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FDA Officials Brief Reporters At White House; Dozens Trapped As Coronavirus Quarantine Hotel Collapses In China; Mulvaney Out, Meadows In As Trump's Chief Of Staff; Trump Says He'll Definitely Bring Up Hunter Biden & Burisma In Campaign; Couple Reunite After Coronavirus Separation; Trump Wants People Aboard "Grand Princess" To Stay On Ship; Can Sanders Get Ahead Of Biden In Delegate Count? Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 07, 2020 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:04]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: As we speak, senior Food and Drug Administration officials are talking to reports at the White House, and at the same time, the president's coronavirus point man, Vice President Mike Pence, is talking to leaders of the cruise line industry, which is being particularly hammered by this outbreak.

I want you to take a look at these numbers. This is the most current update of people in the United States who are confirmed infected and where they are located. Now, in just the past few minutes, the number of confirmed cases jumped in Washington State, that's also where two more people have died.

Also, more confirmed cases in Arizona, California and New York, where the governor today declared a state of emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): If you are a senior citizen or immune- compromised, I would think seriously about attending a large gathering now. I've said that to my mother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: CNN's Joe Johns is at the White House for us. CNN's Lucy Kafanov is in San Francisco, not far from where a cruise ship is waiting offshore, more than 20 infected passengers and crew members.

Joe, let's start with you. There are no cameras inside this FDA briefing but you have been inside. What new information are you learning?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: There was a lot of information and a bunch of it is technical, Ana, for sure, but if I can sort of break it down for you, probably the key headline coming out of this briefing here at the White House, on Saturday, is that officials say that this weekend, or by early Monday, they will have, as was promised, or suggested by the vice president, shipped sufficient kits, in order to conduct up to 1.1 million tests of individuals for coronavirus. That is certainly significant. I think there was also a point where the officials here had to go back to something the president said just yesterday, which we played repeatedly here on CNN, the president suggesting that anyone who wants a test for coronavirus can get a test for coronavirus. So they sort of distinguished that, and said, anyone who's doctor who says they need a test for coronavirus can get a test. So that's significant. It is a little different from what the president said. And you know, they chalk it up once again to the president and his short-hand, which has become a problem, especially on complicated issues before.

The last thing I think is very significant is there was a bit of a moment at the very end of this briefing for the officials to talk about costs, because there has been some concern raised up on Capitol Hill that these tests could be very expensive, particularly for people whose insurance plans don't cover such diagnostic testing. And so there was an assurance there that the American Association of Health Plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and some others are working on figuring out how to make this testing cost efficient for individuals so that they don't have to come out-of-pocket in any significant way.

So those are probably the three biggest headlines in between a lot of technical talk about how you get tests like this in front of the public. Back to you, Ana.

CABRERA: Okay. Joe Johns, please stand by.

Lucy, you talked to a passenger on board the cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco. What are they going throughout there and what are they being told about their situation?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, the source of frustration for a lot of these passengers is that they are not being told much. The captain himself doesn't know what the plan is. Passengers, 3,500 people, including 1,100 crew members, are trying to figure out whether they're going to be quarantined and where. Vice President Mike Pence did say that the boat would be taken to a non-commercial port.

The crew members will stay on the ship. They're not allowed to get off. The passengers supposedly will get taken to military bases where they will get tested and quarantined as needed. But, again, no information as to when that's going to happen. The cruise was supposed to end today. They were supposed come into port today. As far as we know, they're not. They are trying to pass the time as the best as they can. We know that overnight, a passenger was evacuated due to a medical medical emergency, a non-coronavirus medical emergency.

And we have a clip of the captain making an announcement earlier this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPTAIN: I understand that breakfast went smoothly this morning. Please remember to place your meals in the hallway. For today's lunch and dinner service, if you have not already done so.

Some of you may be having a difficult time dealing with this unforeseen situation. We have arranged for telephone access to trained counsellors who can provide support to anyone needing extra support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:05:00]

KAFANOV: And the reason why some folks might need extra support is the fear and the concern on board that ship. Remember, the previous cruise had one person on it who passed away from the coronavirus. Several passengers from that cruise were tested positive. And this is not a large ship.

I spoke to another passenger who expressed her concern of possibly picking up this coronavirus. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA DUNCAN JOHNSON, PASSENGER ON GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP: There's almost no way you can't come in contact with someone. I mean I don't see how it would be possible to have avoided that. Simply by handrails going down the stairwells, going into your dining areas, going into your bars, or your entertainment areas, I mean it's almost impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: Now, passengers tell me they're expecting another announcement from the captain at 1:00 P.M. Local Time, and that's in less than an hour for now. They're standing by, waiting to hear word of what's next. One passenger texting me earlier, it feels like no one is charge, we're comfortable but we're stuck. Ana?

CABRERA: Okay. Lucy Kafanov and Joe Johns, thank you both.

Let's listen in now to some of what Vice President Mike Pence had to say moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I know the head of CDC is here for whatever the number would be, for 96, 97 percent of Americans who have contracted the disease, they will be treated, they will have flu-like symptoms and they'll fully recover. And the governor, I want to thank you for your particular emphasis here in Florida and your focus on our seniors, because people here in Florida deserve to know that our data shows that seniors with serious underlying health conditions are the most vulnerable to serious medical outcomes.

And so for anyone within the sound of my voice, if you are yourself a senior citizen with a serious underlying medical condition, or if you have a loved one with a serious underlying medical condition, it is just a good time to practice common sense just to protect your health, the health of your family, and the health of the community.

But I'm here today to speak particularly about the unique challenges facing the cruise line industry. And to be here with so many leaders and have an opportunity to speak about how we can work together to make the passengers, the crews, the communities they come from, and our countries safer, it is a great privilege for me. And in many ways, Florida is the heart of the cruise line industry. We recognize that. It's a destination, not just for Americans but for people around the world. And I know to date, Florida's efforts have prepared us on the coronavirus, it has made a difference.

As we've seen in recent week, cruise ships have been especially vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus. Some 49 Americans that we returned home were on the cruise ship, the Diamond Princess. The cruise ship, the Grand Princess, as you all are aware, is, as we speak, moored off the Coast of California. It has been so since Wednesday night.

We have, I'm pleased to report, working closely with the governor of California and all of our health officials, developed a plan, which is being implemented this weekend, to bring the ship into a non- commercial port. All passengers and crew will be tested for the coronavirus, and quarantined as appropriate. Those that require additional medical attention will also receive it.

Let me say again. While the risk to the average American of contracting the coronavirus remains low, it is essential that we find ways to mitigate that risk, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and I'm here today, on behalf of President Trump, to learn ways that this industry, the cruise line industry, can work with our health officials at the federal level, here at the state level, with port authorities, to give the passengers, communities, and our country safe and healthy.

But I want to promise you, under President Trump's leadership, we're going to continue to bring the full resources of the federal government to bear in confronting the spread of the coronavirus. And we look forward to the support and assistance of this industry in particular, in the days ahead, as we put the health and well-being of America first.

So with that, I thank you very much, and I look forward to --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Again, that was the vice president off the top of this meeting. He's having with the cruise line industry today, the top lines there are that the overall risk for Americans remains low, he says.

[15:10:04]

But people who are elderly, people who has serious underlying medical condition, those are the people who are most at risk and need it take extra precautions. And he talked about the government using all of its resources to help combat the coronavirus.

I want to get straight to the Dr. Seema Yasmin. She is the Director of the Stanford Health Communication Initiative and a former officer in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the CDC. Also with us is CNN's Correspondent -- Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. And, Elizabeth, the testing for this virus has been a big issue, really, from the beginning. What is your big takeaway from the update we got today from the FDA?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So the big takeaway for me is that more and more tests are coming out. They said something very interesting, that New York City told the federal government, we're okay, we don't need any more test, the federal government says do you need more, and New York City said, no, we don't.

Now, we haven't been able to confirm that with New York City since this just happened, but the FDA and HHS are certainly making it sound like there are enough tests out there for the people whose doctors want them to have a test. You can't just get a test if you want it, of course. A doctor has to prescribe it to you.

To go over a few numbers, 5,861 tests have been done by the CDC and public health labs across the country. That's not 5,861 people but that's 5,861 tests. The number of people is going to be lower than that. But still, they say that as of Monday, there should be enough tests out there to test about 850,000 people. So it is truly ramping up.

CABRERA: Okay. So, eventually, there will be enough to test 850,000 people. However, Doctor, right now, according to this latest press briefing, there is an ability to only perform 75,000 tests. Is that enough?

SEEMA YASMIN, DIRECTOR, STANFORD HEALTH COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE: I want to push back on this idea of what's sufficient. It's really hard to tell that at the moment when we've just had such a delay in the testing kits being available. And as I'm reaching out to doctors and nurses, especially on the West Coast, they're telling me they have patients in front of them, even healthcare workers who have symptoms of the disease, they want to test them, Ana, and they don't have the availability to do the test that is so important.

CABRERA: And it's interesting, Elizabeth mentioned New York City specifically there was a letter we know New York had sent to the CDC in which I'm quoting here, the two CDC test kits provided previously to the PHL (ph) do not meet the needs of New York City, America's most populated city, with 8.6 million New Yorkers. New York City must receive additional test kits as soon as they are available. So it does seem that there is a sense of urgency out there across the country right now.

Elizabeth, explain how the testing kits actually work.

COHEN: Right. So these testing kits are being delivered to public health labs across the country and so doctors are taking specimens. So this isn't a blood test. This is a test that is run by a nasal swab or a swab to the back of the throat.

Now, here is the catch. Most of us, when we go in for a strep test or a flu test or whatever, the doctor does it in their office or maybe they send it off to a private lab and they get -- I mean I've gotten answers on medical tests that day. That is not what seems to be happening. To Dr. Yasmin's point, and doctors have told me this across the country as well, that either they can't figure out how to do the test, or they know there's a protocol and they're supposed to be calling their state lab.

But this is -- sometimes things get bureaucratic and they say the steps we have to take to get our patients tested at the state or county lab, there are many, many steps, it is laborious, it is time- consuming. And then once we get our specimens to that lab, it can then take a couple of days to do the test.

So I'm sitting here with Mrs. Smith, who has pneumonia, she is 80 years old, I'm worried about her, can I get her tested? Yes. Can I get her tested officially in time to help her? Maybe not.

CABRERA: Dr. Yasmin, we know older people are far more likely to die from this virus than younger people. The CDC put out guidance that older people should really think about just staying home. But what does that mean? Who are these older people? What is the age group?

YASMIN: Yes. So, Ana, we're seeing a much higher death rate in people especially over the age of 70 and I want to explain this a little bit because our viewers have been saying they have felt quite confused about the different numbers they are seeing for the case of fatality rates.

And I know we're all talking about the same virus but even one virus could have many different death rates for different age groups, for people who have underlying conditions, so their immune system is suppressed, and even people in different country, because it is not just the virus that kills you, it's the lack of access to good healthcare systems, and good healthcare that is what's detrimental.

So we know that older people are more vulnerable. They're also more likely to have diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and blood disease and those are the instances where we worry about this not being a mild but a really severe one.

CABRERA: So should somebody who is in their 60s and relatively healthy be heeding the warnings that they're also at risk or are we talking about people who are perhaps older, and less healthy?

YASMIN: So it really has to be a case-by-case basis, I think, and you need to think about your underlying risk, also who else are you exposed to? Are you a very sociable person? A kindergarten teacher, for example? What medications are you on? Because we know that some drugs also lower your immune system and all of those things would make you more vulnerable.

What's difficult to know at the moment, and this goes back to the testing unfortunately, is just how much infection is there here, how much community spread is there? Having those numbers from a public health perspective really helps you tailor your messaging and say, look, this is what the risk is to you, and right now, we can't say that, because we haven't been testing.

CABRERA: So very, very quickly, if you will, because I'm getting the hard wrap, should everybody be getting tested?

YASMIN: Not everybody but people who have symptoms and who have been exposed.

CABRERA: Okay. Doctor, thank you very much. Elizabeth Cohen, I really appreciate it. Dr. Seem Yasmin, you're an expert and we really, really appreciate you being here with us.

We're following breaking news in China this hour. A hotel has been used as a coronavirus quarantine center, has now collapsed, heartbreaking video coming in of an infant being rescued from the rubble. And dozens more may still be trapped. Standby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:00]

CABRERA: We are following breaking news out of Southeastern China, where a hotel that was being used as a coronavirus quarantine center has collapsed. And we've learned 43 of the 70 people trapped have now been rescued from the debris, including this infant. The search and rescue operation is still under way.

I want to bring in CNN's Natasha Chen who is following this for us.

Natasha, what more do we know?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, from our colleagues in China, we're learning that, so far, there are no reports of fatalities, though the rescuers are still right now searching through that rubble for survivors. You're seeing video right there of this little boy who was rescued just after midnight Local Time. And in the video, I could hear people asking, is it a boy or a girl, perhaps trying to identify this child. The Fujian Fire Department said that the child's parents were also rescued minutes after this. The child did seem to have vital signs when taken to the hospital. So that is good news.

As you mentioned, 43 out of the 70 people who were in this building have been rescued. And we should clarify that this was a self- quarantine building for people who have been coming back recently from high infection areas like Hubei Province, so they may not have necessarily have had the coronavirus but they may have believed that they could have been exposed to others who were sick.

So right now, we are watching tensely, as rescuers are trying to help more people through the rubble there. And I heard in one other video, of rescuers asking someone, where do you feel pain, where do you hurt. And so right now, Fujian Fire Department says they have close to 850 firefighters, many engines, seven search dog, just working around the clock to try and find any survivors.

We should stress that we do not know the reason that this building collapsed. So, again, at least 43 people out of 70 rescued at the moment and we do not know why this building collapsed, Ana.

CABRERA: Wow, incredible images we are seeing. Natasha Chen, thank you for that reporting.

President Trump is monitoring the coronavirus developments here in the U.S. from his Florida resort today. We saw him on the golf course earlier, this as he has just named one of his most lawyer supporters in Congress as the new White House Chief of Staff. We'll discuss what impact Mark Meadows will have on the Trump administration.

You are live in the CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:25:00]

CABRERA: President Trump is now moving on to his fourth chief of staff. Mick Mulvaney, who became the president's right-hand man in 2018 is out. Our White House team is reporting the president lost confidence in him months ago over personality conflicts and his handling of the impeachment battle. Mulvaney will now become the U.S. special envoy to Northern Ireland.

The new chief of staff is North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, who is already one of the president's closest advisers.

Let me bring in CNN Political Commentator Matt Lewis. He is also a Senior Columnist at The Daily Beast. And joining us as well, CNN Political Commentator Scott Jennings, a USA Today Columnist and former Special Assistant to George W. Bush.

So, Matt, why would the president make this change now while the White House is right in the middle of this coronavirus outbreak?

MATT LEWIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I'm sure a lot of people were advising him, don't do anything, don't make any changes that could roil the markets or sort of upset the public, but I think this is not likely to do that, actually. I don't think that the average American cares that much who the chief of staff is.

And I think that Donald Trump, he goes with his gut. So far, it's worked for him. And I think he wants someone in there that is not going to question him, or provide a counterbalance or accountability, he wants someone who is a loyalist who is going to basically confirm his priors, and I think that he will have that with Meadows.

CABRERA: Meadows is also somebody who we understand has been advising him for some time, Scott. He is also part of the Conservative House Freedom Caucus. He also has ties to several Democratic lawmakers. Do either of those factors matter to the president?

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure. I mean, look, I think to the extent that Meadows has been a fierce promoter of and defender of the president's agenda in Congress, and that's obviously engendered great goodwill there, and I think that Meadows is comfortable, you know, defending the way the president does business, I think that's what the president is looking for in a chief of staff.

Meadows is also a political guy, and the White House is obviously now in re-election mode, and with the Democratic presidential primary coming to a close, the general election is upon us. And so I think at this point, the president wanted his team in place that's going to take him through the end of the election. My hunch is that if impeachment had not have occurred, this change might have happened a few months ago but they got through impeachment and made the change now and now the White House is prepped and ready to go for the re- election.

CABRERA: And that's right, Matt, the president is making this change right as 2020 really ramps up. You're a life-long Republican yourself and yet you just voted for Joe Biden. How many Republicans do you know of who did the same?

LEWIS: Quite a few. Look, I'm a resident of Virginia. I literally couldn't vote for Donald Trump if I wanted to in the primary.

CABRERA: Did you want to?

LEWIS: Republicans -- well, I might have voted for Joe Walsh, I might have voted for Bill Weld, I didn't have that option. If you were going to vote on Tuesday, you were going to vote for a Democrat. And as a conservative, my vote was to stop a socialist named Bernie Sanders. I think that was the conservative thing to do and I think it's sort of hedging the bets.

[15:30:04]

We saw what happened. People said Donald Trump could never get elected. And he did. When you become the nominee of a major party, you have a decent chance of getting actually to the White House.

And so I think there were a lot of people like me around the country who were conservatives, or center right folks, who live in suburban areas, in Virginia especially, who normally would have voted for like a Marco Rubio, but instead, we went out and voted for Joe Biden. I think that helped lift him. Absolutely.

CABRERA: Tara Setmayer is somebody else on our air frequently, who is a Republican, who also put out a big post saying she was voting for Joe Biden, the first time she had ever voted for a Democrat.

Scott, you have not always agreed with President Trump. Could you see yourself voting for Biden if he is the alternative?

JENNINGS: Oh, no, no, no. There's no possible way that I could ever possibly vote for someone who has come out for the agenda that is largely promoted by Sanders.

I hear what Matt is saying about stopping Sanders but there's no real difference in my opinion, in Biden and Sanders, given that Biden has come out to raise taxes and moved to immigration, far to the left, energy policy, far to the left, abortion policy.

I mean Joe Biden, he was sort of marginally pro-life back in the day and now has moved way away on abortion. So I think Biden has had to move well beyond anything that anybody would consider moderate or conservative to win the election. So, no.

I hear what Matt is hearing about the northern Virginia suburbs, but out here in middle America, I don't know too many Republicans chomping at the bit to vote Democrat in the primary.

CABRERA: Matt, I know how much you dislike the president. We've talked about it on the air. You're in the Never Trump camp. While you voted for Biden, you said you'll probably sit out in the general election. But what could Biden do, if anything, to earn your vote a second time?

LEWIS: I think if he picks a running mate like an Amy Klobuchar, that will help him pick up voters like me. I think if he were to run a campaign and say, look, we're going to declare a truce on social issues, I'm not -- this is not a revolution, I'm not going to go there, and try to advance some left wing agenda, this is about returning to normalcy.

It's about electing someone who's going to restore honor and integrity to the office of the White House, and I'm going to have a bipartisan administration, it's going to be a team of rivals. I'm going to bring in Condi Rice, talk about Republicans in the cabinet posts. At some point, you say, maybe, maybe, we could get on board with that.

But I don't know if Joe Biden -- to Scott's point, I don't know if Joe Biden could get away with doing all of that and keep his base. That's the real question. And I'm kind of dubious of that.

CABRERA: Do you think Biden would be a bigger threat to this primary? Do you think the president should be worried about a Biden candidacy now?

LEWIS: Absolutely. Look, Donald Trump won the Electoral College by winning three states by a grand total of 77,000 votes, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. I think Joe Biden has a very plausible chance that he could win those three states.

And actually, you could get to an Electoral College tie by winning two of them and adding on something like Maine, the second district of Maine.

So I think Joe Biden is a very tough competitor. And I think he has a good chance. It's going to be giving him a run for his money, absolutely.

CABRERA: Scott, Trump and his alleys in Congress are back to bringing up Hunter Biden and his ties to Burisma and Ukraine. Here's Trump when he was asked if this would be part of his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): That would be a major issue in the campaign. I will bring that up all the time, because I don't see any way out. I don't see any way out, for them. I don't see how they could answer those questions.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CABRERA: Scott, do you think it's smart for the president to go there, to go back to the issue that got him impeached?

JENNINGS: This won't be the centerpiece of why he wins re-election. I think it would be far smarter -- not that they aren't going to bring up, but I think the way they're going to win this election is Biden has flat promised to raise taxes on day one.

Biden said he wants to shut down the fossil fuel and fracking industry, which is a big deal in Pennsylvania. Biden raised his hand for free health care for illegal immigrants. On and on and on.

In the primary, Biden took positions that any objective person would say are far to the left of where the Obama administration governed. And to me, that's the centerpiece of where you're going.

We have a good economy, unemployment is low, people are working, and Joe Biden wants to come out and change it all and raise your taxes in the process. That's how you're going to win. Probably not on the Hunter Biden stuff.

Although, it should be acknowledged though, Joe Biden and Hunter Biden have both said it was bad judgment for Hunter Biden to take that job. So you know, everybody tries to blame Trump for --

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: -- bringing this up all the time but the Bidens have admitted it was bad judgment.

[15:35:05]

CABRERA: Sure, it could be bad judgment, but does that merit the, I guess, the taxpayer money of the U.S. government to go into investigating this issue, specifically, when there are baseless allegations at this point?

Scott Jennings and Matt Lewis, I really appreciate you joining me. Thank you for the discussion, gentlemen.

LEWIS: Thank you.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

CABRERA: Still ahead, you will hear from an American who contracted the coronavirus on a cruise ship in Japan and just reunited with his wife, after more than two weeks of quarantine. Hear how he describes the symptoms.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Vice President Mike Pence meeting with cruise line executives today, following 21 people testing positive for coronavirus on the "Grand Princess" ship, which is quarantined off the coast of California right now. Pence saying the risk to the average American of contracting this virus remains low. Now, the "Grand Princess" is the latest cruise ship to deal with an

outbreak of the coronavirus. The first was the "Diamond Princess," which was quarantined in Japan last month.

[15:40:08]

And I want to share the ordeal of a couple whose long-planned dream vacation was on the "Diamond Princess." And after one of them got sick, they were forced to spend weeks apart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN HAERING, CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER (voice-over): It was absolutely a retirement trip that he had planned.

MELANIE HAERING, CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER (voice-over): We left the day after Thanksgiving. We arrived in Japan on the fourth of March. And that's when the quarantine started.

J. HEARING (on camera): Four or five days into the quarantine, and I started to get sick.

In the beginning, it was tough. It was a bad fever. But after that first day, then the fever would come and go, come and go. It did that for four days. But when the nausea went away, and I woke up in the morning, and I was fine.

M. HEARING (voice-over): It was awful. Because after he left, I mean we kissed goodbye, and hugged, and you know, you don't know. And then I called the front desk and I said, hey, how do I find out where my husband's going. And she said, well, we don't know.

J. HAERING: And I just laid on the hospital bed there in the room. I put my head on the pillow and curled up. You curled up in a little ball. And it was a little scary. And I was by myself and I knew it was going to be a long time.

I lost 25 pounds.

M. HAERING: He lost 25 pounds.

J. HAERING: I don't recommend the diet.

(LAUGHTER)

M. HAERING: Today is the second day that I've been here. And I talked to John.

Oh, it was awful for us.

J. HAERING: Yes.

M. HAERING: We were together 24/7.

J. HEARING (voice-over): And once she left, I thought, we were supposed to leave together. And they tested me every other day for the virus, and then all of it

came back positive.

(on camera): And just one day, the doctor, he came in and he takes his glove off and he shakes my hand, with his bare skin, and he says you tested negative. You're going home.

(voice-over): Babe, the happy day is here. I'm free to go. I can't wait to put my arms around you. I'm coming home.

It was the first time I hugged anybody in a little over two weeks. And I got to hug my wife again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: A happy ending for that couple.

Now, Japan just confirmed another death, sadly, today, linked to that same ship a couple was on.

Several U.S. cases of coronavirus have now been linked to a separate cruise on the Nile River.

And as stories like this circulate, travel and tourism is getting hit hard. Cruise ship fares are down nearly 40 percent since this outbreak erupted. If you look at the stocks, Carnival shares are down 47 percent, Royal Caribbean more than 50 percent.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us now.

And, Kristen, let's talk about this ship off the coast of California right now, because President Trump hasn't necessarily been on the same page as health officials. What does he want to see happen with these passengers?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. Certainly, President Trump would like it if they stayed on the ship off the coast of California. Now, as you said, this is at odds not only with health officials but also with Vice President Pence.

Now before I get to President Trump's reasoning on all of this, I want to kind of break down where we stand. This is a cruise ship, as you said, off the coast of California that has about 3500 people on it. And 46 of them were tested for coronavirus, and 21 of them came back positive.

Now Vice President Pence has said that he wants to bring the ship -- he is working with government officials, government agencies, to bring them to a noncommercial port so that everyone can get tested and quarantined, if need be.

Now, President Trump said he disagrees. He hopes they stay off the coast of California.

And here's why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They would like to have the people come off. I'd rather have the people stay but I'll go with them. I told them to make the final decision. I would rather -- because I like the numbers being where they are. I don't need the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault.

And it wasn't the fault of the people on the ship, either. OK? It wasn't their fault, either. And they're mostly Americans. So I can live either way with it. I'd rather have them stay on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, OK, he wants them not to come on to land, because then the U.S. numbers will double.

I don't think this is going to sit well for the families who are waiting for their loved ones. And for the people who are trapped on that ship. They are living -- as you saw, what happened in the "Diamond Princess," that piece you just played -- in quarantine. They don't have any access to their family or friends.

[15:45:12]

So it is interesting, to say the least, that President Trump is saying that he doesn't want them to come home to get that test, to be quarantined here on our shores, is because he doesn't want the U.S. numbers to go up.

CABRERA: Kristen Holmes, traveling with the president this weekend, thank you.

Right now, Senator Bernie Sanders is campaigning in Chicago in between a couple of events in Michigan, a state he's doubled down on ahead of Tuesday's primary. But can he get out in front of former Vice President Biden in the delegate count? We're breaking down the math, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:50:11]

CABRERA: Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign just made its biggest ad buy of the election season so far, spending $12 million on ads to air in the next states to vote. One of them, Missouri, is where Biden is campaigning today.

Meantime, Senator Bernie Sanders has refocused his efforts on Michigan, with two events there today.

Our Senior Political Writer and Analyst, Harry Enten, joins us.

And, Harry, what a difference a few days make. Last time we sat here and --

(CROSSTALK) HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER & ANALYST: Oh my goodness gracious.

CABRERA: -- had a chance to talk.

About a week ago, we were talking about Elizabeth Warren, Mike Bloomberg, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg. They were part of the conversation. Not anymore. The voters were clear on Super Tuesday.

ENTEN: I think they were quite clear on Super Tuesday.

I just want to point this out. Look at the dark blue. That's the states that Joe Biden is projected to win. Look at all this. The south and into New England and into the Midwest.

And Bernie Sanders is basically just stuck here on the west, California. We aren't projecting, though he's only leading.

And I think it's the manifestation of all of this momentum for Joe Biden. You can see it in the national polls. Before Super Tuesday, Bernie Sanders was up at 29 percent. Look at the polling after Super Tuesday. Biden jumping out to a 13-point advantage.

And I think that is so indicative of the strength-showed on Super Tuesday.

CABRERA: Let's look ahead to the states that are coming up and what's at stake.

ENTEN: We have the March contests, some are voting this week, some a few weeks from now. And I want to point out that we're expecting Joe Biden's momentum to really hold. Just look at this. He is favored basically anywhere east of this line, including in Michigan. That's coming up this weekend.

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Where he won, previously, by the way.

ENTEN: That's correct.

CABRERA: Last time around.

ENTEN: That's exactly right. He won previously. But those white working-class voters, who were supportive of him in 2016, don't seem nearly as supportive of him in this campaign. In Minnesota, Maine and Massachusetts, he lost those voters. That is a very key point heading into Michigan, it shows he's losing support. That's why he's not favored there. But Joe Biden is favored there.

And I want to point out one other thing in terms of the delegates. We know that Bernie Sanders' best states are out here in the west. But there's only 343 delegates out there remaining. There are 551 delegates remaining in the south where Joe Biden was just so strong. And that is just another clear indication of Joe Biden's strong position as we head forward. CABRERA: We don't have Elizabeth Warren anymore. She was the last

person to drop out of this contest. Where do you see her voters going? Of course, she hasn't endorsed anybody yet.

ENTEN: She has not endorsed anybody yet.

And look, this, I think, is key, because look. We know that Elizabeth Warren does very well in that very liberal lane. This is the median Super Tuesday state support-by group. Look, this was her best group and Bernie Sanders won that group overwhelmingly with 49 percent.

But it's not just about ideology. It's also about demography. Look at white women with a college degree. That was Warren's best group and Joe Biden won this group.

I really do think the Warren supporters might split evenly between Biden and Sanders.

CABRERA: Let's do the same thing for Bloomberg. He's thrown his support and money behind Biden.

ENTEN: Exactly right. I think the Bloomberg people are far more likely to swing over almost unanimously over to the Bloomberg camp --

And why is that?

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: Biden, you mean?

ENTEN: Right, the Biden camp. Thank you very much.

And why is that? Look at ideology. Moderates or conservatives, that was Bloomberg's best group. That is also Biden's best group. Age 65 and older, that was Bloomberg's best group and it's Biden's best group, as well.

So, demography and ideology point to Bloomberg supporters going to Biden, versus, with Warren, ideology and demography are split and that's why I suspect those supporters will both go to Biden and Sanders.

CABRERA: OK, don't forget, tomorrow is Daylight Saving's Time. We spring forward. We all lose an hour of sleep.

ENTEN: We all --

(CROSSTALK)

CABRERA: How do feel about that?

ENTEN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK()

CABRERA: I know how you feel. ENTEN: Believe it or not, I'm of the plurality position, which is 40

percent like Standard Time all year long versus 31 percent who want Daylight Saving's Time all year long. Just 28 percent of people support switching back and forth. I hate it. Let's just choose. Daylight Saving's or Standard. Either one.

CABRERA: In the meantime, don't forget to reset your clocks tonight.

ENTEN: That's right.

CABRERA: Thank you, Harry Enten.

ENTEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: Talk to you soon.

[15:54:25]

We have live pictures now on Bernie Sanders holding a massive rally in Chicago.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Today, we introduce you to the first "CNN Hero" of 2020. Lynda Doughty grew up on the coast of Maine and became a marine biologist. And when state and government funding vanished, she dove in to fill the gap. Meet the seal rescuer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDA DOUGHTY, CNN HERO: Rescuing the seals is really bittersweet. As much as I'm excited to see that animal be released, it's also hard in the sense of seeing that animal gone.

Do you guys know you're going back to the ocean?

So any seal that we rescue, the ultimate goal is for that animal to be released back into the ocean.

Ah.

[16:00:02]

I feel this intense responsibility to help these animals, and really, this is what I was put on this earth to do.

Yay!

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)