[Don Lemon, Cnn Tonight:] Thank you very much Anderson. We just have some questions for you. 10 p.m. here in Philadelphia where cars from Amtrak 188 are being removed from the track. Investigators urgently searching for answers right now. Here's what we do know at this hour. At least seven people killed, over 200 injured, an unknown number of people are still missing at this hour. The National Transportation Safety Board says, the train was speeding through a curve at 106 miles an hour, more than twice the speed limit. And the engineer slammed on the emergency breaks, that was moment before the train left the tracks. And tracking police say that the engineer is 32-year-old Brandon Bostian. Police tried to interview him but he refused to say anything more than this, that he could not recall how fast he was going. He hasn't talked to the National Transportation Safety Board either. Anderson Cooper has been covering this for us, and Drew Griffin is here with us, getting the breaking news here. Anderson I want to talk to you before I go to Drew because I thought it was interesting when you spoke to the mayor. And the mayor said, we don't know how many people are so unaccounted for.
[Cooper:] Yes. He actually sent out about 25 more police officers late this afternoon just to kind of survey a wider area, just a search to see if anybody else may have been ejected out. Because, you know, it's complicated for authorities trying to figure out exactly who is on the train. People may have bought a ticket, may not have actually gone on the train. So, they are still trying to make sure that they have everybody accounted for.
[Lemon:] Yes. It's unbelievable. I know that you've lived in the northeast all of your life, in New York City. I actually used to live in Philadelphia and I've never seen anything like this. This is absolutely horrific.
[Cooper:] Yes. But you also think about before those families for the seven families whose loved ones have died, just the speed with which this happened, I mean, it's so senseless they were on a train you would never think that this would happen and all of a sudden tonight, 24 hours later, their lives are forever changed.
[Lemon:] Yes. Absolutely. And Drew Griffin, I want to turn to you because through you as actually you've actually learned more about the train's engineer. What did you find out?
[Drew Griffin, Cnn Correspondent:] We know he's been an engineer for about 4 and half years now. Before that he was a conductor. So, he's been with Amtrak in the system for just about 9 years or so. And just a little clarity on whether or not he's talking or not talking. He was injured. He was being treated for injuries last night and that's when detectives initially approached him, asked him a few questions. He said he couldn't recall the speed and then they left.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Griffin:] Today, they brought him back in for a serious interview. He came in with a lawyer, he wasn't answering any questions. The NTSB has said, "We can wait, we can wait until you're over your traumatic experience." But make no question they need to discuss this, with this engineer why this train was...
[Lemon:] I think all of us are kind of confounded that this is the person who holds the key to the investigation and how can they wait and how can he not be speaking giving them a fuller interview as to what happened?
[Griffin:] Well, maybe he's hurt. Maybe he's concerned that he might face charges.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Griffin:] Maybe his lawyers are advising him, let's not talk till we know whose investigating. You know, there's been a lot of discussion today of who actually has jurisdiction.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Griffin:] Who should he be talking to.
[Cooper:] He may very well plead the fifth. And say, look, I mean, he hasn't nobody can force him to talk and it will be up to the investigators to try to figure out what happened through the black box and other things.
[Lemon:] And he's been he's now lawyered up.
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Right. He's lawyered up. They did find the black box. Do we know how long before they're able to get the information from this?
[Griffin:] I mean, they pretty much should have some of that information now. It's an event recorder. They call it the heavy event recorder. They also have the camera that looks out from the front of the engine that's been taken to a facility in Amtrak facility in Delaware. I believe that they will have those kinds of answers fairly, quickly. You know, the train accidents aren't that hard to figure out what exactly went wrong. It's not like a plane where you have multiple systems. So, the questions will now hinge on why was the train going so fast even if it met a piece of track that wasn't in the right spot or something. Why was this train going so fast? 106 miles an hour in a 50 mile an hour...
[Lemon:] Mechanical failure or was he distracted. We'll figure it out.
[Griffin:] They never search him out for his phone.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Griffin:] Just to determine whether he was on a phone, whether he was texting, whatever.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Griffin:] They're going to look at everything involved.
[Lemon:] Drew with us through the next two hours. Thank you, Drew, very much. We'll see you in just a bit. And Anderson, thank you very much. We'll see of course on CNN, as always. I want to talk now to Senator Bob Casey. He was at the crash site today. And he joins me now from Washington. Senator, thank you so much. You were briefed by the mayor and the first responders and the NTSB. What did they tell you?
[Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Senator:] Well, Don, they kind of walked through a timeline of what happened and gave us kind of an overview. But there's still an awful lot that we don't know in terms of how this actually happened. But they wanted to give us a broad a review as possible as to what happened. I think one of the most remarkable things about today in terms of what I saw, is not just the horror in the way that these cars were mangled and twisted, but probably more amazing than that is how the city of Philadelphia, starting with the mayor and the police and the fire department and the emergency personnel and so many others, including the passengers, how people came together to save lives and to mitigate the horrors of this tragedy.
[Lemon:] I want to pose a question that I posed to Drew Griffin and Anderson. Just a moment ago, that engineer he talked to investigators would very briefly last night at the hospital saying that he could not recall his speed. He really hasn't spoken at length since then. I mean, do you find that frustrating that and people want to know what happened here.
[Casey:] Sure. It's frustrating that we don't know more. But I think it's important that we allow the National Transportation and Safety Board, NTSB, to go through their process. And I think it's good that we know today, at least the information that they confirmed about the speed, the 106 miles an hour. But there is awful a lot we don't know. And in term my understanding in terms of the jurisdiction at the scene is, the fire department is really in-charge of the scene because of the nature of it. It's a disaster. And the police of course, support them. Part of that was the police talking to him last night. I don't that's all I know. I don't know much about what transpired then. So, it isn't simply the investigators. You have a law enforcement agency involved as well. I just don't know what they were able to determine when they spoke to him.
[Lemon:] Senator, a lot of people rely on Amtrak and these tracks in the northeast corridor. As we look at these live pictures of the train cars are being removed from the tracks here, these tracks are really the heart of the northeast corridor. These trains are critically important to Philadelphia and the people and the businesses, not only just Philadelphia, but all around. But many of the people in the businesses you represent, aren't they?
[Casey:] They are. And today is not a day to analyze the connection between this tragedy and larger policy discussion. But we know across the nation, we've got a huge infrastructure challenge and we're reminded of that on days like today. So, if anything flows from the results of the investigation that tell us as members of Congress or citizens that we have to take certain actions. I think people on both parties better line up and work together to get done what needs to get done in terms of improving infrastructure. But it's even too early to speculate on that because we're still learning just the limited details we have about how this happened.
[Lemon:] Well, yes. A lot of people don't want to talk about. But as your this is happening, back in Washington, House Republicans today voted to cut Amtrak's budget. I mean, what do you say about that? The timing it's just is really unbelievable.
[Casey:] Well, in terms of the broader question about the budget, I have a long record of supporting increased funding and I know that a lot of folks do. But I think at least on a day like today, we don't we don't yet know the connection, if any, between what happened here and what happens in appropriation. But stepping back from this, apart from this tragedy, I've always believed that Amtrak is underfunded just as we could say about a number of other programs or agencies, and specially, a larger question again of infrastructure. But I don't know if there's a linkage between the two. We have to, I think we have to show some humility and indicate what we don't know. But if there is a connection, then that will lead to I think a robust debate about funding. But I think it's too early to tell.
[Lemon:] Senator Casey, thank you. We appreciate your time.
[Casey:] Thanks, Don.
[Lemon:] Thank you. I want to bring in now Ray LaHood. He's a former transportation secretary and he is an advisor to Amtrak. Secretary LaHood, what do you think caused this crash?
[Ray Lahood, Former Transportation Secretary:] I Don't know, Don. But I do know this, there are no better professional expert people than the folks in the NTSB. It's the one agency of government that works almost perfectly. They will do their investigation, they will do their analysis, they will put out a report and we'll know in great detail what went wrong and how it went wrong and what needs to be done in the future. And they will also be making recommendations to congress and to the public and to Amtrak. I know it's frustrating to say but we do need to be patient and let the NTSB do their work. Because it will be a report that will give us a lot of guide posts as to what needs to be done in the future.
[Lemon:] Well, let's talk about what we do know because the train was going, as we heard from investigators, over 100 miles per hour, around that curve. The engineer applied the full emergency breaks just before this crash. But the engineer only spoke to investigators briefly at the hospital last night couldn't his speed. So, what is that say to you that he hasn't telling investigators more information at this point?
[Lahood:] You know, Don, I'm just I'm not the one that really wants to speculate on that. I'm not in law enforcement, I'm not a lawyer. I just I don't know enough about the conversation that this gentleman had with the law enforcement either last night or this morning. But I know this, the NTSB will have their people do a very extensive interview with this gentleman and go into great detail about what happened, plus, the details from the black box. Coupled with the interview, I think will give everyone the kind of information that they need to figure out what went wrong.
[Lemon:] Yes. You know, as an advisor to Amtrak, this train didn't have the most up-to-date technology installed that could help prevent derailments. A lot of people are asking why not, shouldn't this is a heavily traffic corridor, the most in the North America shouldn't have the most up-to-date equipment possible?
[Lahood:] You know, what I was told, Don, is that Positive Train Control which was mandated by Congress to be put on passenger and freight rail trains across the country, has been started to be implemented by Amtrak. It's a very expensive technology; it's a very expensive breaking system, which could have perhaps prevented this crash. But, and it was due to be put on to the equipment in the next few weeks, unfortunately, it wasn't. But, that implementation of Positive Train Control has begun to take place on Amtrak equipment.
[Lemon:] Secretary LaHood, these pictures are amazing, you know, at watching these cars being removed to. This is live pictures that we're looking at here on CNN as you and I speak. But I would like to know as the transportation secretary, former transportation secretary and advisor, what's the number one question that you would have if you were investigating this?
[Lahood:] well, I like probably all of your viewers this evening and the people that the families that are suffering from the loss of their loved ones and the people that are suffering as a result of the injuries, I think what happened, why did it happen? How could this occur and what do we do in the future to prevent it? I think those are the two big questions and I think we'll have those answers. Thanks to the good work, the professional of the National Transportation and Safety Board, which is on the scene and doing their work, has been all day and will continue until they finish answering the questions that all of us want answers to.
[Lemon:] Secretary LaHood, we appreciate your time as well. Thank you.
[Lahood:] Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] So many unanswered questions tonight about this deadly derailment. Live pictures that you're looking at right now from Philadelphia. But we should never forget the victims. We're learning more about them tonight and we want to tell you who they are. Abid Gilani was a Wells Fargo executive who had worked there for about a year. Jim Gaines was a 48-year-old father of two, who worked for the Associated Press. And then there's Justin Zemser. He was a 20-year-old Naval Academy Midshipman from Rockaway Beach, New York. And Rachel Jacobs was chief executive of a small tech company, ApprenNet, and the mother of a 2-year-old. Robert Gildersleeve is missing tonight. He's a 45-year-old executive at Eco Lab, married, and the father of two teenage children. Those are the people that we're in our thoughts tonight. We've got a lot more to come in our breaking news here in Philadelphia. The urgent, the urgent search for answers in the deadly derailment of this Amtrak train. We're back in a moment.