Transcripts For CNNW Wolf 20140402

Hello, im wolf blitzer, reporting from washington. There have been plenty of developments today in the case of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Malaysians Police Inspector general says all 227 passengers have been cleared of any wrongdoing. The investigation looked at hijacking, sabotage, any personal or psychological problems that would have been in play. Also today, the families of 18 of the passengers met with investigators and government officials in kuala lumpur. This meeting was supposed to clear the air and answer families question in the investigation. Meanwhile, this search zone moved a couple hundred miles closer to the australian coast. The hmstireless, a Nuclear Submarine has joined the search to search for pings from the planes black boxes. Lets get more now on the investigation and what police say is the next step. For that we turn to our Senior International correspondent, Nic Robertson in kuala lumpur. Reporter yeah, wolf, 170 reports taken by the police so far as part of this ongoing investigation, ongoing criminal investigation. But now saying that all 227 passengers are cleared of the four aspects of the investigation. The police are looking at. This, of course, not the mechanical investigation of what could have gone wrong with the aircraft. The issues of hijacking, sabotage, personal issue, psychological issue on board the aircraft, all 227 passengers now cleared. The focus does seem to be turning as far as the Police Investigation of those aboard the aircraft towards the crew. And we now hear as well from Malaysian Airlines tightening up security procedures aboard the aircraft. They now say that the pilots cannot be left alone in the cockpit. If either the captain or the first officer leaves the cockpit, another senior crew member must take their place. So there must be two people inside the cockpit at any time. The police have said this is a criminal investigation. Officials have said whoever steered the plane off course knew what they were doing. Was very capable in flying this particular aircraft. So we can really begin to see how the Police Investigation focusing down on whats taken place in the cockpit, Malaysian Airlines themselves concerned about what goes on in the cockpit, if only one of the one of the pilots who is in that cockpit although no one is joining those dots together, it does seem to indicate which way this part of the investigation is going. But all those passengers now cleared of any involvement. This should make the investigation a little easier, although the police chief saying still a long way to go yet, wolf. Nic robertson in kuala lumpur, thanks very much. Lets bring in our panel to talk about the developments. Mark weise is a cnn aviation analyst, former 777 pilot for american airlines. Peter goelz, former ntsb managing director. And tom fuentes, cnn Law Enforcement analyst, former assistant director of the fbi. Tom, let me start with you. They say they have cleared all 227 passengers. So what does that mean . Theyre just looking at the pilots, the crew members, who else are they looking at . Well, thats what it means. But i dont know why they would clear the passengers, unless youve developed a really strong suspect from either the crew members in the plane, the other crew members, or the pilots or ground crew personnel. So to clear the passengers, im not sure that you can investigate for three or four weeks and clear everybody when this investigation, you know, is going on in 14 Different Countries considering the background of all of the passengers. Thats the only explanation i have, they have cleared the 227 passengers, peter, because they are really honing in on someone or some others. At least one individual or a few individuals right now. But theyre not sharing all those details with us. Right. Theyre zeroing in on the flight crew. Thats where they are. The pilot, the co pilot . Thats there is no indication there is no indication there is anyone else in there. And thats where theyre zeroing in. And i think theres a foreshadowing of that over the last week from police spokespeople. And the other foreshadowing of that, mark, is that Malaysia Airlines now, all of a sudden, they have said, weve got new security protocols for anyone coming into the cockpit. Theres not going to just be one person in the cockpit any longer. There is always going to be two people in that cockpit. The timing of that also suggests this the suspicion focusing in on either the pilot, the co pilot or both of them. Or others who may have gotten in there. Yeah. It certainly does. It certainly leads suspicion to the crew. But it also is a bit disturbing that its its so many years past 9 11. Of course, malaysia didnt suffer a 9 11 that the United States did. That its now stepping up to what most countries in this world determine to be standard security procedures for a cockpit. Yesterday we were speculating, we were talking right here, wondering, are they going to move the search zone again . They moved it from the southern part of the indian ocean, moved it north about 700 miles. And now theyre moving it to the east, closer to australia, another 200 or 250 miles. That does not ill start with you, tom, once again, instill a whole lot of confidence these people know what theyre doing right now. No, it doesnt. But as we said yesterday, we wouldnt be surprised. It happened today. And were not surprised. You were none of us are surprised, but, you know, the fact that they have now for a third time said, you know what, we didnt find anything in the south, we didnt find anything in the new location, so were moving the search to a new location. What does that say to you . It just reaffirms that the data is very soft. That theyre working on. And it means that theyre trying everything they can to take one last shot before the 30day clock runs out. And, you know, god love them. I hope they had the right data. I hope it proves fruitful. But clearly desperation. This is really the fourth time they have changed the search area. Originally in the South China Sea between vietnam and malaysia, that whole area that proved to be not an area they really wanted to search. Then they went to the southern indian ocean, moved it up north and now back east. So really four major search areas. Well, we dont even know, wolf, really, what the altitude swings were. If, in fact, were any altitude swings. A lot of reports it went up to 45,000, down to 12,000, 35,000. Right. I mean, and this all has to do now with fuel consumption and distance it would have traveled. Theres so much we still dont know. And presumably, i can only assume and ill ask you, peter, you were involved in a lot of these investigations. They have information that theyre not sharing, whether its sensitive information, submarines may have collected, other information, tom, from interrogations theyre not sharing, because this is now as they say, a criminal investigation. Does that, by the way, rule out mechanical . If they say this is a criminal investigation . Well, it could be a crime to tamper with the airplane and sabotage it. So it could be both still. You agree . I do. But i think theyre looking at the cockpit. And i think one thing with the new policy of not leaving a pilot alone in the cockpit, it may foreshadow something they picked up on the to you we are tapes and why the tower tapes have not been released. And im glad the International Air transport association has said theyre going to have a complete review of International Experts and come up with lessons learned, recommendations. They want this report out by december. This is a very significant development. All right, guys, were going to have much more on this coming up. There are new details coming in. In the meantime, right now about that massive earthquake in chile. The 8. 2 magnitude quake hit just off the countrys northern coast last night and triggered a tsunami and several small landslides. Six people are now confirmed dead. Three of the victims were crushed to death. Crews are out in force to assess the damage, but it appears this powerful quake could have been much worse. Could have done a lot more damage. Rolando santos, cnn Vice President of chile, is joining us now live from the capital of santiago. Rolando, give us a sense, how destructive was this quake . Well, given the magnitude of the quake, actually, not very destructive. And im not minimizing in any way the six people who lost their lives. By the way, of the six people, four of those lost their lives through heart attack. The other two as a result of the earthquake. But if you look at the damage in the region, compared to when you and i talked during the quake four years ago here in santiago, you dont see the wide scale kind of destruction where you have Tall Buildings burning overnight and all of that. A lot has to do with the region, wolf. As you know, in the very northern region, desert country. Not very many Tall Buildings. The biggest problem turns out to be the smaller buildings in the small towns between the two major cities, because theyre not as earthquakeproof. Given the normality, 8. 1, on magnitude, 8. 1, a lot of folks are saying, you know what, this really wasnt the big one that chile had expected, others had expected. Theyre still waiting for what they call the big one. What are folks there saying . Well, the big question is here, what is the big one . If you look at the history of the country, this country back in 1877, had an 8. 3 earthquake. At that point. The biggest earthquake in the history of the United States history of the world, actually, occurred here in santiago in 1960, which was a 9. 5. And 5,000 people died there. So what is the big one . You could argue the 9. 5 was. A lot of scientists are saying that basically it has a lot to do with how far out in the ocean it happens, whether or not the energy has built up or dissipated. We have had 94 aftershocks, and people are saying, well, thats good. Because its dissipating the energy, and some scientists are saying, no, thats not necessarily true. So i dont think anyone has a right answer about that. I think Mother Nature is going to do what Mother Nature does. And quite frankly, and at the risk of being subjective about it, ive lived here for seven and a half, almost eight years. I think we escaped with very little damage, considering the magnitude of the earthquake. 8. 2 magnitude is a huge, huge earthquake. And im glad to hear that from you, rolando. Thanks very much. Rolando santos, reporting for us from santiago. Still to come, if investigators are correct, flight 370 went down in one of the worlds least explored oceans. An expert in underwater recovery joins us to explain the huge challenges ahead. And a new United States Supreme Court ruling that equates money with free speech. Were taking a look at how this will affect political races, including the contest later this year. Peoi go to angies listt for all kinds of reasons. To gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. Angies list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. Youll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. Now that were expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angies list and look for pediatricians. The Service Providers that ive found on angies list actually have blown me away. Find out why more than two million members count on angies list. Angies list reviews you can trust. Check the weather. Borrow teds wheelbarrow. Post big tomato pics. Buy a birdhouse for sparrows. Download gardening apps. Answer my wifes texts. Search how to sculpt hedges into a trex. I can do all that with my android from tracfone for as low as 7 a month. [ male announcer ] unbeatable nationwide coverage, no contract. For a limited time, save 50 on the zte valet. Now just 49. 99. Tracfone. Do everything for less. A Supreme Court decision today that will affect how money flows to political candidates. The court struck down current limits on the total amounts a person can give to political campaigns. The house speaker, john boehner, says the decision is a win for free speech. What i think this means, freedom of speech is being upheld. You all have the freedom to write what you want to write. Donors ought to have their freedom to give what they want the to give. Democratic senator charles schumer, had this to say, and im quoting. This in itself is a small step but another step on the road to unionation. It could lead to interpretations of the law that would result in the end of any fairness in the political system as we know it. So two very different assessments of this u. S. Supreme court decision. Joining us now, our political correspond taters kevin read and Maria Cardona and chief political analyst, gloria borger. Politically, this is a very, very significant rule. Yeah. Its very significant in the sense that it allows a wealthy donor to kind of spread the wealth and to say, okay, if i like these ten candidates, i can give the maximum amount to an unlimited number of candidates. I also think, quite frankly, that it helps Political Parties, because you can give more money to Political Parties and may take some of the emphasis away from the super pacs. We heard so much during the campaign. So if its issues you care about like obamacare, maybe youll give your money to a super pac who wants to stop obamacare. Otherwise you may decide to give it to candidates in committees. Kevin, as you know, until today, and i want to be precise, the limits in a political cycle that you could give to candidates, you could give 2,600 or whatever individual candidates. But the total would be 48,600. Right. The limit as far as Political Parties and political committees was 74,600. So the 48,000 you dloe away and you can give a million. Find enough candidates give the maximum amount. The 74,600 throw away, you can give a lot more money. Right. So in other words, rich people can really unload if they want. And what happened was, those limits before, what they did was create an incentive for a lot of donors who reached those limits to again go to outside groups and those groups became more powerful. What we saw today with this ruling was the pendulum swing back more towards the party committees, not only the federal parties but state parties as well as individual campaigns, federal candidate campaigns. It swung enough. I think the outside groups are still going to remain relevant, but donors arent going to have to rely on them as much. If youre a really rich person, maria, and you love the Democratic Party and i know you love the Democratic Party, you can give the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee unlimited sums of money now as a result of the United States Supreme Court. So youre thrilled by this decision, right . There are still limits we can give to the committee. But you can give to all committees and you can give to as many candidates. I do think its a bad trend for politics, wolf. Because it continues the notion that you can buy access. And, you know, the supporters of this law will say, this is great for free speech and the First Amendment. I dont think the First Amendment was made to essentially give the wealthiest donors the ability to buy as many candidates and committees as they want. And this is what is happening today. But i will say this. And gloria sort of mentioned this. And kevin, as well. What i think is good about this is that it does, i think, to the extent it will give donors emphasis to give to the committees where there is accountability and where you know exactly who is giving the money, which i think is the big problem with what was happening with super pacs and all of these shady groups, i think that is a good thing. The democrats, like chuck schumer, are portraying this as a complete disaster. And republicans are saying its a huge win. I dont really think its either one of those. Because as you pointed out, wolf, you have those individual limits to candidates that still remain in place. If those caps had been removed, then were talking a different ball game here. But those caps still remain. Specific caps. But you can spread your money around. Sure. So if you want if you have 25 candidates you like, go ahead. But if i think where this is really negative, though, is i think in the public perception. The public already believes that their single vote doesnt count. And, you know, 99 of people dont make more than, you know, 80,000. Its good to throw more money into politics after citizens united. After that decision. Not necessarily a lot, but there will be more money in politics and i think this brings up the fundamental debate, which is there too much money in politics . Absolutely. If you consider the fact that a cola company spends 2 billion a year Just Marketing their product and we spend 2 billion on a president ial election, which one is more important . So i think thats a fundamental question we still have to debate. I would argue, the political the direction of the country is important enough that there is quickly around the table, maria first. Is it too early to see how this Supreme Court decision today, following four years ago, citizens united, will impact the midterm elections this november . I think it will actually hugely impact them. And as you said, as a democrat, i hope that now these wealthy donors will focus their money, not on outside groups, but on the committee. I think it will i agree that it will have an impact. I dont think its going to be huge impact. But the Campaign Committees are going to be very wellfunded this year as a result. , and you know, they may actually have candidates, if they get a bunch of money from these donors, may actually have more control over their ads that are going to appear on television. You often hear them complain about these super pac ads that come in, that have nothing to do with the message of their campaign. So if they have this money themselves, they can hone their Campaign Just the way they more accountability. Said they could give unlimited sums to the super pacs. This decision today will remove and excuse the rich people have when politicians come to them and say we need money. They wont have that excuse anymore. The lowers the playing field. If you are a big donor right now, your email is going to double. Obviously. And mail solicitations triple. Because you wont be able to say im maxed out, im sorry. Now youre not maxed out. But the voter is going to say my vote doesnt count, im not going to participate. Major decision by the Supreme Court. We dont know the complete fallout. But obviously opens the door to a lot more money getting involved in politics. All right, guys. Thanks very much. Thank you. Just ahead, hightech underwater equipment will soon be able to help find malaysian Airlines Flight 370, but time could run out before they can use it. An expert in underwater search is joining us live. [ male announcer ] ortho crime files. Reckless seeding. A backyard invasion. Enter homeowner, and ortho weed b gon max. Kills weeds without harming innocent lawns. Guaranteed. Ortho weed b gon max. Get order. Get ortho®. Ortho weed b gon max. Making moves that would put an adult in the emergency room. Yet all they really want to do is grow up. Its funny, everyone i know wishes they could go back and feel younger. Sound familiar . Then test drive one of these. Current nongm owners and lessees use your 1,500 allowance to lease the 2014 cadillac ats for around 359 a month with nothing due at signing. The expedia app helps you save with mobileexclusive deals download the expedia app text expedia to 75309 expedia, find yours these days, everything is done on the internet. And tomorrow youll do even more. Thats what comcast business was built for. Slow dsl from the phone company was built for stuff like this. Switch to comcast business internet. Then add voice and tv for just 34. 90 more per month. And youll be ready for tomorrow today. Comcast business. Built for business. Hightech underwater equipment will arrive tomorrow in the search area off Western Australia to help hunt for flight 370. Todays designated search area has actually moved a few hundred miles closer to australia. A top priority, trying to find the flight data recorder before the batteries die in its locater beacon. Before they can search the ocean bottom for the boeing 777 and its black boxes, searchers first need to find some floating wreckage that can help pinpoint where to look. Arnold carr is president of american under water search and survey, his company not involved in this search, but they have been part of Many Missions like it. Arnold, these searches go through distinct stages. Were now 26 days into this incident. What stage are we at right now . Youre really in the first stage of a threestage event. The first stage being trying to find the debris in this case. Unfortunately, you dont have gps information and good radar tracking information as to where it went down. But the debris is always a clue and a very important clue. And thats the stage were in right now, stage one. This new area, theyve moved this search, as i say, a couple hundred miles to the east, closer to australia. Were told it has an enormous whats described as an enormous underwater trench near this area thats actually deeper than the grand canyon. And theyre trying to find that pinger. Theyre trying to find that beeping coming from the socalled black box. Theyve got a pinger locater device that should get there sometime tomorrow. What do you think . Is this a really doable process right now . Its an extremely difficult process. The pinger is a great advance in technology, but its limited, as you well know. And in time and range. And they really, when you get into the deep water, you really have to, in this case, fly that locater down low near the bottom to cover the bottom laterally. Its really difficult. The key, really, is to find where the plane went and tighten up the area of search. And if you dont find any wreckage, though, how do you do that . Well, its a process of continued analysis. If they can really analyze the radar and get better information from it, thats a key. And then the debris hopefully the sooner you find the debris, the better. Because its more accurate in hind casting and getting back to the most probable site of the crash. Arnold carr, thanks for joining us. Youre welcome. Up next, a new search zone for the planes and ships scouring the indian ocean. Well also take a closer look at why they have actually moved the search zone closer to the australian coast. Plus, earthquakes rocking both north and south america. Are both continents overdue for the big one . What experts are predicting. Stay with us. [ male announcer ] this is the cat that drank the milk. [ meows ]. And let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. Find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ]. That secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ] the internet of everything is changing everything. Cisco. Tomorrow starts here. The internet of everything is changing everything. This one goes out to all you know who you are. Youve become deaf to the sound of your own sniffling. Your purse is starting to look more like a tissue box. You can clear a table without lifting a finger. Well muddlers, muddle no more. Try zyrtec®. It gives you powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin. Because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. Claritin doesnt start working until hour 3. Zyrtec®. Muddle no more™ at farmers we make you smarter about your insurance, because what you dont know can hurt you. What if you didnt know that taking pictures of your belongings helps when you have a claim . Or that farmers offers a policy thatll replace your car with a new one, if its totalled within the first two model years. And that parking near a street lamp deters thieves. The more you know, the better you can plan for whats ahead. Talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. We are farmers. Call 18004708502 and see how much you can save. Welcome back, im wolf blitzer reporting from washington. Lets get you caught up on the latest search for flight 370. The search zone has now moved a couple hundred miles closer to the australian coast. The zone being patrolled by several ships and planes. There is also a british navy Nuclear Submarine there, joining in the search. Also today, malaysias Police Inspector general announced that all 227 passengers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in four major areas of the investigation. Hijacking, sabotage, any personal or psychological problems that may have affected the flight. But police also said the criminal investigation doesnt end there. The crew is still under scrutiny and also taking a closer look at the food and cargo that would have been on the flight. Now to chile, where emergency crews are out in force assessing the damage from a very powerful earthquake. The 8. 2 magnitude quake hit off the countrys northern coast last night and triggered a tsunami and small landslides. At least six people killed, three crushed to death. More than 2,500 homes have been seriously damaged. Nearly 1 Million People were evacuated. Military troops have been deployed to the area to keep order. Officials say right now everything is calm. General motors ceo is being grilled by a senate panel again today. Mary barra has acknowledged that gm knew about ignition problems as early as 2001. The problem could cut off the engine and deactivate air bags, power steering and power brakes. The issue has been linked to 13 deaths. Barra stressed that gm is now a new company. It does things differently than the old gm. But senator ed markey of massachusetts had some very harsh words. I am he very troubled you are not willing to commit the ending this culture of secrecy at general motor. I didnt say that. Yes, you have. And i know this. I have tried year after year for more than ten years to have legislation passed that would require the disclosure of all of this information. And it was the Automobile Industry that killed my legislation year after year. And this is the moment now for you to say more than that youre sorry. Strong words from senator markey. Barra has been ceo for three months. Gm has been protected after their bankruptcy back in 2009. Now back to the search for flight 370. The area of the search closer to the australian coast, as we get closer to when the pings from those black boxes are expected to go silent. Our own will ripley is joining us from perth, australia, the staging point for the search area. First of all, will, whats the explanation . Why did they again decide to move the entire search zone . Originally in the southern indian ocean and is then up north about 700 miles and now to the east closer to australia by another couple hundred miles. Whats the thinking . What went into that third shift in the indian ocean . Reporter yet another move to report. The official word that were getting out here, wolf, is just that theyre continuing to analyze this data and refine the search area. Theyre saying that maybe some new objects have been spotted in this search area closer to the australian coastline. Lets be frank here for a moment. They have been scouring the other area and havent found anything yet. So theyre now searching the areas around the perimeter, hoping that maybe theyll come up with something, which we havent seen yet. How many ships and planes will be on the search operation in a few hours when it resumes . Reporter you know, yesterday we saw ten planes, nine ships. We expect those assets to continue to be deployed today, with the addition now of the ocean shield which could arrive later this morning here in perth. The ocean shield equipped with High Technology from the u. S. Navy, the tow pinger locater, giant underwater microphone that can listen for the pings, the fading pings from the flight data recorders and also the underwater drone submarine to scan the ocean surface. Then you mentioned also we have that british submarine in the area, which has the s. O. N. A. R. Equipment that could also scan the ocean floor and listen for pings. But all of this technology is pretty much useless if we dont narrow down the search area. It needs to be about 1,000 times smaller than what it is right now. Got to find something. Theyve got to find some wreckage to give them at least a clue. So far they have come up with no wreckage at all. Will ripley in perth, well check back with you and stand by for the resumption of this search in a few hours. Much more ongoing coverage of the search from flight 370 coming up. Also, nerves rattled after recent earthquakes in both north and south america. But are both continents overdue for a bigger more devastating quake . Our own chad myers standing by with his assessment on what theyre calling the next big one. My advice for healthy looking radiant skin. A good nights sleep. And aveeno®. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® positively radiant has an active naturals® total soy formula. It helps reduce the look of brown spots in just four weeks. Aveeno®. Naturally beautiful results™. Last nights powerful earthquake in chile was deadly and destructive, but geologists say it could have been much worse. They were in a larger and more devastating quake could be around the corner. Same is true for california, which has experienced several smaller quakes over the last few weeks. The thought that the socalled big one could hit sooner rather than later is making people nervous right now. Chad myers is watching this. He knows about this kind of stuff. Chad, just how likely is it that the socalled big one in chile or california, these parts of the world, highrisk, seismic area . There is a new risk, a newer risk. We have known about it since 199 the. But were not talking about the San Andreas Fault. Were not talking about the big fault that runs all the way from north of San Francisco all the way down to mexico, right through riverside and into the east of l. A. Were talking about a different fault. This is what the San Andreas Fault is going to do, all along the fault, going to slide, the slip strike. You see how that moves and you can see the pictures where defenses dont line up anymore. Thats when the earth moves this way and buildings shake back and forth like this. But with this new thrust fault here, from about puente hills, its not a horizontal thrust anymore. Its a vertical issue were worried about. Were worried the strike, the slip, is going to be this way. Its going to slide up, and so all the buildings that are up here on top of the earth are going to be pushed up by a couple feet. And its not an even push up. You think, thats okay, im two feet higher, thats great. But your neighbor is one foot higher, your neighbor here two feet higher, think about what that does to the infrastructure when the pipes and sewers and lines are under water. We had a big earthquake down here. And this is a different type of fault. This is called a thrust fault. The thrust fault in chile last night was because this nazka plate here is pushing under the south american plate. This is on top, this is going down, almost like think about a cold front or warm front. As this goes down, you get some tension. And the tension built up under the water and all of a sudden that tension couldnt hold anymore. And one side of the plate popped. When it popped, pushed all the water above it up. Probably a couple feet. Thats where the tsunami came from. And that tsunami ran across, even a foot and a half tsunami, wave, if you will, and hilo, hawaii this morning, wolf. Had some really actively smaller earthquakes and aftershocks in california. Now an 8. 2 off the coast of chile and now the u. S. Geological survey reporting that an earthquake magnitude 6. 2. 6. 2 just hit off the coast of panama right now. So what does that say . It looks sort is it a coincidence these earthquakes are happening in this part of the world . I rarely believe in coincidences. And even in this place, in this case, i dont. When one big earthquake happens in one part of the world, that can relieve some stress in another. But can also create some stress in another. So when these plates move a little bit, these plates are all connected in a big, long line. And you get that friction in one spot to slide, and all of a sudden youve made more friction up here a thousand miles away, u get another slide here. I likely dont think california and peru, chile, are connected. But because this happened yesterday at 8. 2, this is 6. 2 along the same plate boundaries, i believe they are not coincidental. Not coincidental. Chad, thanks very much. Excellent explanation. Thanks, buddy. 27 days after the disappearance of flight 370, and were apparently no closer to knowing what actually happened. Tweet us your questions about the search, use the hash tag 370qs. Were going to get some answers. Im on expert on softball. And tea parties. Ill have more awkward conversations than im equipped for, because im raising two girls on my own. Ill worry about the economy more than a few times before theyre grown. But its for them, so ive found a way. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. Ready to plan for your future . Well help you get there. And a life of purpose and meaning was infused into a corporate culture. There was a commitment to creating new jobs out of recycled metals, right here in america. And a bank that helped carolyn rafaelians business grow from a rhode island storefront into a global sensation. Thats the beauty of connecting a vision to an enterprise. Thats bank of america. Lactaid® is 100 real milk . Right. Real milk. But it wont cause me discomfort. Exactly, no discomfort, because its milk without the lactose. And it tastes . Its real milk come on, would i lie about this . Hello. [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100 real milk. No discomfort. And for a 100 real dairy snack youll 100 enjoy try lactaid® cottage cheese. Questions continue to pour in daily about the search for flight 370. Lets bring back our panel of experts to tackle some of your questions. Our aviation analyst, mark weise and peter goelz and tom fuentes. Rose asked this. Do you feel that the searchers have found evidence of the jet but officials are keeping it quiet for now . I dont think so. I think they havent found anything yet. You agree . I agree. I think if they find something they would announce it. They cant keep Something Like that secret. No, especially somebody like boeing. If there is a problem with the airplane, they want to make sure it gets fixed. Kelly tweets this question. Will the debris ever wash up on shore, and if so, when would they expect to see it and when . Good question. Peter, what do you think . Well, eventually, it will wash up. Some piece will show up some place. But its going to take weeks and months before that happens. Assuming it landed. Assuming in the ocean where they think it did. There will be a piece that will wash up some time in months or years from now and somebody is going to bring it in and say here it is. But, boy, its going to take time. All right. Amelia writes this. Mark, for you. Why is a transponder in a location that makes it accessible to be turned off . Tell our viewers, first of all, what a transponder is. Of. A transponder is a unit on the aircraft thats an electronic unit that basically sends out a signal, a it sends out a signal that lets the air Traffic Controller know its the airplanes altitude and the speed and direction of flight. Its basically telling you who i am, where i am, and where im going. It builds a little bit of a cocoon around an airplane. Its important to know where the plane is at all times and the altitude and the speed. Why is it so easy to turn it off if you are a bad guy and you want to make sure the hijacker disappears, why do they make it so easy to turn it off . You have to look at it from the perspective of this doesnt happen very often. Its true and you have to have it accessible to the pilots. Why . One, its a method of communication to the ground unit and its a method of having a problem on an airplane whether its mechanical or a security problem. Its a way of going through different radar sectors to different radar sectors. You never turn it off. You sometimes change the code on it. Why was it why cant they figure out a way to keep it on at all times and not be allowed to turn it on. I saw what it looks like. You turn it off to on. Three of the four planes hijacked, the first things the terrorists did was turn off the transponder. It seems like i no brainer. Maybe they will. Its a very rare chance that the unit itself could overheat or short circuit or the pilot might consider turning it off. I want to revisit that. Heres another question. After the flight redeemed missing, why was the military personnel alerted to look for the plane immediately. Who wants to tackle that. Great question. Absolutely. It seemed to nobody cared. It was like 1 30 in the morning. All of a sudden they dont realize a plane is missing and they dont scramble or do anything. We never have seen the transcript of the internal communications. We dont know what they were saying. The many questions that have come up because of this, it certainly seems so opaque. You cant see whats going on. That was a big question. You go over somebodys territory, where was the Malaysian Air force or thai air force. We certainly dont know about it. Heres another question. Does the u. S. Or any military have technology to locate it and not want to use it because it exposes a cryptic not known. What do you think . I dont think so. I think if they had a way, they wouldnt say how they revealed the source or the method, but look here. I agree. I dont think the country would be that cynical. The agony would be too great. They would reveal what they knew. Whether satellite or sonar or submarines and stuff like that. They dont want bad guys to know how they collect this. They would have refined the search area and say i think this is a better area to search. Without revealing how they find that. We have more questions after the break. We try to answer more of your viewer questions. If you have one, tweet us the question and use the hash t tag 370 qs. [ male announcer ] its here Xfinity Watchathon week, your chance to watch full seasons of tvs hottest shows for free with xfinity on demand. Theres romance, face slaps, whatever that is, pirates, helicopters, piratecopters. Argh hmm. Its so huge, its being broadcast on mars. Heroes. Bad guys. Asteroids. Available only on mars. Theres watching. Then theres watchathoning. More viewer questions about the analyst with tom fuentes. A question. Is it possible to use storage for allidate . In other words, make sure everything is strained and its already someplace that they can get access to even if the plane disappears. Thats one of the options and they will create this to look at. That will be one of the options they will look at. That has been a complaint that the data will clog up the system. With the cloud that may be the solar system. It will cost a few hundred thousand to do that, but if the plane already costs 200 million, a few hundred thousand is not going to break the backs of the airliners. Less than the cost of an sbrarpt system. We need this. I agree. Any large experience policies taken out on passengers. I assume they looked at that. That is something they look at and you are relying on all of the countries that had nationals on the plane and what i have been checking the financial records and recent deposits and withdrawals and other information that will be relevant. Thats one of the first things you look at. That was one of the first things with the silk air next 1967. See whether either one of the flight crew had taken out a large policy. They have. It was a million dollars. It became effective just around the time of the flight. Heres another question. Could the plane have been remotely controlled and all communication jammed by a device. You are a 777 pilot. The answer is no to that question. There have been a lot of talk about that and speculation in print and other media about being able to do that the answer is no. Dixie with this question. Would the missing plane would have had enough to land in somalia or other african country . Im not sure of the distance on that, but typically that airplane would have taken off on a 7 1 2 hour flight with the fuel that would have been required to go to beijing and alternate airport. We dont know what altitude that aircraft was at. The experience types out there who think the plane landed on ground somewhere even though there is no evidence of that. I locked at that early on the first week of the disappearance and im guessing what the speed and heading and everything was. I noticed the plane could land almost half of the cities in australia and malaysia air could have gone as far asthma nilla in the philippines and japan. Could have gotten to kazakhstan. Heres a question from rob. Is it possible the plane could have landed and sunk intact . This could explain no debris and no emergency. In other words a Sulley Sullenberger miracle on the hudson. That was during the day on flat open water. This was at night. This airplane would have come down and probably broken into many parts. We will continue tomorrow. Thats it for me. 5 00 p. M. And a special twohour edition of the situation room. Newsroom starts right now. Hello, everyone. Filling in for brooke baldwin. First up after days searching on the indian ocean on the wreckage of flight 370, the search has been moved. Like last time, this is not because of data analysis, this is because they say this area has been scoured to the point that no new objects are being cited. No sign of the plane there, searchers are turning the focus to an adjoining area to the east. Is this premature . As to the investigation, we have confirmation that all