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Fifty-Four Delegates Up For Grabs In The First Democratic Primary In The South; Voting In South Carolina Primary Underway Right Now; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Presidential Candidate, Gets $9 Million Ad Boost From Super PAC; Donald Trump To Hold News Conference On Coronavirus At 1:30 P.M. Eastern; Biden Hoping For A Victory In South Carolina; Candidates Explain Why They're An Alternative To Sanders; South Korea Now Has Most Coronavirus Cases Outside Mainland China; Trump To Nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe As Intel Chief Again. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired February 29, 2020 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: And also the Taliban committed by the 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 shouldn't claim this as some kind of victory, but we heard from the Taliban Leader later in a statement saying that this ended the occupation of Afghanistan, ended the subjugation of the Afghan people.
So, language there but he did say that women and men should be treated equally. Fredricka?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that update from Doha. I appreciate it.
All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I am Fredricka Whitfield. All right, right now the polls are open and voting is underway 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 the primary, Sanders leads with 45 pledged delegates from prior races. But recent polling shows Joe Biden could be on the verge of his first win. The stakes are high. The Former Vice President acknowledging the Palmetto state is a critical contest for his campaign.
After around the clock campaigning and last minute pitches, all of the Democratic candidates now putting their fate into the hands of South Carolina voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All I know is that I think I'm going to do well here and I think that's going to put me in 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 don't think it will even be over after Super Tuesday.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let us win the primary here in South Carolina. Let us win the Democratic Nomination. Let us defeat Donald Trump.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe you're going to help me become the next President of the United States, and when you do, I will work every day to make you proud.
TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been on the ground in South Carolina, meeting people more than anybody else, win, lose, or draw. I will never stop working on these issues.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I'm 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, and I will be the President for all of America.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Are you ready to fight back and elect the first woman to be President of the United States of America? Then let's do this! Dream big!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. The outcome of today's primary could determine the course of the Democratic Race heading into Super Tuesday. Nearly every candidate is campaigning in a Super Tuesday state where voters in 14 states and America Samoa will hit the polls next week.
So let's begin with CNN's Jessica Dean in Columbia, South Carolina. So Jessica, how confident is Joe Biden that he can pull out a big win in South Carolina?
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, he himself has said he expects to win here in South Carolina and he and his campaign have pinned a lot of hopes on the Palmetto state. They've long said this is the place where Joe Biden can really show his strength as a candidate.
They anticipate that happening tonight. The big question now is okay, if he wins, how much does he win by, is it a couple points or is it double digits? That's what's going to affect the narrative and the momentum going into Super Tuesday. The Former Vice President talked about it a little himself this morning. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Look, I think it is important to win, period. Obviously any win, the better bump you get. I don't think there's any number I have to have. I don't think I have to have to win by 2 or 10. Some polls are even higher than that but the bigger the win, the bigger the bump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And he's right about that, the bigger the win for Joe Biden, the bigger the bump. Look, zoom out right now still the frontrunner for the nomination is Bernie Sanders. He is still the one leading with the most delegates.
Joe Biden has yet to get a win in this primary race, in this Democratic Primary, and he needs one tonight. Because we have such a short amount of time between Saturday and Tuesday, Super Tuesday, when so many states Fredricka that you were just talking about, all of them will be voting, all those delegates up for grabs.
That momentum is going to play a big role in terms of can he blunt Michael Bloomberg or Bernie Sanders in some states in terms of support? Can he start to consolidate that more moderate vote within the Democratic Party? That's something everyone looks ahead to.
But again back here in South Carolina, people are still voting, the polls are still open. There will be two candidates here when the polls close tonight, that's Joe Biden and Tom Steyer who has also spent a lot of money and time here in South Carolina, and Fredricka, we'll see just how this all plays out once the voters speak here in South Carolina.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Dean, the action there in the Palmetto state in South Carolina, but already campaigning in other places, many of those candidates, including Bernie Sanders where people are already gathering in Massachusetts where he expects to hold a campaign rally in Boston.
[12:05:00]
FREDRICKA: He's already looking ahead to the next round just three days away. And the stage is set there. Let's check in with CNN's Ryan Nobles in Virginia Beach where Sanders will hold a rally there tonight, getting in a lot of frequent flyer miles. So Ryan, how confident is Sanders heading into these Super Tuesday states?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, there's no doubt that that's where the Sanders Campaign is really laser focused, is on those Super Tuesday states with so many states in play, and so many delegates in play.
There's no doubt that they made a play for South Carolina as well, but because these two contests come so close together, just a couple of days between the vote in South Carolina today and then Super Tuesday coming up in the next couple days, the Sanders Campaign has spent their time kind of hip hop scotching between South Carolina and these Super Tuesday states.
Today is a great example. He is going to spend the bulk of the day in Virginia, a rally in North of Virginia, he will end the day here in the Virginia Beach area, but this morning he is in Boston, Massachusetts. He spent last night in Massachusetts.
That's Elizabeth Warren's backyard. There are a lot of delegates at play there. And he told the voters in Massachusetts to give him a serious look, because it is a state they believe they can win. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SANDERS: There are thousands and thousands of people knocking on doors making the telephone calls that we have to make. That's why we won the popular vote in Iowa, why we won New Hampshire, why we won Nevada. And that is why we're going to win here in Massachusetts. Why we're going to win the Democratic Nomination. And why with great pleasure we're going to beat Trump and beat him badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: Fred, there's another dynamic at play here, and it is an example of the resources that the Sanders Campaign has at their disposal, that he could even spend time in a state like Massachusetts. He is able to kind of spread his resources around to all these various states that are in play over the next couple of days.
A lot of campaigns just don't have the money or time to do that. It is something Sanders can do. Even if he can't win in Massachusetts, a close second would mean gobbling up some of the 91 delegates that are available there, heading into the convention.
They're playing a long game here, that one of the few campaigns that can do that. I just want to make one more point about South Carolina, Fred, this is a state he needs to do much better in than last time around.
He was absolutely clobbered by Hillary Clinton here four years ago, and this is a state with a great amount of African-American voters are playing into this contest. Sanders has made big in roads with the African-American vote.
How he performs with them tonight, even if he doesn't win, could tell us a lot about where his campaign is going forward, Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right, all eyes on all candidates. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much in Virginia Beach. All right, let's put our eyes on another candidate. Up until now Senator Elizabeth Warren has disavowed money from Super PACs, but that seems to no longer be the case after a mysterious Super PAC says it plans to spend millions of dollars to support Warren in Super Tuesday states.
Here with me now, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, she represents Senator Warren's home state of Massachusetts, and is a Co-Chair for the Warren Campaign.
Congresswoman good to see you.
REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA): Good to see you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, so let's listen to Senator Warren from just a few days ago is condemning Super PACs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: From the first day I got in this campaign I said anybody who runs for President, let's do this without Super PACs. Let's all agree before they've gotten into it, before people invested money in this, let's all just agree. We will all say no Super PACs. Nobody took me up on it. So I tried again and I tried again and I tried again. And what was the answer over and over? Not a single other candidate would agree with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So that was her nine days ago, Super PACs is there you know independent groups who garner and collect millions of dollars from corporations, unions, individuals, all in the spirit of helping out a candidate. So what happened? Was she saying, you know, she would not accept Super PACs as long as everybody else wouldn't or was there a condition attached here?
PRESSLEY: Her position remains the same. She's been very consistent fighting against the influence of dark money and special interest and electoral politics. Again from the very beginning of her presidential run she was also issuing that call to action and asking every person on stage to join her in that. That has not happened.
This is an organic effort. So my understanding that it came to be, because people were frustrated at the efforts to erase Elizabeth Warren from the debate stage and from this race.
[12:10:00]
PRESSLEY: Now just because these are well meaning people still doesn't make it okay, that's exactly why she's asked for them to release the information of their donors. And she asked for everyone on stage to do the same.
WHITFIELD: So as it pertains to this Super PAC that's making its offering of injecting millions of dollars, is she on board with that or no?
PRESSLEY: Again, her position remains the same and she has asked--
WHITFIELD: And that would mean she would not be on board with that?
PRESSLEY: Her position remains the same. Her position has not changed.
WHITFIELD: Well, help me understand the position.
PRESSLEY: And again we welcome the endorsement of her position by everyone on that stage.
WHITFIELD: Okay. Did she reach out to the Super PAC or was it the other way around?
PRESSLEY: Again, it is my understanding that this was an organic effort by those that were dismayed by attempts to erase her and her candidacy from this political contest and from the debate stage which again is apropos, in typical for women in electoral politics.
WHITFIELD: So the so-called persist Super PAC says it won't disclose you know its donors ahead of Super Tuesday, even though Warren is asking for Super PACs to reveal source of the money. Does this mean her position remains the same that she will disavow support from the Super PAC unless there's greater transparency?
PRESSLEY: Again, Fredricka, her position remains the same, and we welcome everyone else on that stage endorsing that position and following suit. Right now as one of three National Campaign Co-Chairs, having just come - having spent six days on the rally at South Carolina, I am now in the home state of Massachusetts. We are organizing many people in community, one on one, heart to heart. That's what I'm focused on right now.
WHITFIELD: Tell me about your state of Massachusetts, Warren's state as well. Recent poll had shown that Warren no longer holds a solid lead instead she's now trailing behind Senator Bernie Sanders. Flipside of that the Boston Globe which did not necessarily have the most glowing words for her wasn't even throwing support behind her, has now since kind of changed its mind. What kind of position is Warren in your state and hers?
PRESSLEY: Sure, she's earned the endorsement of both myself, because I don't give anyone anything, she earned my endorsement, she earned the endorsement of the Boston Globe who had been skeptical initially about her presidential bid, and also from Dorchester Reporter, a very influential newspaper here as well.
At the end of the day, we're not taking anything for granted. That's why I just came from kicking off a canvas with well over 100 volunteers and supporters who will continue to remind people this is not the time for selective amnesia.
When Elizabeth Warren sat in the well of the Senate Chamber persisting, centering the voice of a black woman Coretta Scott King in the midst of the Jeff Sessions confirmation process, she persisted then, she continues to persist.
By all legislative score cards, relative to racial justice she scores the highest. She's tested and she's proven and she's effective. Just coming back from South Carolina, when people learn of her creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, they're moved by that.
South Carolina is a state that's disproportionately been impacted by predatory loans by predatory mortgages, for profit colleges and universities. And the fact that she doesn't have a set apart black agenda for America she has an agenda for the country that includes justice for black Americans across the board.
And that's resonant here. The city of Boston from Cambridge to Roxbury, life expectancy drops by 30 years and median house hold income by $50,000. The fact that Elizabeth Warren tells the truth about the role that the federal government has played in that, the impact of redlining.
And her plans to reverse the hurt and the impact of discriminatory policies like redlining but also to invest in black entrepreneurialism wealth building by $7 billion, providing access to capital. $50 billion in historic black colleges and universities, tackling the black mortality crisis, telling the truth about the black student loan borrowers bear the burden of this $1.6 trillion student debt crisis more than anyone else and also our commitment to growing black home ownership which is at an all time low.
So her message of big structural change, the fact that she's tested and proven, we commend Senator Sanders for advancing our shared progressive values and vision for the country. Elizabeth is the one to get it done.
WHITFIELD: And what's your confidence level on her finish in South Carolina and or Super Tuesday states?
[12:15:00]
PRESSLEY: Well, Fredricka, as an elected official and candidate, you're never confident. You run hard always. If Elizabeth was at 80 percent in the polls it wouldn't anyway change the way she is going to run her campaign, and that is hard taking nothing for granted.
Again I'm just coming back from South Carolina. So many people are and were still undecided. So I think that there will be - there's an opportunity to continue to persuade, to influence, to remind people of her record until the polls close.
That's what we're doing here in Massachusetts as well, taking nothing for granted. I have had the honor of calling Elizabeth my friend and my partner, my Senator for a decade. And now I am working to make her our next President, and our first female President.
And I think that the fact that I am serving in Congress with an unprecedented and historic number of women serving demonstrates that women can win everywhere, and we belong everywhere, including the Oval Office.
WHITFIELD: All right. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley pleasure, thank you so much.
PRESSLEY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll have live coverage of the South Carolina Primary and all the results starting at 4:00 eastern time.
All right, coming up a new chapter in the fight against coronavirus four patients in the United States infected, even though they didn't even travel to Asia or Italy or other effected places. Then later, the President says he is going to nominate Congressman John Ratcliffe to be Director of National Intelligence yet again, but does he have enough support in Congress?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:00]
WHITFIELD: All right, we're following breaking news. Just moments ago, CNN learned that next hour the President will hold a news conference to update Americans on the coronavirus. CNN's White House Reporter Sarah Westwood joining us live, Sarah?
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right Fred, just moments ago, President Trump announcing on Twitter that in just a little over an hour he will be briefing reporters, having a press conference on coronavirus. This comes just days after he held now sort of unprecedented press conference in the briefing room, something he hadn't done before.
He told reporters at that time that he would be having more briefing room press conferences, and it also comes as the President's coronavirus taskforce has been meeting here at the White House.
Earlier this week, the President put Vice President Pence in charge of that taskforce, Pence and other officials from various health agencies across the government have been meeting in the situation room here at the White House to deal with the Administration's coronavirus response.
Because it comes amid criticism from Democrats that the White House hasn't demonstrated enough urgency in response, for example, they didn't ask for enough funding from Congress when they made a formal request this week to Capitol Hill for Emergency coronavirus Funding.
The White House and top administration officials also had been working to calm concerns about a global outbreak of coronavirus. Those concerns, Fred, this week have sent the market plunging to new lows of the Trump's Presidency.
WHITFIELD: Sarah Westwood, thank you so much. Keep us posted again next hour. The President will be addressing the public about coronavirus.
All right, let's get an update now from our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. So you know Elizabeth we have been learning about these four new patients, who have tested positive for coronavirus here in the U.S., but they did not travel anywhere, and they have not been in affected areas. And still what's a mystery is who or what they came into contact with?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And so before as we have been talking, every day for weeks and weeks now, there is a new case here and new case there, we can say they just got off a plane from China, their husband just got off a plane from China.
For these four, that's not the case. And an Infectious Disease Expert told me you know what we need to start thinking about this like the flu. People are going to get coronavirus the way they get the flu.
Sometimes you know my sister had it, she must have given it to me. But sometimes you have no idea where you got it. So let's go over these four cases. So it's a woman in Washington County Oregon. She had turns out have spent time at a school and they're now looking into those contacts.
A high school boy in Snohomish County in Washington, he also spent a very short time at his school, and those few students he came in contact with are being quarantined. A woman in Santa Clara County, Florida and a woman in Solano County California that woman are in the hospital at UC Davis and she is not doing great, she is facing some struggles.
WHITFIELD: So the Commissioner of the FDA says it is new testing policy will expedite you know testing by allowing some labs to develop and use their own tests before they go through an independent FDA review. How significant a step is that?
COHEN: You know that's very significant. There's been a big problem since middle of January the CDC has been saying you can only test here in Atlanta at our lab in Atlanta everyone is going to mail it in from around the country. And that's a problem because it is a big country, there's only one lab, and the CDC has been saying we're doing everything we can to get these labs out to the rest of the country.
That's since mid January. It has taken awhile. There were some missteps and the CDC is very clear that this did not go as they would like. So now what's happened is the FDA is telling private companies that do lab tests develop lab tests every day, and they say you know what go ahead and do a coronavirus lab test.
We will not make you go right now through the regular approval which can be time consuming. Eventually they will, but they said right now, go ahead, make those put them on the market, and we'll get them, but you can do them for right now.
WHITFIELD: So the coronavirus thus far you know it has not been classified as a pandemic, but the Department of Homeland Security does recommend that people stock up with a two week supply of water, food, over the counter medications before a pandemic were to strike. So what else should Americans be doing right now, if anything?
COHEN: Right. So let's go over some of the basics here. So they really are basics that people should be doing anyway. So we have a whole list of them. Wash your hands with soap frequently. Cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze. Don't cover it with your hand you do that with the inside of your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home when you are sick and you avoid close contact with people who are sick.
[12:25:00]
COHEN: All of those things are things you should be doing anyway. And the things that Fred was talking about, like keeping a supply of food and water, you know that's recommended for all sorts of reasons, right? If there's a blizzard, if there is a hurricane so none of this is out of the ordinary.
It is not as if someone is going to flip a switch and say, it is a pandemic, do all these different things, these are things that you really should be doing anyway.
WHITFIELD: You just have readiness. Now what about the whole mask issue? You know there are some people who are debating whether they should be going and getting surgical gloves, masks, should they be using that when they get on a plane or go into public spaces.
COHEN: You know I think a lot of that depends on your one your own personal level of anxiety. Some people bungee jump, some people don't. It's all about what kind of risks you want to, I'm not comparing it to bungee jump but different people have different feelings of comfort with different risks.
And also even more importantly, what is your immune status? What you might want to do if you're a perfectly healthy young person versus if you're an older person with underlying conditions that might change?
For the masks, it is tricky. The surgical masks were the kind that you can just go to a drugstore and buy. Those aren't as good as something called an "N-95 Respirator". But that's tricky because that does need to be - you need to know how to fit it properly? If you are a man with facial hair, then you're kind of in trouble, because you really can't fit those properly.
So it depends on your situation. The advice the doctor may give to a young healthy person is different than what they might give to an older person.
WHITFIELD: All right, stay informed, bottom line everybody. Elizabeth thank you so much.
COHEN: Absolutely. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right, for more on the Trump Administration's response to coronavirus, watch tomorrow, "State of the Union". Jake Tapper will be joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Former Vice President Joe Biden, and Democratic Presidential Candidate. That "State of the Union", Sunday, 9:00 am eastern right here on CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:31:35]
WHITFIELD: All right, as voters head to the polls in South Carolina today, a loss for Joe Biden could be a big hit to his presidential campaign but a win could reshape the race. CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more on why this is a make or break for some of the White House hopefuls.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because South Carolina is the trajectory to winning the Democratic nomination.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Biden is looking for a South Carolina lifeline today, hoping a victory will revive his candidacy.
BIDEN: This nation isn't looking for a revolution that some of my colleagues talk about, they're looking for progress, they're looking for results.
ZELENY (voice-over): In his fight for the South Carolina primary, Biden is tying himself closely to former President Barack Obama, whose 2008 win here helped send him to the White House.
BIDEN: It's been a launching pad for Barack, and I believe it will be a launching pad for me. This is a marathon. This is a marathon. I'm in it for the whole ride here.
CROWD: Bernie! Bernie!
ZELENY (voice-over): But Bernie Sanders is still in command of the race.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let us go forward tomorrow, let us win the primary here in South Carolina. Let us win the Democratic nomination. Let us defeat Donald Trump.
ZELENY (voice-over): Not ceding South Carolina but also looking ahead to Super Tuesday with 14 contests from coast to coast awarding a third of all delegates.
SANDERS: We are building a movement that cannot be stopped.
ZELENY (voice-over): The next four days are critical for Democratic candidates fighting to stay alive.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the woman who's going to beat Donald Trump.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am not going to be able to out divide the divider-in-chief. I will beat him.
ZELENY (voice-over): And trying to become the alternative to Sanders.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Sanders is a frontrunner, but the majority of Democrats are looking for something else.
ZELENY (on camera): What process will you go through post-Super Tuesday to assess your way forward?
BUTTIGIEG: Well, of course, we will be looking closely at the results of the delegate count, and making sure that we have the right path forward.
ZELENY (voice-over): Ad spending topping the $1 billion mark. Michael Bloomberg alone accounts for half that, with more than 500 million in TV, radio, and digital ads. Tom Steyer, more than $200 million nationally. And here in South Carolina, Steyer is spending $22 million, far outpacing his rivals, including Biden.
TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Is this fun or what?
ZELENY (voice-over): Biden aides are keeping a close eye on Steyer and his robust investment in the state, afraid he could eat into Biden's expected margin of victory. Steyer pointedly dismisses the criticism.
(on camera) What would you say to those people who say you maybe taking votes away from Vice President Biden? STEYER: I would say that's insulting, not to me, but to the people that somehow he owns the votes. Really? And there's an implication in there that in fact we're talking about African-American votes.
ZELENY (voice-over): Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk further now. Joining me right now is Brittany Shepherd, national politics reporter for Yahoo News and Peter Hamby, writer for Vanity Fair and host of Snapchat's "Good Luck America". I hope that means (INAUDIBLE).
All right, so Brittany, you first, you know, so Biden, you know, definitely has a lot riding on South Carolina. Even he has said that, you know, he needs to win, but he says, you know, don't measure it by, you know, one or two point or double digits, that doesn't matter he says. But what are you hearing from voters about his chances today?
BRITTANY SHEPHERD, NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER, YAHOO NEWS: Well, especially when you're talking to older black voters here in South Carolina, there is a sense that Joe Biden is going to dominate this evening.
[12:35:03]
Of course, you know, I can't tell the future if it will be a double digit or a single digit win, but there is indication that he has a lot of momentum going into this evening. But however, today is make or break for Joe Biden. There's been a slope in the polls for the last couple of months. He saw a little bit of an uptick after Nevada, there was a Clyburn endorsement, two particularly strong debates.
But you wonder what his path forward is just simply looking at delegate math after today. And there are voters in 14 Super Tuesday contests who are thinking, well, if we want to be practical and beat Donald Trump and if Joe Biden isn't strong here, we might turn to someone like Bernie Sanders. And when you're speaking to those same Joe Biden voters, they are a little bit nervous about Bernie. They kind of hear socialist boogie man and they run away.
But it is important to say that generationally, the South Carolina vote -- the South Carolina black vote is kind of divided. You can look at black voters under 35, they're overwhelmingly for Bernie.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I want to ask about that socialist issue in a minute in downballot races. But, you know, for now, Peter, you know, in a recent piece that you wrote for Vanity Fair, you know, you write that Joe Biden's firewall is getting whiter. What do you mean?
PETER HAMBY, HOST, SNAPCHAT'S "GOOD LUCK AMERICA": Well, yes, Fred. The pundit class and pollsters have really been thinking for the last few weeks and really the whole year that the electorate in South Carolina today is going to be about 60 percent black, 40 percent white. Traditionally, South Carolina is a hub of African-American voters and a proving ground for Democrats like Joe Biden that they can shore up support in that community.
But the story of the primary so far, especially in the last week, is that a white turnout is actually off. If you look at the early absentee ballots, white voters in big suburban counties like Greenville and Richland, your county up by Charlotte right here outside of Charleston has more than doubled since 2016.
And from my reporting and talking to people on the ground, you know, some of that cuts to what Brittany was just saying, there is a sizable moderate anti-Bernie vote that really kind of came into focus in the last week when Bernie was getting knocked around about his Fidel Castro comments, people worried about the field being divided, and Bernie running away with it. You know, typically at least in 2016, Bernie would win the white vote but South Carolina older, more moderate with both black and white voters, and that's really Biden's coalition.
So, you know, Brittany said this is a make or break, I think it's actually more make. I mean, again, I don't want to make predictions, but everyone here thinks that Biden is tracking for a larger win than the poll suggests.
WHITFIELD: And then quickly, Brittany on the whole -- what you called, you know, the socialist boogeyman, you know, fear, how big of a concern slash fear is that in South Carolina?
SHEPHERD: It's a big enough fear with the Sanders campaign should be concerned. And they are counting on expanding the turnout, just like what Peter was saying, you know, white turnout has gone up, black turnout has gone down. And they're really hoping that younger HBCU students will come out in droves. And I reported about this, that they are doing essentially car pool caucusing, telling their aunties and their grandmas and their cousins to all car pool on Saturday and like kind of start the revolution from the bottom down.
The challenge is with the theory is, are older voters going to listen to their grandkids. Or will they --
WHITFIELD: Yes. And they have a different reference point -- right, because they have a different reference point of what the word socialist means than the younger generation.
SHEPHERD: Absolutely. And, you know, younger people see socialism as perhaps a good thing, they overwhelmingly support someone like AOC who is a Democratic socialist, but of socialism, think of Castro and then China. And so, will those conversations be reconciled? I'm not so sure in just a couple of hours.
WHITFIELD: All Right, Brittany Shepherd. And Peter Hamby, before we go, I just got to know, is it good luck America, or is it good luck, America?
HAMBY: You know, it started that little tongue in cheek, but it's good luck, America.
WHITFIELD: OK, all right. That's on the upside. Just checking. All right, Peter Hamby and Brittany, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:43:16]
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. We're following breaking news. CNN has learned that next hour, President Trump will be updating the U.S. response to the coronavirus. He'll be in the White House briefing room and we'll bring that live to you as it happens.
Meantime, South Korea has added almost 800 new coronavirus cases since yesterday, and now has some 3,000 cases all together, making it the biggest outbreak outside of Mainland China. CNN's Ivan Watson is in Seoul. So, tell us the mood, what's happening, what precautions are being made, and how is this changing people's lives on a day-to-day basis?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is certainly a major disruption for this country. There are no signs of panic, but definitely people are having to adapt to a new reality here because I think we have a graph that we can show you of just how dramatic the surge of the infections here in Korea has been.
As recently as the beginning of last week, Fredricka, there were only 31 coronavirus confirmed infections in South Korea, and that number has surged.
And today, less than two weeks later, it crossed the 3,000 point. And the health authorities here say they predict that that number will continue to grow throughout the weekend, in part because more than half all of the infections involved members of a pretty secretive somewhat fringe religious group here in South Korea called Shincheonji that had some large gatherings, and clearly the infection spread at these gatherings. And they are waiting for the authorities, more than a thousand test results from some of these members who had been showing symptoms to come in. And there's been a very high rate of infection among previous members of this religious group who have been tested positive.
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So what are some of the changes that we're seeing here? The government has declared a real health alert. It has urged all South Koreans to avoid large gatherings, going to church, for example, going to professional basketball games. The teams here are playing to empty stadiums, concerts are being cancelled, and on a much more serious national security front, the infection has spread to both the South Korean military where there are dozens of confirmed cases across all four branches of the military but also to the U.S. military.
A fourth coronavirus case linked to some of 30,000 U.S. troops stationed here, the most recent case is the wife of a 23-year-old U.S. soldier who tested positive earlier this week. And that has forced the military alliance here to postpone joint military exercises indefinitely.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Ivan Watson, thank you so much. Appreciate it. In Seoul, South Korea.
All right, still ahead, a new political battle is brewing in Washington. President Trump says he is going to once again nominate Congressman John Ratcliffe as the permanent director of national intelligence, even though his last attempt ended abruptly.
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WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.
President Trump says he will nominate Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe as the permanent director of national intelligence. This is the second time Ratcliffe has been nominated for the post. He withdrew from consideration the first time after lawmakers from both parties raised questions about whether he embellished his qualifications for the job.
Shawn Turner is with me now, he is the former director of communications for U.S. national intelligence in the Obama administration. Good to see you, Shawn.
So, since the president was, you know, acquitted of impeachment charges in the Senate, he has moved to surround himself with more loyalists. So how do you interpret the nomination of Ratcliffe?
SHAWN TURNER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION, U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE UNDER OBAMA: Well, look, you know, I have always said that the president should be -- should have the right to hire the advisors and the senior people around him that he wants to carry out his policies on behalf of the American people.
But I also think that we have a right to ask anytime a president nominates one of these individuals, we should be able to ask whether or not those individuals are there for professional reasons and their ability to lead agencies or whether or not they're there for political reasons. I think when you look at Richard Grenell, current acting director of national intelligence or certainly if we look at John Ratcliffe, you know, there are serious questions to be raised about whether or not they are actually there to lead the intelligence community.
I mean, look at what we know about Ratcliffe. We know that both of these individuals --
WHITFIELD: But what are your questions about him?
TURNER: Well, a couple of things. One, when you look at John Ratcliffe, we know that he is fiercely loyal to the president. And in will say that there's nothing inherently wrong about that. We also know that he has limited intelligence experience, but at least he has some intelligence experience.
And so, you know, he can potentially lead the agency if he surrounds himself with good people. But the third thing that we know about him, and what's concerning to me, is we know that he has fiercely questioned the intelligence community assessment that found that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election, and he's continued to try to discredit the intelligence community at every turn when the intelligence community talks about continued or ongoing interference.
So those things really concern me as someone who is going into an agency that from the president's perspective has been rogue and out of control for, you know, since he's been in office.
WHITFIELD: So then based on what you just said, he may not have a lot of credibility in the intelligence community. So what is that kind of leadership going to be like if the people that you are leading may not respect you and your positions, particularly your past positions?
TURNER: Certainly as the director of national intelligence, you know, John Ratcliffe will be the face of the intelligence community. So what that means is that, you know, he will be in a position where he is ask to go out -- he will have to go out and speak about the intelligence involving the 2020 presidential election.
The people around him will continue to do their job, they'll continue to collect the intelligence that we need to collect to give the president decision advantage. The real issue here will be whether or not the interpretation of that intelligence as Mr. Ratcliffe is talking to the American public and he's representing intelligence in whether or not that will be accurate.
We also have to remember that it's not always the person at the top who we have to be concerned about. You recall that Richard Grenell -- when Richard Grenell took the spot -- took this position, that Kash Patel from the National Security Council also went over, and he's also been someone who's been fiercely loyal and questioned the intelligence that involved the 2016 presidential election.
WHITFIELD: Shawn Turner, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.
TURNER: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, breaking news from the White House. President Trump will give an update on the U.S. response to the coronavirus next hour. And we'll bring that to you live.
Plus, the South Carolina primary underway right now. Most of the candidates, however, are already focusing on Super Tuesday states. Our live team coverage continues right after this.
Also coming up, tomorrow night on the "Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty", Queen Elizabeth takes the throne but soon faces scandals and rumors involving her sister, her marriage, and the role of the monarchy. A new episode tomorrow night at 10 Eastern and PACific right here on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much. This breaking news. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. That's not the breaking news but this is.
President Trump is set to update Americans on the coronavirus at the White House this hour. This as we learn about four cases of coronavirus in the United States with unknown origins. Those four patients have no travel history to effected regions and none of them knowingly had contact with anyone infected with the virus.
