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CNN NEWSROOM

Malaysian Government Confirms Debris Belongs to a Boeing 777; Expert Predicted Debris Would Hit Reunion; Trump Travels to Europe; Trump Promises Mexico Will Pay to Build Wall at the Border. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired July 31, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:01] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

STELTER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: I appreciate it.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me this morning.

We'll begin with -- we begin with the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. A piece of debris found on a remote island has just been loaded for transport. The wreckage, which was discovered near Madagascar, will be sent to Paris. It will then be taken to southern France for identification.

Here is why investigators believe this could be the real thing. This component number found on the object matches the schematic for a 777, something Malaysia has now confirmed.

Also new this morning, French investigators now telling CNN authorities will be able to I.D. the object quickly. Even more chilling, a source telling CNN engineers should be able to determine if the plane exploded in the air or if it hit the water in one piece.

Well, of course we're covering the story from all angles. CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir is on Reunion Island where that wreckage was found. I'm also joined by CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest. He's been following all of this since the very beginning.

But, Nima, I want to go to you first. Set the scene for us there.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, our teams on the ground witnessed it actually being loaded into the crate, and you got a sense of the delicacy of this operation purely from seeing the way that it was wrapped, the surrounding escort, quite a large number of police around that crate at all times while it was being sealed up.

The wing segment itself was wrapped very, very carefully because everything on that wing, including any of the gradations, any of the wear and tear on that wing, it's going to be crucial in identifying exactly what happened.

The center in Balma just outside of Toulouse that specializes in that. These are the same people who were involved in the Air France 2009 crash investigation and they've got highly powerful electron microscopes that are going to be looking at every detail, not just of the wing but also of the plant life, the sea life, the barnacles. They're trying to keep those barnacles alive because the tissue of the barnacles is going to reflect the metal deposits that were in the water where this debris first turned up, and that will give them a broader sense of that pattern and will help them.

Once they establish the pattern of the currents that brought it here, they can start thinking about broadening out that search scene. They need to be looking at Madagascar, do they need to be looking closer to the coast of the southeastern coast of Africa? All of that they're hoping to discover over the last -- over the next 24 to 48 hours after this arrives in France on Saturday morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And Nima, I know that people are trying to find more debris on the island but there are complications, as in an erupting volcano?

ELBAGIR: Yes. I mean, this isn't easy on any level. They have two cyclone warnings here and they're also dealing with an evacuation because the volcano here on the island has begun to erupt. They've moved people from that crater. In addition to all the difficulties of it being a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and trying just to get the transport, trying to get the personnel here who know how to transport this especially without losing any of that crucial evidence.

It has been really difficult but the sense you get from the authorities here is that it really -- it's been worth it. They are so happy to feel that in any way they can they're helping to finally get some answers to those families -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Nima Elbagir, reporting live from Reunion Island.

I want to turn now to Richard Quest. So once this flaperon arrives in Toulouse, France, how long might it take before we know anything?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: I would imagine a couple of days. They're going to want to be absolutely certain. We already know it's from a 777. I don't think I'm giving away any great state secrets when we state the obvious. And that's where it comes from on the plane. That's the flaperon. It's the right side. It goes up and down and helps the aircraft in its bank and roll and with extra lift when the plane is flying slowly at slow speeds.

I would think that what they're going to be looking for -- what they're looking for is obviously first and foremost to identify it as a piece of MH-370, but very soon thereafter what can you learn? What secrets will it reveal?

Nima gave us some interesting ideas of what the oceanographers can tell from the barnacles, but what the -- or what the metallurgist will be able to see, what the engineers will be looking at is where is the compression? Where is the dent? Where is the damage? Where is the ripping? Where's the tensions and the pulls? And from that they'll be able to tell a lot about how it entered the water.

COSTELLO: OK. So as far as releasing information, who will be in charge of that?

QUEST: Well, that's an interesting one. All right.

[10:05:03] So it was found in Reunion, which is French territory. Therefore it's the BEA, which is based in Paris and they have an excellent, excellent record of dealing with these matters. But the investigation is being held under the auspices of the DCA in Malaysia, and, of course, the search is being conducted by the ATSB in Australia.

COSTELLO: Wow.

QUEST: Long answer, short result. Between the BEA and the -- between the French and the Malaysians, they will determine when it's the right time to release it. It will -- the French will not release this without the Malaysians saying OK.

COSTELLO: And at one point I heard the United States wanted to look at this flaperon. Is the United States involved, any agency?

QUEST: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: OK.

QUEST: People who are accredited to Annex 13 investigation, the state of registry, that's Malaysia, the state of operator, that's Malaysia, the state of the currents, well, there isn't one, it's international waters. The state of manufacture, that's the United States. The state of engines, that's the UK for -- for Rolls Royce engines. They're all going to be involved and absolutely the NTSB will want to see this because they will have the specialist knowledge with Boeing to interpret what the tests may need to be done.

COSTELLO: So in looking at this object just from what you've observed from the video.

QUEST: Yes.

COSTELLO: Some people say because one side has a jagged edge it's obvious that this part came off in the air and was deployed or being used in some way while the plane was in flight in those last moments.

QUEST: Well, let's look at it. If we freeze the picture here, starting today we can actually see what I'm talking about. This is the -- this is the edge that we're talking about. This is the bit that would connect to the plane. That's where it connects to the plane. So the plane is flying this way and that's connected to the plane.

Now there's very little damage there, you can see. Very little damage. If the plane had crashed into something, you would have expected that, you would have expected that to be crumpled and crushed because this would have gone into the rest of the wing, just exactly as my fist has done there. But you see nothing there at the moment. In fact it's not pristine, but what you do see is lots of damage around here and if you can roll the video again you'll see at the back end of that you will see all that tearing and ripping and that suggests this bit here, you see, all of this, there's the barnacles and things like, that but you can also see a lot of damage here, and that's the bit that people are saying in the air flow or as it went into the water, we don't know, but that's where the damage bit came when the -- when this bit left the aircraft.

COSTELLO: But you know that U.S. investigators say that they believe that the plane was deliberately flown off course, right? So --

QUEST: Deliberately is a neutral word. Let's be clear about this. Deliberately is a neutral word for these purposes.

COSTELLO: OK. So could the damage to that flaperon prove their theory?

QUEST: No, absolutely not. There is no connection -- and I hate to say this to you because we want answers. The families want answers. The families are desperate for answers. But there is no connection between this at the moment and being able to say what happened in the cockpit, none.

COSTELLO: All right. Richard Quest, thanks so much for stopping by. We appreciate it.

One expert actually predicted a year ago that the wreckage from that missing flight could wind up on Reunion Island.

Charitha Pattiaratchi says the discovery of the flaperon fits his models that map the possible path of 370 debris. Pattiaratchi is a professor of Coastal Oceanography at the University of Western Australia. He joins me now.

Welcome, sir. Thank you so much for being here.

CHARITHA PATTIARATCHI, PROFESSOR OF COASTAL OCEANOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: So you were not surprised that debris showed up on Reunion Island, why?

PATTIARATCHI: Well, I think any oceanographer would not be surprised because that's the prevailing current patterns in the Indian Ocean. There would be taking any debris from the east to the west across the Indian Ocean. So this is not really a surprising result except that we don't know how long it actually takes, but we managed to predict that the timing was correct.

COSTELLO: Do you think they'll find more debris on Reunion Island?

PATTIARATCHI: Not necessarily on Reunion Island. The debris is spread over a pretty large area, so it could be not only Reunion Island, it could be around Madagascar, that part of the world and the ocean is where you would expect to find more debris, but on the other hand there is also -- our models say that, you know, the debris could have also ended up in some parts of Australia. So there is a very large area that it may end up in.

COSTELLO: So people should be scouring the shores of eastern Africa and Madagascar?

[10:10:06] PATTIARATCHI: Not eastern Africa. Basically after Madagascar, the currents will go southwards towards the southern ocean, maybe towards South Africa.

COSTELLO: So are -- you know, this is 2,000 miles from where they're searching for the plane. Should they still be searching in that part of the Indian Ocean?

PATTIARATCHI: Yes, because this is -- the results that we -- you know, is consistent of debris originated from the area that they're searching. So by finding this piece of debris, it does not actually change anything in terms of searching for the wreckage in the bottom of the ocean that they're surveying because this only gives some confidence that they're actually searching in the right area.

COSTELLO: We see the barnacles on that flaperon. Do they tell you anything just at first glance?

PATTIARATCHI: I'm a physical oceanographer, but one of the things that we have to also remember is that we actually don't know when those barnacles attached themselves into that piece of debris, whether -- you know, it might have been in the water for some time before it was colonized, so I have to be a little bit careful in terms of finding out. We could tell how long -- a minimum time it has been in the water but not really exactly how long.

COSTELLO: How about where the barnacles attach themselves? Does that tell you anything?

PATTIARATCHI: No. The barnacles basically attach themselves where they can grab hold of something.

COSTELLO: All right. Charitha Pattiaratchi. thank you so much for being with me this morning. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Donald Trump may be at the British Open, but he's pushing his immigration plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will build a wall and Mexico is going to pay for it and they'll be happy to pay for it because Mexico is making so much money from the United States that that's going to be peanuts and all these other characters say they won't pay, they won't pay, because they don't know the first thing about how to negotiate.

Trust me, Mexico will pay for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:16:32] COSTELLO: Bombastic presidential candidate Donald Trump is in Scotland for the Women's British Open. It was meant to be a business trip but where Trump goes, the campaign follows.

Just a short time ago he took some time out to talk foreign policy and more with Max Foster who joins us live from Turnberry.

Whatever you say, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Carol, he's quite worried really about -- America's place in the world and how, you know, Obama, America doesn't get on with Russia and China. That's driving Russia and China together forming a separate axis of power which is the greatest threat to world peace in his opinion. He wants to change that. He wants to work more closely with Russia and China.

But what I wanted to know is how he was going to make that happen, how, for example, was he going to deal with the issue of Crimea which is the big issue in international diplomacy when it comes to Russia right now. So I asked him a few of the questions around that to get some detail on his foreign policy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: Putin has no respect for President Obama. He will respect me, that I tell you.

FOSTER: But on that basis --

TRUMP: And he will respect our country.

FOSTER: What do you do with Crimea, for example?

TRUMP: Well --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Yes. Let me explain. First of all, this is Europe's problem much more so than ours, OK? And Europe isn't complaining as much as we are, but this is more of a Europe problem and when Europe comes to us and says, we want your help, we want you -- but they're not really doing that. They're dealing with Russia, they're taking in the gas, they're taking in the oil. They're not really doing that, and, you know, we're making a big deal out of it, but why isn't Germany leading this one?

You know, Germany is a very rich, very powerful nation. Why aren't they dealing on it more so? Everything the United States -- we're like the policemen of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Big closer to home, Carol, of course, the issue of illegal immigrants coming across the southern border of the United States. It's an issue that keeps coming up. He faced a lot of questions around that actually from Scottish journalists here. It's a story that really breaks out from the Trump campaign internationally. So I also asked him about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Mexico is sending -- people are coming through the border from all over the world, they're coming through the border. We have a porous border. We have a border where you can just walk right into the country, and you can't do that. To have a country, you have to have a strong border. You have to have a really strong border and this has to stop. What's going on now has to stop.

FOSTER: Who will build the wall and how --

TRUMP: I will build the wall and Mexico is going to pay for it and they'll be happy to pay for it because Mexico is making so much money from the United States that that's going to be peanuts, and all these other characters say they won't pay, they won't pay, because they don't know the first thing about how to negotiate. Trust me, Mexico will pay for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: You can't blame his straight talking, can you, Carol? It was interesting, this was meant to be a business trip to Scotland. Feels like another step in his campaign tour, though.

COSTELLO: Is he wearing that hat for the duration of the tournament?

FOSTER: Pretty much. And when he's trying to go on a business tour and he's emblazoning his political campaign slogan on his cap, he sort of asks people really to Trump him for questions.

COSTELLO: And I'm glad you did, Max Foster. Thanks so much.

Max Foster reporting live.

So let's talk about Trump and the substance and what he said or lack thereof. And I'm joined by Jeff Zeleny, CNN senior Washington correspondent, and Javier Palomarez, he's the president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Welcome to you both.

Jeff, actually, I thought his comments on Crimea -- I mean it is more of a European problem than it is a United States problem, right? He's correct in that regard.

[10:20:10] JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Sure it is, but, I mean, I think even saying that -- you know, it's interesting to see his bluster on a world stage and it's interesting to say, you know that -- or to watch how he would say that Putin would respect him, but even though it's more of a European problem, it's still a U.S. problem. It's still, you know, something that many Republicans have criticized President Obama for not being strong enough against Putin.

But, Carol, the thing that struck me was his just insistence, his -- you know, without really any explanation that Mexico would pay for the wall. He said, you know, other politicians don't believe him because they don't know how to negotiate. I don't see what incentive Mexico would have to pay for the wall. So that is something that it's easy to say but it seems very difficult to actually pull off if he actually would become president but that's probably getting ahead of ourselves.

COSTELLO: Javier, Donald Trump says Mexico is making so much money off us, it can afford to build that wall -- to pay for that wall.

JAVIER PALOMAREZ, PRESIDENT AND CEO, U.S. HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: You know, I can't imagine that Mexico would pay for that wall, Carol. I think one of the things that Donald conveniently forgets to mention is that for decades Mexico was the second largest trading partner to the United States, second only to Canada. It was recently surpassed by China, but still continues to be an important ally and trading partner, now the third largest trading partner to the United States. And there's an important commercial relationship that exists between both these nations. I'd like for him to talk about that from time to time as well since he's such a businessman.

COSTELLO: Well, Jeff, he did -- Trump did get a little more into his immigration policy, you know, besides building the wall. He told Dana Bash that the illegal immigrants living here now he would make them all leave the country and then he would let only the good ones come back in. Do I have that right?

ZELENY: You have it right. I'm just not sure how that works. I mean, the practicality of deporting or removing, you know, 11 million or more people from the country has been something that really no one has figured out how to do or -- you know, never mind the fact if it's a good idea or not.

But conservatives, Carol, are beginning to sort of fly speck his immigration answers to Dana Bash. Finally got a little bit of specifics, and this is something I think that is the beginning of sort of a second look at the Trump campaign. When you look at the substance of it, some Republicans are beginning to sort of question exactly where he stands on this. So as we head into the debate next week, look for other rivals to press him on specifics here and exactly how he would accomplish any of what he's actually saying.

COSTELLO: And Javier, I can hear Donald Trump prefacing every remark on immigration with Hispanics love me. The Hispanics love me. Do they?

PALOMAREZ: No, they don't, Carol. And by the way, the reality of it is the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce collaborated with the George W. Bush Institute on a study that found that net immigration between the United States and Mexico was practically zero over a 10-year period of time, so this notion that we are being inundated by immigrants, the reality of it is there are more people leaving the United States going to Mexico than there are people leaving Mexico coming to the U.S. Again, I'm not sure where Donald is getting his information, but it's absolutely inaccurate.

COSTELLO: I just -- I'm just curious, Javier. Are Donald Trump's comments hurting the rest of the Republican Party when it comes to Hispanic-Latino support?

PALOMAREZ: You know, I -- I got to believe they are. You've got some phenomenal candidates like Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and others. Certainly Jeb Bush understands the Hispanic community. He is creating very -- a strong division between the entire party and the Hispanic community. He has been very hurtful, and I think -- I have got to believe that that's going to show up during the election. It's going to show up in the polls. I've got to believe that it will.

COSTELLO: OK. And just -- you know, we're watching this event run by the Urban League in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Hillary Clinton took to the stage to talk about issues that affected the African-American community. Bernie Sanders just got off stage.

Jeff, can you just bring us up to date about what Hillary Clinton said? She was quite fiery.

ZELENY: She was, Carol. I mean, she's using this forum, it's really the first one of the campaign where she is addressing the -- the same audience that Jeb Bush will be addressing here momentarily, and she went after him quite directly using the name of his super PAC which she calls it the Right to Rise. She said that, you know, there is no right to rise for African-American voters and others if you don't support the minimum wage. There is no right to rise if you don't support voting rights.

So I think she decided to use this as a forum to go after who may be the leading Republican likely nominee. Even though Donald Trump is leading in the polls right now, most Republicans believe Jeb Bush is actually, you know, in a good position here.

[10:25:12] She went after him for the first time directly on some of these things so we'll see what his response is when he speaks shortly.

COSTELLO: Yes, he should -- and Javier, I just wanted to ask you because Hillary Clinton did lay out her immigration plan. I know Bernie Sanders did, too. Is there any favorite on the Democrat side -- Democratic side, as far as Hispanic support?

PALOMAREZ: Well, certainly Senator Sanders who was with us yesterday for a 90-minute Q & A did talk very candidly about his beliefs. With that said, he doesn't have the track record, he doesn't have the name recognition that Secretary Clinton has, but I do see Bernie Sanders continuing to close that gap. He has very aggressively engaged America's Hispanic community, but clearly coming from a state that is 95 percent Caucasian, and this is the first time he runs for the presidency. So he's a new entrant in the space but he's doing everything he can to close that gap. COSTELLO: All right. Thanks to you both, Javier Palomarez, Jeff

Zeleny. I appreciate it.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the outrage is growing over the killing of Cecil the Lion. Now Zimbabwe wants the United States to hand over that dentist that hunted him down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)