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Global Coronavirus Crisis Escalates; Markets Buckle Under Pressure by Coronavirus; Lockdown in Italy; Trump Administration Prepared to Handle Pandemic? Aired 2-3a ET
Aired March 10, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Just ahead, markets buckle under the pressure of coronavirus fears and oil prices. But the new trading day is looking up so far.
The virus has forced all of Italy into lockdown but some officials think even that might not be enough to stop the spread.
Just hours away from another showdown between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. The stakes are especially high in one battleground state.
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CHURCH: It's good to have you with us.
We begin with new evidence the coronavirus pandemic may have crested in China, which is reporting the fewest new cases since mid January. Also the World Health Organization says 70 percent of China's confirmed cases have recovered.
It's a different story in Italy, where the entire country of 60 million people, is now on lockdown. Meantime Israel is requiring a 14- day self quarantine for everyone entering the country. That includes Israeli citizens and foreign nationals.
Investor panic over the outbreak and an oil price war hammered the markets Monday; the Dow saw its worst point drop on record, diving more than 2,000 points, even with the circuit breaker that suspended trading for 15 minutes.
The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all closed down over 7 percent. But there are signs of a rebound in Asia; major markets are rallying to recover some of Monday's losses. CNN business correspondent Eleni Giokos is in Johannesburg with more on oil prices.
But we begin with Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo, with a check on the financial markets. So after Monday's panic, we are seeing some signs of optimism, what's
going on here?
KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well some scientists will be coming back here, you have to remember the three indices overnight were down over 7 percent and volatility continues. Take a look at Dow futures right now, up more than 800 points, suggesting we might see a strong rebound when the markets open today.
We are seeing Tokyo, wild swings, initially down below the 19,000 mark, losing over 800 points but making up for all of those losses.
What fueled the rebound initially was the hope from the U.S. administration, for an economic stimulus package, particularly to help individuals or businesses that have been badly hurt in the last couple of weeks because of the virus outbreak.
That is likely to be or we're likely to hear similar moves from governments around the world, Japan later on today, possibly some of the European countries, as their economies start to reel from the coronavirus outbreak. I think that's what's triggering the rebound.
We are still a long way to go before we make up for all of the losses that the market has suffered on Monday. We are seeing the yen, which is a big trigger point in the selloff this week, wild swings there as well, Yen is up more than 2 percent now, that is helping the rebound.
All of that is contributing to slightly more stabilized outlook. On top of that, you have to remember a lot of central banks are scheduled to hold their meetings over the next couple of days, that is fueling expectation of monetary stimulus as well.
CHURCH: We will take any good news that we possibly can at this juncture, thank you so much, Kaori Enjoji, for bringing us the latest from Tokyo.
Eleni, so what is the latest on this oil war?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: It's all interconnected isn't it, let's look at what happened in the U.S. yesterday. It is incredible to see the Dow and the S&P using losing close to 8 percent. One of the things that was driving that is a lower oil price. The U.S. oil majors took a significant knock.
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GIOKOS: If you look at oil stocks around the world, they were driving the market losses. They contributed to the huge global market crash. Now oil prices are going to be interesting to look at, Brent crude and U.S. WTI both dropped around 25 percent.
We are looking at record level drops here. It's got to do with the price war, we've got Saudi Arabia and Russia going head to head, who's going to have the largest market share.
Another important factor to mentioned here is that Saudi and Russia are able to be profitable at lower Brent crude and WTI prices. People who are going to suffer the most are the more expensive oil producers around the world.
We're looking African producers, U.S. shale producers. So it does not suit them to have oil prices at this level. It contributes to the notion that you will have lower consumer demand, which means fewer people putting petrol in their cars.
You're looking at a manufacturing sector and a total value change, disruptions because of the coronavirus. So you've got a price war that is playing out between two large oil producers and at the same time you have demand destruction coming through, because of the coronavirus.
Look how the markets have been performing, U.S. futures looking at a better start for today. But because of the stimulus package that was signed by Donald Trump yesterday, you are looking at European markets hopefully going to be starting in positive territory. But it's all about sentiment here and how the central banks will stimulate their way out of a big problem.
CHURCH: Eleni Giokos, thank you, many thanks to you bringing us the latest there from Johannesburg, appreciate it.
The lockdown in Italy is one of the most drastic measures that we've seen to fight this outbreak. CNN's Ben Wedeman has details now from Bologna.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All of Italy, a country of 60 million people, is now effectively a red zone. On Monday evening Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte said the measures have just been in place on Sunday morning, in the Lombardy region and 14 other provinces, an area with about 60 million people, it's extended to the entire country.
Schools and universities will be closed until at least the 3rd of April. All public and private sporting events are canceled. All public gatherings banned. Only absolutely necessary travel between cities and provinces will be allowed.
What we heard also on Monday, the latest numbers, when it comes to coronavirus, cases they jumped another 1,800 approximately, reaching 9,172 cases; 463 people have died from coronavirus.
These mounting numbers are putting ever greater pressure on Italy's public health system. CNN was able to speak to the coordinator for intensive care in the Lombardy region, who said the public health system in that area, which is really one of the best public health systems in the entire country, is stepping towards collapse.
They are receiving, in his words, a tsunami of patients and intensive care is being provided in corridors of hospitals -- I'm Ben Wedeman, reporting from Bologna in Northern Italy.
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CHURCH: And inmates at 22 Italian prisons are rioting over a ban on visitors meant to stop the spread of coronavirus. Some inmates have died, some guards have been taken hostage; 43 prisoners escaped in one southern city before they were recaptured.
Inmates in a northern city broke into the infirmary, stealing various drugs, almost all jails are seriously damaged as a result.
Well, Israel now has 50 cases of the coronavirus and, as we mentioned, to keep that number from going up, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said everyone entering the country, even its own citizens, must quarantine themselves for 14 days. Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins me now from Jerusalem.
Israel extending its quarantine orders.
How are the self-quarantines going to work and who is going to police them?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: In terms of how it works, similar to other countries. People simply need to stay in their homes or within their own rooms. I know a number of people, families, where one member has been abroad, they have come back and go into self isolation, stay in a room by themselves effectively.
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GOTKINE: So people are generally abiding by this. Of course, Israel is used to crises with various conflicts. When air raid sirens go off they go into bomb shelters. When they are told to self isolate, they do it.
So in terms of policing it, remember Israel is geographically like an island, given the situation there on the border. So the vast majority of arrivals, coming into Ben Gurion International Airport, just outside of Tel Aviv.
So in that respect, it is quite easy for the authorities, to kind of check on people, almost everybody coming into the country, from overseas. And then checking if they are able to self isolate, if they're not Israeli nationals or if they are, mostly reminding them that is what they need to do.
CHURCH: Right and what more are you learning about the 50 cases of coronavirus in Israel?
GOTKINE: The vast majority of them can be traced back to people that either came from countries with major outbreaks, such as Italy, France or Spain, and also have come into people to contact with people who had it.
But they do not know for certain, people that they weren't in contact with people who came from abroad, that is stumping them on a few cases. In the Palestinian areas, there are 26 cases so far, 25 of them in the city of Bethlehem, which has gone into lockdown. There are more than 20,000 people in Israel in self quarantine, in
self isolation right now, in order to try to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
CHURCH: All right, Elliott Gotkine, thank you, bringing us the situation in Israel.
In the United States, there are more than 700 cases of the coronavirus and 26 deaths so far. Some of the newest cases come from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which was finally allowed to dock in California on Monday, in Oakland; 21 people tested positive and the ship was kept at sea for several days, until a plan was worked out to get the passengers off.
Now that 150 were taken to Travis Air Force Base on Monday night. They've been quarantined for two weeks. It may take a couple more days, to get the rest of the passengers off that ship.
Well Chinese President Xi Jinping, has made a visit to Wuhan and, where the virus was first noticed last year. It's a first time he's been there since the outbreak began. Steven Jiang is in Beijing,
Good to see you, Steven. Let's talk about the message that Xi Jinping is trying to send the, world for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.
And how will the markets respond to this?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: Rosemary, the Chinese stock market has reacted positively to this and it's time for Mr. Xi Jinping to send a positive signal and saying that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak is over, under his strong leadership.
But the question right now is, with the virus spreading very fast, how can the Chinese economy recover, as with many of its trading, partners being hit hard by this virus?
But Mr. Xi Jinping's visit to Wuhan is a major milestone in the war against the virus. It shows the confidence that the situation has been brought under control, including, at the epicenter.
This is one of those benchmarks that people have been looking out for, for a long time now, because remember when the outbreak began, he had kept a low profile amid allegations of his handling, a cover-up at least at the local level.
Now the new confidence comes from the numbers, on Monday only 19 new cases were reported nationwide, only 17 in Wuhan, where just a few weeks ago they had hundreds or thousands of new cases on a daily basis.
There are other signs from Wuhan as well, they have closed all 14 makeshift hospitals, these were facilities that were opened when the health care system was overwhelmed and, just in the last hour, we heard from the provincial authority. They are relaunching a public health act that would track and assess people's medical condition, that if you are deemed healthy, you will be given a green code to travel within the province or the city.
This is another sign that they are thinking about really loosening up the very drastic lockdown measures placed on Wuhan. So, Rosemary, all the signs, all these factors really explain why President Xi Jinping is in Wuhan right now.
CHURCH: Good to see some positive signs out there.
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CHURCH: We will take everything we can. Steven Jiang, bringing us the latest from Beijing, many thanks.
After a brutal day on Wall Street, we are seeing some signs of a rebound in the Asian markets, we will look at what is driving the recovery.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
The U.S. president is promising to reveal very dramatic action Tuesday to ease the financial impact of the coronavirus. As the U.S. markets plummeted Monday, the U.S. president huddled with aides to consider economic stimulus options.
He believes that markets have been overreacting to the coronavirus. He also realizes that an economic downturn could affect his chances for reelection. He says he will push Congress for a payroll tax cut as a way to help.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are also going to be talking about hourly wage earners, getting help, so that they can be in a position where they won't have to miss a paycheck, they will be working with companies and small companies large companies, a lot of companies so that they don't get penalized for something that is not their fault.
It's not their fault, it's not our country's fault, this is something that we went were thrown into and we will handle it and we have been handling it very well.
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CHURCH: Oil markets also suffered historic losses on Monday, after Saudi Arabia launched a price war against one time partner Russia. Our emerging markets editor John Defterios explains what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Call it a perfect storm that swept right through global markets. The coronavirus has undermined oil demand, especially in China. U.S. production has surged to a record 13 million barrels and Saudi Arabia and Russia, the two major crude exporters, disagree on how to deal with it.
At the so-called OPEC Plus producers' meeting Friday in Vienna, Russia's energy minister said they have had enough of cutting production to stabilize prices. That tough stance ran counter to the Saudi strategy.
So the kingdom and its oil giant, Aramco, doubled down over the weekend, slashing prices by $6 to $8 a barrel for preferred customers, triggering a nasty price war.
ROBERT THUMMEL, TORTOISE: There was already uncertainty with regard to global oil demand.
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THUMMEL: And now over the weekend the Russians and the Saudis created uncertainty with regard to increasing supply when everybody thought they were going to decrease supply.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): This led to the biggest sell-off since 1991, when the U.S. went into Kuwait and met little resistance from Saddam Hussein and his troops.
Events in Vienna played out like a family fight, that spilled right out into the open for observers to see. Three years of tight collaboration between Vladimir Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia went right up in smoke after a nasty day of prolonged meetings.
DEFTERIOS: Those inside the meeting Friday said that once it was clear Russia was not going to cut oil production, Saudi Arabia said that it would live to regret that decision. No one thought Saudi Arabia would not only raise production but trigger a price war as well.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): After the meeting broke up, OPEC secretary- general said the group would not cut, unless Russia was part of the mix.
MOHAMMAD BARKINDO, OPEC: We do not take unilateral decisions, since the declaration of cooperation, we agreed among ourselves to walk together. And we have proven that. And there is no need for us to break that tradition.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): Senior OPEC sources say that Russia is trying to put an end to U.S. production dominance by flooding the market with crude like it did six years ago.
The outcome is similar; after three years of more stable prices, we are back to where we started, with an oil bear market -- John Defterios, CNN Business News, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Let's talk more about this market upheaval. Ryan Patel is a fellow at Claremont University Drucker School of Management and joins us now.
Good to see you.
RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, CLAREMONT UNIVERSITY DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: Unfortunate circumstances but the markets were already spooked by the coronavirus and then came this oil price war, sending global markets into a spin.
Where is this all going and how much worse might this get do you think?
PATEL: I feel like we are on a boat, calming the coronavirus and then this oil trade war happened, it really led to a domino effect. It really did spook people because they then started to realize, wait, airlines are getting affected, which is oil.
And cruise liners are getting affected, which is oil.
What does that mean for everything else and consumer confidence?
You saw it today, we went to a 7 percent drop within the first few minutes of opening trade, to a 15-minute mechanism to stop all trading?
That is scary. I don't want to overblow this but that to me is scary. I was relieved that we are almost a 7 percent loss during the day, it could've been worse. Part of this is hopefully, tomorrow, that I don't want to say the panic has stopped but what we are going to see is companies react.
You're going to see people now questioning what long-term policy needs to be done, companies have to manage their cash flow. The whole idea that cash is king, for those companies that have a great balance sheet, this puts them in the position to have potential opportunities but don't have to worry about other issues going forward.
CHURCH: Horrifying as you're watching these videos, you see people just horrified watching these incredible losses.
What do you think it's going to take to turn things around, when it comes to the oil price war, the coronavirus which triggered it?
And who are the winners and losers right now because, with most of us being losers, there's got to be winners out there?
PATEL: Well, the first part is we need some kind of good news, any kind of good news, to have some stability in the market. So that could be numbers decreasing. We kind of did see that in China and in South Korea and maybe here in the United States, the numbers are not accelerating.
Because let's be very honest, this week is an important week for the coronavirus in the U.S. because the acceleration of numbers in cases, should that go up, that will stoke more fear; should it stay flat and go down, that will create a little more ease into the markets. Maybe will see some normalcy behind it.
Who's losing, who's winning. In the U.S. I mean Costco has come out and said their sales have increased, because people are buying bulk of water and toilet paper, just in general.
And this is the panic, that I don't think we all want. But they're winners there. But also working remotely from home. So who wins in that perspective, when companies are choosing to do that.
You look at slack, you look at Netflix for example, what do you do when you're at home, when you don't have anything to do, you turn on the TV.
CHURCH: You touched on this I do want to ask you what you do expect will happen when U.S. markets open in a few hours from now, what will be your prediction?
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PATEL: Well, is it a prediction or hope?
I'm hoping we have a flat day and maybe just a few percent losses, to get over into Wednesday.
But every time you and I are together, it seems like it's really good news or really bad news. When we're together it's bad news, the next day, if any kind of pattern, it could be a green day with no real kind of rationale behind it because as long so there is no other new news, I believe the market will maybe have a decent day tomorrow.
But if there is new news, fueling the fire of what happened today, we will see more into the red.
CHURCH: So what is the best advice people watching their investments, 401(k)s?
We are told to stay on the train, don't get off and you won't get hurt.
So what about somebody who's about to embark on retirement?
PATEL: Forget your password, don't remember your password to your account, don't look at it for the next few days. For those who are about to retire, this is very difficult, because you've done the long- term thinking and you're taking a bit of a hit.
I'm hoping the portfolio for the retirement is less risky and you had maybe some bonds in less riskier places, only losing 1 or 2 percent, not losing the whole 7 percent or 8 percent hit.
But for those who are looking to invest now, it's about long term. If you liked the stock in the past, two weeks ago, the fundamentals probably haven't really changed, unless it's connected to Asia. So in essence, you have a 15 percent to 20 percent discount on the price, if you hold for a 5-10 year horizon, you're not there.
But I tell you, you have to have a stomach to be able to buy stuff right now, because you don't know when the bottom is near. And that is the thing. You can never guess where the bottom is. So you have to do your homework and stick to the fundamentals and that will make the decision a bit easier.
But if you see big investors, you see Goldman Sachs saying, I don't expect any revenue stream, that's a cautionary tale to maybe keeping some cash on the sideline and choosing to enter when you feel more comfortable.
CHURCH: That is the gamble, isn't it, so don't touch your 401(k) and don't touch your face.
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PATEL: I am going to quote you on that one.
CHURCH: Ryan Patel, thank you so much for joining us.
PATEL: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: One of the largest outbreaks of the coronavirus outside China may be on the decline. After the break an exclusive interview with South Korea's health minister. Back with that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: More than 113,000 people are now infected with the novel coronavirus worldwide, and the death toll has surged past 4,000. Outside of China, Italy has been hit hardest, but the Prime Minister has ordered the entire country of 60 million people on lockdown. CNN Christiane Amanpour has our report.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: This is central Milan during Monday morning rush hour. The usually bustling streets of the country's financial and fashion hub are eerily quiet as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The Italian government introduced drastic quarantine measures. Police checks have been set up to enforce the new rules and public events have been canceled, including sporting matches and religious ceremonies.
Italy is the country worst affected in Europe by the coronavirus outbreak, with thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. Neighboring France is also experiencing an accelerating infection rate, prompting even tighter restrictions on public gatherings. The worsening situation across Europe is leading to a collapse in tourism and problems in manufacturing, and it's sending shockwaves through global markets.
BRUNO LE MAIRE, FINANCE MINISTER OF FRANCE: Europe must prove its political effectiveness. I expect a strong, massive, and coordinated response from Europe to avoid the risk of an economic crisis after the epidemic.
AMANPOUR: In Greece, the country's Olympic Committee announced Monday that the traditional torch-lighting ceremony for Tokyo 2020 would be held behind closed doors. Across the Middle East, many countries are also taking tougher action. The gates of this border crossing between Iran and Iraq have been locked to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.
ADNAN ABDULLAH, DIRECTOR ASSISTANT OF SHALAMCHEH BORDER CROSSING, IRAQ (through translator): The border point was shut down with the aim of keeping our people in Basra and Iraq safe and to prevent the entry of epidemic into our country.
AMANPOUR: Iran remains the epicenter of the outbreak in this region. Authorities are spraying disinfectant in public places to try to curb its spread. But despite their efforts, the number of new infections is continuing to grow. And on Monday, Iran's judiciary chief announced that 70,000 eligible prisoners will be granted temporary leave to try to deal with the outbreak in the prisons.
In the United Arab Emirates, schools have been closed as a precaution, giving students an early start to the spring break. Across Asia, many countries are continuing to record rising numbers of infections. In South Korea, one of the worst affected countries, military Teams still doing their large-scale disinfecting. While in Bangladesh, the first confirmed cases of Coronavirus have sparked panic buying of face masks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Coronavirus is infecting people all around the world. People are all very scared. We are all buying masks to protect ourselves.
AMANPOUR: But in China where the outbreak began, the government says the number of new infections continues to drop. And so, authorities are now closing most of the temporary hospitals they set up in Wuhan to deal with the crisis. It is a small sign of hope, more than two months after the country first identified COVID-19. Christiane Amanpour, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: South Korea is reporting its lowest number of newly confirmed cases in weeks, 131. The country has had one of the worst outbreaks beyond Mainland China with more than 7,500 cases and more than 50 deaths. The government has been offering free testing to the public. South Korea's health ministers says early detection has been important in fighting the virus. He's hopeful the country has past the peak and the decline in new cases will continue. CNN's Paula Hancocks met with the South Korean health minister to talk
about how the country is responding to the virus. Here's her exclusive interview.
PARK NEUNGHOO, HEALTH MINISTER, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): We are hoping that we have past the peak. And taking numbers into consideration, we are cautiously expecting we have past the peak. A lot of experts are giving us the warning that South Korea could have more regional spread and we have been preparing for it. But we had not expected the scope of the spread would be this much.
Even though it took us some time to respond, I believe we are able to deal with it with our medical system, and testing system, and monitoring system in place so that we can respond to a large number of infections.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So if I can ask you about Shincheonji, the religious group at the heart of this crisis. Have all the members of this group in Daegu been tested now?
NEUNGHOO (through translator): There are about 10,000 members of Shincheonji in Daegu, and almost all of them have been tested. I believe about 200 not tested. Some of those 200 will be tested today.
HANCOCKS: But for some of the members, they refuse to be tested. I mean, this is putting other people's health in danger. How can you compel them to be tested?
NEUNGHOO (through translator): Government officials sought their consent to be tested. And it is also against the infectious disease act. Of course, had we been able to test them sooner, it could have been easier for us to deal with it. So that is a disappointing part of it.
HANCOCKS: Minister, how frustrating is it for you? I mean, you're trying to contain this virus in South Korea and you have a group who is not being transparent?
NEUNGHOO (through translator): Without this group, we might have been able to contain and cope in this fight against the virus. But we encountered a very particular and unique religious group. So we are trying to block and contain this infection and we are hoping to be able to come to see a resolution in a short time.
HANCOCK: So Europe and the U.S. are now starting to grapple with the realities of this virus. What lessons can you pass on? What in hindsight would you have done differently that you can tell a health minister around the world?
NEUNGHOO (through translator): I'd like to say that detecting patients at a very early stage is very important. And we learned the simple lessons by dealing with this virus, that it is very contagious. And once it starts, it spreads very quickly and in very wide areas. Not everybody with the virus needs to be checked into a negative pressure rooms. And also we learned that maybe the lockdown policy is not very effective, because asymptomatic people can be going around and still not be detected.
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CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. Still to come, another big day in U.S. politics, Super Tuesday round two. We will talk about the U.S. state that could decide who lands a Democratic presidential nomination. That's ahead.
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CHURCH: Welcome back. It is essentially a two-man race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination. But as Super Tuesday round two gets underway, it appears one candidate has the edge in a very crucial battleground state.
According to a new poll from Monmouth University, 51 percent of likely Michigan Democratic primary voters choose former Vice President Joe Biden, 36 percent back Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders needs to win Michigan if he has to make a comeback. CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny explains.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Bernie Sanders just looking to Michigan for a campaign come back.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tuesday is a very, very important day and Michigan is the most important state coming up on Tuesday.
ZELENY: It's not only the biggest prize on Tuesday with 125 delegates at stake. The primary is seen as a trial run for November, as Democrats weigh who has the best chance of defeating President Trump. Democrats have neither forgotten or forgiven what happened here four years ago, as their blue wall of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania collapsed.
Trump is the first Republican presidential candidate to win Michigan since 1988, carrying the state by only 10,704 votes. That number is seared into the minds of many Democrats who believe it's time for Joe Biden to take command of the race.
Four years ago, you supported Bernie Sanders. What changed?
GARLIN GILCHRIST, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN: Well, the first thing is that Joe Biden is in the race. He wasn't in the race in 2016. Someone that has the record results in the relationships here in Michigan. That -- I didn't have that choice in front of me before.
ZELENY: Garlin Gilchrist is the state's first African American lieutenant governor. he admired Sanders in 2016 but now believes Biden is building the broadest coalition to defeat Trump. Four years ago, Sanders come from behind victory in the primary here injected new life into his battle with Hillary Clinton.
SANDERS: And if we win here in Michigan --
ZELENY: Today, he's trying to rekindle that spirit, yet conversations with some loyal Sanders supporters are taking a practical turn.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to go as far as we can with the Bernie train. But if it comes down to Biden, I'll definitely vote for Biden for sure.
ZELENY: The fear of Trump winning reelection comes up again and again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the whole thing. You vote with your beliefs because we believe in everything in this platform or are you practical? So it's a -- it's a real struggle.
ZELENY: Do you think that Biden has a better chance in a general election?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's more moderate. He can get a lot of those kinds of middle of the road voters and Bernie's going to have a harder time.
ZELENY: The Biden campaign is working to build on a Super Tuesday performance. Here in Michigan, that same coalition is key winning convincingly in the city of Detroit and showing strength across the sprawling suburbs. Since 2016, Lori Goldman has been organizing women voters in the battleground of Oakland County, awakening a new army of political activists. She liked Elizabeth Warren, but now is all in for Biden.
LORI GOLDMAN, FOUNDER, FEMS FOR DEMS: Tuesday will be a bellwether. If Biden wins, which I hope he does, I can breathe a small sigh of relief. If he does not, then I have to worry how Michigan's going to perform.
ZELENY: And the Biden bandwagon is growing. His former rivals taking the stage here in Detroit. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris trying to make the case that Democrats should rally around Joe Biden. Bernie Sanders is still pressing his case, but time and delegates are running out for him to be competitive. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Detroit.
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CHURCH: CNN Political Analyst Julian Zelizer joins me now from Princeton, New Jersey. Good to have you with us.
JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So we are just hours away from another Super Tuesday contest, and for Bernie Sanders, more than Joe Biden, Michigan particularly is a do or die race. A new Monmouth University poll shows 51 percent support for Biden compared to 36 for Sanders among likely Democratic voters. Now we've all been burned by polls before but if Sanders loses Michigan, is that the end of the road for him? ZELIZER: Yes, it would be almost impossible for him to recover. He will have falling far behind in the delegate count. He will have lost momentum when you add this to the results of Super Tuesday in South Carolina.
And finally, it would hurt his basic claim that he's the candidate who's more successful and appealing in these Midwestern areas that Donald Trump did so well in 2016. And so, if he can't deliver in Michigan, I don't know how much longer his campaign can survive.
CHURCH: Interesting and Joe Biden's political fortunes, it has to be, has said -- that they changed significantly. We all saw that when he won South Carolina. That allowed him to then sweep most of the states on Super Tuesday. How much of that was about Democratic voters perhaps realizing that Biden was the best choice to beat Donald Trump, and they needed to get behind him, even if perhaps they supported a lot of what Sanders stood for. Do you think that is the main factor here?
ZELIZER: Yes, I think Democrats are being very practical in this primary pocket season and they're trying to make a bet essentially not who their favorite candidate is necessarily but who the candidate is who will do the best job in the fall election, have the best opportunity to beat Donald Trump.
I think the situation now in the states with coronavirus might even you know, affect this situation. Many voters are desperate not to take the risk. And to find the winning candidate, they think Biden is that person.
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CHURCH: Right. Now, if Biden does end up being the Democratic nominee, and we don't know that for sure just yet, but how likely is it that if that happens, Sanders and his supporters will get behind Biden or couldn't this divide the party even more?
It could be an ongoing division. We saw in 2016 how many Sanders supporters are not particularly eager to come out by Hillary Clinton, and Sanders gave lukewarm support. There are indications who would be more vociferous in supporting Biden. I think the one big difference between 2016 and 2020 is President Trump is the president and we are talking about his reelection now.
So anything can mitigate against a Sanders revolt or a kind of internal civil war in the party, it's the fact that the White House is at stake and that we would have a second term of the Trump presidency.
CHURCH: Right. So if it does come down to Biden versus Trump, who do you think will likely win that contest and how big apart might the current handling of the coronavirus play in this?
ZELIZER: Well, it's a bet I wouldn't want to make. I wouldn't underestimate the ability of President Trump just as an incumbent to win reelection. And then President Trump is a pretty aggressive smash- mouth type of campaigner. We're -- there's no guarantee that Joe Biden would defeat him. But I do think his handling of the coronavirus as well as the recent
developments in the stock market, really plummeting stock prices, is going to undercut some of this support with Republicans. This is not what they like to see, and I think this unsettles American voters in a way that no other crisis has. Because people are talking about their friends and their family and just figuring out how to be safe when they're not seeing the president lead.
CHURCH: Right. And that is definitely the vulnerability of Donald Trump right now. When it comes to Joe Biden, his vulnerability is one he's mentioned himself. He's called himself a gaffe machine and that could very well trip him up and hand it to Trump as far as weaponizing some of his comments.
ZELIZER: Well, absolutely. Joe Biden has not had a successful career campaigning beyond his senatorial campaign. And even at his best, he is known to make remarks that are not great for his campaign. And to be his own worst enemy, he doesn't -- we've seen it in the primary. He doesn't have the energy that he used to.
So you combine all this and it's going to be difficult. And the Trump machine is going to be coming after him hammer and tong. And he's going to be able or have to be able to withstand a pretty brutal assault. And so you just don't know what that's going to look like.
CHURCH: It will be a tough fight whether it's Biden or whether it's Sanders up against Trump. But of course, we've got a lot to happen before any of that takes place. Julian Zelizer, many thanks to you for sharing your analysis and perspective on these matters. I appreciate it.
And be sure to catch CNN's special live coverage as Sanders and Biden go head to head and a series of key us primaries. Tune in for Super Tuesday round two starting at 8:00 p.m. in London. That's 4:00 a.m. in Hong Kong, if you're up Wednesday, right here on CNN. And you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We will be right back after this.
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CHURCH: This Wednesday, March 11th is the fourth annual My Freedom Day. CNN is partnering with young people around the world for a student-led day of action against modern-day slavery. This year, we are asking what does freedom mean to you? And here are some of the answers from students in Pakistan and Abu Dhabi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, freedom is the power to liberate yourself from other people's expectations and society's oppression. Don't take this liberty you've been given for granted. Because the person sitting right next to you, right behind you, or right in front of you wishes they have that sort of freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone on this planet deserves their freedom to express themselves other than to be forced into systems where they're oppressed. This is why freedom is such an important part of our lives and the world as a whole.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are part of the middle school's student council. And we are here regarding #MyFreedomDay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what freedom means to me is being able to do anything I want without pressed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What freedom means to me is doing anything I want whenever I want.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me is being able to work in a nice place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And young girls in Kenya are often forced into marriage or domestic servitude as they become teenagers. For some, it seems impossible to break the cycle. But one woman is fighting to show that all Kenyan girls deserve to be free and educated. CNN's Farai Sevenzo has her story.
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FARAI SEVENZO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) village is a place of great calm. Situated near the Maasai Mara in Narok County, Southwest Kenya, the pace of life is a slow one. And gender divisions are very clear. Boys herd cattle, hunt, and learn to be men. Girls collect firewood and water, cook and clean, and prepare for marriage.
And for a long time, education was an automatic part for the boy child. For Faith Cherop Kipkemoi who came from a family of 15 children, education was too costly for her family. And they had another reason not to send girls to high school.
If girls went to school and they finished and they were 13, what are they expected to do?
FAITH CHEROP KIPKEMOI, FOUGHT FOR EDUCATION: To be married.
SEVENZO: At 13?
KIPKEMOI: Yes. Most of them 13, 14, 16. When I saw all my sisters got married, it was like all our dreams are coming to be shattered. And I had to stood out by myself and prove them that also girls need to be educated. My parents didn't allow me to go to school so they always tell me you have to do home chores. Why going to school? School is only meant for boys.
I convince them by waking up very early in the morning like three to four, that will allow me to finish my chores so that I can rush to school.
[02:55:19] SEVENZO: At first, Faith's father didn't agree. Faith's father now has 20 granddaughters. As girls like Faith pined for the freedom education offers and opportunity arose. A Canadian charity called We created a program in the area. We Charity is a global organization founded with the mission to end child labor.
Having graduated just months ago from a We college in the field of tourism, Faith takes the time to return to her old school. It provides everything from uniforms, to books, to teachers in a partnership deal with the community. The organization started a secondary school where faith was given a place, enabling her to continue to high school education.
In this rural population of over 6,000 people, more than 900 kids are now in schools built by We charity. This despite the distances and other obstacles. In a seasonal rains and flooding, this is their school run.
KIPKEMOI: Efficiently now during the rainy season, when the roads are flooded, I can see parents they are lifting their children from this side to the other side so that they can close the water and go to school. This really makes me happy because this is what I really wanted to see in my community.
SEVENZO: Farai Sevenzo, CNN Freedom Project, Narok, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And My Freedom Day is a social media-driven event. We'd like to hear your thoughts. Share your story with the #MyFreedomDay. And thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. And I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN. Do stay with us.
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