captain schettino, at this point, he was safely away. on the phone, on the phone with the coast guard commander at that time. in tapes released today, he tells them that he and his officers are on a life boat. he mentions he thinks there are still about 100 passengers on board, the coast guard commander is stunned. he's flabbergasted. first, he tells the captain to get his man back on board the ship to take care of the remaining people. then, after a number of excuses from the captain, he goes ballistic. >> the captain schettino was not on the last life boat. his own taped conversation confirmed that. he left passengers and crew behind and knew he left them behind. and the rocks, he should have never been near them. this was the line that the con cord yeah was on. the yellow line is the line they should have taken, the pink line takes them to giglio. the rock was not indicted on his chart. we don't know precisely which rock he hit, but map that all mariners use, you can see there are many rocks in the area. the little dots surrounding th

captain schettino is ordered at least ten times to go back on board to oversee the evacuation. he resists. [ speaking foreign language ] >> schettino seems to contradict himself again by then saying he did not abandon the ship. >> what's clear is that schettino had lost control of the situation and was unaware of what was happening on board his own ship. >> that one has now grown to more than 10 dead and there are still nearly two dozen missing. schettino has never been involved in an accident before and his lawyer says his actions after the crash saved the lives of many of the passengers and crew members. so all eyes are now on the recovery of the ship's data recorders, to see if they might prove schettino was indeed a hero or a captain who abandoned its ship and its thousands of passengers. >> the italian coast guard says they've located a second black box. do we know when they're going to actually be able to retrieve that and when we may get answers on the night of what happened the night of the crash exactly? >> reporter: at the moment, they're still saying they're concentr

fran shes coe schettino has been convicted. we have this report from where the trial was held. >> it's a verdict more than 2,000 crew line passengers and crew have been waiting for since 2012. wednesday night. the captain was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the ship rec of the did. the -- shipwreck of the costa concordia. the worst maritime disaster. schettino was given a five year sentence for causing a disaster after sailing the cruise ship into rocks off the coast of giglio and 10 years for multiple counts of manslaughter after 32 passengers and crew died in the aftermath. he was sentenced to a year for abandoning passengers and banned for five years from the helm of the vessels. concordia survivor says she's been waiting this. >> 6 months for each death. and the family it's not 6 months or 17 years, it's forever. >> schettino was not in court to here the verdict. >> translation: in the end i'm forced to share painful moments that i shared with survivors in my home. that should not be allowed. that's all, tha

they want to know what conversations whether going on between schettino and the home base where he wasn the phone a dozen times between that accident and when he finally called to abandon ship. that's going to be an enlightening moment today. >> in some ways, barbie, captain schettino is blocked in in what he can say. there were a number of other "costa concordia" employees serving time after admitting their role in what happened. i mean, that in and of itself does not bode well for mr. schettino. >> no, in fact, it doesn't because five people who wok for costa cruise lines including two people who are officers at the time of the accident have admitted their guilt and their role in the accident and what happened as all public record, the court already accepted that as truth so captain schettino is either going to have to contradict that and give his version of events or he will have to take some blame himself in the culpability but, again, you know, nobody died on impact. everybody died during evacuation and this manslaughter charge stems on whether or not that evacuation should have b

. >> i called him captain schettino. >> what did you call president obama? >> we're going to call him schettino. >> add disgraced ship's captain to that catalog of epitaphs. >> captain coward, captain schettino. >> the captain of that cruise ship. >> it's a fair analogy. >> that ship captain a facing charges. >> schettino under house arrest. >> the more interested in campaigning than doing his job as president. >> an analogy that michael steele deems inappropriate. >> i think it's an unfortunate analogy. >> michael steele was the most gaffe-prone rnc chairman in history. >> it was terrible, people died. >> jay carney called priebus, quote, desperate for attention. >> there's justice coming in this drama. >> democrats and the obama campaign armed with new ammo. >> i know the speaker is not real happy. >> romney will pay for what he did to newt here in florida. >> the speaker's been attacking me all over the state. >> he is for all practical purposes a liberal. i am a conservative. >> i wish i could claim that i'm a hispanic. >> so if for no other reason rage

there are already bodies, schettino. schettino, how many bodies are there? i've heard of one. you are the one who is supposed to tell us how many there are, the coast guard speaking. here is the captain, but do you realize it is dark here and we can't see anything? coast guard, around so what? you want to go home, schettino? it's dark? and you want to go home, get on that prow of the boat, using the pilot ladder around tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what their needs are. now! eventually, schettino says he will return on board but the coast guard denies he ever went back. harry? >> no, there were people -- there were people who saw this guy in a lifeboat. there were still, you know, maybe several hundred people still on board the ship and there were people out in the water that said, oh, my god, that's the captain of the ship. he is in a lifeboat. there are even reports that he was on -- on his cell phone with his mother while there were still people on the ship. he is on shore on his cell phone telling his mother he is okay. >> let m

so captain francisco schettino has been found guilty of capsize capsizing. we'll have more on that later in the program. >>> now, the u.n. fierce as many as 300 migrants have died while trying to cross rough and freezing waters in rubber boats. it comes after a small group of migrants was plucked from the sea and taken to the island of lampedusa. >> reporter: in high seas and plummeting temperatures, two migrants are spotted clinging to a dingy. many more people are missing. the agency says 300 more people are feared dead. >> it's quite surprising to us that the e.u. cannot respond with a stronger solidarity with a stronger humanity, and with a stronger strategy to that. >> at least four vessels are thought to have left the coast of libya over the weekend. 29 migrants died of hyperthermia after being rescued in wintery conditions. they were among 105 people picked up by the italian coast guard trying to reach italy. in the last year more than 3,000 people have lost their lives attempting to reach europe by sea. the latest deaths are likely to bring debate ov

what are analysts saying about the case against schettino?ll you know, this really is a booken to a national em-- bookend to a national embarrassment. most italian are anticipating a ghillie verdict on all three charges of involuntary manslaughter, 32 counts. there's causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship. the stickiest point is going to be the manslaughter charge. primarily because there are five people who worked for the "costa" cruise line who have already pled ghillie for various aspects of the tragedy. one is the head of the crisis management in genoa who spoke to schettino the night of accident a dozen times and claimed his own culpability in telling the captain to delay the call to abandon ship. that's when the people died. that's why the people died. a lot of the legal premsaying the manslaughter is -- people are saying the manslaughter is going to be the hardest charge because others have pled guilty to the responsibility. and what they don't know is if the three-judge panel will be making the decision -- whether they see th

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could face >>> schettino could face manslaughter charges and 15 years in prison.him under house arrest while they consider the charges. and the italian coast guard continues to search for survivors. the divers struggle to move through a labyrinth of debris and furniture. and we're joined by a couple who were fortunate enough to escape. they arrived in albany, new york, this morning. appreciate your taking the time. let me ask you your reaction. i know you can hear the anger and frustration of the port authority coast guard telling captain scutehettino, christ, i your job to be there, and him fighting back. what is your reaction given you were there that day? >> it is -- it's incredible to believe that the man just left the ship, and with everything that was going on, people dying, and people panicking, with no direction from anywhere, and he just up and left the ship. it is just incomprehensible. >> it is hard to maintain a chain of command when the top man leaves the boat. >> let me ask you, brian, what happened to you. you know, you were -- you got on the deck a

that's enough. >> the judges were not involved any schettino's forwards. his lawyer says the sentence was not all negative. >> translation: the sentence was marsh for an unintentional felony but at least they didn't arrest him, as the prosecution asked. >> while they may feel justice has been done they may be demonstrated in learning that the captain will not spend a day in prison until an appeals court upholds the sentence. for that they'll have to wait many more months. >>> now, it's the first anniversary of anti-government protests in venezuela, where 43 were killed. there's food shortages and soaring crime. >> reporter: feb 12th was a day for students in venezuela to commemorate what is called the day of youthful rebellion. last year an occasion that served to demand change became a tragedy when three were killed marking the beginning of a political matter in a decade. >> despite the risk of violence some students were defiant. a student leader is inviting classmates to a march, for those that died in 2014, histone - he is calling for political change.

and the family of the dead people it is not six months or 17 years for them, it's forever. >> schettino was not in cord to hear the verdict but did plead his innocence one more time wednesday morning. >> translator: in the end i'm forced to share very intimate and painful moments that i shared with the survivors in my home saying that that is all that's enough. >> the judge was not moved. but his lawyers said the sentence was not all negative. >> the sentence was too harsh for an unintentional felony but at least they didn't arrest him as the prosecution had asked. >> while many of the passengers affected by the con concordia ship shipwreck will know that he will not spend a day in prison, until after the appeals court but they'll have to wait many more months. >> critical for the court for not charging the owners of the costa concordia but the company had already paid a $1.5 million fine and cut plea deals for other employees. >> sure it will be cold comfort for victims' families. >>> cleanup project. >> people living along a canal in vietnam timely able to breathe after living along o

>> i called him captain schettino. the captain that fled the ship in italy. that is our own president who is fleeing the american people and not doing his job and running around the country and campaigning. >> the captain of the italian cruise ship faces criminal charges in the deaths of at least 17 people. he is accused of abandoning the ship even people within the republican party said he was out of line with the comments. but he defended himself on fox news today. >> this is ridiculous, megan. analogy was made and analogy of leadership in a time of crisis, in a time of crisis this president is leaving the white house and campaigning non-stop all the time. i think it's pretty clear. >> actually, it was paralleling the alleged criminal act of a ship captain. and that's what the head of the grand old party thinks of the president of the united states? they have no boundaries, they will go as low as they have to go. obama derangement syndrome is trickling down. remember this photo from last week with arizona governor jan brewer shoving her finger in the presid

>> schettino claims he's going. but prosecutors say he never did return. even as passengers fought to escape that stricken ship. >> nbc's michelle kosinski reporting this is still front page news around the country. in new york, you can count on "the new york post," here is their headline, a picture of the captain calling him the chicken of the sea. >>> another story for you this morning. one of the internet's most visited sites is off line to protest anti-piracy laws. the site is one of several to push back against legislation. opponents argue the bill would allow the justice department to shut down portions of the internet and to restrict free speech. the classified listing site craigslist is shut down today along with the technology blog boing boing and the social news website red. google is still up and running but the site blacked out the logo with a mess angaage to con that reads, quote, please don't censor the web. >>> jerry yang will leave the company he created during the '90s dotcom bubble. it comes days a

after the verdict, schettino's lawyer said his client has been the victim of a media persecution andothing wrong. >> translator: we are not talking about a criminal. we are speaking of someone accused of criminal negligence. the shipwreck was only an accident and, therefore, should be perceived as such by the public. >> the judges in the case say the captain waited too long to sound the alarm, but he claims more lives would have been lost if he had created panic further from shore. one of the survivors spoke out after the trial. she says nothing will ease the pain of those families who lost loved ones. >> the verdict for me is different the way you can feel it. for me it's sick month-- it's six months for each death, person. for me the family of the dead people, it's not six months or 17 years for them, it's forever. >> in addition to serving time in prison the captain cannot command another ship for at least five years. along with help from the cruise company, he must pay each survivor 30,000 euros or 3 $34,000. he'll also have to help pay millions of euros to local governments for

>> i called him captain schettino, you know, the captain that fled the ship in italy. that is our own president who is fleeing the american people and not doing his job and running around the country and campaigning. >> you made me think of it with the ships behind you, bob. >> i see what you are saying. but what you are saying is, you think that somehow this is going to strengthen the party? it is not going to hurt it in any way don't you think that you run the risk of seeing some of these things that republicans are saying about each other showing up in barack obama's campaign ads? >> listen, hillary clinton had a famous ad she used against barack obama, the 3 am call, you may remember that and that was the ad that hillary clinton put up who do you want to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m., devastating ad against 3:00 a.m., we tried to use it against barack obama, it didn't work. in the end it is going to be a referendum on barack obama. did he fulfill the promises that he made to the american people? did he live uh up to the standards that barack obama set for himself o

. >> this is captain schettino. >> listen, schettino. there are people trapped on board. now, you have to go with your life boat and go under the boat stem on the straight side. there's a ladder there. get on board the ship and tell me, you tell me how many people there are. clear? i'm recording this conversation, capital yab schettino. >> i understand. listen, there are people coming down the stem ladder. you must take that ladder in the opt sit direction. get on board the ship and you tell me how many people there are and what they have. you tell me the there are children, women, people with special needs. and you tell me how many there are in each of this category. is that clear? look, schettino, you might have been saved from the sea, but i will make sure you go through a very rough time. i will make sure you go through a lot of trouble. get on board. >> i'm going now because there is the other motor boat that has stopped now. >> you go on board. it is an order. you cannot make any other violations. you have declared abandoning ship. now i'm in charge. you get on boar

in a heated conversation with a furious port authority captain. >> schettino gave several reasons whyput near the ship, quote, coordinating. >> reporter: schettino claims he's going, but prosecutors say he never did return. even as passengers fought to escape that stricken ship. after spending days in jail, today the captain was released and placed under house arrest, and his attorney claims he may have saved dozens of lives if not more by working quickly to move the ship on to the beach and otherwise it might have sunk into deeper water. so it could have been a bigger tragedy according to his attorney, but prosecutors say otherwise. lawrence? >> michelle, it all seems to come down to this captain. were there any witnesses of his behavior immediately afterwards, when he was onshore? any indication of drunkenness or anything like that? >> reporter: well, today there were reports in the italian press, and there are all kinds of reports and speculation and stories about things that may have happened in his past, on other ships. none of that's really confirmed at this point. we kind of go

i spoke to his lawyer a short time ago and he said captain schettino is ready to defend his honor innslaughter charge. he's facing about 23 years in prison for manslaughter, multiple manslaughter and the 32 deaths from that accident and abandoning ship because he got off the ship before many of the passengers were evacuated and also facing charges for causing a maritime disaster. which happened, of course, off that pristine island of giglio in tuscany. >> and, barbie, as you stand by for all of this to begin, one thing we should note is schettino's never really admitted guilt. he's been very tight-lipped up until now and only had all these accounts, the videos that have emerged and also the statements from other staff members who admitted to some amount of guilt. surely people where you are and the reason it's in a big venue where so many people will watch, surely they expect him to admit to something here. >> reporter: well, that's right. he hasn't, though, yet. he's been very, very defiant. he blames his helmsmen who is an indonesian man who said didn't speak english or italian for

>> we're going to talk about our own little captain schettino which is president obama, who is abandoninghe united states. >> as head of the rnc mr. priebus should know something about sinking ships. >>> and what a pill. >> the obama administration is engaged in a war against religion. >> you mean by providing all women with access to birth control? all that and more now on "countdown." >> good evening, this is monday, january 30, 282 days now until the 2012 presidential election. i'm bill press sitting in for keith olbermann tonight. good to have you with us. mitt romney surging in the polls less than 12 hours before the voting starts in the florida republican primary. while newt gringrich insists he's in the race for the long term no matter what happens tomorrow. the fifth story romney rising and seeming more confident by the day. gingrich slipping but saying he'll be in it all the way to the g.o.p. convention which starts august 27th in tampa. but starting tonight with mitt. and you know a g.o.p. frontrunner must be feeling confident when he takes a few minutes to toss bags of snacks t

transcripts between the italian coast guard and that captain, francesca schettino, tell the haunting story, a captain who left the ship, giving excuse after excuse why he won't go back on board while passengers struggle to survive. that captain was placed on house arrest today, charged with causing the wreck, abandoning ship and manslaughter. harry smith is an nbc news correspondent, just back from covering this story for italy for "rock center" and nbc news. harry, we are going to play some of that crazy conversation, horrible conversation. what's your report on this what looks to be just a human catastrophe, manmade horror? >> this guy has got to be the anti-sully. you think about people in charge and people doing the right thing. this guy couldn't have screwed up any more than he screwed up. we were on the water right next to that ship yesterday -- yesterday morning. and the enormity of the ship, all the technology in the world this never should have happened. this guy went miles off course to come close by that giglio island and the rocks he hit and the graphic you showed before,

first of all, really captain coward, captain schettino is the most hated man in italy.t also a multiple serial liar. i trust he will be prosecuted for manslaughter, ship wrecking, and abandoning ship. he's not the only one. others should be prosecuted, too. there were other officers of the crew who abandoned the ship and, of course, there is the issue of corporate responsibility. the company, the company probably knew. it's an open secret in italy that those large cruise ship often sail way too close to the coast. even in venice, you know, you can see them sailing so close to the city. it's very dangerous. but the national drama is due to the fact that there is an anti-hero and people probably identify this captain coward with the worst possible drawbacks and limits in national character, selfishness, lack of discipline, lack of organization, but there are heroes, positive heroes, like some members of the crew who really were able to mutiny and they tried to organize themselves and there was one of them atop and this happens at the very peculiar moment for italy. possib

listen to the coast guard ordering him to get back on the ship. [ speaking foreign language ] >>> schettinold face manslaughter charges and 15 years in prison. a judge placed him under house arrest while they consider the charges. >>> and divers struggle to move through a labyrinth of debris and furniture, and we are joined by a couple who were fortunate to escape. they arrived in albany, new york, this morning. thank you for being with us, and appreciate your time, and i want to hear your reaction, because you can hear the angry and the frustration of the port authority officer telling the captain, christ, it is your job to be there, and him fighting back. what is your reaction hearing that given that you were there that day? >> well -- >> it is -- it's incredible to believe that the man just left the ship, and with everything that was going on, people dying, and people panicking, with no direction from anywhere, and he just up and left the ship. it is just incomprehensible. >> it is hard to maintain a chain of command when the top man leaves the boat. >> let me ask you, brian, what happen