather because that's getting in the way. we have the best minds and the best brains in the world. he said it is a sizable mystery here but we will solve it and we're not decreasing in assets. we're increasing in assets and we're increasing the magnitude of this investigation. who do we have? we have rene marsh, miles o'brien, tim taylor and sarah joining us as well. i want to talk to you first. i know you were listening intendly. we've been talking about how much is this costing? how long will they go on. and i thought it was interesting that they mentioned the chicago convention, when it talks about who is in charge of which air space and what happens in this situation. it has set the precedent for what's going on. a coordinatored effort which
5:41 pm
will be led by angus grant who is a retired air chief. >> i think his point is well taken. the australians have a lot of experience doing this. it is right there in their backyard. i would put this in the encouraging side of things. that it is put in this location is probably a good thing. malaysians don't have a lot of experience with this. it turns the investigation into a two-headed investigation with the malaysians having a hand on this. we have some seasoned people involved in the search. that's good news. >> he said 550 personnel working on this. and they said i think more than 100 will be in the air today. 550 personnel activated here. it is australia, new zealand, the united states, malaysia, china, japan and korea.
5:42 pm
and he said all these countries are together. he wanted to thank them. he said he will visit north asia next week, korea, china and japan. in an area where people might not get along so well they are all coordinated and working on this. when it comes to the australians, you've heard what miles has to say. they are particularly well versed at doing this type of verb. it may an good thing that they are searching. >> i agree with miles. let's remember something. we're talking about two different things. we're talking about the search effort and then the investigation. and i absolutely agree that it is a good thing and i applaud the australian government for stepping forward on the search effort. no question the malaysian government is not eequipment to do this. the australians given the proximity have stepped forward and assumed overall coordination
5:43 pm
and control. the thing i found rather remarkable about the prime minister's statement is that really, if i was just listening to it without trying to pick it apart sit go where i'm sitting, it would seem to me that they're running the investigation. he also noted when they located the cockpit voice recorder, the so-called black boxes, they were well equipped in their laboratories and facilities and their accident investigation capabilities to read them out. so i really think about what i heard was that the australians, despite the fact that the prime minister indicated the malaysians are running the investigation, i think we're looking at something significantly larger. if write the malaysian government and i hadn't already spoken to the prime minister about either assuming control of the investigation or joining with a joint control of the investigation, i would be on the phone right now calling them. >> christine, you have worked with some of these guys and you said they are well versed in this and they're at the ready.
5:44 pm
>> they have a lot of experience. these guys are the best of the best as the prime minister pointed out. and i would equate them to, not in a bad way, like iditarod dogs. they are waiting to get out of the gate and put everything together and have success. >> i have a quick second. this is taking place where you are. now we know the reason for the prime minister and the other officials there, and everyone who is involved listening to them. they want to hear from them. this was a morale boost in a way. ? absolutely. you heard him address them. saying we are tired, we know they are tired but morale continues to be high. we certainly saw evidence of that. you certainly saw that they are exhausted. it is anywhere from 10 to 12 hours in the air constantly looking at radar screens, at a
5:45 pm
vast sea. sometimes it is rough. sometimes it is calm. it is very, very difficult. they're doing it day after day after day. it is xaufgt. what you did not hear was any sense they wanted to give up. part of it is these are men and women who live in planes. this is their job. they can absolutely understand what it is like to have family members who have lost people on planes. that's what it is about for them. that's why they're driven and that's why you heard the prime address it directly. why he is here to talk to these men and women. >> stand by. offering some very encouraging words and there is more. we will dissect this coming up. i'm tony siragusa and i'm training guys who leak a little,
5:46 pm
to guard their manhood with depend shields and guards. the discreet protection that's just for guys. now, it's your turn. get my training tips at guardyourmanhood.com
5:47 pm
5:48 pm
sarah is in kuala lumpur. enwords for many families who are listening intently. >> this has been what the families have asked for. we know they asked the malaysian government for the very same thing. insurances, promise that's they will not to that this search until they find their loved ones for evidence of what happened to flight mh 370. that's what they heard today from one of the most important
5:49 pm
search teams. the prime minister there in australia saying that they're not going to give up and they'll continue to search. we heard the same thing from malaysian officials that all of the countries have said that they will not stop the search. we know this costs a lot of money. this is a lot of manpower. a lot has been put forward and a lot of equipment put forward but they won't stop. that is encouraging for the families. they'll at least be assured by that. they have other frustrations and we're going into the fourth week of waiting to find out what happened to their loved ones and it has been terribly difficult for them emotionally. >> very well put. the united states government paying very close attention to this as well. maybe being led by the malaysians and australian buzz we also have an active involvement and we are listening to every word. >> especially when we talk about at the motive and cause of what
5:50 pm
happened to flight 370. we know investigators are still even at this point at the pilot and the co-pilot. althrow we can tell you, no red flags at this point. a review of the hard drives from the captain's flight simulator hasn't turned up anything suspicious. forensic experts say they derld the files were not deleted from the simulator in an effort to hide anything. they were just overwritten. the passenger manifest hasn't turned up anything either. despite all of that, they say there is still a sense among some u.s. officials that this was deliberate. an act that was done deliberately in the cockpit based on how the plane flew. the question is was it terrorism. we heard from the terrorism committee saying there is nothing to say it was terrorism. >> no matter what it is, you heard him saying we will get to
5:51 pm
the bottom of it. they will not stop. this is increasing in magnitude. the families should not worry because they owe it to the family members, the people watching, the people who fly every day. back in a moment. america's favorite lasagna. topped with a mouth-watering blend of fresh cheese and aged parmesan. it makes our lasagna a delicious centerpiece for this table this table and your table. stouffer's. america's favorite lasagna.
5:52 pm
i reckoreckon so.s a brewin'. reckon you gotta hotel? reckon, no. reckon priceline express deals will get you a great deal. wherever you...mosey. you reckon? we reckon. vamonos the spring hotel sale is on at priceline.com. save up to 60% on any express deal hotel, when you use code: spring '14. i reckon this is one deal you won't want to miss. so, if you're what ysleeping in your is youcontact lenses, ask about the air optix® contacts so breathable they're approved for up to 30 nights of continuous wear. ask your doctor about safety information as serious eye problems may occur. visit airoptix.com for a free one-month trial. hey there cashhhhhhp you? (whispering) sorry hi, uh we need a new family plan. how about 10 gigs of data to share and unlimited talk and text. oh ten gigs sounds pretty good. yeah really good. yeah and for your family, it's $160 for four lines. (breaks whisper) what! get outta here! (whispering) i'm sorry are we still doing the whisper thing?
5:53 pm
or? o! sorry! yes yes! we'll take it. introducing our best-ever family pricing. for instance, a family of four gets 10 gigs of data, with unlimited talk & text, for $160 dollars a month. only from at&t.
5:54 pm
the australian prime minister spoke just moments ago saying he has appointed a retired air chief marshal to head this investigation, to coordinate this investigation into the search for the plane. he said so far 550 person relevant involved in this search. and there are a number of different countries including australia, new zealand, the united states, malaysia, china, japan, korea and he wanted to thank every one involved, every country involved and especially he said the countries in asia who are involved in this. china who had more people, more losses on the plane than anyone, japan, korea as well. and he wanted to honor the people who are out there
5:55 pm
searching every single moment and not to be discouraged. the searchers not to be discouraged but specially family members not to be discouraged. there was a question asked, when are you going to scale back? he said that's not a possibility. now is not the time to think about that. i'm going on get to my panel of guests. rene marsh is with us. she is our aviation correspondent. mark is here as well, well versed in this, he is an attorney. kyung lah, stationed in perth, australia, and christine dennison is here. tim taylor as well and sarah standing by in kuala lumpur where the families are. i want to get to you. is there encouraging words from the prime minister there? this may be the most encouragement the families have gotten so far at least that it appears, there is a coordination here. and no one is giving up on them. no one is giving up on their
5:56 pm
loved ones. >> you think you're exactly right. we've talked about during this broadcast, and earlier broadcasts. the thing that families want in all my years of representing airlines, the things the families want is information. they want direction and they want to know the investigation is moving forward. for whatever reason, good reason, bad reason, whatever, there's a credibility issue that has existed and built up over the last several weeks with respect to the malaysian investigators or the government specifically. i think that the prime minister's comments were on target. i think there is a calming effect associated with it. there is a sense of direction that everybody should be encouraged by. irrespective of, it is not going to directly affect whether we feigned the aircraft today or tomorrow or we find it at all but there is a sense of direction present now. and i think that's to be applauded. >> right. i want to quote miles, this is
5:57 pm
for you. he said we owe it to the families, to the countries, we owe it to every single person who flies. specially to china who has lost loved ones. every country has lost loved ones. best brains in the world. this is a mystery. it is solvable. we will solve it. >> you know, there is so much acrimony for these families and the malaysian authorities. the malaysian authorities, either by virtue of their country or their nature because they've been so opaque about their investigation. briefing the families only once every five days and doing it in awkward and sometimes outright insensitive ways the way they've handled it. they have not demonstrated transparency or competence. and there may be competence behind that opaque veil. what we saw here with the australians was a little transparency.
5:58 pm
he didn't give us too much information but it was here are the facts as best we know it. and as much as anything, you had a essential of competency there. if i'm a family member watching that, you have to feel a little bit better. >> i want to go to you, tim taylor. we're talking about this. you've been involved and you have something on the desk. we saw it in the video there. some of the tools and the instruments they will be using. the prime minister spoke about that as well saying that every resource available. they're increasing the resources. this is a small version of what they were using. >> this is a 100 to 200 meter association 658 feet deep. the big ones wouldn't fit in the studio. >> is this part of what is helping him be so confident saying we will get to the bottom of this because of technology? >> yeah. the technology exists and it is a matter of time. if they have the will and they want to do this, and they can narrow the search area down,
5:59 pm
they can look. they may take years. this is not something that could happen overnight. >> sarah, a i have to get back to you. we want to keep the families top of mind. i only have about 30 seconds left in the broadcast. if you can tell us what this means to hear this from the australian authorities. >> reporter: it is the thing they want to hear. it is the exact thing they want to know. that the search will not stop. not just from the malaysian government but hearing it from the lead government in the search. the australian government. everyone knows this costs money. no one questions that at all. they know there are a lot of resources being put behind this and they do appreciate and it have said they appreciate it. what you've been seeing the past few days are frustrations coming up. emotion and turmoil that has come up. as far as the search goes and those taking part in it, they are highly appreciative of it. and i'm sure today this helped
6:00 pm
bolster them in knowing the search will go on no matter what. don? >> thank you very much. thank you to my entire panel. we'll be back here at 10:00 p.m. eastern for more coverage. make sure you stay tuned for the cnn original series, "death row cnn original series, "death row stories." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com on this else of "death row stories," in a tinly florida town, an 11-year-old girl is found raped and murdered. >> that little girl died in the dark, alone with a monster. >> and the investigation leads the police back to one of their own. >> of course, we didn't want to believe a police officer would do this. >> i had always wanted to get in law enforcement and here i am going to death row. >> but a miami detective becomes convinced the excom is innocent. >> there was