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German Government Criticized After "Deeply Racist" Attack; Intelligence Officials Warn of Russian Interference in 2020 Election; Trump Ally Roger Stone Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison; Front-Runner Sanders Largely Unscathed after Debate; Attack at London Mosque not Treated as Terrorism; U.S. Presidential Candidates Plug Their Web Sites. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 21, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: crisis of credibility. He's the most powerful leader China has seen since Chairman Mao, but Xi Jinping has been mostly MIA as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread around the world.
A mass shooting leaves many, in Germany, in shock and others outraged by the increasing threat from far-right extremism. And intelligence officials warned Russia is meddling again in U.S. elections to help Trump win a second term. And so now we know why the Acting Director of Intelligence was ousted.
China's Hubei Province has been locked down for weeks now, millions of people stuck indoors and going nowhere, but the novel coronavirus is spreading across the province, across China, and around the world since the first death in mid-January. More than 2,200 people have died, 11 of those deaths are outside Mainland China. And China says an additional 118 people died of the disease just on Thursday, almost all of them in Hubei Province. And the virus continues to spread worldwide.
There are now more than 1,200 cases outside of China. South Korea has seen its number of infections triple to more than 150 in just the past few days. Japan has more than 700 cases now. That's mostly because of the big number of infections on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which docked in Yokohama. As a precaution, U.S. health officials have now issued a level one warning about travel to Japan, urging the usual safeguards such as avoiding sick people and washing hands.
CNN's Blake is live again in Yokohama, Japan with the very latest on this. But Blake, we're looking at the situation on board that ship. The ship has been quarantined for 17 days or so. They're getting off -- they're getting off slowly. It started on Monday. We're now looking at Friday. How much longer is this process expected to take?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, three days was the original goal and that three days would have started on Wednesday. You had some countries evacuate their citizens, the United States and Canada and whatnot. But as far as all the other passengers on board, starting Wednesday, they were hoping to have hundreds of passengers on a daily basis, disembark the ship, finishing today. That's not going to happen. We actually talked to the Princess spokesperson about an hour ago, who confirmed that they will continue disembarkation tomorrow.
And that is because they are running to a number of problems including the fact that even just today, the Japan -- Japanese Health Ministry announced that pretty much anybody who whether or not there -- who was on the ship, whether or not they've tested negative for the coronavirus, if they've come into contact with anybody who has tested positive at any time during their quarantine, they have to actually restart their quarantine, to the point where they last came into contact with that person who tested positive.
And that being said, what the Japanese Health Ministry is saying is that they either have to stay on the ship or enter a government-run facility on land. And so, this process could go on for a very long time. And all of this really does call into question just how effective this quarantine was. You have public health officials that have defended the way that Japan has handled it. But you've also have infectious disease specialist who say they have got this whole quarantine thing completely wrong, John.
VAUSE: And there has been a lot of criticism about essentially, there are people who've been infected now because they're kept on that boat. And they should never have kept the healthy people with the sick people, and that essentially spread the virus. So, how is Japan dealing with all the criticism? What are they're saying?
ESSIG: Well, you know, if you ask Japanese residents, there's a lot of fear. They don't think that the way that the Japanese government handled this quarantine was correct. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through interpreter): The Japanese Health Ministry failed to deal with this problem. They didn't have a clear measure to tackle the outbreak of infectious diseases.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through interpreter): I think the measure the government took, made things worse, and the lack of information was an issue as well. It was totally misjudged of the government that thousands of people were trapped in a small space, quarantined for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ESSIG: Well, infectious disease specialist and Japanese residents think that this was a failed quarantine. When it comes to the Japanese government, they think that they've done things perfect. And in fact, to back up the way that they've run this quarantine to this point, a research institute run by the Japanese government released a report just a couple days ago, essentially saying that two days after the quarantine was initiated, the passenger number of cases spiked.
[01:05:05] And then from that point, has dwindled down to zero. That same report, comment -- commented about the crew members on board, about 1,000 of them. Those crew number -- the crew members continued to have their number of cases increase for about a week past where the number of passengers started to decline.
And so, you kind of have this juxtaposition between the way that the quarantine affected the passengers and the crew members. And so, just how effective that quarantine was, really is up for debate, John?
VAUSE: Yes, to say the least. Blake, thank you. Blake Essig there in Yokohama, Japan. To South Korea now where a church congregation is linked to a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases. CNN's Paula Hancocks has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The number of novel coronavirus cases has more than tripled in South Korea since Tuesday. The country also suffering its first fatality. A cluster of cases has emerged in the city of Daegu, a few hours south of the capital, Seoul. In particular, among those who attended services at a religious congregation. One infected person attended the services. It's been described by Korea CDC as a super spreading event.
KIM GANG-LIP, VICE MINISTER, SOUTH KOREA'S MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND WELFARE (through interpreter): Through the cooperation of the religious group, we will determine its devotees and those who attended the service. We are promptly investigating all people who came in contact with the patient.
HANCOCKS: U.S. Forces in Korea says any military personnel who attended these services are now on mandatory quarantine, non-essential travel to Daegu has been prohibited and off-base travel minimized. The mayor of Daegu took it one step further.
KWON YOUNG-JIN, MAYOR OF DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA (through interpreter): Citizens, please refrain from going outside as much as possible today. Please wear your masks even in your homes, if possible.
HANCOCKS: Singapore, a city state of some 5-1/2 million people also has one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases outside Mainland China. Many of the recent patients have no travel history to China, showing an increase in local transmission. Government workers in Hong Kong have been told to work from home until March 1st to help social distancing. Private companies are encouraged to do the same. Schools are closed until at least mid-March.
And another fatality in Hong Kong this week, a 70-year-old man who was already suffering from chronic diseases. Outside of Mainland China, there are now well over 1,100 confirmed cases in 29 countries and territories, stretching far beyond Asia. Deaths have also been recorded in Europe and the Middle East. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Throughout this crisis, the most powerful man in China, President Xi Jinping, has been almost totally absent. There was a brief walk and talk through the streets of the capital, Beijing, which by the way, is more than 1,000 kilometers by road from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan. And he met with the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
According to the South China Morning Post, Xi is not on China's coronavirus task force, which is odd, considering no leader since Chairman Mao Zedong has amassed more power than Xi Jinping. He controls the party, the government, the military, and with that authority, though, comes vulnerability that he will be the one figure who is blamed for this crisis.
Our next guest believes she is already facing a threat to his leadership on the same scale as the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. Joining us now, Dali Yang, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. So, it's good to see you again. Thank you for being with us.
DALI YANG, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: You're welcome.
VAUSE: In terms of political fallout, you say the coronavirus outbreak could be similar to the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown and the impact that that had on the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev and others, and others -- analysts have also, sort of, made similar statements, like the China expert Bill Bishop, who says this is as close to an existential crisis for Xi and the Party that I think we have seen since the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989.
So, we'll get to those reasons why, in a moment, but first, one, we're talking about a threat to the leadership of China. Where exactly does that threat come from? Because China is not a democracy. It does not have popular elections. But Xi and the others, they do have a constituency?
YANG: Oh, absolutely. Certainly, the sense of legitimacy, the ability to perform is important. I think when we talk about the scale of this viral attack, we're talking about the numbers or the add the numbers who are affected, the lockdown of a province with about 16 million people, the country declaring a level one public emergency.
So, of course, failure to perform to contain the virus would be a very significant setback, certainly for the leadership. So, I think, actually, in this particular case, President Xi in particular, has truly banked down -- really using a lot of forces from the military, to the government.
[01:10:05]
And, of course to mobilizing the people, especially the Party members to try to really contain the virus, knocking down door to door and, of course, trying to run up people who actually are infected so that they can be quarantined and, of course, through such social distancing to control the virus. VAUSE: But when you are the most powerful leader in the Party and in the country, and you alone have more power than anybody else, you, alone, I guess, are the one who gets the blame.
YANG: Not entirely. Of course, so far, already, the leadership in the province of Hubei, the party secretary and also the party secretary of Wuhan have been replaced. And President Xi has brought in his own people practically so that they can perform, actually, suited to his requirements and demands. And of course, the Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is overseeing the house portfolio, has been on the front lines for many, many days now.
So, essentially, we do have some accountability. And, of course, blaming the local leadership actually is a time-honored tradition in many ways. And, certainly, there's a lot of bungling at the local levels in the onset of this particular crisis. So, there will be a lot of questions that are going to be asked.
VAUSE: If any government dealing with a health crisis like this -- like this, one will be, you know, the coronavirus, trust is the key here in all this. Foreign Policy magazine put it this way. The bottom line is trust, which appears to be waning inside China and is increasingly unraveling across the public health world. An epidemic cannot be fought and won unless the bonds of trust between government and people can survive the grief, confusions, emotions, and medical challenges of battle.
Chinese leaders, you know, they've broken that trust before in the past, rebuilding it, takes a long time. Do you see any sign that there is a realization in Beijing that of this dilemma that its facing and is it doing anything right now, substantially, to try and fix it?
YANG: Oh, absolutely. They manage -- they suddenly saw the public anger and grief in the case of the deaths of Dr. Li Wenliang. And they actually try to, in fact, massage that in some ways, allowing a lot of (INAUDIBLE) of grief and of anger, even discussions of press freedom for at least for a few hours. But then, gradually, the propaganda apparatus has been mobilized to try to guide public opinion.
For many people, of course, also actually, as the, naturally, like governments lie, that this government is rapidly building new hospitals, mobilizing the troops to come here, really pouring a lot of resources into Hubei from around the country, including more than 30,000 doctors, in particular.
So, a lot of efforts are also being made and the government is telling that story as well and are waning some believers in the meantime, but of course, there are a lot of people who are also disappointed, especially in the case of Hubei. Those people who are having difficulty whether getting the produce or certainly taking care of loved ones.
VAUSE: Okay. Professor, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much for being with us. Professor Dali Yang from the University of Chicago. Thank you, sir.
YANG: You're welcome.
VAUSE: Germany is once again confronting the rise of far-right extremism and the horrific end result of that hate. Nine people gunned down in a mass shooting near Frankfurt. The victims all had migrant backgrounds, but some were born in Germany. They were citizens, but that apparently meant nothing to the gunman, who prosecutors say had a deep-rooted racist view. CNN's Melissa Bell reports now from where the rampage took place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mohammed first heard rounds of gunfire. Then, he saw a man entering the bar.
MOHAMMED (through interpreter): He shot straight to the head of everyone he saw, he laid down and then he fired at all of us. I hid behind the wall. As I was moving to hide, he shot me in the arm. I laid on somebody, somebody laid on me, and somebody else laid on him. We became a pile.
BELL: This is the man now identified as 43-year-old Tobias R, who police say shot nine people and wounded six others in two shisha bars in Hanau, on Wednesday night. The diverse community in the heart of Hanau is shocked by the attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through interpreter): It was a massacre, a killing spree. There was blood everywhere and people lying on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through interpreter): One of the young guys took a bullet in the shoulder. But he was taken to the hospital and he made it out. He managed to escape.
BELL: The police tracked the suspected gunman's vehicle to his apartment, shortly afterwards. He, along with his mother, were found dead, a gun by his side. Investigators are treating the massacre as an act of terror. Prosecutors say the attacker's homepage hosted videos to spread deeply racist ideas and conspiracy theories.
ANGELA MERKEL, CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY (through interpreter): There are many indications at the moment that the perpetrator acted on right wing extremist, racist motives, out of hatred towards people of other origins, religion or appearance.
[01:15:13]
BELL: The bloodshed cost Germany into mourning with condemnations coming from around the world.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through interpreter): I believe that the German authorities will make every necessary effort to throw light on all aspects of the attack.
BELL: French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he supported Merkel in the fight for our values and the protection of our democracies. Germany's far-right extremism is on the rise. Early last week, a dozen people were arrested, suspected of having been plotting large scale attacks on mosques.
MERKEL (through interpreter): Racism is a poison. Hatred is a poison. And this poison exists in our society. And it is to blame for already far too many crimes.
BELL: It isn't just the German political class that have come out and condemned what happened in Hanau on Wednesday night, but also ordinary residents, ordinary Germans, who have come out and with a great deal of emotion this evening, attended this vigil that has turned into something of a demonstration, a demonstration against racism and the sorts of attacks. This is the third far-right attack in the country in less than a year that we've been seeing happen over and over again.
This, they're saying with their placards, and their candles, and their words here tonight, is not the Germany that we know. It is not the Germany that we love. Melissa Bell, CNN, Hanau.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: U.S. intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is meddling in this year's presidential election, what followed was a meltdown from Donald Trump, not at Russia, but at his Acting Director of Intelligence. More on that when we come back. Also ahead, after being sentenced to three years in jail, many are asking if Trump's old friend and political advisor, Roger Stone, will ever see the inside of a prison cell.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GENE NORMAN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi everyone. Meteorologist Gene Norman here, with a quick look at conditions across North and South America. We start in the U.S. where there's been some rare winter snow in parts of the South, but now winter's cold will return for the East Coast. But take a look at the snow totals, pretty impressive in places like North Carolina and Virginia, anywhere from 10 to almost 11 centimeters of snow.
Well, that system is moving out but there's still going to be some lingering snow showers for the early part of the day. But after that, pretty tranquil across most of the U.S. and not much in the way of weather, in terms of rain or snow, as we head into the weekend. Minus one Winnipeg, 10 Denver, nine in Dallas, -2 and mostly sunny up in Montreal. But the cold air will move into the eastern United States. And that's going to drop temperatures briefly this weekend before milder weather returns back.
Next couple of mornings are brutally cold, anywhere from minus five by Sunday morning to -- in Chicago to minus seven in Boston. So, a couple of cold mornings in store. In fact, the cold reaches all the way down to Northern Florida, and southern Georgia by Saturday morning, they could see lows down to around minus three. In New York, well, it will be cold to start the weekend. But by the end of the weekend, early part of next week, a nice rebound. Otherwise, looking pretty good across most of Central America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [01:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: It's just like 2016 all over again. Three sources telling CNN that last week, intelligence officials warn congressional lawmakers that Russia is already taking steps to help President Trump remain in office. But Trump has never believed Russia hacked America's democracy four years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know who got me elected? I got me elected. Russia didn't help me at all.
I call it the Russian hoax. It's a hoax. And they use that as an excuse for losing the Electoral College.
Russia did not help me. That I can tell you, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A White House official says the President was furious with the Acting Director of National Intelligence for even allowing the briefing to go ahead. CNN's Kaitlan Collins has details from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've now learned that there was an intelligence briefing last week with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, behind closed doors and in a classified setting, where a top election security official warned lawmakers that Russia is expected to try to intervene in the 2020 election, and that they are looking to favor President Trump to get reelected. Now, we are told by sources that House Republicans grew angry during this briefing.
And then when the President later learned about it, he did as well, fearing essentially that the Democrats in the room would try to weaponize this information against him, namely pointing to the House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, who was in the room and of course, the President has feuded with ever since his committee was leading that Impeachment Inquiry against the President.
We're told that this led to a meeting last week, the day after that briefing with lawmakers where the President blew up on his Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph McGuire, someone who up until that time had widely been seen by many other officials, as someone who was expected to be nominated to the top job.
But, of course, now we saw yesterday and the day since then the President instead has picked a loyalist, Rick Grenell, who is currently the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, instead to take that position. Now, we're being told by two administration officials that they believe the timing of this report on potential Russian interference and the president picking Rick Grenell to take this job, is purely coincidental that there are some people in the West Wing raising their eyebrows at this.
And of course, there are going to be questions going forward if the President went to this kind of a measure, this great of a length, to put a loyalist in the job because he was upset about what the intelligence was showing. Kaitlin Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And President Trump's longtime friend and political ally, Roger Stone, has been sentenced to three years in prison, in connection to what the President calls the Russia hoax, was unclear if Trump will pardon Stone. The judge in the case made it clear. The truth still matters. Here's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump through his support behind his convicted former advisor Roger Stone, but stopped short of offering a pardon to the dirty trickster.
TEXT: You sold your country out, traitor.
ACOSTA: Just hours after he was sentenced in federal court.
TRUMP: I'm not going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States. I want the process to play out. I think that's the best thing to do. Because I'd love to see Roger exonerated. And I'd love to see it happen because I personally think he was treated very unfairly.
ACOSTA: And an event honoring rehabilitated prisoners in Las Vegas, the President ripped into the jury four women at the Stone trial, accusing her of being an anti-Trump activist. That was in response to her Facebook post defending the prosecutors and the Stone case.
TRUMP: So, if this woman was tainted, I hope the judge will find that she was tainted. And if she isn't tainted, that will be fine too. Now, you wouldn't know about a bad jury. Anybody here know about but no.
ACOSTA: The President questioned how Stone could be sentenced to 40 months in prison in part for lying to Congress. But Mr. Trump unleashed a flat-out falsehood of his own when he said Stone was not involved with his campaign. In 2015, the Trump campaign said it fired Stone.
TRUMP: Roger was never involved in the Trump campaign for president, he wasn't involved. I think early on, long before I announced, he may have done a little consulting work or something, but he was not involved when I ran for president.
[01:25:10]
And he's a person who, again, he knows a lot of people having to do with politics.
ACOSTA: Stone is now part of a growing group of Trump associates sentenced or awaiting prison sentences. Democrats worried the president is floating the idea of partners to try to keep those associates quiet.
REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): Well, I think that he's dangled the pardon, often with Miss with regard to Mr. Stone and Mr. Flynn, in part, to, in my opinion, to signal to them that if they stay on the team, that they don't reveal further information that they might possess about the president, that they'll be taken care of.
ACOSTA: The judge overseeing Stone's trial took a jab at Mr. Trump, at one point, saying at the former Trump campaign advisor sentencing, that he was prosecuted for covering up for the President. Mr. Trump had been teasing the possibility of a Stone pardon, tweeting a video of a FOX host calling for leniency.
TUCKER CARLSON, HOST, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: The whole thing is enough to shake your faith in our justice system, unfortunately. President Trump could end this travesty in an instant with a pardon. And there are indications tonight that he will do that.
ACOSTA: Trump allies are also reminding the president he has the power to pardon Stone with GOP Senator Lindsey Graham tweeting. Under our system of justice. President Trump has all the legal authority in the world to review this case, in terms of commuting the sentence or pardoning Mr. Stone for the underlying offense.
As for the attacks on the four women in the Stone trial, a fellow juror in the case of the President and the Attorney General, are doing damage to the justice system.
SETH COUSINS, JUROR, ROGER STONE TRIAL: They cast doubt on the bedrock of the equal administration of justice. That is just so important to our country. I think he damages our democracy by attacking this way and I wish he would stop.
ACOSTA: Speaking to a group of former prisoners, the President was trying to relate to his audience at one point, comparing his plight to those in the crowd, insisting he didn't do anything wrong, but still got impeached. As for a Stone pardon, Trump advisors tell me they expect the President to eventually settle the score if Stone's conviction isn't ultimately overturned. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: So, with the President hinting at a possible pardon for Stone, earlier, I spoke with CNN Legal Analyst and Civil Rights Attorney Areva Martin, and I asked her if there's any possible justification for a presidential get-out-of-jail free card.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST AND CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: We have to remember what Roger Stone was convicted of. He was convicted of lying to Congress, to cover up Donald Trump's involvement with WikiLeaks doing the Russian investigation that took place by Robert Mueller, this all goes back to the 2016 election and the Russian meddling into that election. So, not only did Roger Stone lied, he lied to protect the President. And then he intimidated a witness.
So, to think that the President is going to pardon him because he is covering up a lie or he covered up a lie for the President, really just strikes at the heart of what this -- our justice system in the U.S. is all about. Basically, if you are a friend of the President and you're willing to lie for the President, you will get a pass. That's the very dangerous message that Donald Trump is sending.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Areva Martin there. Thank you for that. Still right here, what happens in Vegas, apparently, does not stay in Vegas, after being beaten up by the other Democratic candidates for president, Michael Bloomberg gets beaten up again. Still in the crosshairs. We'll explain in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:55]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
China is now reporting nearly 900 new cases of the coronavirus. At least 118 additional deaths have been confirmed, almost all of them in Hubei Province. The death toll has now risen to well over 2,200. All but 11 of those fatalities are on mainland China.
U.S. Intelligence officials are warning lawmakers Russia already interfering with this year's election. Three sources tell CNN that includes taking steps to ensure that Trump stays in office. This is similar to what intelligence officials say the Kremlin did way back four years ago in 2016.
President Trump's longtime friend and political adviser Roger Stone has been sentenced to 40 months in prison. He was convicted of lying to Congress, obstruction of justice, and witnessed tampering in connection to the Russia probe. President Trump says he will not pardon Stone just yet.
The day after last night's debate and the Democrats running for president were taking aim this time at the front runner Bernie Sanders.
Here's what some of them had to say during CNN's Democratic Town Hall on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not so much what you say you believe now. It's what did you do? When did you do it? And the fact is, Bernie has had a very different record than me for a long time. Bernie, when he was running for the Senate in Vermont, he said it was a tough state to run in. He voted against it five times in the House of Representatives.
Guess what. We've kept over five million people from being able to get weapons that they should not have been able to get.
SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that the Democrats want to beat Donald Trump. And they are nervous.
They are nervous. And they want to find the strongest candidate. And they are nervous about a narrow vision that just doesn't speak to Americans who see real problems and want to see real change. But they are also worried about gambling on a revolution that won't bring along a majority of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: During Wednesday's debate, Michael Bloomberg was a target of blistering attacks by the other candidates and that meant the frontrunner Bernie Sanders had a bit of a break. There was no heat on him.
But as CNN's Ryan Nobles reports, Sanders still faces questions on how he can unify the party and Michael Bloomberg is still feeling the slings and arrows from that Las Vegas punching bag beat up thing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So how was your night last night?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael Bloomberg today joking around, helping to move past his lackluster debate performance even as his main onstage foe Elizabeth Warren, kept piling on.
WARREN: I'll bet he's reaching in his pocket and spending $100 million more on advertising to try to erase everyone's memory of what happened last night.
NOBLES: But at a campaign stop in the Super Tuesday state of Utah, Bloomberg kept his eye on the front runner.
[01:34:57]
BLOOMBERG: If we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base like Senator Sanders, it will be a fatal error.
NOBLES: For his part, Bernie Sanders telling me that Bloomberg's attacks are not what Democratic voters are looking for.
SANDERS: We have more income and wealth inequality today than any time in the last hundred years. Mr. Bloomberg himself is worth more as one person than the bottom 125 million Americans.
NOBLES: Sanders, seeming to survive his first debate at the top of the polls with so much of the focus on the new guy on stage, Bloomberg.
WARREN: Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.
SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you look at Donald Trump and say we need someone richer in the White House.
NOBLES: Not just Bloomberg's billions, his opponents also attacked his past. Vice President Joe Biden raising Bloomberg's previous support for New York City's controversial stop and frisk policing.
BIDEN: It's the policy. The policy was abhorrent. And it was a fact of violation of every right people have.
NOBLES: While Warren challenged Bloomberg to release women who have alleged sexist and misogynistic behavior by Bloomberg and his company from nondisclosure agreements.
WARREN: So Mr. Mayor -- are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?
BLOOMBERG: We have a very few nondisclosure agreements.
WARREN: How many is that?
BLOOMBERG: None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn't like a joke I told.
And let me just --
(CROSSTALKING)
BLOOMBERG: -- let me put -- there is agreements between two parties that wanted to keep it quiet. And that is up to them.
NOBLES: Now, some of the criticism leveled at Bernie Sanders during the debate is that he may not be able to unify the Democratic Party to beat Donald Trump in November.
And to that end, I asked Senator Sanders how often he talks to former President Barack Obama -- still a very powerful figure in the Democratic Party. And Sanders says that he hasn't a fairly regular contact with President Obama but that he feels absolutely confident that should he win the nomination that Barack Obama will be by his side.
Ryan Nobles, CNN -- Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Polls opened about two hours ago in Iran with voters electing a new parliament. Increased tensions between Tehran and Washington might just be influencing the final vote. Hard liners and anti U.S. candidates are expected to win the majority against reformers who support President Hassan Rouhani. The moderates seemed set for major losses, not just because Rouhani is under fire but also because many of their candidates have been prevented from running -- that will do it.
Authorities in Britain say a stabbing at a London mosque was not an act of terrorism. The alleged attacker was arrested by police after being pinned down by worshippers at the mosque in Regent's Park on Thursday afternoon.
We get more details now from CNN's Phil Black.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Emergency services got the call just after 3:00 p.m. reporting a stabbing here at London Central Mosque.
Police and paramedics arrived soon after. They found a man in his seventies with a stab wound to his shoulder and a 29-year-old man pinned to the ground by other worshippers.
Witnesses say afternoon prayers were already underway when the younger man suddenly pulled a knife and attacked the older man from behind. He was wrestled to the ground by other people nearby. Witnesses say he didn't say a word, resist, or fight back.
The victim is well-known here. He leads the call to prayer at this mosque. He was taken to hospital. His injury isn't life-threatening. Witnesses say the younger man, the suspect, has been attending this mosque for several months.
Police are working to understand the motive. They do not believe it was terror-related at this stage.
Phil Black, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back -- when is shameless just maybe too shameless? Well, I guess when you are running for president, everything is up for grabs.
More in a moment.
[01:38:45]
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VAUSE: It's not exactly presidential to plug your campaign Web site over and over and over and over and over again. Just how shameless is too shameless when it comes to begging voters for a few bucks?
Jeanne Moos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid the babble of debate -- they ring out loud and clear.
SANDERS: Join us at BernieSanders.com.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Klobuchar -- thank you.
KLOBUCHAR: I ask you to join me at AmyKlobuchar.com.
MOOS: Reactions range from so "incredibly cringey" to "better to have a tip jar on the podium". The candidates keep plugging.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As a matter of fact, if you're watching right now, you can go to PeteforAmerica.com.
MOOS: Going to town, plugging Web sites at town halls.
KLOBUCHAR: You can see it on our Web site at AmyKlobuchar.com.
MOOS: As unsubtle as a late night infomercial.
Though occasionally, a candidate will work one in.
WARREN: It's not a plan. It is a PowerPoint.
MOOS: In the heat of debate.
BUTTIGIEG: I don't know if there are any PowerPoints on it but you can definitely find the document on PeteforAmerica.com.
BLOOMBERG: You can join me at MikeBloomberg.com too, if you want, but I'm not asking for any money.
MOOS: And his Web site doesn't. Unlike the billionaire, the others have to beg.
WARREN: So I ask everybody to go to ElizabethWarren.com, pitch in $5.
MOOS: At least their plugs aren't as blatant as this one outside the Roger Stone sentencing.
DCBlackTours.com offers tours billed as unique to black experiences. The founder hoists his sign wherever hoards of cameras gather.
The candidates tend to close with their plugs. Joe Biden wants confused texting with his Web address.
BIDEN: If you agree with me, go to Joe-303-30.
MOOS: "Joe Biden just told us his pin number."
"If you agree with me, go to Joe nuclear code sequence. Boom."
"Did Joe Biden just give out the combination to his luggage?"
Cue the "Spaceballs" clip. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the stupidest combination I ever heard in my
life. That's the kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage.
MOOS: When someone says Joe's long record means he carries a lot of baggage, remember this --
BIDEN: 3-0-3-3-0.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And change the combination on my luggage.
MOOS: -- CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Of course, you can find all the latest headlines and news at CNN.com.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
"WORLD SPORT" starts after the break.
[01:43:36]
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