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NEW DAY SUNDAY

Searchers Find 3 More Bodies in Java Sea; Funeral for Slain Officer Today 11AM ET; Pope Francis Names New Slate of Cardinals

Aired January 4, 2015 - 07:00   ET

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


CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: All that and more coming up for you here. So, we are so grateful for your company, as always on a Sunday morning. I'm Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Seven o'clock exactly here on the East Coast.

PAUL: Yes. You know this morning, there is just more heartbreaking anguish for the families of the 162 passengers and the crew aboard doomed AirAsia Flight 8501.

BLACKWELL: Yes, just a short time ago, researchers recovered three more bodies from the waters of the Java Sea. That brings the total number of victims found to 34.

Also, we're learning the identities of three more victims.

PAUL: And they include a 10-year-old girl. We want to show you her picture there. Her nickname was Stebie (ph). And there she is there in that beautiful pink dress with family members.

Now, I want to show you how the search area is being extended now. It stretches further eastward, you see it there. That red box is the extended search area. And they're doing this because searchers say bodies and debris may be drifting, along with the strong currents there.

So, as more bodies and debris are being recovered, Indonesian officials say they may know what happened to AirAsia Flight 8501.

I want to bring in CNN's Gary Tuchman who is in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, where the plane took off one week ago.

So, Gary, what you are hearing from officials who now have -- you know, what is this new theory that they're proposing?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, government agency is making it clear that it's very unlikely this plane exploded while in the sky. The belief is that because of the weather, the pilot maneuvers the aircraft and had engine failure due to icing which caused a stall. That's what they think is the likely scenario. They won't know the exact scenario, there is no guarantee, but they figure they'll know the exact scenario if and when they find the black boxes.

But the reason they believe that because the bodies that have been found, by the way, we can update it, one more body has been recovered. So, the number is now up to 35, the bodies have been found are intact and they are finding large pieces of the plane which indicate there was not a catastrophic explosion in the air.

One of the five pieces of the plane they recovered, they haven't seen the fuselage yet. They believe they know where it is, but one of the five pieces of the plane they recovered is 60 feet long. So, that's the basically the size of a ground to the top of a six story building. So, it's a big piece of the plane they found.

They believe that most of these passengers, these bodies they haven't recovered yet, are still strapped in their seats on the bottom of the Java Sea.

PAUL: You feel for these families who are hearing all this information, I know. And they're anxious. Are officials giving any indication as to how close they think they may to be finding the black boxes? We know the black boxes are in the tail. Do they think it's with the belly of the plane or do they think it's one of those piece that's might be drifting?

TUCHMAN: Well, the concern here is that the battery powered pingers have not been heard yet. They're only designed to have 30 days of battery. It's been exactly a week since this horrifying accident. So there is probably 23 days left of battery.

This is very shallow water in the Java Sea. It's only about 100 feet deep where they believe the plane s the Great Lakes are deeper than in most places in the United States. But the divers have been able to do very little work because the weather has been very bad.

Thirty minutes ago we had monsoon like rains here. It was flooding around us. We didn't know if we were going to be able to go on the air with you. That's what they're dealing with at the search site.

Today was the nicest weather we had. Divers went into the water hoping they would have a lot of accomplishment. They said visibility is zero. And that bodes very poorly because it's not like it's going to get clearer. The weather is going to continue to be turbulent in this region which gets a lot of monsoon weather this time of year.

PAUL: All right. Hey, Gary Tuchman, thank you so much. He is advising us there that there are now 35 bodies that have been recovered. Thank you so much, Gary. We appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the variable of the weather that's really complicating this search for the bodies and the wreckage.

We've got meteorologist Karen Maginnis here with us, with the latest here.

And, Karen, we know you have new video of the waves showing the dangerous conditions, how rough it is there. Some improvement as you explained this morning, but not nearly enough. We see maybe calm on the surface but not calm enough below the surface for divers to get into the water.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And Gary was talking about the visibility in the water being stirred up, because this is the monsoon season. You get that wind coming across the ocean surface and it stirs everything up. This is fairly shallow. So, if you can imagine it's like a bathtub. It's not like a swimming pool. It can be turned up so easily. So, there is not very good visibility.

I'm afraid our forecasts are almost like by six hour time periods. That's the way it looks, because this is a monsoon season. They are in the intertropical convergence zone, the ITCZ. However, as we look towards Monday and into Tuesday, it does appear that there are some breaks.

It is not going to be perfectly clear. We take you through Monday. It's going to be a little showery here. A little showery for us is nothing significant. But to see these monsoonal waves move through that, is significant.

They have been extraordinarily wet this season. Going into Monday though, this is much improved in this search area. It's not going to be perfectly flat. We're going to see some white caps. But even into Tuesday, it looks like there's at least a window of opportunity.

It won't give them these long stretches or long periods of time where they can make really great progress. These are almost baby steps to look for windows like this where the visibility might be good, where the wave heights might be lower, where the winds might be calm enough so that they don't -- things are not stirred up.

However, we look through Sunday and it still looks brisk. That's how they're describing it. Maybe a little breezy on Monday and on Tuesday. So, now, we've got another two days where we have at least partial improvements in the weather.

Back to you, guys.

PAUL: All righty. Hey, Karen Maginnis, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Today, New York police will say good-bye to Officer Wenjian Liu at a funeral in New York. He is as I'm sure you know one of the two officers shot and killed last month.

We've got live pictures here. Services are expected to start in just a few hours at 11:00 eastern. Understandably, there are many people there because we're still four hours out there in New York. This was the scene yesterday though as friends, family, police, politicians lined up there on the streets to pay their respects during a private wake.

Liu, who recently got married just in October of last year, is being remembered as a man proud of his Chinese heritage and proud to serve his community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: This was his dream to become an NYPD officer. In some ways, it's the ultimate assimilation into America, into New York to become a police officer. And obviously he was so proud and he was so proud for his whole family.

This was totally pointless. It had nothing to do with anything they did, had nothing to do with them whatsoever. They did nothing wrong. It wasn't about them. It was purely random hatred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in CNN's Miguel Marquez in New York.

Miguel, we remember, and you were there that, sea of blue outside of Rafael Ramos' funeral just a couple of weeks ago. Are we expecting similar images today for Officer Liu?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are expecting a very similar turnout. This is a funeral home that will hold 600 people inside NYPD preparing for up to 25,000 police officers from around the country. Many of them already attending the wake yesterday that went for eight hours with a -- this is a traditional Buddhist ceremony for the wake, which is the burning of the paper and cardboard to indicate the material goods that Officer Liu will take into the after life, a very different thing for the NYPD to deal with.

Also perhaps a good note or a better note is that the mayor was here yesterday along with Police Commissioner Bratton. Several officers as they walked in to salute him. The mayor asking him, the commissioner asking police officers in a memo, this is about grieving, not grievance and asking them not to turn their back on the mayors as he speaks during today's service.

Officer Liu, 32 years old, was just married. His family hasn't said a lot. They've come in from China now, but just after his death, his wife spoke lovingly and emotionally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEI XIA CHEN, WIDOW OF OFFICER WENJIAN LIU: This is difficult time for both of our families. But we will stand together and get through this together. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: Very, very tough to hear. The FBI Director James Comey will be here. We expect he will speak at this service today. The mayor will certainly speak. Commissioner Bratton will speak, and also Monsignor Romano for the NYPD will speak.

This service begins at 11:00. His casket will go to the final resting place around 1:00. And that's when we'll see this section of Brooklyn turn into a sea of blue. So impressive, so moving, very, very tough to take -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Miguel. You know, after you hear from Officer Liu's wife now, unfortunately, widow, you remember this is the losses of two families, although it's become a larger conversation.

As part of that conversation, we know the Commissioner Bratton issued this memo asking them to not turn their backs, as you mentioned. Your takeaway from conversations with the officers -- do you believe that they will grant that request and not show that disrespect toward the mayor during this ceremony?

MARQUEZ: My sense is that the heat that we were feeling a week ago and two weeks ago when they were murdered certainly has started to cool a little bit, that you're not seeing officers as angry. The mayor and the commissioner met with the five unions for the police force in the past week. Protests have been far less. There were some on New Year's Eve. But they weren't nearly as boisterous or angry or large as they were in days past, and the mayor has gone to greater lengths in order to reach out to police.

And police unions have certainly dialed back some of the rhetoric. So everybody is taking a breath at this point trying to bring things back to a more even keel -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Miguel Marquez there for us in New York -- Miguel, thank you so much.

PAUL: And an entire family goes down in a small plane in the Kentucky woods. Her mom, her dad, her sister and a cousin all have died. But how did a 7-year-old manage to survive? This plane was up side down. We're going to talk about that.

Also --

BLACKWELL: Snow in West Texas. How rough weather all over the country is messing with the first weekend of 2015.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Fourteen minutes past the hour right now.

And investigators in less than a couple of hours now are due to head back out to the scene of yesterday's fatal plane crash in the thick woods of Western Kentucky. Four people were killed when the twin engine Piper went down.

As her mom and dad, sister and a cousin perished, a 7-year-old girl was able to hike to safety.

We want to bring in our aviation analyst and former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo.

Mary, thank you so much again for sticking with us here.

This plane ended up side down as it was resting. How do you think she was able to get out and survive?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, in some of the accidents I've worked in the past, what's interesting is while some people perished, sometimes smaller children in the rear seats of the plane, particularly if they're facing rearward, you know, sometimes back against the forward facing seats that, helps to brace the impact. That's not saying that's what happened here. But it will be important for investigators not only to determine what caused the crash but how this little girl survived. That might help others in the future make small planes more crash worthy. And I've seen it before where side by side, one may perish and one may survive and even walk away.

PAUL: And I cannot imagine what it was like for her to wake up with -- we know when she got to the home that she finally was able to get to she told him that her parents were dead. So I can't get that image out of my head of how they landed and how she got there. But Kentucky state police even said, he thinks this is a miracle she was able to get herself to safety in the rugged terrain around this thing.

Take a listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. BRENT WHITE, KENTUCKY STATE POLICE: Once we found the wreckage and the time that we spent in this wooded area, we were literally amazed that this young lady not only survived the crash but was able to get from the crash location to this house. We're talking about a 7-year-old girl who just fallen out of the sky. She walked through briars and thorns and very steep, you know, there is one creek bed that was probably 12 foot deep she walked through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: My goodness. And she had one sock on. She was barefoot.

When you hear about that terrain, Mary, how difficult do you think that really going to make this investigation as well?

SCHIAVO: Well, you know, the NTSB is -- I'm glad they sent the NTSB team. Sometime they send a smaller group and they let the Federal Aviation Administration to handle it. This is very important to this family and for crash worthiness studies.

So, for the NTSB, they're used to dealing with this kind of environment and more and for the little girl, unbelievable reserve and strength and undoubtedly she was in terrible shock. What a heroic little girl. The NTSB will be able to deal with the terrain and what I hope come out of it is that they're able to give improvements to small planes so others have a chance of surviving.

PAUL: Yes. All right. Hey, Mary Schiavo, thank you so much for helping us understand what may have been happening there, and again, the thoughts and prayers of that little girl this morning and the rest of her family.

We do want to get you caught up, too, on the "Morning Read".

BLACKWELL: Yes, a lot of other stories happening this morning. Eighteen minutes after the hour. First, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke publicly for the first time about his father's death. He spoke to reporters outside of the wake for one of the police officers that was fatally shot last month. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Today is not the day for my dad. We're going to have his wake and his funeral. But I can say I miss him already. There is a hole in my heart that I fear is going to be there forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Mario Cuomo served three terms as governor of New York, he died Thursday at the age of 82.

The first African-American ever to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate has died. Edward Brooke, a Republican from Massachusetts, was regarded as a trailblazer on both sides of the aisle. President Obama considered Brook someone who led an extraordinary life of public service. Brooke passed away of natural causes yesterday morning at his home in Florida. He was 95 years old.

PAUL: Jury selection in the trial of the Boston marathon terror suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins tomorrow. The 21-year-old is being accused of being a willful conspirator of mass destruction in that deadly attack that killed three people and injured 264 more. That was in April 2013, of course. Defense attorneys suggest he is controlled by his older brother Tamerlan who was killed at a confrontation with police three days after the bombing.

BLACKWELL: And in sports, the Carolina Panthers knocked the Arizona Cardinals out of the playoffs yesterday in a historic 27-16 wild card win. Why historic, you ask? According to ESPN, the Panthers held Arizona to 78 yards, the fewest yards ever allowed in an NFL postseason game.

And --

PAUL: Get ready, people, Victor is a happy man.

BLACKWELL: The second wild card matchup, the Baltimore Ravens rolled over -- and I mean rolled over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 30-17 to advance to the playoffs.

Thank you, Pittsburgh, for your service. We'll see you next year.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: NFL action continues today with the Cincinnati Bengals face off with the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. So we'll watch that one, too.

PAUL: When victor wins, he wins big.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes! Love my Ravens.

PAUL: Yes, I know. Ravens may be pretty cold though.

BLACKWELL: Yes. A lot of teams.

PAUL: Have you stepped outside yet this morning? Just looking at it might make you cold. There is frigid weather pushing east, threatening to hit millions of you with the coldest temperatures this winter. We have details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAUL: Following breaking news this hour from the Vatican.

Pope Francis just announced 15 archbishops will be installed as cardinals, key leaders often referred to as the princes of the church. Five retiring archbishops and bishops also will be recognized as cardinals.

Joining us live is the senior Vatican analyst John Allen.

So, John, we know Pope Frances is characterized as being progressive. So, as you look at this list, what stands out to you?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Well, Christi, the first thing that smacks you in the face is the geographic diversity of this set of new cardinals. This is a pope that wants to reach out to people on the margins. And you clearly see that in this set.

I mean, you're talking about cardinals from typically overlooked places like Cape Verde, the Pacific island of Tonga, Panama, Thailand, Uruguay and so on.

Of the 15 new voting age cardinals, that is cardinals who were under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote for the next pope, ten of them come from place that's have never had a cardinal before. So, obviously, the first pope from the developing world trying to spread the wealth around a little bit, Christi.

PAUL: Are there any Americans on the list?

ALLEN: Not one. This is the second time that the pope called what is known consistory, that that's the formal name for the event in which new cardinals are elevated, and for the second time, not a single one from the United States.

The pope's pattern in picking cardinals and remember this is a very important thing because cardinals set the tone in the Catholic Church. They're the most important officials after the pope and, of course, they elect the next pope.

In Francis' pattern is very clear -- he wants to go to the geographical peripheries other than place that's are top heavy with cardinals. And even within those traditionally important countries, he wants to bypass the most important venues, the places accustomed to having cardinals and lift up guys from smaller and more typically ignored sorts of places. I think the moral of this story is that the United States may have to wait a little while before it gets another prince of the church.

PAUL: All right. John, we so appreciate the breakdown. Thank you.

ALLEN: You bet.

BLACKWELL: Severe weather caused some major travel problems and headaches across the country. In total, 55 million people in 24 states faced winter storm watches, and warnings and advisories and on and on, and the first major storm of 2015.

Meteorologist Karen Maginnis has details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAGINNIS (voice-over): The first major storm of 2015 bringing severe weather to much of the eastern half of the country, just as millions of travelers are headed home from the holidays. In all, 55 million people in 28 states faced winter storm watches, warnings and advisories this weekend.

In Mississippi, rain and strong winds destroyed several mobile homes bringing down trees, knocking out power lines, a possible tornado hitting Jasper County in the southeastern part of the state.

MARY MAGEE, RESIDENT: It was just like a train is coming. That's the way it was. It was just like a train coming. It was hitting the house.

MAGINNIS: The same storm system bringing snow to Amarillo, Texas.

In the Northeast, sleet and snow made for wet and slippery conditions in Poughkeepsie, New York, plows cleared the road but too late for several cars stuck in the icy mess. And drivers in New Jersey faced a mix of fog, ice, and snow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely dangerous out there. You have to be careful. I think it hit pretty quickly and people are not realizing how much ice is actually on the ground. It's a lot more than you think.

MAGINNIS: Snow covered roads in Massachusetts causing several accidents, emergency crews coming to the rescue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The roads were almost completely dry. They were just starting to get wet and I spun out of control. So, be very careful if you're going out.

MAGINNIS: And freezing rain in Pennsylvania causing this salt truck to lose control, the driver slamming into a home. Luckily, no one was hurt.

UNIDENTIIFED MALE: He slid down the hill and he said he was along for the ride. He said there is nothing he could do but just go with the ride. He said he tried to stop and he couldn't do it. The roads were just ice covered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MAGINNIS: It is a mess out there. And look at the temperatures. These are current temperatures not wind chill factors in Minot. It's minus 13 degrees. It will feel like minus 30, minus 40 overnight across the northern tier.

This is how the wind chill feels right now in St. Louis, it's 29 degrees wind chill factor, but Minot, minus 35. And it's only going to get worse. This first blast moves in over the next 24 hours and the next three to four days it makes its way all the way to the Deep South -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Karen, those people in Minot have to be just hardy folks, because they often are in the most extreme temperatures every time it's like and Minot, 77 below zero.

MAGINNIS: You're exactly right.

BLACKWELL: All right. Karen, thank you.

PAUL: Bye.

You know, they're complaining you about.

BLACKWELL: What? Who?

PAUL: You crying over 30 degrees over here.

BLACKWELL: It's chilly.

PAUL: That's what it is.

OK. So by air and by sea, the search is continuing to day for the wreckage of Flight 8501. The families, though, the wait has to feel like eternity for them. More progress is being made though. We're talking with our experts about the pace of this recovery and telling you what we learned overnight. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)