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Video of TransAsia Plane Crash Helpful to Investigators; Jordan King Promises Severe Response to Pilot Death; Woman Forced to Marry ISIS Militant; Jeb Bush Talks New Economic Vision for America

Aired February 4, 2015 - 13:30   ET

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


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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington.

A search-and-rescue operation is under way right now in Taiwan where a plane crashed hours ago. And the crash of that TransAsia turbo prop plane was captured up close by a car dash cam. In the video provided to us by our affiliate TVBS Taiwan, you can see the plane clip a bridge as it careens into a river below. At least 31 of the 58 people on board were killed. 12 people are still missing, and at least 15 victims survived with injuries. It's a terrifying scene but the images could prove helpful to investigators trying to figure out what caused this crash.

Joining us now, CNN's safety analyst, David Soucie, former safety inspector for the FAA here in the United States.

David, what's your reaction when you see this rare, up-close video of the crash? Can you pick up any clues from these images, what might have caused the crash?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: It's very telling, Wolf. First of all, it's just tragic we've lost as many lives as have been lost. But the fact there were 15 survivors, I see there's only two possible scenarios here. One would be the left engine failed, which the pilot mentioned he had a flameout. It appears from the video, if you look at those three frames, you see the left engine appears not to be putting out any thrust. However, there's an auto fetter on this airplane. So if the auto fetter worked properly, there's no reason that aircraft would have banked so severely to the left other than the pilot trying to make a maneuver to make the aircraft crash more survivable.

BLITZER: What kind of track record, safety record does this aircraft have?

SOUCIE: It's a spotted record, Wolf, but not because of mechanical records. It's mostly related to weather or ice. That doesn't appear to be the case in this. Doesn't appear to have played a part. Checking the weather, it doesn't look like anything would have prevented the aircraft or any propensity to get additional icing. There was no need for de-icing before. In this estimation, it appears something caused that aircraft to flame out, starvation of fuel, or perhaps bird ingestion.

BLITZER: Do they have good inspectors over there before they take off? Because there have been some concern they might not have all the precautions that they need.

SOUCIE: That's always a concern. But as far as the systemic problems they've had over there, there hasn't been a lot of that. If something failed, it would have been an individual who overlooked something. But this is an air carrier. So even if an individual overlooks something, there's a second set of eyes required to go back and look at any safety critical piece of that aircraft. So at this point, it's too early to tell. But in my estimation, TransAsia has a good safety record. They have a good systemic safety system in place. I think they have an anomaly here that needs to be investigated.

BLITZER: David Soucie, thanks very much. David Soucie, helping us understand what's going on.

Still ahead, Jordan's King Abdullah is vowing what he's calling a relentless war against ISIS. What will that entail? We'll ask a former U.S. ambassador to Jordan. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: Jordan's King Abdullah today promised what he's calling a severe response to the murder of that Jordanian fighter pilot by ISIS. The king arrived back home today from the United States, cutting short his visit here to Washington. He immediately convened a top-level meeting. Jordan is a key member of the anti-ISIS coalition. And a U.S. official with direct knowledge tells CNN Jordan is now in the process of stepping up its air strikes.

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(SHOUTING)

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BLITZER: Jordanians have responded to the death of the pilot, Moaz al Kaseasbeh, with prayers and a demonstration across Jordan. A crowd chanted, "We will pay our soul and blood for your sake, Moaz." Outrage spread over ISIS releasing a video showing al Kaseasbeh being burned alive in a cage. Jordan responded by executing two jihadi prisoners earlier today, including that female terrorist convicted of terrorism in connection with that 2005 bombing of Jordanian weddings at hotels in Amman that killed 60 people and injured hundreds more.

Let's get some perspective on Jordan's likely reaction to the killing. We're joined by the former ambassador to Jordan, Edward Gnehm.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in.

I'm told they are so angry, so furious in Jordan, King Abdullah on down, what we've seen so far, the execution, the hanging of these two terrorists, is only just the beginning. What do you anticipate Jordan will do? EDWARD GNEHM, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN: I think that's

exactly right. I'm reminded of when you say that because then, the population erupted as they did today, outraged by any kind of attack on them and their people. I think you're going to find far more support for the king and their government for their continued actions against Daesh, or ISIS.

BLITZER: Daesh is the derogatory term that Arabs like to use against ISIS.

GNEHM: Yes, exactly. But you've mentioned stepping up their involvement with air attacks. But they're also very supportive of us in other ways, particularly intelligence and the access really to people and information --

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BLITZER: Will it be just Jordan? You know the region well. I remember when you were ambassador in Kuwait and when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait back in 1990 in the first Gulf War.

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BLITZER: Will it just be Jordan that will be emboldened now to get tougher with ISIS or will others in the region, whether Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, for that matter, will they as well follow suit?

GNEHM: I've been on the phone with lots of people in at least three of the countries you just mentioned. In every one of those countries, they're telling me people are outraged and they want their governments to do more to deal with Daesh, to bring them down to heel. And, again, what I find helpful is you find the religious establishments in all these countries, including in Cairo, denouncing Daesh, saying, they're not Islamic at all, it's a violation of Koranic instructions on how you treat prisoners and things of that sort.

BLITZER: I can see several country, including the U.S., stepping up air strikes. I don't see any of them willing to send combat ground forces into Iraq. What they're saying, the Jordanians are saying it, others are saying it, it's up to the Iraqi military, which the U.S. trained and armed. Why aren't the Turks doing more, a NATO ally? What about Kuwait? The UAE have suspended their air strikes, afraid if they lose one of their pilots, U.S. rescue missions will be far away. Are any of these other countries willing to get involved because I suspect the Iraqi military and even the Peshmerga, which are great fighters, the Kurds, and maybe the Free Syrian Army, little training and not much equipment, they can't get the job done?

GNEHM: They certainly can't. What everyone has said and it's a fact, you can't really deal with Daesh unless you do it with troops on the ground. Air is good. It does certainly things that are helpful. But it will not, in fact, destroy --

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BLITZER: You see any of these friendly countries getting involved, sending thousands of troops on the ground to destroy ISIS?

GNEHM: They're reluctant to do that. That's exactly right. But they may be pushed in that direction. What you do have now is the limited numbers, as you said, a few Kurdish troops, who have done a reasonably good job. And an Iraqi force which has tried to recover.

BLITZER: Which has been so disappointing.

GNEHM: Yes, very much so.

BLITZER: Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in.

GNEHM: Thanks.

BLITZER: Ambassador teaches at George Washington University here in the nation's capitol.

Coming up, it was a sacrifice she says she was forced to make to save her father.

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HANAN, FORCED TO WED ISIS MILITANT (through translation): After a bit, my mother came and said to me, they will release him if you marry the head of the Sharia police.

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BLITZER: Shocking details of life with an ISIS militant from an escaped bride. This is a CNN exclusive report. Our Arwa Damon is getting ready to report.

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BLITZER: Cut off from all communication, locked up and raped. Certainly doesn't sound like a marriage, but that's what one Syrian woman endured when she was forced to wed an ISIS militant.

CNN's Arwa Damon has her harrowing story in this report.

The woman feared for her safety, so we're keeping her real identity a secret.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hanan apologizes for her tears but the depth of her pain, the black fabric cannot mask.

HANAN (through translation): Even until now, I can't grasp what I've been through. But I went through this. I'm destroyed.

DAMON: When ISIS swept into Hanan's city in Syria, she said anyone suspected of fighting them was indiscriminately detained.

HANAN (through translation): Among those detained, the reason for my marriage was my father. My brother died during the clashes and as a memory, my father kept his A.K. When ISIS came in, someone told them had a weapon, so they detained them.

DAMON: Hanan and her mother begged for police.

HANAN (through translation): After a bit, my mother came and said we will release if you marry him. My father's life for my hand in marriage.

DAMON: She never even knew his real name.

HANAN (through translation): Every girl dreams of that white dress, the wedding night. I've been deprived of that. I was destroyed by this marriage.

DAMON: She speaks haltingly of their first night together when she says her husband forced himself on her.

HANAN (through translation): There was no emotion. I felt like he just wanted to take what was his right. He had to.

DAMON: Her husband kept her locked up in the house. She was only allowed to use his phone in his presence to call her parents. She was his prisoner, his maid and his sex slave.

HANAN (through translation): I couldn't go out. I couldn't meet up with anyone. No one could visit. And they forbid things at will. My husband, he would detain people for smoking and then he would smoke at home.

DAMON: Her husband was killed a month after they married and Hanan said she managed to flee to Turkey after ISIS married her off to another fighter.

The activist group is being slaughtered silently has documented hundreds of cases of women being forced into becoming is brides, about a third of them under 18.

Hanan says the instant a girl turns 13, if ISIS spots her, they will claim her, and many like Hanan don't have a choice.

HANAN (through translation): They marry and divorce at will but it was my father's life for this marriage.

DAMON: A marriage that shredded her soul.

Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Turkey/Syria border.

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BLITZER: Hard to believe this stuff still goes on in the world.

Want to thank Arwa for the excellent very compelling and important report.

When we come back, a very, very different story. We're going to check in on American politics. The former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, takes another step to lay the groundwork for another presidential bid. We'll tell you about his so-called economic vision for America. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: The former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, took the next step in possibly establishing himself as a candidate for president of the United States. Bush spoke today before the Detroit Economic Club about his new economic vision for America.

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JEB BUSH, (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: The opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time. More Americans are stuck at their income levels than ever before. It's very hard for people to go from the bottom rungs of the economy to the top or even to the middle. This should alarm you. It has alarmed me. The problem starts when we fear the one thing that could help unlock the economic status quo, the freedom to compete and work as a team to build great things.

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BLITZER: Let's go to chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash. She's in Detroit.

You were there, Dana. Did you hear some possible campaign themes coming out of this speech?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Big time. It was campaign theme after campaign theme. Not a lot of specifics but that wasn't the goal here, Wolf.

Generally, what he was trying to say is that if he does go forward, which certainly sounds like he is, almost candidate for president, that he wants to talk about conservative principles in areas like Detroit where Republicans have kind of given up. And that's where he talked about his Right to Rise theme, which he said throughout his speech, didn't give a lot of specifics about how policy-wise he would do that, but that was the theme.

The other thing that was interesting was the way he put forward the kind of campaign he wants to run. He wants to -- he was talking about being hopeful, about returning America to its time of greatness, and talking about this being the best time to be alive in America. Very optimistic. But when it comes to the kind of presidential politics and politics in general, we've seen recently, he was very clear that he wants to not go at it in a negative way, and that's the way he would pursue primary process, which is quite different than what we've seen.

BLITZER: How did he deal with the issue of his last name, Bush? A lot of people aren't ready for another Bush in the White House.

BASH: That's right. There was some Q&A a after with the Detroit Economic Club. That's one of the questions, what do you do about that issue that your last name is Bush? He made a joke about being self- aware, and the first part of being self-aware, if you are Jeb Bush, is realizing that you have to overcome that challenge. What he said is he learned in running for governor the first time in Florida and losing, he has to get out on his own and be his own person. And he made that clear.

And, Wolf, it's very interesting that Jeb Bush -- and I was thinking about this watching his speech -- he's well known. Everybody knows the name Bush and even Jeb Bush, but not well known in terms of what he stands for, and this is the first step today to try to put meat on bones, if you will.

BLITZER: We'll have much more in "The Situation Room" as well.

Dana, thank you very much.

That's it for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room."

For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is next.

For viewers in North America, "Newsroom" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.