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Coronavirus Outbreak; Syria's Future; The Plight of Idlib's Migrants; Elizabeth Warren Drops Out of the 2020 Presidential Race; Racing to Save the Northern White Rhino; Women Close to Biden Save the Day. Aired 11a-12:00p ET
Aired March 05, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The markets are down again as fears about the coronavirus impact airline stocks and the demand for oil
drops.
Also ahead Turkey's president meets with his Russian counterpart in Moscow ahead of a backdrop of Turkish soldiers killed in Idlib province in a new
Turkish offensive.
As Syrian civilians bear the brunt of the fighting, we look at the squalid conditions facing migrants.
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KINKADE: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Sitting in for Becky Anderson. Good to have you with us. Anxieties around
the coronavirus hitting the world's biggest industries, airlines projected to lose $113 billion this year.
And oil producers are seeing the lowest demand ever. Well, 290 million students are out of school amid an unprecedented number of school shutdowns
in more than a dozen countries. Markets are in another selloff. U.S. stocks opening sharply lower.
The state of California's also declaring a state of emergency to get money to fight the outbreak coming ahead of concerns of passengers on another
cruise ship there. Nearly 96,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed since the disease first surfaced in December.
The sheer volume of the patients is straining resources around the world. Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): A worldwide shortage of protective equipment is hampering the response to the
coronavirus outbreak and leaving countries scrambling to prepare for public health emergencies.
Rapidly depleting supplies of goggles, gloves and masks have left doctors and nurses dangerously ill equipped, according to a new warning from the
WHO, the World Health Organization.
China announced a further drop in new cases, raising hopes that the outbreak is beginning to level off there. The hardest hit country and where
it erupted. But across Asia, the number of confirmed infections continues to grow.
In South Korea, where a spike was recorded, authorities are battling the contagion with technology. A GPS-based app is expected to monitor thousands
of people under quarantine and set off an alarm if they leave their designated locations.
Iran, one of the worst affected countries, will activate a 300,000-strong team of health care workers after reporting more than 90 deaths from the
virus, including an adviser to the supreme leader. An outbreak of the virus in Iran's prisons prompted the temporary release of more than 54,000
inmates, including the British Iranian Nazanin Ratcliffe. And the country's parliament has been suspended until further notice after some 23 lawmakers
tested positive for the coronavirus.
Across Europe, authorities are taking early precautions to stop person-to- person transmission and several governments have banned large-scale
gatherings and have closed some public places.
Italy announced a significant increase in its death toll bringing the number there to almost 80 dead. And most of them living in the north of the
country.
The disease and its knock-on effects have rattled markets all over the world. And a sudden interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve on
Tuesday was designed to stimulate the economy and could be followed by similar actions from other countries.
As for developing nations, grappling with their public health response, the World Bank has now committed $12 billion in aid -- Christiane Amanpour,
CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Iran has the largest outbreak in the Middle East with all 31 provinces reporting cases. Sam Kiley is in the region and will join us
live from Abu Dhabi and first going to Will Ripley live for us in Tokyo.
Will, Japan accused of undertesting the population and you have been speaking to the Japanese health ministry.
What are they telling you?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It is remarkable to see how suspicious the public is of the official numbers that is Japan is putting
out. There is a lot of people here in Japan who suspect the number is greater and even an epidemiologist is saying that the official numbers are
not believable, that in fact, probably 10 times the number of cases than what is officially being reported.
And this is just one example of Japan and its government being accused of being reactive instead of proactive in dealing with this public health
crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): Around the world, novel coronavirus infections are hovering around 100,000. In Japan, confirmed cases just topped 1,000. The
vast majority linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. A growing number of infectious disease experts believe the actual numbers in Japan are
significantly higher.
HIROSHI NISHIURA, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY: That represent only the tip of the iceberg over all infected individuals. And that's likely to
be less than 10 percent.
[11:05:00]
RIPLEY: Japanese epidemiologist Hiroshi Nishiura says that means for every confirmed case of coronavirus, as many as ten cases go unreported. The
Japanese Health Ministry tells CNN, we understand, there are people we have not detected. We think how and who should be given priority for testing is
most important.
Japan is testing a tiny fraction when compared to other countries in the region. People showing symptoms must self-quarantine for four days before
they even qualify for a test.
TOMOKO TAMURA, OPPOSITION COMMUNIST PARTY LAWMAKER (through translator): I think tens of thousands of people are potentially infected, says Japanese
lawmaker Tomoko Tamura.
RIPLEY (on camera): Is the Japanese government deliberately trying to keep the number of confirmed cases low?
TAMURA: There is talk here in Japan that the government doesn't want a high number, she says. But I'd rather believe the situation is happening
because the government has not established a good testing system.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The Health Ministry tells CNN, we are aware many people want to take the test. The ministry is expanding the target range to
include people showing mild symptoms.
But does Japan even have the testing capacity after years of budget cuts?
Tamura has been a vocal critic of the Japanese government's decision to dramatically down-size its National Institute of Infectious Diseases,
slashing its budget and personnel for more than a decade.
TAMURA: This is a dangerous situation, Tamura says.
RIPLEY (on camera): A lot of people would look at that chart and think it makes absolutely no sense for the Japanese government to cut funding when
you're going to have visitors and potentially diseases coming into the country in a matter of months.
TAMURA: Scary. It's scary, she says. These cuts have created a critical situation.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Those cuts even as Japan spends tens of billions of dollars preparing to host the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Dr. Masahiro Kami
says the games should be called off.
(on camera): Do you think there's any chance to safely hold the Olympics here in Japan?
MASAHIRO KAMI, MEDICAL GOVERNANCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Olympics should be postponed next year. This year it is impossible because of the coronavirus
will become a pandemic in the world.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Tokyo 2020 organizers and International Olympic Committee say they remain confident the games will go on in late July as
planned. That's assuming Olympic teams and spectators still want to go. But they won't rule out postponing the Olympics if the outbreak intensifies,
putting lives at risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: And keep in mind, this is an aging society. A lot of people over the age of 60 here in Japan so there would be a lot of lives potentially at
risk.
Just today the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (sic) announced that travelers of China and South Korea will have to quarantine for two weeks
arriving in Japan, a step that other countries took weeks ago and comes on the day that Chinese President Xi Jinping announced he'll postpone his
visit to the country.
Some people are saying that Abe didn't take that step sooner in terms of restricting travelers from China not to ruffle the political feathers of
the Chinese, given that President Xi was going to come here. So this is yet another example of politics seeming to trump the safety and well-being of
people on the ground in Japan.
KINKADE: Yes. Politics certainly getting in the way. Will Ripley, thanks so much.
I want to go to Sam Kiley in Abu Dhabi on the cases in Iran, the largest outbreak in the Middle East.
And it seems like authorities there are really struggling to contain this virus, this outbreak but also deal with the fallout and the rising death
toll.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes. But they are being finally at least very public about what they're trying to do and the
level of the problem that they face.
They have more than 3,500 confirmed cases. Leapt up by 500 in the last day or so. More than 100 now dead. Those figures, though, have been matched by
the 31 states of Iran now all being affected, with the deployment of 300,000 members of the Basi (ph) militia and the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps, putting a major general in charge of trying to deal with the wider public health aspects of this.
They've also published online guidance and have asked people who are showing the symptoms to initially self quarantine. And then if their
symptoms persist, to report to hospitals, where the World Health Organization is saying that they're now distributing more kits to try to
test for the virus. So they're trying to get it under control.
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KILEY: Because, of course, they don't want their whole health service to be flooded with people who suspect that they may have a virus but be
entirely healthy. So they're trying to get through a staged response. You can contrast that perhaps with the reaction of the United States, where an
official described the federal reaction so far as 18th century -- Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Sam Kiley for us in Abu Dhabi, thank you so much. We'll speak to you again very soon.
Coronavirus concerns continue to rattle the stock market. The Dow Jones right now down just over 2 percent. And the latest plunge part of a
volatile week that's already seen a pair of thousand-point gains and one 800-point loss.
With the coronavirus also caused a big plunge in oil prices, our John Defterios is in Vienna where OPEC ministers, John, are discussing
production cuts because obviously the demand has dropped.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Severely dropped, indeed, Lynda. That group knows crisis well, whether it's Iran, Iraq, Libya,
conflict, U.S. invasion of Iraq in the past. They know how to respond.
This is quite bold, though, because the coronavirus has undermined demand, almost like a black swan emerging out of nowhere. And we see demand in the
first quarter down nearly 4 million barrels a day. So a bold gesture from the Saudi minister and the others in the OPEC group to cut 1.5 million
barrels a day through the first half of 2020.
Here's the reason why, looking at prices. Since the start of the year, prices dropped nearly 25 percent. Talk about corrections in the stock
market of 10 percent, we are looking at 20 percent to 25 percent losses in the first quarter of the year. So it does require action.
And in fact, we have not seen a contraction like this very often. In fact, in the last 50 years, we have only seen a contraction four occasions of 1
million barrels or more. So it's going to require Russia signing on the dotted line. Russia thinks they're giving space to the U.S. producers.
Why should they cut with Saudi Arabia?
And this is the hard work that's going to take place on Friday. But the lead play, doubling down by Saudi Arabia, asking for 1.5, 500,000 of that
coming from Russia and the other non-OPEC players tomorrow.
KINKADE: All right. We'll tune in for that tomorrow. John, of course, the markets are highly volatile. We saw that major bump yesterday after the
Super Tuesday primaries here but again it is down today.
DEFTERIOS: Yes. This is not a good sign. You see the gyrations of 4 percent up, 3 percent down, 2 percent down. It tells us that the market
doesn't know where the economy is going.
And the OECD report last week, the growth worldwide in 2020 is supposed to be about 3 percent. They say worst-case scenario is just 1.5 percent.
Again, the biggest shock since the global financial crisis.
And the danger that we have here right now is that the World Bank and the IMF are offering funds and saying we are ready to act. U.S. Federal Reserve
as you talked about have cut interest rates.
But we are 10 years into an economic cycle. It is not easy to revive growth. No one was expecting the virus. So 10 years into the cycle, cutting
interest rates, saying there's financial support there.
But will it lift growth if it carries on into the second half of 2020?
That is not clear right now. We're seeing the airlines suffering. Oil companies and producers suffering. Consumer demand starting to drop. It is
quite radical and it could carry on throughout 2020 and really undermine growth. That's what we're faced with right now.
KINKADE: Certainly is the big concern. Investors definitely panicked. John, good to have you. Thank you so much.
Well, our extensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, our goal is to make sure you know what is fact and fiction. You can subscribe to the
podcast. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes sense of the headlines, speaks with experts and gives you the information you need
to stay safe and healthy.
And in the coming hours, Dr. Gupta is joining Anderson Cooper for the global town hall dealing with the facts and fears surrounding the
coronavirus. That is Thursday at 10:00 pm Eastern in New York, Friday morning at 7:00 am In Abu Dhabi, 11:00 am In Hong Kong.
Two world leaders on separate sides of the conflict in Syria are gathering to try and end the suffering and the bloodshed. We'll look at their chances
for progress when we return.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
The two men that hold the key to peace in Syria have been meeting in Moscow. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Turkish president Recep Tayyip
Erdogan are discussing the future of Syria, hoping to hammer out a cease- fire after Turkey launched yet another offensive into Syria's Idlib province.
Also on the agenda, thawing the icy relationship. Matthew Chance joins us from the Moscow bureau.
Matthew, obviously both countries don't want to go to war in Syria. Erdogan said he wants a quick cease-fire. I'm wondering what Moscow wants and when
to expect to hear from the two leaders.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I'm not sure we are going to hear from the two leaders later on this evening. We may. We
haven't been told whether there will be any kind of press conference or joint statement and not surprised if there isn't.
Putin, I think, wants a quick cease-fire and doesn't want to see his country slide into a direct confrontation with Turkey. That's what's been
happening essentially on the ground in Syria over the past couple of weeks in particular.
The two sides, NATO's second biggest army in Turkey and nuclear armed Russia, have been getting dangerously close on the battlefield in Syria.
And so, this meeting, this primary purpose of it, is to make sure that this does not escalate any further because neither side wants to see a direct
confrontation between their two countries.
And at the same time from a Russian point of view, Vladimir Putin wants to make sure it doesn't squander the prestige that it's accumulated in Syria
over recent years, it's spent a lot of money, military efforts into bolstering its ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
It doesn't want to see any kind of Turkish wide scale incursion into the country to push back Syrian government forces and sort of ruin the
reputation as a strong ally, if you like, of Russia in that region.
And it also, I think this is important, it also wants to preserve other aspects. If Putin wants to preserve other aspects of the relationship with
Erdogan, they're on opposite sides of the conflict but their strong commercial and political strong ties which both sides I think want to save.
KINKADE: Exactly. Well, we'll see if they speak or at least release a statement. We'll be watching that closely.
[11:20:00]
KINKADE: Matthew Chance for us in Moscow as always, thank you.
Greek border guards are trying to stop migrants from crossing into their country from Turkey and reports of violence are increasing, sometimes
turning fatal. But this has done nothing to stem the flow of refugees trying to seek a better life in Europe. Our Jomana Karadsheh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know her name. She's too distraught to speak. But you really don't need words to explain the
suffering she's seen.
Those with her tell us her husband was killed at the border.
Turkey says Greek border guards opened fire on refugees and migrants gathered at its border on Wednesday, killing one and injuring 5 others. The
Greek government denies using live ammunition and calls it fake news, fabricated by Turkey. But it's not just the Turkish government making these
accusations.
(on camera): We're not allowed past this police line, but the situation seems chaotic. We've seen several ambulances coming in and out.
(voice-over): This man made out of the area where thousands are gathered by the border fence. He says they were protesting peacefully.
"He said, Go away and they shot at us," he says. "The Greek government is openly firing live ammunition," an accusation Greece categorically denies.
We spoke with a Syrian refugee who also says he witnessed the incident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
KARADSHEH (on camera): He saw one person, he says, hit in the chest by a tear-gas canister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
KARADSHEH: We're also hearing pops of -- it's unclear of what's being fired and who's firing what.
(voice-over): At the local hospital, where the injured were taken, Turkish health officials are keen to show us a photo of a bullet they claim was
removed from one of the wounded.
(on camera): Because the Greek side is saying they didn't use live ammunition. They did not use bullets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly removed it.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Thirty-year-old Sashar Omar (ph), a Pakistani laborer, says he saw people gathered at the border fence. He thought that
they might be opening the gate to enter Greece, so he ran up.
This mobile phone footage shows Omar being carried away moments after he was shot in the leg.
All he wanted, he says, was a better life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No business. No jobs.
KARADSHEH: Back at the border, a steady stream of new arrivals, undeterred by the news of violence and Europe's determination to keep them out. Some
say they know Turkey is using them as leverage, trying to get more support from Europe. People so desperate for a different life, that they're willing
to risk everything for this uncertainty -- Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, on the Turkish-Greek border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The Greek island of Lesbos just off the Turkish coast is overwhelmed. Migrants are stranded, living in squalid conditions and that's
causing friction with local residents. Our Phil Black is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These people are cold, exhausted and deeply relieved. They're all Afghan, mostly families and children traveling alone,
who recently crossed that stretch of water from Turkey in a small boat during the night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scary, very scary. Water up and down.
BLACK: That danger is behind them, but their suffering doesn't end on the shoreline. This is where most migrants on Lesbos must stay, the now
sprawling Moria Camp. Designed for up to over 2,000 people, the current population is 18,000.
Most live among olive trees and handmade shelters without running water, sanitation and electricity. It's a slum.
Your child? Baby?
It is no place for a newborn, no place for a three-week-old Adrian to start as life.
Moria no good -- they chant. Migrants want out of the camp and off the island, to catch a ferry to mainland Greece. The police won't let them.
They are especially fired up. There's a rumor a few migrants were allowed to board a ferry to Athens the day before. When clubs failed to calm them,
the police try words.
This is the friction on the island of Lesbos. On one hand the migrants who hate where they live will say that Moria is (INAUDIBLE). And then on the
other hand the authorities, the people of Lesbos who believe their quality of life has suffered unduly because of all of this.
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BLACK: And they just want it to end.
After 5 years and hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving on Lesbos and nearby islands -- Greek frustration is turning violent as well.
This U.N. facility was torched on Sunday night. Aid workers say they are now frequently targeted by angry locals, because they are helping the
migrants.
BORIS CHESHIRKOV, U.N. HCR SPOKESPERSON, GREECE: There have been intimidating acts, violent acts against humanitarian workers against
refugees that are arriving on the shores but also against journalists.
BLACK: We hear about a gathering on a dark, empty patch of land by the coast road where migrants walk to and from the camp. There, we find a
plainclothes police officer watching dozens of local people; some carry sticks, cover their faces.
They scream furiously at us not to come near them. Cars have been attacked.
This man who only gives his name as Tony and insists on staying hidden, tells us the meeting is for people who are worried about the situation on
the island.
I mean the violence against the NGOs and the aid workers, is that OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think not.
BLACK: But you know --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all humans.
BLACK: -- you know some people do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly. There are some people that do.
BLACK: There is tension everywhere on Lesbos, among Greeks who feel abandoned and trapped in an endless crisis they did not create. And with
the many migrants living in squalor, hopelessly watching ferries come and go every day. All want the same thing -- a chance at a better future --
Phil Black, CNN, on the Greek island of Lesbos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Europe's coronavirus outbreak is centered in northern Italy but cases have spread across nearly all of Europe. Next, the E.U.'s health
commissioner explains how member nations can get ahead of the virus and her advice for people who might be sick.
Plus, an American cruise ship passenger has died from the virus. Now current passengers and crew could be at risk.
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KINKADE: Hello and welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
We've been talking about how the novel coronavirus outbreak is causing sporting events to be canceled. In Italy, the site of the largest outbreak
outside of Asia, Serie A football league will be playing without fans until April 3rd.
Italy ordered all sporting events in the so-called red zone areas to be canceled. UEFA's college match in Valencia next Tuesday will be played
behind closed doors with no ticketholders allowed in.
Well, this week the European Union raised the level of coronavirus risk to high. A short time ago I spoke with the European health commissioner and
asked just how widespread the problem is in Europe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STELLA KYRIAKIDES, E.U. HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Well, we are faced with a constantly evolving situation in terms of the COVID-19 crisis. As of the
latest information I had, was that we now have confirmed cases in 23 member states, over 4,000 confirmed cases.
But again, I need to emphasize that these are numbers that are constantly changing because of the evolving situation that we have. So as of now, we
have confirmed cases in 23 member states.
KINKADE: Commissioner, the major outbreak, of course, is in Italy and we have seen that country shut down entire towns and close schools in the
north of Italy. But Europe's borders are very porous.
And seeing all cases or at least most of the cases throughout Europe can be linked to that cluster in Italy, what are your concerns about containment
and could we see other travel restrictions?
KYRIAKIDES: For the moment we are at the point of containment within the E.U. and this is something to emphasize. So the measures that have been
recommended by both WHO Region Europe and, of course, the European Center of Disease Prevention and Control Concern Containment.
It is true that Italy is the member state which has the highest number of reported cases. But I would say that this is a situation that is constantly
changing. And we see an increase in the number of cases across other member states.
On Monday, less than a week ago, the European Center of Disease Prevention and Control published its latest risk assessment. And there they also said
that we do expect to see a rising number of cases spread across the member states.
So what we are trying to do now in terms of the level of preparedness for member states is to see where they are now in terms of which scenario they
are -- they find themselves now, as per the risk assessment of ECDC, and ask them to have action plans and preparedness plans ready for possibly the
next scenario.
So we are trying to coordinate this. We are doing this at commission level in order for member states to be able to be aware that they need also to be
having the preparedness plans ready for what is a situation that could evolve into an increased number of cases as happened in Italy.
KINKADE: Commissioner, there are a lot of concerns about misinformation. We have heard here in the United States from President Trump, who obviously
is concerned about the fallout from the markets. I just want to play some sound from an interview he gave FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting
around and even going to work. Some of them go to work but they get better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Commissioner, is that a message that people should be getting that, even if they have the virus that they should go to work or they can
go to work?
KYRIAKIDES: Well, you will allow me not to comment on messages given by anyone else other than ourselves and what the ECDC has given. I want to be
clear on that.
[11:35:00]
KYRIAKIDES: Any information we are giving are based on scientific evidence. We are following the guidelines of WHO and WHO Region Europe and
the European Center of Disease Prevention and Control.
From day one of this crisis we have been stressing that we have to be extremely careful where misinformation is concerned. There must not be
panic but we must be vigilant. We have a situation of concern to European citizens and member states.
But we need to have proportionate reactions and based on scientific evidence. And this is what we are reassessing continuously.
KINKADE: So just quickly, if people fear that they have the virus, would your advice be to stay home from work?
KYRIAKIDES: If people feel that they have the virus, they need to follow the instructions given by their member state's health authorities and
follow those instructions carefully. What, again, I want to stress is that we have a situation which is constantly evolving.
And we need to be very clear with the messages we are giving so there's no panic but that we are vigilant and we are able to respond appropriately to
this current crisis, public health crisis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: That was Stella Kyriakides, the E.U.'s health commissioner, speaking with me a short time ago.
In the U.S., health workers are scrambling to track down anyone in contact with a cruise ship passenger who died from the coronavirus. The California
man died two weeks after taking a cruise on the Grand Princess. Officials didn't know about his infection until the ship had already begun another
trip.
Well now the ship is being held offshore and our Dan Simon is covering this story from San Francisco and joins us now live.
It's concerning, Dan, for anyone who was on board the cruise ship with that passenger but just as much for the passengers and crew who are currently on
that ship.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely. I just got off the phone with a passenger and she says definitely the sentiment is people are
starting to feel anxious, nervous about the possibility of an extended quarantine, just like in Japan with another Princess ship.
This was a cruise that left San Francisco February 21st, a 15-day voyage to the Hawaiian islands to come back on Saturday and it came back early and
not back to the terminal or reach the dock.
In the meantime, it's going to remain offshore until officials can understand what they're dealing with because you have about 20 or so
passengers and crew members, who came down with flu-like symptoms, perhaps the coronavirus, perhaps not.
But authorities want to test them. So what's going to happen is some point this afternoon, some tests are actually going to be airlifted to the cruise
ship itself. Listen now to the California governor Gavin Newsom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We are going to be flying testing kits to the cruise ship. And we are going to be sending those quickly back to the state
and primarily to Richmond lab, where we'll be able to test very quickly within just a few hours those samples to determine whether or not these
individuals that are symptomatic just have traditional cold or flu or may have contracted the COVID-19 virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Well, if some of those tests are positive, it is not clear what will happen next. Will there be a 14-day quarantine situation?
We don't know. But at least three people who are on the previous voyage tested positive for the coronavirus and one of those people died.
And 60 or so people on that previous voyage are now on this cruise ship now and confined to their staterooms. They cannot leave and will be part of the
coronavirus test we believe is happening sometime later today.
KINKADE: OK. We'll see how the results go. But you mentioned the cruise ship off the coast of Japan and major problems with the coronavirus
outbreak on that particular cruise ship and its failed quarantine. I wonder what the U.S. authorities are doing to avoid those mistakes.
SIMON: You know, it is a great question. They haven't said if in fact there will be this kind of quarantine and what the logistics might look
like if that in fact occurs. They don't want a repeat of what happened there in Japan, where you had 700 or so people on that ship come down with
the coronavirus.
How they might work around that, what procedures they might put in place, we do not know. They do not want to see a repeat of there. And then you
have a lot of upset passengers, if they're out basically off the coast for 14 days with no way to get onshore -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Exactly.
[11:40:00]
KINKADE: Quarantine on a cruise ship and potentially another quarantine getting back to dry land. Dan Simon, thanks so much.
Well, I want to move into breaking news now on the U.S. presidential race. Senator Elizabeth Warren is dropping out. Now that's according to a source
saying she announced the decision to the team. She has not scored a single victory in the primaries so far, not even in her home state of
Massachusetts, where Joe Biden won on Tuesday.
She came in third. Her path to victory has become increasingly narrow. Kyung Lah joins us now from Phoenix with more on this.
Something not a surprise, that she is deciding to step away from this race for the White House. But I can imagine still pretty disappointing news to
share with her team.
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. Very disappointing. And according to staffers who were on an all-staff call by the senator,
that was held just a short time ago, she announced that she was going to be suspending her campaign and she expressed the disappointment on that call,
according to sources who were on that call.
She said, quote, "This was not the call you ever wanted to hear. This is not the call I ever wanted to make."
And then she spoke to her staff about the lasting difference that the campaign has made, that it was not the scale that she certainly wanted but
that it still matters. This was speaking directly to the grassroots nature of this campaign.
This is a woman who's trying to get into the White House, who at one point in the summer of last year looked like she would be the front-runner and
then slowly started to come apart, that momentum.
And so, Elizabeth Warren now, a woman who looked at one point that she might actually do it, is stepping back away from the nomination, unable to
win her home state as you mentioned. It looks increasingly that she was not going to win any state at all -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. Certainly disappointed showing in those Super Tuesday primaries.
The big question is who is she going to endorse?
Every other candidate that dropped out endorsed Joe Biden.
Is the expectation that she'll throw the support behind Bernie Sanders, given they're more ideologically aligned?
LAH: Well, that's certainly the hope of the Sanders campaign. They absolutely would like to bring her supporters into the tent and here's why.
Because what Super Tuesday showed is Sanders' campaign certainly was able to bring in young people. They were able to bring in Latinos, able to bring
in -- into their tent people who are the working class.
But what they were not able to do is bring in enough of them or widen the tent to suburbanites and college-educated women.
Just a short time ago -- excuse me as I look down at the phone here -- the Sanders deputy campaign manager said publicly, quote, "Of course, we would
welcome an endorsement from Senator Warren. We are a movement of love and justice welcoming the Sanders movement and we would welcome all Elizabeth
Warren's supporters."
So Bernie Sanders there, the deputy campaign manager saying they want that support but right now it does not look, at least from what Senator Warren
indicated on the call with the staffers, because she didn't endorse on that call. She did not say which way she is hoping that her staffers would go.
So at this point, still a big question. We simply don't know what she'll do next. She is having a media availability in the next couple of hours and
we'll see if she'll endorse.
KINKADE: Thanks so much.
Well, have you ever heard of a frozen zoo?
It's not exactly a tourist hot spot and could help save endangered animals. Find out how it works coming up next.
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[11:50:00]
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KINKADE: International Women's Day is just days away and each year here at CNN we mark the progress of women creating change and making an impact
around the world. These are stories of inspirational women doing extraordinary work.
And as part of our Call to Earth commitment we are highlighting women working to protect the planet and create a more sustainable future. And
when it comes to animal conservation efforts often center around stopping poaching.
However, there's one group that is arming itself with pipettes and centrifuges in the hopes of saving a species.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): You see the rhino out there playing, reminds me that, yes, we want to be able to get them back into the wild.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): In this nondescript building north of San Diego, California, scientists are racing to save an entire species, the
northern white rhino. It's a tall order, considering there are only two left in the world and they're both female.
The superheroes looking to save them, a team of mostly women, who are taking the conservation fight off the field and into the lab.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're losing species so rapidly. One of the things we can do is save the living cells of these animals before they go, before
it's too late.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): At the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, the journey to save this particular species has
spanned decades.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): OK. So inside this tank is a really special animal. And in this box are the cells of Lucy, the first northern
white rhino cell line that was frozen. It was frozen in 1979. The frozen zoo is the largest collection of its kind. We have cells from over 10,000
individuals right now and over 1,100 species and subspecies.
We have the skin cells of 12 northern white rhinos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): That genetic diversity is vital to bringing back a stable population.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Now one of the most important uses is to take the fibroblast cells or skin cells and reprogram them into stem cells.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Pluripotent or self-replicating stem cells hold the key to the species' survival.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Stem cells are cells that can become any cell type in the body if they're give the right signals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Scientists like Luisa Corody (ph) are working on turning these stem cells into sperm and eggs. Corody (ph) says
it's something that's only been replicated in mice before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): We are taking their information from that mouse project, so it's basically having a road map but we don't really
don't know which twists and turns we need to take to get from A to B.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): With only two females left, the last obstacle is finding rhinos who can carry embryos to term. That's where Dr.
Barbara Durant (ph) and her reproductive scientist team come in.
DR. BARBARA DURANT (PH), REPRODUCTIVE SCIENTIST: Oh, my. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): They have spent four years studying the reproductive systems of six southern white rhinos.
DURANT (PH): We are getting ready to do an ultrasound on Wallis (ph).
[11:50:00]
DURANT (PH): So we're doing now is preparing the females to be recipients in the future. We need for them to be proven, which means they're proven to
be capable of conceiving and carrying a calf through gestation, giving birth to a live calf.
Our goal is the long-term goal of having a herd of self-sustaining northern white rhinos back in the wild. That will be the true success.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): If these scientists are successful in bringing the species back from the brink, it will be groundbreaking in more
ways than one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): I think going forward it's really going to be something that people look back on and maybe say, wow, who saved all
those species all those years?
They will look back and it was this amazing group of women, who quietly, unrecognized, work at this and get better and better.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: We are going to continue to showcase inspirational stories like this as part of the new initiative here at CNN and you can let us know what
you're doing to answer the call. Just go online and use the #CallToEarth.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. The U.S. Secret Service is changing how it protects presidential candidates after Joe Biden had a close call. As Jeanne Moos
reports, it was the women close to Biden who helped save the day.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like a lioness protecting her cub, Jill Biden got between her husband and an animal rights protester. And
seconds after that demonstrator was hustled away another popped onstage. This time Jill Biden was hands on, pushing back.
No penalty for holding in this key block.
Read one tweet, "If any NFL teams are scouting for a right guard, Jill Biden is available."
Though the takedown was performed by Biden senior advisor Symone Sanders, who wrapped her arms around the demonstrator.
That's Symone in the striped jacket, dragging the woman off the stage and later tweeting, "I broke a nail."
Evidently, a long nail, a small price to pay.
One website added a sport soundtrack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out, watch out, watch out, watch out.
MOOS: Jill Biden was proposed for Secretary of Defense. Just last month, she pushed back on a male heckler headed for her husband as the crowd
chanted to drown out the protests.
JILL BIDEN, JOE BIDEN'S WIFE: You've got to protect those you love, right?
MOOS: Back when Kamala Harris was still in the race --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, hey, hey, hey!
MOOS: -- a MoveOn.org moderator stood up to a protester.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much, sir, for your big idea.
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MOOS: Kamala's husband rushed onstage to help, his protective juices flowing, captured in this photo.
Now it's Joe Biden's spouse being celebrated as Wonder Woman and senior aide Symone Sanders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She reminded me of Kevin Costner in "The Bodyguard."
MOOS: -- Kevin Costner took a bullet for Whitney Houston while Joe has playfully nibbled on Jill's fingers when she waved her hand too close for
comfort. Better guard her body, Joe. She needs those fingers to protect you -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Women saving the day.
Before we go, another reminder: in a few hours, CNN teams will sort fact from fiction about the coronavirus. You can join us tonight at 10:00 pm
Eastern. That is Friday morning at 11:00 am in Hong Kong.
I'm Lynda Kinkade. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for watching. I'll see you same time Sunday.
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