Transcripts For CNNW Americas Choice 2020 South Carolina Primary 20200229

By cnn senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. We now have these four cases that are not travel related. I wonder we also know theyve not been in contact with anyone who has the virus. Is this now just kind of freely spreading through communities . Its actually called Community Spread and thats exactly whats going on here. Once youre finding patients who are getting coronavirus and they didnt travel to china or any other coronavirus hot spot and they dont know anyone who did, they just got it from somewhere. Infectious disease experts have told me we need to start thinking about this like the flu. When you get the flu you dont necessarily know who gave it to you. Oh, my husband got the flu and i got it. Sometimes you just get it because its just out there. And now that we have more tests available, which was not the case even days ago, well see more of this. So when we think of the flu in your perspective here, we think of kids being most vulnerable. Its kind of the opposite with this case is it not . With flu we often think of the very old and the very young. Youre right. For this virus, and this could change because things are always changing with this virus, but even looking at the experience in china, it seems much more to be something that is devastating for the very old. For example, a study that looked at a cluster in a chinese family and the two children had no symptoms whatsoever. They were infected but had no symptoms whatsoever. But the grandfather passed away. So its interesting to see that, that its not the very old and the very young from what we can tell. So we know the World Health Organization, the head of the w. H. O. Says that this could become a pandemic. What are the preparations now for that potential . So the preparations are, as far as you and me and individuals, what we should be doing, doesnt matter what you call it. Its really common sense. Washing your hands. Staying home if youre sick. And dont get near someone this sounds obvious but if someone walks toward you and says, give me a hung and they are sneezing, have a fever, do not hug them or shake their hands. This is common sense stuff. It doesnt matter its not being call a pandemic just yet. But we know california is monitoring these. I think 8,000 people who flew in from overseas on regularly scheduled flights. If they so does that mean if they come into contact with somebody they are automatically at risk . What is the incubation period here . So the incubation period is believed to be about five days but the range is pretty high. Thats sort of what they believe it is approximately. So its really important. So those people should be quarantined. And so hopefully they are not coming into contact with other people. But its important to say that these 8,400 people, these are contacts of people who flew in. And the chances are they are going to be fine. When folks have been tracked all over the country who are contacts of travelers, they have turned out to be fine. In fact, the only two contacts that turned out to have coronavirus were spouses of people who had coronavirus. When they tracked their, traced their friends or the people close to them, those folks did not turn out to have it. Good to know. Elizabeth cohen, thank you so much. Good to see you. As we mentioned, the World Health Organization says coronavirus has, quote, pandemic potential. U. S. Health providers this week raised their level of readiness for a possible pandemic. Hospitals and clinics have been looking at their supplies wondering if theyll have enough for a worst case scenario. Cnns natasha chen is with us now. Help us understand what is happening in terms of preparation because i know that they are Running Drills now as well. Yeah, we are talking to some Metro Atlanta area hospitals who tell me theyre running live actor mock scenarios. And we visited one clinic yesterday that ran mock patient drill with one of their staff members. I recently traveled outside of the country, and im thinking i possibly was exposed to the coronavirus. Reporter this is a drill and this woman does not have the coronavirus. Put one of these masks on. Just wait right there and im going to come around and get you. Reporter shes a medical assistant at an American Family care clinic in mareieta, georgia. Like many hospitals and Health Care Providers, this network of clinics is Running Drills with mock patients to practice responding to a coronavirus outbreak. Were you surprised when you heard that American Family care clinics were doing drills this week . No, i, you know, i was anticipating this was going to happen eventually. Reporter that moment came when their chief medical officer dr. Benjamin barlow heard this phrase from the cdc on tuesday. Its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness. That actually is what sparked this for me because ive been thinking about it. Weve been preparing in the background. But as soon as they said that, it was when we decided, all right, lets roll it out, and lets get moving. Reporter they are drilling everything, taking the patient to a designated room by the exit, testing a swab to rule out the regular flu, bringing in a doctor for further screening and everyone putting on and removing gear at the right times. It really doesnt allow anything to kind of go through. Its better than some of the standard masks that you would use. Reporter will there be enough of them during a pandemic . The food and Drug Administration said its currently not aware of specific widespread shortages but it has heard reports of increased market demand and supply challenges for some protective gear. While this clinic said they have enough, doctors and Health Officials across the country say they have received notices about current or anticipated shortages. Especially n95 respirators. Drills with mock patients from here youd immediately go home. We would give your information to the Health Department. Reporter are being done at some hospitals around the Metro Atlanta area. Others practice for general pandemics. I dont think we should be overly excited about it, but, you know, being prepared is the best way to go when you are facing possibilities like these. Reporter the National Nurses united union said yesterday that 124 nurses and Health Care Workers at uc davis are now selfquarantined after they were exposed to one patient there, and they stress the importance of facilities being prepared with plans and resources like we just saw. Christi and victor, back to you. Natasha chen, thank you. Lets talk about global markets. They are rattled by the uncertainty around this outbreak. This was the worst week for stocks since the financial crisis in 2008. Its also putting pressure on supply chains, especially in china. Joining us, cnn Global Economic analyst. Shes also a financial editor for the financial times. I want to take a look at some of the things that we use on an everyday basis that people may not realize we depend so highly and heavily on china to receive. Medical devices and drug ingredients, but they are the first in exporting medical devices, the second in exporting drug and biologics to us. The Commerce Department in 2016 said china accounts for 95 of u. S. Imports of ibuprofen, which is advil, and 70 of acetaminophen which is tylenol. What would that look like if that does happen . We know its already happening, and its happening in ways that you can see and in some that you cant, sort of like the virus itself. 60 of companies that are doing business in china say that they have had severe disruptions to their supply chains. Youve seen a logjam trying to move things to vietnam. Those countries cant pick up all the slack. Thats one reason the Investment Bank goldman sach s predicted theyll not see any Profit Growth in major american firms this year. Before the coronavirus, they were expecting 6 Profit Growth for u. S. Companies. Thats one of the key reason s s why you saw this huge decline in the stock market this week. Goldman sachs warning, even of a recession at one point saying worst case scenario. When you throw that word out there, that really hits a lot of nerves. How realistic is it . Well, you know, at this point, it depends on how quickly the virus spreads in the u. S. And how businesses and the government responds to it. So if we get to a situation where people are being asked to stay home, where workplaces are shuttered, where kids are out of school and, you know, parents have to stay home in order to care for them, that means people cant be working. They cant be spending and in an economy like ours that is made up 70 of consumer spending, when people cant get out to the stores, thats a big deal. Thats when you could see a risk of recession being quite real. When you talk about the response from the u. S. The next fed meeting is in about three weeks and fed chairman Jerome Powell says if the coronavirus damages the economy, he could move to perhaps implement some stimulus measures. This is exactly what he said. The coronavirus poses evolving risks to economic activity. The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring developments. There are implications for the economic outlook. Well use our tools and act as appropriate to support the economy. Now if it does cut the Interest Rate by half a percent which is what is expected, that would be the first emergency rate cut since 2008. What kind of impact would that have, and how long might it take to feel some effects of it . Thats a great question. Well, for starters, we are really back at the worst week in the stock market since 2008. Unfortunately, over the last decade, the fed has already used a lot of their firepower. Weve had a decade of relatively low rates, and easy money being pumped into the markets by the fed. My expectation is, and the markets are expecting this. If you see a rate cut, you might see a slight rally but i think at the underlying story, if it doesnt change if were still worried about those factors i mentioned before, work places being closed, consumers not being able to shornp, supply chains disrupted well see the markets quickly dip again and at best a double u shape where theyre up and down and at worse an l shape where theyre down and whats interesting and what im thinking about is where does that leave us for the president ial elections in november. Yeah, well see what the political implications of that could be certainly. Rona, so good to have you with us. Thank you. Still to come the South Carolina democratic primary. Polls have been open for a little more than three hours now. The state party chair says there are signs of stronger turnout than 2016. So who has the edge . Were live in charleston, next. Also, its one historic handshake. Take a look at it here. Representatives of the u. S. And taliban agreeing to work toward peace in afghanistan. Youll hear the cheers there. What this new agreement, though, says about u. S. Troops coming home and conditions being met. Dont touch it dont touch it yet let me get the big one. This one . No this one . Yes no. The big one theyre all the same size with freedom unlimited, youre always earning. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. I cant decide. Finding the right words can be tough. N it comes to autism, finding understanding doesnt have to be. Together, we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. Go to autismspeaks. Org stop cutting. New elvive dream lengths. With a cocktail of vitamins and fine castor oil. Strengthens hairs length and helps seal split ends. To save that last inch, for the hair of your dreams. New elvive dream lengths. From loreal. Youre worth it. To save that last inch, for the hair of your dreams. Whatever happens out there you have the hilton app. Will the hilton app help us pick the starters . Great question, no. But it can help you pick your room from the floor plan. Can the hilton app help us score . You know, its not that kind of thing, but you can score free wifi. Can it help us win . Hey, hey were all winners with the hilton price match guarantee, alright . Man, you guys are adorable alright, lets go lose this soccer game, come on book with the hilton app. If you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25 off that stay. Expect better. Expect hilton. Its either the assucertification process. Or it isnt. Its either testing an array of advanced safety systems. Or it isnt. Its either the peace of mind of a standard unlimited mileage warranty. Or it isnt. For those who never settle, its either mercedesbenz certified preowned. Or it isnt. The mercedesbenz certified preowned sales event. Now through march 2nd. Only at your authorized mercedesbenz dealer. Today is the day a lot of people have been waiting for. Primary day in South Carolina. People are voting as we speak. Former Vice President joe biden, who is vying for a victory he was in greenville earlier. And senator Bernie Sanders is behind him in second place, according to recent polling. The outcome of todays primary could determine the course of the democratic race moving forward, especially heading into super tuesday. Nearly every candidate is campaigning in a super tuesday state where voters in 14 states and the American Samoa will go to the polls next week. In charleston, South Carolina, right now, cnn National Correspondent athena jones and emery parker. You are talking to voters as they go into the polls and maybe come out of them. What are you hearing from them . Well, this is really interesting. A lot of the voters we talked to yesterday were still deciding. Theyve decided by now when they go into that voting booth. And i talked to about 50 or so of the more than 300 people who have voted at this polling location in North Charleston. So about 15 of them. Joe biden is very much in the lead here. Ive talked to folks of all ages, white folks, black folks, old and young and men of them are pointing to joe biden talking about how they like his experience. They like the fact that he was the Vice President for barack obama. They believe that he would pick up where obama left off. One man told me, i know joe, and joe knows me. Another older man said, my heart said Bernie Sanders, but my brain said joe biden, and i went with my brain. Another person said they were just worried that sanders was too far to the left. A lot of support for joe biden. Thats exactly the sort of thing he was hoping for. Polls have shown him haerahead. Today is the poll that matters. This is the first state in the south to vote. The first that has a large africanamerican population. Many, many of the africanamerican voters ive talked to support joe biden. They say they are longtime fans. Africanamericans made up 61 of the electorate. The primary electorate in 2016. We certainly expect him to make up more than half this time around. And biden is hoping that its those voters, his strong support among black voters that will send him across the finish line. One thing that may have helped is the endorsement on wednesday from representative jim clyburn who was the highest ranking africanamerican in congress and a very influential voice here in South Carolina. So far from here anecdotally, looking like a good day for joe biden. There was, after the endorsement from the majority whip James Clyburn, we heard from the mayor of charleston who also endorsed joe biden yesterday. Let me ask you, we heard from clyburn that a single point, two or three, isnt enough to boost him to super tuesday. Does it seem like that point spread potentially will be in the double digits based on what youre seeing there . Yeah, it i think thats going to be the big question. Certainly some of the polls weve seen going into it suggest thats whats going to happen. Of course, our most recent poll that the post courier conducted shows a much more narrow spread. And i think thats going to be the thing to look for when the results come in this afternoon is how big is that spread . This is definitely South Carolina is certainly bidens firewall. He needs to perform really well here to maintain that momentum and that lead. Thats what well be looking out for this evening when the votes come in. Athena mentioned one of the things shes consistently heard from several people is that i dont want to waste my vote. Their heart might be in one place. Their head is in another place and they have to decide which they theyll lean. You spoke to a political reporter who spoke about it as clarity with a side of cluster. Is that indicative of why these people are going into this torn . Yeah, i think so. Theres a lot of options this time around. Last time, you know, it was really between clinton and sanders. This time around, South Carolina voters have a lot of choices. Ive heard from a lot of voters, too, who are really confused about the fact that bloomberg who has kind of risen to prominence in the last couple of debates isnt going to be on the ballot. And we dont have the option to write in candidates. So ive heard from a few voters who wish they maybe could vote for him. Yeah, theres going to be a lot of strategic voting, too. Another interesting thing about this is that were kind of looking to see theres this plan that some republicans in kind of the upstate area come up with to vote strategically, too, because we have this open primary. And were kind of waiting to see and pay attention. Does that come to fruition . Do they show up . And does that make an impact . The president tried to reinforce that last night when he was in North Charleston trying to get republicans to vote in the democratic primary. Is athena still with us . So last one to you, emory here. Tom steyer spent a lot of money on ads and hiring staff and get something local elected officials to support him. But where does even an impressive finish here take him . In the vain of what you discussed was people dont want to waste their vote. A vote for tom steyer pushes him to what next . What are you hearing from his campaign . Thats a fantastic question. You know, hes actually spent more in South Carolina than all the other candidates combined. And where has that gotten him so far . Hes in third place in our poll. And in most polls. So i think probably were going to see him perform somewhere around that range. What does that accomplish . I think thats a great question, and unless he manages to perform much better than that, unless he manages to pull out a second place victory, it is hard to imagine, where does the campaign go from here . Well see after the returns come in, what tom steyer says is next for his campaign because there is alabama and arkansas and oklahoma and tennessee. 14 states. On tuesday. So a strong showing in one Southern State maybe can translate to another. J. Emery parker, thanks for joining us. Good to have you. As we were talking about, President Trump is pushing back on criticism of how his administration has handled the coronavirus outbreak. What hes accusing the democrats of now. Thats next. Listerine® cleans virtually 100 . Helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. Never settle for 25 . Always go for 100. Bring out the bold™ schwab, a modern approach to wealth management. Everything your trip needs for everyone you love. Expedia. For everyone you love. These expect and way more. Internthats xfinity xfi. U get powerful wifi coverage that leaves no room behind with xfi pods. And now xfi advanced security is free with the xfi gateway, giving you an added layer of network protection, so every device thats connected is protected. Thats a 72 a year value. No one else offers this. Faster speed, coverage, and free advanced security at an unbeatable value with xfinity xfi. Can your internet do that . At a rally in South Carolina last night, President Trump accused the democrats of playing politics when it comes to the coronavirus. So we have cnn White House Reporter Sarah Westwood with us. The white house has been criticized for their response to the outbreak. Any indication thats what prompted the president s remarks . It is, christi. President trump responding to criticism from democrats that the administration is not responding to this outbreak with enough urgency, including that they didnt ask for enough when this week the white house went to congress to ask for emergency funding. The president claiming that democrats and the media are fanning the flames of fear about this outbreak and that theyre just looking for a new avenue to undermine his presidency now that the russia investigation and impeachment is over. He also talked about democrats, what he described as their open border policy contributing to the coronavirus crisis. This comes as the white house and Top Administration officials have been trying to ease concerns that have sent the market plunging over the outbreak. They have now tried to crack down on messaging as well, victor and christi, with all messaging about coronavirus having to be run through the Vice President s office after confusing messages out of this white house. Nancy pelosi was talking about that yesterday. Sarah westwood, thanks for the update. Joining us now, former special assistant to president george w. Bush. Welcome to you both. Lets start here. For people who had not heard what the president said last night in North Charleston, this is what the president said about democrats and his accusation here that theyre politicizing coronavirus. The democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. You know that, right . Coronavirus. They are politicizing it. Whether its the virus that were talking about or many other Public Health threats, the democrat policy of open borders is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of all americans. Now you see it with the coronavirus. You see it. You see it with the coronavirus. You know, you see that. When you have this virus or any other virus or any other problem coming in. Its not the only thing that comes in through the border. And were setting records now at the border. So, scott, he accuses the democrats of politicizing coronavirus at a reelection rally, comparing it, or pairing it with a policy disagreement, and then later called it a new hoax comparing it to the russia investigation and impeachment. Is he not politicizing it as well . Look, donald trump is reacting to whats happening in the Democratic Party today. Youve got Mike Bloomberg and joe biden at their Campaign Events claiming that the president completely defunded the centers for disease control, which is a flat columnists for New York Times calling it trump virus and they are absolutely politicizing this, and they are telling the American People things that are flat untrue about this situation. The trump administration, our federal government, our scientists and our experts are doing everything they should be doing to keep this under control and yet democrats, yes, democrats, are out because they want to see how about the president. Trump fail. They want to see trump fail and they are cheering it on. Its terrible. Hes fighting back against what theyre doing to him. Theyve done everything they need to do and the hoax is the falsehoods perpetrated against his administration. Its outrageous what theyre doing. Julisa . Its unfortunate that the president is using this as an opportunity to himself politicize whats going on in a seriousness of whats happening with the coronavirus. Voters on both sides of the aisle are paying attention and theyre going to really come out in november because they want a president thats going to take this issue serious. Its really sad and disheartening to see. Lets listen to an exchange between cnns manu raju and House Speaker nancy pelosi earlier this week. And he asked her, i guess, put to her something the president said, and i want you to listen to her response. Your reaction to that . I dont think the president knows what hes talking about. So there is a disagreement about preparedness. Theres a disagreement on how much to fund that preparedness for potential as we heard from the w. H. O. Pandemic. But whats the line for democrats in dealing with this and their criticisms of this president . I think democrats just have to stick to how serious this issue is. They need to just stick to not politicizing whats going on. Here in South Carolina, health care is very important. Public health and Public Safety is very important. I think democrats just sticking to the seriousness of this issue, sticking to combating what this administration is doing and not protecting their citizens. And its scary. Quite frankly, its scary, but democrats, Speaker Pelosi and a lot of the candidates have been doing a great job just sticking to issues and making sure that the American People are being safe. Scott, to victor go ahead. Can i just respond . I agree with you. We should be treating this seriously but when joe biden and Mike Bloomberg and other democrats jump on a stage in South Carolina and tell their supporters that the president and his administration have defunded the centers for disease control, who is inciting public panic . Who is taking this seriously . Thats a flat falsehood. Funding for the cdc has increased. Has increased. So i think to say we should is that what he proposed in his budget . Is that what he proposed in his budget . Aside from what has the increase in the funding, what was in the president s budget for the cdc . The president s budget did not defund the cdc. Did it cut funding for the cdc . The president the Appropriations Bills the president signed into law did he propose a cut for the cdc . And for preparedness. Did he propose a funding cut for the cdc . He proposed reductions in federal spending across the board but he did not defund the cdc. Thats also known as a spending cut. To say the cdc was defunded is incorrect. It is wrong. But we should point out the president proposed a funding cut for the cdc. Across the board. It will be a miracle if it comes along and will take care of coronavirus and when the weather changes that coronavirus cases will decrease. Lets move on to Something Else here. South carolina is an open primary which means that members of either party or no party at all can vote in this primary, president ial preference primary today. This is what the president asked of his supporters last night. By the way, the republicans allowed to vote anyway . Lets do it together. I assume this is okay from a Campaign Finance standpoint. I assume. Lindsey, tim, our great congressmen. Are we allowed to do this . Am i allowed to request first we have to figure out, who would be the weakest candidate against President Trump . So i dont know what the record attendance is in this arena, but i was told that we broke it by a lot. And you get the people outside. Are we allowed to tell them who we would like them to vote for . Why is the president doing this, scott . Oh, look, i think its psychological warfare. This happened back in 2008 as well. A lot of conservatives were trying to have operation chaos they called it back in 2008. I dont know how many republicans will vote in the democratic primary. Im not personally a fan of open primaries. I think people who belong to a party out to choose their partys nomination. I dont like the open primaries in New Hampshire for that reason, but i think the president is engaging in psychological warfare here and messing with his opponents. Is it time to close the primaries in South Carolina . You know, its very unfortunate the president is looking to influence the South Carolina primary. South carolina voters are smart. They know that, you know, what the president and Republican Administration is trying to do. So i think youll see Record Number turnout for democrats here in the South Carolina primary. Well see later on today how much the president s remarks really influence republicans to come out and vote for another candidate. But, you know it just shows you, too, who President Trump is afraid of facing in november. Jalisa washingtonprice and scott jennings, thank you both. Historic moment for the u. S. And afghanistan this morning. Representatives from each signed an agreement today designed to bring peace to afghanistan. What this agreement says about bringing american troops home and about provisions and conditions the taliban has to follow. And be sure to watch the latest episode of race for the white house with the nation still reeling from jfks assassination, his successor fights to prove he deserves the job. Lbj versus goldwater. Race for the white house tomorrow night at 9 00 on cnn. Whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. So when her car got hit, she didnt worry. She simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said. I got this. Usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it easy. She can even pick her payment plan so its easy on her budget and her life. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Usaa people, our sales now appla new low 10 frames. At visionworks, our sales are good on all of our frames. Why are you so weird . Use your tax return and get 50 off any pair. Visionworks. See the difference. And mine super soft . With the sleep number 360 smart bed, you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. But can it help keep me asleep . Absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. And snoring . No problem. And done. So, ill wake up ready for anything . Oh, weve got your back. So, you can really promise better sleep . Not promise. Prove. Its our leap year special, save up to 600 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. Plus, 0 interest for 4years on all smart beds. Ends monday. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. The u. S. And taliban signed this historic agreement this morning. The agreement sets a timeline for the withdrawal of american troops. It also establishes the framework for future peace talks between the taliban and the Afghan Government. Nic robertson is live in doha, qatar. Nic, tell us what is outlined in this agreement. Well, basic principles are that the United States agrees to draw down its forces down to 8,600 after 135 days, within 14 months all u. S. Troops gone. The taliban is buying into that, but what the taliban also have to do in their commitment is go after al qaeda and isis. And, remember, back in the day, the taliban gave sanctuary to al qaeda. It was al qaeda that targeted the United States on september the 11th. When the United States asked the taliban back then to hand over Osama Bin Laden who was responsible, they refused. Theyve been harboring al qaeda in the 20 years since then. So this is a big ask of the taliban, but they say theyll stand up to it. And we heard from secretary of state mike pompeo today saying, you know, our commitment to withdrawing troops is going to be calibrated and based on what the taliban do. He also warned the taliban against sort of doing a victory lap over this. I know there will be a temptation to declare victory. But victory for afghans will only be achieved when they can live in peace and prosper. Victory for the United States will only be achieved when americans and our allies no longer have to fear a terrorist threat from afghanistan. And we will do whatever it takes to protect our people. What have we heard from the afghan Leadership Today . They say that the United States signing this deal ends the occupation of afghanistan and ends that subjugation of the people in afghanistan, not the kind of language perhaps secretary of state pompeo wanted but there was an expectation the taliban were going to play up this date for propaganda. The next big hurdle is theyre expected to get into talks with the Afghan Government. And thats a tough hurdle for the Afghan Government to swallow at the moment because theyre expected to hand over 5,000 taliban prisoners and get 1,000 of their own prisoners back from the taliban in exchange by march the 10th. March the 10th is the date in the deal, in the paper that was agreed the agreement. That the taliban and Afghan Governments sit down to begin talks about a future peace within the country. And at the moment, the Afghan Government doesnt look as if its going to buy that kind of timeline. Nic robertson, we appreciate all your great reporting this morning. Thank you. Voting happening right now in South Carolina in the democratic primary. 54 delegates at stake here. Two questions whats on the line for former Vice President joe biden . And whats on the line for the current frontrunner in this race, senator Bernie Sanders. Well talk about them both, next. Including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. Most pills only block one. Flonase. Doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacistrecommendeding . Memory support brand. You can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. I work hard and i want my money to work hard too. So i use my freedom unlimited card. Even when im spending, im earning 1. 5 cash back on everything i buy. Earning on my favorite soup. Got it. Earning on that eclair. Dont touch it. Dont touch it yet. Let me get the big one. Nope. This one . Nope. This one . No. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. Its just the basics. Can you double bag this right here . Earn 1. 5 cash back on everything you buy with freedom unlimited. Can you also tell me what it is . Chase. Make more of whats yours. Geico is the easy choice. We could even help you with homeowners. Oh not again oh, thanks you know automated lights are just the beginning. Pretty soon theyre gonna have eyes. Everywhere. Well goodnight. Geico. Over 75 years of savings and service. Next week we reveal our first cnn here of 2020 here first is an update on last years hero of the year. She was honored for her efforts to end the stigma around menstruation. Well now she has opened minds and doors back home. The 2019 cnn hero of the year i just could not believe it. To work so hard for this long, i felt like it is really important. Almost the entire town was waiting for me at the airport. I dont deserve it. But the cause deserve it. The ethiopian president has been wonderful. Wow. I am in the National Palace to talk about periods. We have a lot of work to do but the silence has been broken. Watch anderson coopers full update. We would love to meet them. Its primary day in South Carolina. Right now voters are heading to the polls. Some have already been up. 54 delegates up for grabs in the first primary in the south. Sanders leads the field with 45 pledged delegates. Recent polling suggest the day could belong to joe biden. Jessica dean is following the latest. Whats at stake in this race . I imagine the former Vice President has a lot on the line. Reporter youre exactly right. South carolina is a big one for joe biden. He needs a win here. His campaign has long pointed to this state as where he can really show his strength as a candidate. And so he needs to come out and be able to show that tonight. Hes long had solid support from africanamerican voters that weve seen in polling and his campaign has pointed again and again to that fact and they hope that means perhaps a big double digit victory for him in South Carolina and helping that would propel him into supertuesday with a lot of momentum. Here is the former Vice President talking to a crowd in South Carolina last night. I take nothing for granted. Nothing for granted. Folks, i believe if you send me out of here with a victory and with, like, god love him, like youre doing former representative and so many others that supported me, send me out of here with a victory thats significant, i think im going to be the next nominee of the United States [ applause ] so biden and his campaign hoping for that tonight. This has been a good week for them. He had a strong debate performance, a strong town hall. Hes really kind of found his groove here in South Carolina. So for joe biden, thats whats on the line here. You mentioned Bernie Sanders who is still the front runner for this nomination and he, like other candidates in this race, have now turned their attention to super tuesday. Hell actually be in super tuesday states today trying to get solidify support all across the nation as so many states and delegates will be up for grabs on tuesday. We are entering between now and, lets say, next wednesday early in the morning a very critical period in this democratic nominating process. Were just heading into it. Jessica dean, appreciate it. Thank you so much. Waiting for the former Vice President in the super tuesday states, former mayor Michael Bloomberg. Lets go to North Carolina. Bloomberg spent a lot of money. He has the infrastructure. How is he preparing . Reporter thats right. The stakes are high for all of the candidates heading into super tuesday because there are 1,300 delegates up for grabs. Thats nearly a third of delegates up for grabs. Thats going to be the first time that Michael Bloomberg is on the ballot in in this race. He skipped the first four. Two big advantaged tied to his deep pockets. One is his ad buy. The 14 states hes already spent 167 million. Way ahead of everyone else. And i was with him all week so the other big advantage here is the ground game. He was in some of those super tuesday states making closing arguments to voters in tennessee, texas, oklahoma, arkansas, and the big message from Michael Bloomberg there was, look, we have been here building the ground game. I visited before. Now, if Michael Bloomberg does not perform well on super tuesday, hes going to face pressure to drop out so that support can coalesce around one moderate democrat to take on Bernie Sanders. I asked bloomberg about that dynamic and what he plans to do if he doesnt do well on super tuesday and whether hes worried about fracturing the democratic vote. Listen. No more than hes worried about him fracturing the boat. Both of us are to some extent in the same lane. Joe is a legislature. His experience is in writing legislation and promoting it. My experience is in dealing with crises like the coronavirus and like unemployment and crime in the streets and being ready for terrorism if it occurs. Its just very different we have very different experiences and very different people to do the job. Reporter very interesting to hear Michael Bloomberg talk about the differences between him and biden because for the most part Michael Bloomberg has been talking about Bernie Sanders and donald trump and running against them. Well see how the Campaign Strategy evolves from here. Certainly a lot on the line. Before you go, does he say where he will win . Doing well is one thing. But where does the mayor think he will win on tuesday . Reporter well, hes hoping that hes going to win in those states where the other democrats havent shown up because they were focused on the first four. I mean, theyre not giving me, you know, specifically they dont want to set expectations and say were going to win in arkansas and win in oklahoma but what they are telling me is we are in places where joe biden isnt because he was focused on the first four states. Like arkansas, for example. Like oklahoma, those are places that probably joe biden feels pretty good about. He may not be there necessarily. Michael bloomberg has been there and has built a team on the ground in those places. All right. Christina, thank you so much. Thanks. Thank you so much for spending time with us this morning. Dont forget to tweet us. We love to hear from you. We hope you make good memories today. Twitter and instagram. Much more ahead in the next hour of cnns newsroom. Fredricka whitfield is up next. Woman the deadly corona virus officially hitting the us. Man the markets are plunging for a second straight day. Vo Health Experts warn the us is underprepared. Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does. In the aftermath of 911, he steadied and rebuilt americas largest city. Oversaw Emergency Response to natural disasters. Upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises. And hes funding Cutting Edge Research to contain epidemics. Tested. Ready. Mike im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Schwab, a modern approach to wealth management. Its either the assucertification process. Or it isnt. Its either testing an array of advanced safety systems. Or it isnt. Its either the peace of mind of a standard unlimited mileage warranty. Or it isnt. For those who never settle, its either mercedesbenz certified preowned. Or it isnt. The mercedesbenz certified preowned sales event. Now through march 2nd. Only at your authorized mercedesbenz dealer. Officially hitting the us. Virus man the markets are plunging for a second straight day. Vo Health Experts warn the us is underprepared. Managing a crisis is what Mike Bloomberg does. In the aftermath of 911, he steadied and rebuilt americas largest city. Oversaw Emergency Response to natural disasters. Upgraded hospital preparedness to manage health crises. And hes funding Cutting Edge Research to contain epidemics. Tested. Ready. Mike im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this saturday. Im fredricka whitfield. Right now the polls are open and voting is under way in the South Carolina democratic primary. 54 delegates are up for grabs. Much of the spotlight will be on former Vice President joe biden and senator Bernie Sanders. Going into this primary sanders leads the field with 45 pledged delegates from prior races. But recent polling shows joe biden could be on the verge of his first win and the stakes are high. The former Vice President acknowledging the state is an important contest for his campaign. After around the clock campaigning and last minute pitches all of the Democratic Candidates putting their fate into the hands of South Carolina voters. All i know is that i think im going to do well here, and i think thats going to put me in a position to do well in North Carolina and alabama and other states, and i think in the democratic primary i can do very well. But i dont think it will even be over after super tuesday. Let us win the primary here in South Carolina. Let us win the democratic nomination. Let us defeat donald trump. I believe you are going to help me become the next president to the United States and when you do, i will work every day to make you proud. Ive been on the ground in South Carolina meeting people more than anybody else. Win, lose, i will never stop working on these issues. Im asking you to help me because i will promise you this, when i win this i will not be the president for half of america. I will be the president for all of america. Are you ready to fight back and elect the first woman to be president of the United States of america . Then lets do this dream big all right. Cnns jessica dean in South Carolina for us. Candidates with a whole lot of enthusiasm there. Biden and most of the other candidates are already campaign k campaig campaigning in super tuesday states. They are thinking about the whats next. Reporter yeah. These right. Whats next is so many delegates compared to what have been dolled out so far. Lets talk first about South Carolina. I think you set it up perfectly. This is a big, big state for joe biden. His campaign has long pointed to this state where he would be able to show his strength as a candidate and really see that strong support from africanamerican voters so they are counting on a victory. You heard the Vice President say it there himself. They are hoping that victory is big enough here that hes able to amass such a lead here that it gives him a huge amount of momentum going into super tuesday. Theres a small amount of time between sunday morning or even today and tuesday and when all of these states will be voting. You cant be in all places at once. Here in South Carolina, the Vice President has been here all week trying to draw strong contrast between him and the other candidates. Most notably the front runner for the nomination right now senator Bernie Sanders. Take a listen. Bernie sanders voted against it five times. Bernie voted for loopholes that allowed white supremacist to get guns that was used in a Church Shooting in the first place. Guess what, we have the law that some folks voted for to exempt them to give the corporations a loophole where they could not be sued. Reporter and weve heard Bernie Sanders pushing back on joe bidens record pointing to his vote for the iraq war. Youve seen a lot of that contrast happening here in South Carolina. To the end we were talking about with everybody fanning out across the super tuesday states, only two candidates will be here in South Carolina tonight after the polls close. Thats joe biden and tom who spent a lot of money and time here in South Carolina. Everybody else will be in the super tuesday states as we get ready to make that turn. Jessica, thank you so much. Spending all that time and money, here he is just like that from columbia, South Carolina. Good to see you. Youre showing a lot of energy there in South Carolina. Were going to talk later about the dancing on stage and why you are feeling so invigorated. Lets talk about the kind of money and time that you have spent. 22 million in campaign ads in South Carolina. Are you feeling like today is going to be a day that you get some return from that investment . Fredricka, honestly, i spent more time here than any other candidate. Ive loved being here. I think that theres a lot of momentum to my campaign. I can feel it on the ground. I think you can see it in the polls. I expect to have a great day here in South Carolina. Is it top two . Top three . What. I dont know. You know, i dont want to make predictions. What i think is this. You can read the polls. Ive seen the polls, of course. What i can also see is that in every poll i keep moving up and thats what i believe in, thats what i feel on the ground. Thats what i expect. I expect to surprise people by doing really well here. By doing really well with africanamericans. I think thats reflective of something thats important. I think its important to be able to appeal to the entire spectrum of democratic voters and that definitely includes a lot of black people and latinos, Asian Americans and native americans as well as white people. I think thats why one of the things thats really important about South Carolina is it gives people a chance to show that. Do you feel like youre resonating with a good Cross Section. Thats the message i hear from you. Do you feel like its enough for that path to the nomination . Well find out tonight. I feel as if this gives me a chance to show i can pull together that coalition. Fredricka, one of the things thats very clear now is this. Whoever is the candidate for the Democratic Party has to beat trump in november and thats going to mean pulling together this party across all the divisions. Thank god were diverse. Thank god this party represents the difficuversity of america. There is philosophical diversity between progressive democrats and moderate democrats. Im a progressive democrat but i feel like i can appeal across the spectrum of people racially and ethically and i believe im the most progressive but with a business background people can know im practical and we have to create jobs. I know how to do that. I also know how to make much more money for working people and allow them to keep it. You feel strongly about the messages that youre conveying and its resonating with a diverse Cross Section of people. Does it mean anything to you, you know, the value of endorsements. It was last weekend when majority whip James Clyburn announced he was watching it closely and would make his enboresmee endorsement come wednesday and he did that. He endorsed joe biden. Hes persuasive. Does it concern you that joe biden would get that kind of endorsement and that you dont have someone equivalent, you know, i guess ranking who is behind you in South Carolina . You know, of course congressmen clyburn is an important person and he and joe biden have been in d. C. Together for decades. What is true is that people that have been endorsing me are the people on the ground in South Carolina. Theyre the Environmental Justice activists. Go check, fredricka. The people who have been driving Environmental Justice in this state on the local level are for me. Ive been going around this state, the people fromherewho are on the ground every day, im connecting with and endorsing me. I am serious about these issues. I have been working on economic and environmental and Racial Justice for a long time. And when one of the most heartbreaking parts of running for president is this. After you talk to people, they very frequently say to you that sounds good, that sounds like the right words, but how can i believe you . So many people have broken their promises to us. What do you say . What i can say is, look, take a look at my record. Ive been working on this successfully for over a decade. You must take offense then when there are accusations from some, even elected elections, who say you are buying black support, or youre trying to buy black support in South Carolina. Fredricka, i honestly believe that has a deep racist undertone to it. I believe the idea that you could buy black votes implies that for some reason africanamericans are not thinking citizens who make up their minds based on the facts. To imply the opposite is racist and wrong. The fact that we are organizing on the ground level that 60 of our organizers are organizing within 20 miles of where they are born. When they do that job, we pay them. Thats absolutely normal grassroots organizing. I built one of the biggest grassroots communities in america. To say that im buying votes in the black community is offensive. Just so you know the legislative black caucus, the head of the southern christian Leadership Conference and the leaders of the naacp have all denounced that kind of rhetoric. Its absolutely wrong, its arrogant and it has dramatic racial overtones. Something else now that perhaps will make you smile for sure. This viral moment of yours. You got a little loose. Youre dancing. Youre on stage there with rapper juvenile. One of his hit songs. What was that moment like . What was moving you . What were you thinking . You know, fredricka, its really funny to me because we are talking about really serious things here. I mean, we are talking about people who are working for inadequate wages and people who are dying because the health care is so bad. Were talking about kids who arent getting the chance to get educated about environmental injustice where people are being poisoned and Racial Injustice going on for centuries. Lets also remember that life can be really fun. All i was doing last night was having a little fun. I would hate to think that the American Political Culture is so toxic that actually juvenile is a really nice guy. He was teasing me to come up and show my moves. I was, like, okay, baby. Here we go. So that was just a little bit of fun. I enjoyed myself. If the culture is so bad you cant have fun, i think theres something wrong. We all got to have a little fun. A lot of fun, in fact. Charisma goes a long way too. Absolutely. All right. Tom steyee esteyer, a pleasure. Thank you so much. Nice to talk to you. South carolina primary under way right now. Could those voters shake things up . Tune into continuing coverage at 4 00 p. M. Eastern time. And monday a prime time special. We interview the candidates oneonone. It starts monday at 8 00 p. M. Right here on cnn. Still ahead, four new cases of the coronavirus here in the United States and the patients have no known contact with anyone who is already infected. How is the virus spreading . Plus, hospitals and clinics stocking up on masks and gowns. Will be there enough for a worsecase scenario . A live report straight ahead. Wi, get your credit cards right by consolidating your Credit Card Debt into one monthly payment. And get your Interest Rate right so you can save big. Get a nofee personal loan up to 100k. Get a nofee personal loan earning on that eclair. Dont touch it dont touch it yet let me get the big one. This one . No this one . Yes no. The big one theyre all the same size with freedom unlimited, youre always earning. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. I cant decide. Stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. And take. It. On with rinvoq. Rinvoq a oncedaily pill can dramatically improve symptoms. Rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. And for some. Rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. Thats rinvoq relief. With ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. Rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. Rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. Your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. Tell your doctor about any infections and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. Ready to take on ra . Talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. Rinvoq. Make it your mission. People, our sales now appla new low 10 frames. At visionworks, our sales are good on all of our frames. Why are you so weird . Use your tax return and get 50 off any pair. Visionworks. See the difference. This morning President Trumps Coronavirus Task force met at the white house. There are now 67 cases across the nation and four of those patients have no travel history to affected regions leaving Health Officials trying to figure out how those four became infected. Two of the cases are in california and one in oregon and one in Washington State and, again, none of them knowingly had contact with anyone infected with the virus. Cnns senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with me now. What more do we know about these cases . Before we talk about these individual cases, i want to tell you something that affects this disease. We can begin to think of this being like the flu. When you get the flu during flu season, sometimes you know my husband was just diagnosed. I must have got it from him or my wife or my best friend. Sometimes you just dont know. We are headed into the just dont know category here in the United States with these four cases. Lets talk about those cases. The first one is a woman in Washington County oregon who spent time at a local school and may have exposed students and staff. A High School Boy in washington spent a short time at school. Some of those students who he was in contact with are now quarantined. A woman in santa clara county, california, a woman in solano county, california, is at Uc Davis Medical Center where she is unfortunately quite illinois and so those are the four of unknown origin. They didnt travel to china. They didnt travel to a coronavirus hot spot and as far as they know, they didnt have contact with anyone who had done any of those things. Those are the Common Threads and they range in ages. They do. They do. This is a virus though that seems to attack the very old more. You and i have talked during flu season about the very old and the very young the most vulnerable. This seems to be more the very old. If you look at the experience in china when you look at people who died, it tended to be elderly people and not so much the very young thank goodness. There was a study done of a family in china, a large family, and the little boy infected, completely healthy. Would never have known his grandfather passed away. Now that we have this community transmission, what does this tell us about the potential of containment . You know, containment is a funny word. If were going to define it as we can stop it, we can stop this from spreading, i think the existence of these four cases tells us that we have not contained it because three out of these four popped up yesterday and the fact that two of them had spent time in schools and had contact with people in schools and goodness knows where the other two might have been, one at uc davis for example was at another Smaller Community hospital before she got to uc davis and they didnt even think about coronavirus so they didnt think to take precautions one would take with coronavirus necessarily. Its hard to think containment when we see three new cases in one day. Appreciate it. Hospitals across the country are getting ready to respond to a potential coronavirus outbreak in the u. S. Lets get more on the preparation. What are you learning about the readiness plans in these hospitals . Fred, i spoke to the Georgia Hospital Association last night. They say that their hospitals in that organization have been practicing what they call the ebola protocol which they feel apply here. We visited a clinic that started doing drills this week specific to the coronavirus. I recently traveled outside of the country, and im thinking i possibly was exposed to the coronavirus. This is a drill and this woman does not have the coronavirus. Could you put one of these masks on and just wait right there and im going come around and get you. Shes actually a medical assistant in georgia. Like many hospitals and Health Care Providers across the u. S. , this network of clinics is Running Drills with mock patients to practice responding to a coronavirus outbreak. Were you surprised when you heard that American Family care clinics were doing drills this week . No. I was anticipating this was going to happen eventually. That moment came when their chief medical officer heard this phrase from the cdc on tuesday. Its not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness. That is what sparked this for me because id been thinking about it and weve been preparing in the background but as soon as they said that is when we decided, all right, lets roll it out and lets get moving. Theyre drilling everything taking the patient to a designated room by the exit, testing a swab to rule out the regular flu, bringing in a doctor for further screening and everyone putting on and removing gear at the right times. It really doesnt allow anything to kind of go through. Its a little bit better than some of the standard masks that you would use. Will there are enough of them during a pandemic . The food and Drug Administration said its not aware of specific widespread shortages but it has heard reports of increased market demand and supply challenges for some protective gear. This clinic said they have enough, doctors and clinics say they received notices about current or anticipated shortages. In the meantime, drills with mock patients you would immediately go home and we would give information to the Health Department. Some say they regular practice for general pandemics which can apply to a coronavirus outbreak. We shouldnt be overly excited about it but being prepared is the best way to go when youre facing possibilities like these. Nurses united union told us that 124 nurses and Health Care Workers at uc davis are now selfquarantined after exposure to one patient at that facility and emphasize the importance of preparation, resources and planning at hospitals like we saw. As they say, if the Health Care Providers actually get sick, then that limits how they can take care of the rest of the community. All right. Thank you so much. Still to come, President Trump makes it clear he wants his supporters to get involved in yet another democratic primary. This time in South Carolina. So could republican efforts have a real impact on the race there today . Well discuss. Tto examine investmentgo opportunities firsthand, like innovations in agricultural research. Because your investments deserve the full story. T. Rowe price invest with confidence. Stop cutting. New elvive dream lengths. With a cocktail of vitamins and fine castor oil. Strengthens hairs length and helps seal split ends. To save that last inch, for the hair of your dreams. New elvive dream lengths. From loreal. Youre worth it. To save that last inch, for the hair of your dreams. Earning on that eclair. Dont touch it dont touch it yet let me get the big one. This one . No this one . Yes no. The big one theyre all the same size with freedom unlimited, youre always earning. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. I cant decide. Oh no, here comes gthe neighbor probably to brag about how amazing his Xfinity Customer Service is. Im mike, im so busy. Good thing xfinity has twohour appointment windows. They have night and weekend appointments too. Hes here. Bill . Karolyn . Nope no, just a couple of rocks. Download the my account app to manage your appointments making todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Ill pass. Welcome back. President trump continues his new tradition of visiting States Holding democratic primaries and caucuses on the eve of those elections. In his friday campaign rally, the president encouraged his supporters to take advantage of the South Carolina open primary to cast votes for Bernie Sanders. By the way, the republicans allowed to vote anyway . Are you ready . Are you ready . Lets do it together. I assume this is okay from a Campaign Finance standpoint. I assume. Lindsey, tim, our great congressmen, are we allowed am i allowed to request first we have to figure out who would be the weakest candidate against President Trump. Are we allowed to tell them who we would like them to vote for because youre allowed to. Who is easier to beat . Crazy bernie . [ applause ] or sleepy joe . They think bernie is easier to beat. All right. Dave is executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Thank you for being with us on a busy day there in South Carolina. What is your reaction to the president last night encouraging people to have ulterior motives and vote in this open primary . Thanks for having me, fredricka. Appreciate the community. Listen, i think the president should have other important things on his plate than coming to South Carolina and encouraging republicans to participate in, yes, what is an open primary and would technically be legal. I dont see much more activity other than the president coming here and asking republicans to vote in our primary. So i dont think it will have much affect. You do not think his words are influential by encouraging his supporters or republicans to take his direction . Well, i think some will. But i think something on this magnitude would have needed lots of work and money spent. Some republican county chairs have been what they call conducting what they call operation chaos to try to get republicans to vote in our primary today. We havent seen a lot of money behind it. The president , sure, he went to North Charleston last night and asked people to vote. I just dont think its going to make that big of a difference in the turnout. Weve seen strong turnout for the absentee ballots and i dont believe this is going to have a huge impact. You wont really know until the polls close, right, and things are tallied up, right . We may not even know then. Quite frankly, well just know what the turnout is. It will take about a month for our state Election Commission to input all of the data. So well know in about a month who actually voted and we can go back and look if they participate in republican primaries in the past but well be able to sort of analyze it probably in about a month. So the president was taking advantage of the fact that it is open primary. Do you think as a result of, you know, that opening, do you think ultimately rules should be changed or should this continue to be the case for South Carolina open primary . We have long had open primaries here. It hasnt been a problem. I dont really see this as being sort of a clearing call for change. I just think parties typically here have enough respect for each other that we dont openly go mettle in each others primary. The state Republican Party has discouraged it but yet the president comes to town and he cant even play by his own partys rules. I just think its stupid quite frankly to do this. It wont have the impact that he would hope or that the Republican Party might secretly hope it will have. All right. Postiowa voters are still concerned that in any race there may be a similar outcome where it takes a very long time to find out what the results are. What kind of precautions has your party taken to ensure that South Carolinas primary numbers will be accurate and will come with some brevity . Its a great question. The best thing about this system is that South Carolina like New Hampshire our primary is conducted by the state of South Carolina and the state elections commission. So were doing the same things we do in every other primary or general election and the state, our trained poll workers, we have updated Voting Machines that have been used in over 200 municipal elections last year. Im very confident in our state Election Commission and our local boards of elections and poll workers know what theyre doing. Weve had meetings with the state Election Commission as recently as two weeks ago to go over all of the processes. So you can be very confident the election will be conducted fairly and the results i think will come quickly tonight. I dont want to speak for the Election Commission, but i would say well know by 8 30, 9 00, a good picture where this is going. Thats pretty close considering polls close at 7 00, right . It is. But thats about when we normally get results here. I dont expect this to take any longer. All right. Very good. Jay, thank you very much. Good luck for the day. Thank you. Appreciate it. Have a great day. Thank you. Meantime, fresh concerns over the spread of the coronavirus after four new cases are found to be not travel related. The search for the source next. When the murrays head to work their dog michelangelo gets to work, too. Todays job . Own. The. Bed. Stinkeee. Good thing they use new gain ultraflings with two times the oxi boost and febreze, for ultrabig, ultrastinky loads. Fresh again. Gain. Seriously good scent. And if you love gain flings, youve gotta try the dish soap. Extra life. Extra power. Extra life. Extra power. Extra life. Power. Life. Power. Extra life. No need to argue. Vs. Coppertop,. Duracell optimum delivers extra life in some devices or extra power in others. Welcome back. There are 67 cases of the coronavirus across the u. S. Including four patients who have no history of travel to infected areas and no known contact with anyone infected with the virus. Earlier the countrys leading Infectious Disease expert says Health Officials will now have to step up their efforts to figure out where the cases came from. When you have cases appearing like this, that is the beginning of Community Spread which means youre going to have to do much more intensive testing and the Contact Tracing thats going on right now. The doctor is the senior director of the program at new York City Health and hospitals joins us now. How crucial is it to track down the source of transmission . Its very important to know where these sources are coming from so we can get a good picture of what to expect. I think the other big question is what is the true denominator. We dont know how many more cases are out there whether its in the United States or globally. We know as every day passes the cases continue to mount. We need to know what is a true denominator to fully understand the full spectrum of the illness of this coronavirus disease. Were learning that some Health Workers came into contact with one of the first patients in the u. S. A patient who is at uc davis before the virus was even diagnosed. Is this, i guess, an entry level into how a virus can turn into an outbreak . That is exactly right. There is multiple Different Levels at play here. I want to make sure folks understand that while in the hospital side we are tasked with identifying these patients right away, isolating them and informing Public Health authorities, with very a full infrastructure and process we follow. If we identify a patient, we need to call Public Health authorities and ask we want to do testing of this patient if they meet the clinical Case Definition. Before 24 hours cdc had a narrow clinical Case Definition where we werent able to test these patients. If we cant test them, we might not know what precautions to take and exposures can happen. On top of that, now that the clinical Case Definition is brought in and we are able to screen more patients potentially that have coronavirus, we dont have the process to test them immediately. Everybody relies on each other. The other big thing is theres a huge impact to Global Supply chain so as we identify patients more and faster, we still need to wear our personal protective equipment and with these n 95 mask shortages that you hear, recently youre hearing reports that we need 300 million across the nation to prepare for the coronavirus disease and we have a fraction of that in the United States. As we screen more patients and test more patients, our front line Health Care Workers need these masks to protect themselves and i see bills happening across the nation. Hospitals need to prepare for this type of event. One of the drills ive seen is they are giving masks to patients. That makes no sense. Everybody has a responsibility even on the health care side. Health care folks need to look at the actual guidance thats coming out from Public Health. Its not telling to give visitors and patients those masks. Were having a huge shortage so Everybody Needs to be responsible in this type of situation. Theres a big distinction between these masks that you talk about that the Health Care Workers are able to protect themselves from any kind of airborne liquids and any kind of pathogens from the virus but then the regular masks that people are buying in the store, youre saying the stuff to protect these medical workers, theres a low supply and so when cdc says theres an expectation that all hospitals need to be ready and have their kits, are there the resources for that deadline as early as the end of next week . Can that be met . So from a hospital in a Health Care System standpoint, we wont be doing testing. Those tests that we will collect specimens but we rely on Public Health to conduct testings. All specimens are sent to cdc for testing. We need to make sure that our public local laboratories have test kits can do a faster turnaround time. If we send specimens to cdc we may not hear back for 24 to 72 hours. If we send to local Health Department that have test kit we can reduce that turnaround time and do they require a level of isolation and go on from there. Its a process. We rely on each other. We have a responsibility. We need for this to work. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Well be right back. I am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. Wean air force veteran made of doing whats right,. Not whats easy. So when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. Thats how you do it right. Usaa insurance is made just the way martins family needs it with hasslefree claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. Because doing right by our members, thats whats right. Usaa. What youre made of, were made for. Usaa proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis. With humira. Proof of less joint pain. And clearer skin in psa. Humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Humira is proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage,. And clear skin in psa. Want more proof . Ask your rheumatologist about humira. People, our sales now appla new low 10 frames. At visionworks, our sales are good on all of our frames. Why are you so weird . Use your tax return and get 50 off any pair. Visionworks. See the difference. Polls are officially open in South Carolina and voting is under way as South Carolina holds the first in the south primary. Joining me now is athena jones in North Charleston talking to voters along with a South Carolina state house and politics reporter for the state newspaper. Athena, you first. I know its very early. How are things shaping up there . Fred, its early but weve been talking to voters since 7 00 a. M. We talked to just under 20 of the 450 or so who voted at this particular polling station in North Charleston. I with tell you that joe biden is well ahead in terms of who is getting the support. This is antidotal. Weve talked to a lot of folks. Joe biden has 60 of the support of the 85 or so people we have spoken to. Bernie sanders is next at around 21 . So at least at this polling location the firewall that joe biden was hoping South Carolina would be is proving true at least here. This is not only the first in the south to vote, its also the first state with a significant africanamerican population. We know that in 2016 the primary electorate was 61 of africanamerican. At least 65 we have spoken to have been africanamerican and vast majority support joe biden. Its looking good to him now. We also heard support for Bernie Sanders and at least one person who is voting for amy. Joe biden is doing well at this location. One of the things weve heard consistently from voters is they like his moderation and his experience. Listen to two of the joe biden heres what they had to say. I felt like he had the experience, i think he cares a lot about the economy and also about the people thats involved with it, and also he has the experience of the Vice President. I thought that was worldwide knowledge for me, not because he was with obama, but his experience and knowledge of it. He is experienced, he is down to earth. I dont particularly care for socialists. And the other guy is spending money to buy the election. And that aint the democratic way. Reporter so there you heard it from them. They say they like joe bidens experience, what he stands for, they feel like they know him and believe he could win. All right. You have to love people are willing to be frank and talk openly there in South Carolina about their voice, their choices, the reasons behind it. Thank you so much. I will bring you back into the equation. The paper is reporting one precinct alone today, nearly 60 people voted in todays primary by 8 00 a. M. Thats just an hour after polls opened. Thats almost a voter a minute. In terms of voter turnout, what are the expectations today . Reporter the expectations if youre talking to Democratic Party officials in South Carolina is that turnout is going to look good. We know turnout is up in abnormali absentee voting. It is early in columbia, theres a lot going on, a downtown Farmers Market maybe folks are hanging out at before they vote. Theres time to vote today. You could see numbers up tick. Echoing the same thing you heard in charleston area, yes, the overwhelming name i heard when i talked to voters today is joe biden. However, tom steyers name has also come up. Hes been in South Carolina the last few weeks, doing a lot of campaigning, particularly in the lower richland area of the county. Those two names keep popping up. Again, we are hearing continuously turnout is looking good for the party. So in South Carolina alone tom steyer, you mentioned him, he spent a lot of money. I spoke with him earlier in the hour, he is enthusiastic, nonapologetic spending 22 million in campaign ads, and we heard from one voter that talked about a candidate being able to buy votes. Well, if you ask that to tom steyer, he says i find that very insulting to voters to even infer that voters can be bought. So what is the general consensus about the kind of money he has spent, even Michael Bloomberg, and the kind of support they get as a result or support theyve gotten period. Reporter well, tom steyer supporters will certainly agree with their candidate that steyer is not buying their vote, he is actually doing a really good job at strategizing across the state. Tom steyer has been in this state for the candidates that are still in the race i think at the top, has one of the highest number of visits here, he has been in the state from beginning before he decided to declare his candidacy. He has been able to spend like you said millions of dollars in the state on digital ads, on tv ads. I see his ads on my spotify account, on instagram. Hes also spending money in black owned media, taking out full page ads in college newspapers. Certainly the money is working. He is able to boost his name id across the state. When i talk to voters about steyer, one of the first things they tell me, oh, yeah, i saw that man on tv. It is not just that. Steyer has been able to take advantage of being on the ground here in South Carolina while the other candidates have been duking it out in iowa, New Hampshire, even nevada. And of course as we know, there are several candidates in the race who had to be in d. C. To deal with impeachment. It is an accessibility factor that tom steyer voters feel connected to. Yeah, if you say to tom steyer voters, is he buying them, absolutely not. He is investing in them, investing time in their communities, and he has a really smart strategy. Maya schecter, thank you so much. So much straight ahead in the newsroom after this. Its either the assurance of a 165point certification process. Or it isnt. Its either testing an array of advanced safety systems. Or it isnt. Its either the peace of mind of a standard unlimited mileage warranty. Or it isnt. For those who never settle, its either mercedesbenz certified preowned. Or it isnt. The mercedesbenz certified preowned sales event. Now through march 2nd. Only at your authorized mercedesbenz dealer. These are avas shoulders. They square off, hold firm, bear it all. This is her physical therapist, covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield. These are avas shoulders. Now stronger than ever. This is what medicare from Blue Cross Blue Shield does for ava. And with plans that fit every budget, imagine what we can do for you. This is the benefit of blue. Earning on that eclair. Dont touch it dont touch it yet let me get the big one. This one . No this one . Yes no. The big one theyre all the same size with freedom unlimited, youre always earning. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. I cant decide. Ithat car is one of mine. And soon, its going to be one of theirs. But they would have never even known it existed. If it werent for the power of targeted tv advertising. Its smart. It grabs peoples attention. It works. Its why Comcast Spotlight is changing its name to effectv. Because being effective means getting results. The u. S. And taliban signed a historic agreement that will allow withdrawal of u. S. Troops from afghanistan in the next 14 months. U. S. Secretary of state mike pompeo was in qatar for the signing. Cnn International Diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is there with the latest. Tell us whats in the deal . Reporter fredricka, theres optimism this can be a pathway to peace, but a lot of hurdles before then. The United States commits to pulling all troops out of afghanistan in 14 months, that it will cut troops to 8600 within 135 days, ultimately pull troops out of all five major u. S. Bases in afghanistan. No mention in this signed agreement of rights for women, and also in there, the taliban are committed by terms of the agreement to go after any groups that threaten United States national security, like al qaeda and isis that secretary of state mike pompeo said the taliban shouldnt claim this as some kind of victory, but we heard from the taliban leader later in a statement saying this ended the occupation of afghanistan, ended the subjugation of the afghan people. He did say women and men should be treated equally. Nic robertson, thank you so much for the update from doha. Appreciate it. All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I am fredricka whitfield. The polls are open, voting is under way in the South Carolina democratic primary. 54 delegates are up for grabs. Much of the spotlight will be on