Return to Transcripts main page

NEW DAY

6 Dead in Texas, Oklahoma Flooding; Operation Commences to Liberate Anbar from ISIS; Defense Secretary Questions Iraqi Will to Fight; Espionage Trial of U.S. Journalist Begins in Iran; Memorial Day Flights Threatened. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired May 26, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq has launched a new operation to take back territory seized by ISIS.

[05:58:35] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The military operations will be northeast of Fallujah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The course includes Ramadi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Air France Flight No. 22 was escorted to John F. Kennedy Airport by U.S. Air Force fighter jets.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Simultaneously, threats were coming in against other flights, at least ten of them.

BERMAN: There's a spike in murders and gun violence in Baltimore.

MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE: We've come too far to have this type of setback.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't walk in our own neighborhood without getting shot at. People really fear for their own life out here, man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's like, "I don't know if I'm going to make it," but he's like, "I love you."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen it so high, the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The challenges are not over yet. There's going to be more rain to come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. it's Tuesday, May 26, 6 a.m. in the east. We do have big stories breaking at home and abroad.

In Iraq, government forces are launching a massive attack on ISIS. And here at home Mother Nature is launching deadly storms in Texas and Oklahoma, as you were seeing there. Intense rain, floods blamed for six deaths. At least 12 are missing. This is historic flooding they're dealing with.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of homes in one Texas county washed away. The Blanco River in Texas rising 26 feet in just one hour, and the state's governor declaring an emergency.

CNN's meteorologist, Jennifer Gray, is surveying the damage in Wimberley, Texas. What are you seeing, Jennifer?

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Alisyn, this is a disaster, to say the least. We're a couple hundred miles from the Blanco River. At one point on Sunday, it was flowing 2.5 times the flow of Niagara Falls, if that can give you any insight. It rose to about 43 feet. That is about triple what flood stage is.

We hear that 200 to 300 homes completely destroyed, a lot of those wiped completely off their foundation. About 1,000 homes damaged. Thirty-seven counties under a declaration of emergency.

And of course, still looking for 12 missing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY (voice-over): This morning record-breaking and deadly flood waters continue to wreak havoc across central Texas and Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The challenges are not over yet. There's going to be more rain to come.

GRAY: Nearly 40 counties throughout Texas now under an emergency disaster declaration. A dam rupturing just east of Austin unable to withhold a historic amount of rain, flooding a highway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not over. The rain is still here.

GRAY: Family members desperately wait on dry land...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kept calling him over and over and like, "Are you OK? Are you OK?"

GRAY: ... as rescues continue by air and water. The National Guard called to rescue 13 people, including three children trapped in a rental cabin in southeast Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water came up quicker than expected. Road washed out, and we couldn't pass by it.

GRAY: In Wimberley, Texas, around a dozen people are still missing, including two families with children.

JULIE SHIELDS, SISTER MISSING: When she wasn't there, I knew something was very, very wrong.

GRAY: Julie Shields recalls the last phone call she received from her sister, Laura McComb. SHIELDS: "Call Mom and Dad. I love you. And pray."

GRAY: Along with her husband and two children inside, McComb's vacation home was swept away by the flood waters. Her husband, found 12 miles away, says he tried desperately to save his family, but the cabin split in two.

SHIELDS: She is with her babies, and she will be with her babies always in heaven. And we know that as a family.

GRAY: The death toll in both southern states continues to rise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was at prom with her date. And laughing, dancing next to her.

GRAY: Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Ramirez was on her way back from prom just south of San Antonio, her car stalling out in high waters just a couple miles away from her home.

She called 911 and her father, but it was too late.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were unable to find her until this morning when -- when crews were out there. She has her place in heaven, and they'll meet her again soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRAY: Now, most of the rivers here in the hill country have crested. Unfortunately, all of this water is flowing downstream, so we have seen major flooding in the Houston area. They received about 8 to 9 inches of rain in just 24 hours.

And of course, if you add insult to injury, when you have all of this water flowing downstream, so the river's already at high capacity, and then you add the rain on top of that.

Still raining across southeast Texas. That rain into New Orleans, as well. So we are still going to see the potential for flooding across Texas.

The forecast does improve here in the hill country, though. We are expecting a mainly dry forecast today and tomorrow. Only isolated activity. Of course, if we see some heavy downpours, though, in those isolated areas, we will see the risk of flash flooding once again, Chris.

When the sun comes up here we will, of course, have better pictures. The bridge that we're trying to get the original location, the integrity of it, is compromised with a lot of debris. So we're going to be trying to get across there in the next hour or two to see what's on the other side.

CUOMO: All right, Jennifer. We know that resources are stretched to the limit. We'll be back to you.

But we want to tell you about Iraq. The government forces there are going on the attack, called out by their enemies and allies for not having the will to fight. They're now responding with one of the biggest operations to date. The mission: reclaim Anbar province from ISIS. Forces already have the key city of Ramadi surrounded from three directions.

We have complete coverage, starting with senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. He is live in Baghdad -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chris, it is a potentially messy start to this operation, but the announcements are made. We have to see if they translate to action on the ground.

Key to how sectarian and complex this could be. The first real announcement came from the Shia-backed militia, the Has al-Shabi (ph), who said they were going after a supply route that ISIS liked to use between the northern city -- sorry the northern area of Salahuddin province and Anbar where Ramadi is located.

Now we then heard from the defense ministry and the prime minister's office through state TV saying, yes, also the Iraqi military are going to be involved, as are the police, along with the Shia-backed militia groups.

And there are suggestions, too, that perhaps citizens of Salahuddin, that's northern province to Anbar, may also be involved in the fighting too.

But key to all of this is the name they've given the operation, Answering the Call of Hussein (ph). That is very redolent of Shia culture. That will fuel accusations that this is the Iranian-backed Shia militia leading the way here.

[06:05:12] And it comes, as you said, after a weekend of bickering, after the Pentagon chief saying Iraq lacked the will to fight, after Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister, said maybe he got the wrong information to make that statement. And then Iran's powerful Republican Guard chief saying, actually, it was America that lacked the will to fight.

Well, now, the moment of truth is here. They've announced this operation to take clear all of Anbar. Yes, they say they have their semicircle around Ramadi all potentially sealed. We'll see if that translates to success on the ground, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK. Nick, thanks so much for that update.

Let's talk more about that fallout from the U.S. defense secretary, Ash Carter, questioning the Iraqis' will and commitment to the fight. It's causing a war of words at the highest levels of U.S. and Iraq officials.

Let's get to CNN senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. So Jim, what is the White House saying about Ash Carter's comments?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, the White House is doing some fence-mending this morning with the Iraqis after Defense Secretary Ash Carter questioned their will to fight in the battle against ISIS. Within hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi responded to Carter's remarks by saying, basically, he was flat wrong, Vice President Joe Biden called the Iraqi leader to praise the bravery of his country's forces.

Here is the comment from Defense Secretary Carter that kicked off this controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASH CARTER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, Carter made that comment, obviously, after the Iraqi military withdrew from Ramadi, turning over another key territory to ISIS.

The Obama administration now claims Carter was only talking about that one battle and was not issuing a sweeping indictment of their will to fight.

Here's how one senior administration official put it. We'll put it up on screen for you. This official said, "The Iraqis have suffered setbacks before and were able to retake territory from ISIL," who they refer to as ISIS. "The United States will continue to support these efforts and do all we can to help the brave Iraqi forces, including the tribes of Anbar, to secure the province from ISIL terrorists."

These comments from the administration all but previewed the operation that Nick Paton Walsh was just talking about that's getting underway to retake Anbar province. The White House will, of course, be pressed on Carter's remarks later on today.

But, Chris, Carter, he may have been saying what a lot of people are saying and thinking here in Washington, but for right now both of these sides, the U.S. and Iraq, they need each other.

CUOMO: I think you're right on it. Sometimes in politics you're not supposed to say what everybody's thinking. All right. Appreciate it, Jim. We'll be back to you.

Let's bring in Lieutenant Colonel James Reese, CNN global affairs analyst and retired U.S. Delta Force commander; and Mr. Philip Mudd, CNN counterterrorism analyst and former CIA counterterrorism official.

Where there is a will there is a way. So let's start with the first part of that, Colonel. Do you believe, having just been on the ground over there, that the Iraqis have the will?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Chris, good morning. I do. I've watched in Tikrit. I've watched the forces heading out to Anbar and speaking to the people that I know throughout the chain of command in the Iraqi army, they do.

Our problem is -- sometimes is we like to look down through a straw. We look through a straw, and then we make these sweeping generalizations about what we think.

And my frustration with the secretary of defense's comments is when he used, his first word was "apparently." Department of Defense doesn't use "apparently"; they use facts. And, you know, that's what they do. So I believe they will do this, and I do believe they will get Ramadi back.

CUOMO: All right. So let's set up this sound by Iraq's deputy prime minister about Ramadi falling, Philip, to kind of figure out where do you go from here. Let's hear what he had to say about why it went down the way it did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALEH AL-MUTLAQ, IRAQ DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: It was an action that sort of surprised all of us. That an enemy with all this power would withdraw against such a small enemy that attacked them. And they left the people surrounded by ISIS. This is not the army that we are willing to see or we're expecting to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: All right. So if it's not about what's in their hearts, is this about what's in their heads and what the strategy is, Philip, what happened in Ramadi and going forward?

PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think you're right. And I think Colonel Reese is right, as well. We've talked about this as a battle for territory. It is a battle of wills, because ISIS, like a lot of groups that are motivated by religion, will not go home again until they're defeated or they die.

I think what will happen here is government, as you've seen today, will move in. They'll move in with Shia militias. I don't think ISIS will be able to maintain ground. It's easy for them to take ground. Much harder for an insurgent group to hold it.

Here's a long-term problem based on what the deputy prime minister and others are saying. In that short-term gain to make that gain in Ramadi, the Shia-led government will bring in Shia militias. So over the course of the long-term, regardless whether the government takes Ramadi, if you're a Sunni villager, you've got to make a choice. Go with the group that beheads you or go with the government that brings in your rival, Shia militias, to take over your territory. That is not a long-term recipe to keep Iraq together.

[06:10:16] CUOMO: Now Philip Mudd is putting his finger on something that is probably closer to the truth than what we're hearing in Washington right now.

Colonel, you've talked about this, that it's not whether they want to fight. It's what they're fighting for. We're not going to hear this out of the White House, because it would be too big a commitment for them. But is the reality on the ground that they're worried about what comes next when they beat ISIS?

REESE: Yes, Chris, and I understand what Phil is saying. But I've also watched. There is a common enemy in DAISH/ISIS that the Iraqis, both Sunni, Shia, Christian, everyone is fighting for.

And when you have 100,000 people that are refugees that are moving east towards Baghdad, right now what the Iraqi government is trying to do is garner their combat power, wherever that combat power is coming to.

What I'd like to know is, is OK, we're all focused on the tactical fight right here. Where's the diplomatic support and assistance we're doing? Where's the economic piece? We talk about sending -- we're going to send 1,000 more missiles. OK. But where's the diplomatic? We're not talking about that. Where's General Allen and the team that's supposed to be the Iraq czar? That's one of the pieces I'm missing, and I don't see it.

CUOMO: Well, another piece is that, obviously, the colonel was dealing with there on the ground, Philip, is who's helping them and how? You now have Iran stepping up and saying, "Hey, we're the only ones on the ground. We're the ones who are fighting this." It's the U.S. commitment that you people should be talking about. What's your take?

MUDD: Look, this is a great game under way. The great game is between Iran, which sees itself as a power thousands of years old, a power in the Middle East.

Just a couple years ago they would have had a foothold in Syria, a foothold in Lebanon. The opportunity they have with the Shia-led government, if you think of that as a crescent, is now to cement a foothold in Iraq, which is a majority Shia country. We've seen them supporting Houthis in Yemen. Iran is on a roll.

And the message from the Iranians, including the Iranian generals who are visiting Baghdad, is pretty simple: the Americans were here for ten years, but they cut and run in Afghanistan; they cut and run in Iraq. If you want a long-term solution to your problem, America is not your solution, because they will abandon you, just as Secretary Ash Carter just did. If you want guys who won't abandon you, look across the border; it's us.

CUOMO: So what do you do with that, Colonel? Especially when, you know, they can talk all you want. I'm referencing here General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Quds Force, who's saying Obama hasn't done a damn thing so far to confront DAISH. Those are his words. But what success do they have to show for their efforts?

REESE: Well, Chris, they -- a lot of success up in Tikrit, all along the Tigris River Valley going north. That's where the Quds Forces came in, advice and assist, just like our Special Forces has done. And I think what Qassem Soleimani is saying is, is, "Hey, America, you know, you put your toe, you dabble your toe here, you dabble your toe here. We're prepared to come in and jump in with both feet."

And my point is this: I think we either jump in with both feet -- and it doesn't have to be 100,000 soldiers. We have this advise-and- assist mission. Allow those advise-and-assist mission Special Forces to go out and help lead, and coach, teach and mentor those forces. If not, if we're not going to do that, do what Qassem said. Let's pull up, let's go home and let's see what happens.

CUOMO: Well, the big challenge is going to be everybody keeps saying what happens next, what happens next? Winning on the ground, as ugly and bloody as it is, seems to be the easy part, Philip.

So how do you bring stability to a government that didn't happen the last time and wound up spawning what we're dealing with right now? They're all just offshoots of the old Ba'athist Party, right? I mean, that's why ISIS has any intelligence to it at all at the command structure, is because they're Saddam Hussein's old guys. So what do you do to make it better going forward?

MUDD: You don't. Here's the problem I face. I agree with Colonel Reese. DAISH is not going to win. ISIS is not going to win. You're going to come to a conclusion, though, if you hear me say DAISH is not going to win, that the Iraqi government will win. I don't think that's what's going to happen here.

Over the long-term I suspect what you will see with the Sunnis is what you've seen with the Kurds in the north. That is, they will start to see increasingly the government as distrustful, as a government they can't deal with, because it's a Shia government. It's not an Iraqi government. They're either going to develop a new group after ISIS that will cement some sort of autonomy or independence for the -- for Anbar province, for Sunni areas.

I don't think you can put Iraq back together. And people who suggest that there's a solution in persuading the Iraqi government to be more inclusive were 0 for 2 for Iraqi leadership, including the predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, to bring in Sunnis. Ain't going to happen. I think Iraq will never return to a unified state.

CUOMO: And of course, all of this reflects the truism that is difficult to control what you do not occupy. Thank you very much, Colonel. Philip Mudd, appreciate it as always -- Mick.

REESE: Thank you.

[06:15:02] PEREIRA: All right. To a story that we've been following for some time here at CNN. In Iran, the first session is now over in the espionage trial of American journalist Jason Rezaian. "The Washington Post" correspondent has been jailed since July, accused by the Iranian government of spying for the U.S.

CNN's Becky Anderson is live in Abu Dhabi with the very latest for us -- Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michaela, "The shameful acts of injustice continue without end," those the words of "The Washington post" executive editor in a statement released. The head of what is this first session of Jason's trial on charges of espionage. It was a relatively short session. And no date has been released for the continuation.

So the facts in this case very murky. The 39-year-old Iranian- American was arrested in July last year, along with his wife, Yeganeh, and others. They were later released on bail, but Jason has been in prison at times in solitary confinement since July. Why?

Well, for months it wasn't clear, but by April this year, he was formally accused of spying and illegally gathering classified information about Iran and passing it on to Washington.

Now, let me tell you the judge assigned to this case is known to be very close to the intelligence operators and has been accused in the past of passing down politically motivated sentences. Which begs this question: is Jason a pawn in a wider power struggle going on inside Tehran with the government of President Rouhani pitted against hardline elements who wish to embarrass him as he tries to strike a nuclear deal with the west by the end of this month.

I think the answer will become clearer in the weeks ahead -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Becky, we will be talking to Jason's brother coming up in the program. Thanks so much for that.

Well, Memorial Day was a frightening one in the sky. Ten separate threats made against airline flights, two U.S. F-15 fighter jets forced to escort an Air France passenger jet into JFK Airport in New York. And that's where we find CNN's Jean Casarez this morning.

So Jean, what have investigators learned?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alisyn, it was multiple flights, multiple destinations, multiple airlines. It's believed one person may have called in at least four of those threats.

But the common denominator is this: all of the threats are called in on Memorial Day, a very busy travel day. The flights were international flights in the air bound for the United States, and none of those threats were determined to be credible at all.

Now, it started about 24 hours ago. Maryland State Police got an anonymous phone call lodging a threat against Air France Flight 22, in the air bound for right here, JFK. Listen to some audio between the police and the pilot of that Air France Flight 22.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have anyone ill or sick on the aircraft?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Nobody sick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you haven't had anybody ill or sick during the flight? Correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And at that point, it's when the fighter jets escorted Air France into JFK. And the threats continued from there. Another one here at JFK. Another one at Newark. United Airlines coming in from Madrid. Atlanta had her threat. A strange one, Buffalo, New York. It was Southwest Airlines. And the pilot actually asked for a K-9 unit to come onboard the plane.

Now the question is who did this and why did this? And, Chris, we're talking about criminal acts.

Back to you.

CUOMO: Absolutely. And the concern are the connections that may be among any of the threats. I know you'll stay on it, Jean. We'll check back with you.

We also have breaking news overnight in New Mexico. A manhunt is underway for a suspect who shot and killed a police officer in the town of Rio Rancho. Police say the shooter fled in a Dodge Durango. The officer who died has not been identified, but the department says he was an Air Force veteran.

PEREIRA: An interesting revelation from Pope Francis. He says he has not watched any television in 25 years. The pontiff tells an Argentine newspaper that he hasn't watched TV since 1990. Not even matches featuring his beloved Buenos Aires San Lorenzo football team. Instead, he gets the results every week from his security detail. Pope Francis says of television, quote, "It was not for me."

CAMEROTA: I wonder what show in 1990 was so...

PEREIRA: It was a game, apparently.

CAMEROTA: So repulsive he never watched it again.

CUOMO: He has been heard to say, though, that he does appreciate this program called "Nuovo Journal." NEW DAY in Italian.

PEREIRA: Christopher Cuomo.

CUOMO: That's what I heard. He has been. Shaking his head.

CAMEROTA: We're going to turn him around.

All right. Meanwhile, back to the breaking news this morning and those Memorial Day threats against commercial flights. Is one suspect behind all of these threats? And how will authorities find the culprit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:23:25] CAMEROTA: The FBI looking into a series of Memorial

Day threats against commercial flights. Ten threats called into at least four separate agencies.

Here to examine it, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation and CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo. And CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes.

Good morning, guys.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning.

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Good morning.

Ten threats made to four separate agencies, including the FBI, the Maryland Police Department. These were all regarding international flights into the U.S.

Mary, before we get into these specific threats and who might be behind it, how common are threats into airlines?

SCHIAVO: Well, unfortunately, they're very common, but they tend to fall into three categories. You know, attacks on airlines by terrorists and other criminal elements usually don't get a warning.

But beyond that, it's usually someone who has a vendetta against a particular airline, a disgruntled former employee or someone who sought employment. Or they're in the category of aimed at somebody on the plane or someone who's supposed to be on a flight, person- specific. So they're unfortunately too common.

CAMEROTA: OK. So they're very common, Tom. How do airlines and law enforcement begin to figure out which ones are legit and which ones are just pranks?

FUENTES: Well, I think if I could add one more category to that is just the prankster, you know, that you have one or more pranksters like pulling a fire alarm in a high school and watching everybody scramble and watch the fire trucks show up.

And I think that's part of the problem here, is if you make a series of these phone calls and do it in a way that aren't immediately traceable, from pay phones or other voice over Internet with encryption, other means, then you just watch the media, watch the airlines, watch them unload the planes, watch the FBI have to go search all the planes and luggage, and watch the spectacle of it all that you personally caused to happen.

[06:25:15] What the FBI will be doing is also trying to see and hope for social media, somebody will take credit for this. Not necessarily a terrorist group. And I agree with Mary, they don't take credit, and they just attack and worry about it later.

But is somebody bragging about this? Is some kid somewhere saying, "Look what we did? Look at the phone calls we made that caused this scramble of people on Memorial Day during a busy day of travel."

CAMEROTA: So I mean, Mary, given that it's so common, what do airlines do when a threat comes in?

SCHIAVO: Unfortunately, they have to react as if every threat is just as serious and a potential loss of the aircraft or life or terrorist threat. And they have to do what happened yesterday. They have to take them seriously. Particularly since they said some very frightening words and that apparently, is in one of the calls, they mentioned a chemical weapon. Which is very difficult. That's why we had the liquids rule. They're hard to detect. And that was a huge red flag and very terrifying, frankly.

CAMEROTA: So Tom, who do you think is behind this? I mean, I don't mean specifically, but what type of category of person do you think is behind this one?

FUENTES: I think it's because of the fact it's so many different airlines. I don't think it's a disgruntled employee of one particular airline or even one particular country.

I think that, you know, my personal opinion is I would lean toward the prankster trying to just watch this happen and get their indirect 15 minutes.

CAMEROTA: Mary, do you -- I mean, these were, again, ten flights, all international flights interestingly inbound to the U.S. Who do you think...

SCHIAVO: I think that Tom's right. I think, you know, it almost seems like someone was watching a Flight Aware, and it picked out ten flights inbound. Unfortunately, because the international flights are wide body and have a lot of passengers, if you picked a domestic flight, you might get a 50-seater plane, and 55 percent of U.S. flights are small flights, small planes, I mean. So it almost looked like someone was watching Flight Aware and called in ten flights headed inbound international, and that's a lot of chaos.

CAMEROTA: Tom, the U.S. Air Force scrambled fighter jets to accompany one of the flights, an Air France flight, that was bound for JFK here in New York. What can fighter jets do exactly?

FUENTES: Well, that's a good question, Alisyn. I think that the idea behind that is that, if that plane deviates off course and for whatever reason it's been hijacked or a pilot has taken over the plane that has problems, and they start to fly that toward Manhattan, you know, it's basically 9/11 all over again.

The idea would be the fighter jets, theoretically, could shoot that plane down, yes, kill 350 people on the plane but maybe save 3,000 people on the ground. Whether that would happen and whether they could do it in time is a good question. Because, you know, the inbound approach to go into JFK Airport, it's only a slight matter of seconds' deviation to drift off that course and go into Manhattan.

You know, the same issue here in Washington. You have flights inbound into Reagan Airport, you know, it's a matter of a few seconds to go off course and fly into one of the buildings in the capital. So I think it's a dangerous situation. You know, whether they would actually shoot down an airliner and, if they tried to would it be in time, is a good question.

CAMEROTA: Mary, if I'm a passenger on a commercial flight, I never want to see a fighter jet out the window.

SCHIAVO: Well, exactly. You never want to see a fighter jet out the window, but you know, in this day and age, you are likely to see it on the screen on your seat back first. And what surprised me is many of these passengers on these planes weren't told anything onboard. And I think that's pretty risky, because you're likely to have it on your screen.

Of course, the captain could have cut the communications, could have stopped the entertainment, turned off the screens in the seats. But you know, not telling passengers in this day and age with the age of communications and Wi-Fi, et cetera, is pretty risky. Any time you look out the window and see those fighter jets scramble, it's a bad thing.

CAMEROTA: Tom, very quickly, how hard will it be for law enforcement to figure out who exactly did this?

FUENTES: I think it will be hard. I think there's so many different ways to initiate phone calls and to, as you mentioned, so many different areas. And if you do it from pay phones, if you do it on encrypted voice over Internet type phone calls, it's going to be very, very difficult. What you're going to hope for is after the fact somebody wants to tell everybody how cool they are that they've pulled this off and start bragging about it. And then give the authorities a head start on who to zero in on.

CAMEROTA: And that really does happen a lot, actually. So let's hope that that scenario does play itself out.

Mary Schiavo, Tom Fuentes, thanks so much for explaining this.

Let's get over to Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn, a quite frightening scene on a Florida beach. A waterspout tosses an inflatable bounce house into the air with three children still inside. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)