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Inmarsat, Malaysia to Release Flight Data Communication Logs; Libya Has U.S. Military on High Alert; More Germs on Planes Than Thought; Book Claims U.S. Protecting Iranian Who Oversaw 1983 Beirut U.S. Embassy Bombing.

Aired May 20, 2014 - 13:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting from Washington.

It was an extremely close call been two planes nearly collided at Newark Liberty Airport last month it the airliners were just about 150 feet apart. Air traffic controllers directed a Boeing jet to land seconds before a smaller jet was cleared for takeoff on an intersecting runway. The larger plane was almost atop the smaller one before aborting its landing attempt and circling the airport. Listen to air traffic control.

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

CONTROLLER: Acey 4100, traffic off to your right. Do you have him in sight? Maintain visual.

PILOT: Yeah, yeah. We'll put the nose down. Yeah, he was real close.

(END AUDIO FEED)

BLITZER: The NTSB now investigating. The final report expected to take several months.

We're following important developments in the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370. Just days after a public back and forth and refusing to release the plane's satellite data, Inmarsat, the company that detected the plane's so-called final pings, along with the Malaysian government, now saying it will publicly reveal all flight data communication logs. And this be could come literally at any time.

Let's bring in our plane panel. Matt Dombroff is an aviation attorney. Alan Diehl is a former NTSB investigator, an adviser to the U.S. Air Force, author of the book "Air Safety Investigators."

So, Alan, let me ask you, what do we expect to receive in this new data? How important potentially could it be?

ALAN DIEHL, FORMER NTSB INVESTIGATOR, AIR FORCE ADVISOR & AUTHOR: Well, I think it's just going to reassure everybody that this was a very scientifically conducted exercise. I don't expect any smoking guns. I don't expect the data to change. It looks to me like it's been peer reviewed internally by the British and, of course, the company itself.

BLITZER: Let me ask, Mark, what do you think we're going to learn, anything substantially as a result of all this data to be released?

MARK DOMBROFF, AVIATION ATTORNEY: I think what we'll see, Wolf, is a tidal wave of speculation that starts other again. I think the people who look at this, the third party experts, self-styled experts out there, are going to come out with conclusions all other the board. So I'm not necessarily confident that we're going to see a complete agreement with whatever conclusions have been reached so far.

BLITZER: Would it have made any difference if they had released this information early on?

DOMBROFF: I think we would have had that speculation, just earlier on, and people would have been criticizing wherever they searched. I think now the criticism in terms of the search area is just going to follow the release of this data, assuming we can interpret the data in terms of what the analysis process is.

BLITZER: Alan, based on everything you know, do you think they're even looking in the right place right now?

DIEHL: Yes, I do. My understanding is they've also tried to validate the data, using another 777, flying the route the data predicted, and that revealed the data from the satellite was predictive. So if that is true -- and I'd love to have the Malaysian government confirm that -- this is probably a very good localization, although it's still a big area.

BLITZER: Because --

DIEHL: From what we know now.

BLITZER: Allen, a lot of people have suggested they do another flight with the 777 to see if they can recreate all those pings, all those handshakes, whatever you want to call them, that Inmarsat found. Are you saying you know for sure they did do a flight like that, because I hadn't heard that yet?

DIEHL: No, I'm not, Wolf. I've been told they have done it. I don't know that. Obviously, having done IKO and NTSB investigations, that would be a very logical thing to do in this case. No, I don't know that they've done it. I've heard it said that they have done it.

BLITZER: What have you heard, if anything, about that?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: It is a very logical thing. Miles O'Brien, a lot of our other aviation experts, have said they should do this, but I haven't heard they actually did do it. DOMBROFF: I don't think they've done it. I think the most they've done is gone into the simulator and attempted to recreate certain aspects of the flight. I suspect one could take an airplane out there and fly it for five, six, seven hours, but I'm not sure we'd be recreating anything. I think it might be even more misleading than some of the information we already have.

BLITZER: I'm told, Alan, correct me if I'm wrong, in the past, you said we may never find this plane. You still believe that?

DIEHL: Well, it's very possible. We know about Air France, taking two years. There was a South African 747 that disappeared for two years. Of course, there are several airliners that have never been found. But I think -- I have fair confidence that this Inmarsat data is in -- at least pointing to the right neighborhood. It's still a big haystack. I think they will finally find this. I imagine it will be months or longer.

BLITZER: What do you think?

DOMBROFF: I think we just found the Santa Maria several hundred years later, so I don't have a whole lot of confidence, to be honest are you.

(CROSSTALK)

DOMBROFF: No, I'm not.

BLITZER: Mark Dombroff, Alan Diehl, thanks very much.

There's another major recall at General Motors we want to tell you about. Right now, the company announcing almost 2.5 million vehicles will be affected. It includes sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks. GM is concerned seat belts may actually separate in a crash. The problem serious enough that the company is telling its dealers not to sell any new or used affected models. They've got to fix that.

Let's do a quick check of the markets. There you see the Dow Jones down about 139 points. The troubles at General Motors haven't weighed too heavily on the markets, we're told. Instead, investors have been much more concerned about retailers. Stocks of Dick Sporting Goods, Staples, among others, were under pressure in early trading today.

Up next, U.S. Marines on alert, ready to fly into Libya at a moment's notice, as the Pentagon looks to avoid another Benghazi.

Later, potentially deadly bacteria trapped on airlines. There's new information now on how long those germs actually last.

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BLITZER: The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, was questioned by our own White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, about when the president knew about the latest serious problems at V.A. hospitals in Phoenix and elsewhere across the country. Listen to what Carney just said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Let me be clear, because there was a misunderstanding and a lot of misreporting about this topic. When the president learned about the specific allegation, what I understood your question to be, specific allegations contained, first, I believe, in a CNN report about the Phoenix facility. The president, as we all know, we discussed it here, has been talking about the issues and challenges facing V.A. since he was a candidate. And it was precisely those problems that had been identified and were discussed in 2006, 2007, 2008 that he spoke about as a candidate. And it led him to commit to increased resources available to the V.A. so we can better serve our veterans, and to deliver on that commitment every year since he's been president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We'll continue to stay on top of this story, as we have now for months and months, what's going on at some of those V.A. hospitals across the country. That clarification just in from the White House press secretary, Jay Carney.

Let's go to Libya now where battles over the country's future have put the United States military once again on high alert.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has more on the new plans to try to speed up evacuation of Americans in Libya, if they get the order to flee.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Libya's interim parliament is attacked and smoke rises across the capital where there has been fierce fighting here and in Benghazi, the Obama administration is taking no chances. The Pentagon has put troops and firepower in place to get some 200 American diplomats, security personnel and the military security contingent out of harm's way if the State Department orders an evacuation.

JEN PSAKI, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: Security of American citizens and U.S. personnel overseas is our highest priority. The president and secretary have both been receiving regular updates, as they would in any case.

STARR: Just across the Mediterranean at the U.S. naval air station in Sigonella, Italy, everything is set. Aircraft in the air within two hours if it comes to that. The evacuation team includes 250 heavily armed Marines, 8 v-22 aircraft that can carry 24 passengers each, and three additional aircraft for midair refueling along the way. At the same time, U.S. intelligence agencies and the Pentagon have been looking at overhead imagery for days, scouting opposition forces, figuring out the best airfields for landing.

(GUNFIRE) STARR: It's a far cry from September 11th, 2012, when the U.S. compound in Benghazi came under attack and the ambassador and three other Americans were killed. There were no U.S. military forces nearby to get there in time for a rescue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Barbara's joining us now from the Pentagon.

Barbara, do we know what exactly would trigger the evacuation plan?

STARR: Well, Wolf, I think it's fair to say it is partially a political question for the White House. The shadow of Benghazi looms large, that big disaster there. They don't want any chance of a repeat. So if the embassy situation were to become too dangerous, if they felt lives were at risk, direct risk, the general thinking is, then, that the State Department and the White House would order an evacuation.

Diplomatically, they hope to stay. Because once you leave a U.S. embassy overseas, even in dangerous situations when it eventually calms down, it becomes difficult to go back and reopen. They want to make the effort to stay but we're being told they will take no chances -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Do we know how many Americans are in Libya?

STARR: Well, about 200 Americans officially, we're told, attached to the embassy in any number of diplomatic and security functions, along with the regular Marine security contingent that operates out of the embassy. As for other Americans living and working in Libya, there is some considerable number we're told. They are always advised to be careful of their security and keep in touch with the State Department in case an evacuation is ordered. The big question for them is whether the airports would be open at all times, would they be able to get commercial aviation flights out of the country if they chose to leave.

BLITZER: Barbara Starr with the latest at the Pentagon. A very worrisome story developing over there.

Thanks very much.

Up next, why the most dangerous place on an airplane may be the very seat you are in. What's going on?

Also coming up, is the United States government now protecting this man, blamed for the deaths of several Americans at a bombing at a U.S. embassy more than 30 years ago?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: A new study says flying can be a lot more dangerous than we thought, because deadly bacteria cannot only linger on planes, it can stick around for up to a week. A new study from Auburn University found dangerous germs like MRSA and E. coli can exist everywhere. Elizabeth Cohen joining us from Los Angeles has the details.

What are some of the surfaces that the researchers looked at? Tell us what we've learned.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Wolf, they set out to test surfaces that are sort of high traffic. A lot of us touch them. You touch them, the passenger before you, the passenger next to you. And here's what they found. I was actually on a flight last night from Atlanta to L.A. So I had five hours to think about this. So, for example, the window shade, you put it down, put it up. MRSA, an antibiotic resistant bacteria, can last for five days, and regular antibiotics don't work against this bug. The leather seats that you sit on, MRSA can last for six days. That tray table that you're eating off of, MRSA can last for five days. And E. coli, the bad kind, can last for three days. We know these bugs are all sort of around, they were trying to figure out how long can they last. I guess we got the answer, even though it's not very pleasant.

BLITZER: Some people, they get in their seats, the first thing they do is take out sanitizer and start spraying and cleaning the tray tables, the seats, everything else. Is that a good idea?

COHEN: You know, I've sat next to people like that. And I think, oh, my gosh, they're being so paranoid. But after seeing this, well, it does make some sense. What you want to do is use a wipe. You don't want to spray, because you could send everything up in the air. Use an alcohol-based wipe. Wipe down these surfaces. After you get off the plane, you can sanitize your hands as well. It really is quite simple to kill these bugs.

BLITZER: What is the worst surface based on the research that this study gave up?

COHEN: You know, the worst surface was surprising to me. It was the cloth seat back in front of you. When you sit down and they have the emergency information in the seat back in front of you. Bad bacteria can survive there for seven days, for a full week. But the bacteria gets absorbed into the cloth because it's a porous material. So actually you're not so, so likely to get it from those pockets. So I suppose that's good news, especially because those are hard to wipe off.

Now, we got in contact with various airlines, Wolf, and we heard back from Delta. Delta said, look, we wipe down these surfaces thoroughly every day. They also said, we are so concerned about this, that we actually gave seat backs and pockets and armrests and all of that kind of thing to these Auburn researchers. We wanted them to find this out.

BLITZER: Let's hope people take advantage of this, and learn from it, and that we all remain healthy after a long flight, or a short flight for that matter.

Elizabeth, thank you very much. Useful information.

COHEN: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Startling allegations in a new book just out today. Is the U.S. protecting an Iranian spy who actually may have been behind a bombing in Lebanon 30 years ago that killed many Americans, including CIA officers at the U.S. embassy in Beirut? Stand by.

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BLITZER: The story sounds as if it's straight out of a movie plot. A new book making startling allegations about a bombing in Lebanon three decades ago. 63 people died in the blast in Beirut, 17 of them were Americans, including several high-ranking CIA officers. Now a book by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author claims that the U.S. is protecting an Iranian intelligence officer who oversaw the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut back in 1983.

Brian Todd is here.

A complex story. I'll be speaking later today with the author of the new book. But give us the gist of what's going on here.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this new book called "The Good Spy," alleges the Iranian operative of the Revolutionary Guard, Ali Reza Asgari, according to this book, was a key person for the Iranians responsible for organizing the 1983 embassy bombing in Beirut, which killed 63 people, including several Americans, as well as possibly having a hand in the Marine barracks bombing.

BLITZER: That killed more than 200-some Marines.

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: -- yes.

BLITZER: He says in the books, this guy was also responsible for the killing of the Marines six months after blowing up the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

TODD: That's right. What the essential assertion in this book by Kai Bird is regarding Ali Reza Asgari is he defected to the United States in 2007, got help getting to the United States, and was settled, and is being protected by the CIA in exchange for information about Iran's nuclear program, that he told the Americans about Iran's facility, and other things. And in exchange for that valuable information, he was given protection and is being put up and protected by the CIA.

We spoke to the CIA this afternoon, and we got a flat-out denial that they had a hand in this. Here's a statement from the CIA: "We can categorically state that the assertion that CIA arranged for the defection of Ali Reza Asgari or we settled in the United States as alleged by Kai Bird's book on Robert Ames, is false." That is from the CIA.

BLITZER: But they're not denying other U.S. agencies, intelligence agencies had a hand in the defection. He went through Turkey apparently. TODD: That's right.

BLITZER: That's where he defected, and supposedly, according to this book, he was later brought to the United States. Are they saying that the FBI, the DIA, the other intelligence agencies had no role in bringing this guy to the United States, or are they just saying the CIA?

TODD: They're saying the CIA had nothing to do with it. I pressed them on if other agencies have done this. I haven't gotten an answer yet. I'm working with them throughout the day to get some of these answers to these questions. They're saying right now that they had no role in this.

BLITZER: We'll speak to the author of this book. We'll speak to others, including a lawyer representing families later in "The Situation Room." So we'll go in-depth on this story later today. Lots of families potentially going to be very, very upset --

TODD: Right.

BLITZER: -- about this.

Brian, thanks very much.

That's it for me. See you at 5:00 p.m. in "The Situation Room."

NEWSROOM with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go. Top of the hour. Great to be with you. I'm Brooke Baldwin.