CARL AZUZ,
CNN 10 ANCHOR: This is CNN 10. Ten minutes of world news
explained.
I`m Carl Azuz.
And
leading things off this Wednesday, January 18th, a mystery, one of the
biggest in
the history of aviation may go unsolved. The underwater search
for
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been called off. On March 8, 2014,
the flight
left Kuala Lumpur and headed for Beijing, China. It had 239
people
onboard.
At some
point during the journey, military radar indicated that the plane
changed
course and headed west. Investigators believe it eventually turned
south,
toward the southern Indian Ocean. After that, the train went cold.
A few
pieces of the plane have washed up on islands near the east coast of
Africa.
But despite years of searching 46,000 square miles and spending
millions
of dollars, no one knows what happened to the plane. Its black
box, its
flight data recorder may hold some answers, but it`s missing with
the
flight.
And
Malaysia, China, and Australia, the three countries leading the search
announced
yesterday they were suspending it. They said the decision was
not made
lightly or without sadness.
But a
group that represents family members of the flight`s passengers says
stopping
it at this stage is nothing short of irresponsible.
(BEGIN
VIDEOTAPE)
RACHEL
CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Following a plane crash, the search for
survivors
always comes first. But just as important is a search for
answers,
the why and the how. Often, those answers are found in a black
box.
SUBTITLE:
What is a black box?
CRANE:
Since the `60s, all commercial airplanes have been required to have
one on
board. Now, the name is a little misleading because they`re
actually
orange. And when we`re talking about a black box, we`re talking
about two
different boxes -- one being the cockpit voice recorder, the
other
being the flight data recorder. Together, they weigh anywhere
between 20
to 30 pounds, and they have to be crash-proof.
Black
boxes can survive just about anything: temperatures up to 2,000
degrees
Fahrenheit for an hour, forces that are 3400 Gs. Now, that`s 3400
times the
force of gravity. They`re waterproof and they can save recorded
data for
two years. And it`s a lot of data.
The
cockpit voice recorder records that crew`s conversation and background
noise. By
listening to the ambient sounds in the cockpit before a crash,
experts
can determine if the stall took place, the RPMs of the engine and
the speed
of which the plane was traveling. When these sounds are cross-
referenced
with ground control conversations, they can even help searches
locate a
crash site.
Then,
there`s the flight data recorder. It gathers 25 hours of technical
data from
airplane sensors, recording several thousand discreet pieces of
information.
Data about the airspeed, altitude, pitch, acceleration, roll,
fuel, and
the list goes on and on.
But to
make sense of the data, first, you have to find it. Not an easy
thing to
do when a plane crashes into the ocean.
Both black
box components are outfitted with underwater locator beacons,
which
self-activated the moment they come into contact with water. They
sent pings
once per second to signal their location and can transmit data
from as
deep as 20,000 feet for up to 30 days, when their batteries then
run out.
But on
land, there`s no such pinging to help guide the search.
Investigators
have to sift through the wreckage until they find it.
(END
VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: Up
next, it`s a force of 4,000 U.S. troops, plus 2,400 pieces of
military
equipment, including tanks, artillery and armored trucks. It`s
all part
of a deployment lasting nine months and it`s moving throughout
Eastern
Europe on training exercises.
The
Americans who recently arrived in Poland received a welcome ceremony
and a
greeting from the country`s prime minister.
A
commander of the U.S. land forces in Europe says their presence was a
concrete
sign of the continued U.S. commitment to the defense of Poland and
the NATO
alliance.
But Russia
said it saw the deployment as a threat, an action that threatens
Russian
interest and security. Here`s why there`s tension over this.
(BEGIN
VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA
SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The one thing you need to know about
U.S. troop
deployment across Europe is the word "collective defense".
Let`s take
this example, say, Russian tanks crossed the border and invaded
Latvia,
well, then, it would be U.S. soldiers that rushed to the frontline
in
Latvia`s defense. That`s the basis of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
or NATO, an alliance of 28 countries guaranteeing their
region`s
security. An attack on one is an attack on all.
But the
United States has, by far, the most powerful military in the
alliance.
The NATO
was formed in 1949, just after World War II, in order to contain
the Soviet
Union. But in 1991, the USSR collapsed. In the next decade or
so, NATO
grew to include some of those former Soviet states. Then, in
2014,
Russian forces entered Ukraine, seizing the Crimean Peninsula, a
violation
of international law.
Now,
Ukraine is not a member of NATO. So, the United States and other NATO
allies did
not mobilize troops to defend Ukraine, but many of Ukraine`s
neighbors
are members of NATO.
Poland,
Estonia, and Latvia are just some of the NATO allies that have
called for
more troops to come to their defense. And this is why we see
thousands
of U.S. troops now deployed across Eastern Europe, to create a
strong
deterrent against any further Russian aggression.
(END
VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN
VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ
(voice-over): Ten-second trivia.
Which U.S.
president gave the shortest inaugural address? George
Washington,
William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Delano
Roosevelt?
Delivered
in 1793, George Washington`s second inaugural address was the
shortest
ever in 135 words, just two paragraphs.
(END VIDEO
CLIP)
AZUZ: Two
hundred twenty-four years later, a presidential inauguration is
a massive
event. No matter how short or long the speech might be. The
price tag
can ring up at $200 million.
That`s not
just this year`s event, that`s what inaugurations can typically
cost in
the 21st century. According to the Washington Post", both parties,
Democrats
and Republicans, tend to spend the same amount for inaugurations.
Private
donations can cover $70 million of the cost, give or take. The
rest comes
from taxpayers and the money goes to everything from security,
the
biggest expense, to the swearing in ceremony, the parade, the parties,
and the
inaugural ball.
(BEGIN
VIDEOTAPE)
SUBTITLE:
Inauguration day is a long one for the new leader of the free
world.
Traditionally,
the president-elect wakes up at Blair House, the president`s
guest
house.
President-elect
Trump is planning to stay at Blair House, even with his
hotel just
down the street.
Then the
president-elect takes a ride around the corner to St. John`s
Church.
Then it`s
time to take the oath.
GEORGE
H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: I, George Herbert Walker, Bush --
UNIDENTIFIED
MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
RONALD
REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: That I will faithfully execute the
office of
president of the United States.
SUBTITLE:
Next: deliver a killer speech.
FRANKLIN
D. ROOSEVELT, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The only thing we have to
fear is
fear itself.
REAGAN: Do
whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest
bastion of
freedom.
JOHN F.
KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Ask not what your country can do
for you,
ask what you can do for your country.
SUBTITLE:
Grab lunch with the Senate.
UNIDENTIFIED
MALE: Thank you for a president who knows you and seeks your
through
Scripture.
SUBTITLE:
The lunch has been a thing since 1953.
That`s
followed by a brisk walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. (Or a drive.
It`s cold
in January.)
Then it`s
time to thaw out and watch the parade. (Or take a selfie.)
Finally,
it`s time to have a(n inaugural) ball.
Optional:
Show off.
(END
VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ:
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(MUSIC)
AZUZ: For
"10 out of 10" today, you`d expect to see a polar bear playing
in the
snow. So, no surprises here. But when you see an Asian elephant
doing the
same thing, you know something is up.
This ain`t
the Arctic, it`s the Oregon Zoo. It shut down one day last week
for an
unusually strong snow storm, but some of the animals looked like
they love
it. They took advantage of a snow day to play like kids on a day
off from
school.
Of course,
the polar animals could bear it. As far as complaints went, the
marine
mammals` lips were sealed, and it didn`t seem like it bothered the
elephant`s
pachydermis. So, even if snow wasn`t part of their natural
habitat,
it wasn`t zoo cold for them to luxzooriate in near blizzoed
conditions.
I`m Carl Azoos
for CNN 10.