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The Impeachment Trial Of Donald Trump; Donald Trump Scheduled To Address Impeachment Acquittal; Trump Tweets Video Mocking Mitt Romney; Coronavirus Outbreak, World's Top Disease Expert To Meet Next Week In Geneva; Wuhan Coronavirus; Carrie Lam, Hong Kong May Already Have Community Transmission; Two Cruise Ships Quarantined In Japan And Hong Kong; Markets Rallied After Earlier Sell Off Over Virus Fears; Fatal Accident, Three Dead After Plane Skids Off Runway In Istanbul; U.S. Citizen Abducted In Afghanistan; Life And Career Of Kirk Douglas; Nancy The Ripper, Critic, Fans Weigh In After Pelosi Rips Trump's Speech. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 06, 2020 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States, and of course, all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church. Let's get started.

The U.S. president is celebrating his acquittal. But while Donald Trump's impeachment trial is over, much of the focus now is on the one Republican voice of dissent.

Thousands of people are quarantined on cruise ships in Japan and Hong Kong after some passengers tested positive for coronavirus. We will speak with two people on board.

And we will look back at the career of one of the last stars of Hollywood's golden age. Kirk Douglas who died after a long and illustrious life.

Well the president's faith in the U.S. Senate was never really in doubt. On Wednesday they made it official and acquitted Donald Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges.

The president plans to talk about what he calls the victory on the impeachment hoax in the day ahead. And he tweeted this familiar meme which he often uses to annoy Democrats implying he will run for reelection, will be on two terms. After Wednesday's vote Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell refused to say if he thought the president's conduct was inappropriate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: We've completed it. We've listened to their arguments. We voted. It's in the rearview mirror. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: It's a giant

asterisk next to the president's acquittal. The asterisk says he was acquitted without facts. He was acquitted without a fair trial and it means that his acquittal is virtually valueless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we get more now on the president's acquittal from CNN's Phil Mattingly.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For now, this page, this chapter of history has come to a conclusion. President Donald Trump who went into this impeachment inquiry and the Senate impeachment trial having a good idea he was going to be acquitted of both articles of impeachment of both charges was in fact acquitted.

President Trump still President Trump. But what happened leading up to this moment is raising real questions here in the United States Senate and the United States Congress generally as to what happens next.

There was an event from the entire investigative process to the public hearings, to the House votes, to the multi week Senate trial that really tore the binds of this institution of the White House of the country on the whole. And it was something that even at the very last moment appeared to split Republicans. At least one Republican. Take a listen to Senator Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong.

The great question the Constitution tasked senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that arises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now Romney not hedging, not uncertain, not even pointing to any gray area in his floor speech. A floor speech, I'm told, he did not tell any of his republican colleagues what he was going to say. Becoming the only Republican to vote to convict President Trump, either House or Senate when it came to impeachment.

Now he voted yes, guilty on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power. He voted no on the second article of impeachment obstruction of Congress. And to be completely clear they were well short in the United States Senate of the 67 votes needed to actually remove the president from office.

However, what Romney did do was give Democrats a bipartisan vote in favor of at least one of their articles of impeachment. What Democrats did not give Republicans or the president, a bipartisan vote of their own. The three Democrats who are most -- or seen as most likely to possibly vote to acquit the president, all three of them ended up voting with the rest of their Democratic colleagues, and based on the first article, Senator Romney.

So, the president still the president. The big question, what comes next. And I can tell you in talking to Republicans and Democrats here on Capitol Hill there is real concern about what comes next.

[03:05:01]

This institution as one senator told me earlier is not in a good place. So, everybody is going to have to figure it out, but one thing they know for sure President Trump is still in the White House and will be at least through January of 2021. Guys?

CHURCH: CNN political commentator Scott Jennings joins me now. He is also a former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Thanks so much for being with us.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Glad to do it. Thank you.

CHURCH: So, Scott, an historic day for the U.S. Senate with Republican Mitt Romney voting with the Democrats to convict the president, and in so doing prove this was not the partisan exercise the president insisted it was. What was your reaction to Romney's conscience vote?

JENNINGS: Well, I work for Mitt Romney in his 2012 campaign. And look, these are U.S. senators. They can do whatever they want to do. I would just say that his vote is largely out of step with the rest of the Republican Party. President Trump has a 94, 95 percent approval rating in his party.

Every other Republican in the Senate and every Republican in the House voted against this impeachment. So, he sort of, a man standing alone.

I did find it rather amusing though. Having worked for his campaign in 2012, all the people who said a lot of terrible things about Mitt Romney and his character back in 2012 are now all of a sudden praising Mitt Romney.

And I just find it interesting that if you are willing to call someone great moral character when it's in your best interest, but you're not willing to do it when it's in their best interests maybe you are doing it properly.

CHURCH: OK. So --

(CROSSTALK)

JENNINGS: So, you know, I think the president would love to have his whole party together but, you know, it's over, he's acquitted, and he moves on.

CHURCH: Romney was on Fox earlier with Chris Wallace. Let's take a listen to that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You realize this is war. Donald Trump will never forgive you for this.

ROMNEY: There is a -- there is a hymn that sung in my church, it's an old Protestant hymn, which is, I do what is right, let the consequence follow.

I know in my heart that I'm doing what's right. I understand there's going to be enormous consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Enormous consequences. And of course, Scott, we know that Donald Trump Jr. is now calling for Romney to be expelled from the party. Is that acceptable? Does it signal a culture of intimidation that requires absolute loyalty to the president with consequences for those that fail to fall into line?

JENNINGS: No, I don't think Mitt Romney should be expelled from the Republican Party. I mean, it's a big tent party. I mean, we ought to allow people of all kinds in.

I do think for Mitt Romney though, I mean, Donald Trump has a pretty high approval rating in the state of Utah. It's really up to him to explain to his constituents who approved of Donald Trump why he thinks that the president should not only be thrown out of office, but in this impeachment it would have also resulted in the president being thrown off the ballot and not even be a candidate for president this November.

It's for Mitt Romney to explain to the Republicans in Utah why he thought that was the best course of action. And I'm sure some of the folks in Utah are not going to be happy with Romney. But the great thing about being a U.S. senator is it's a six-year term. And so, for Romney, he doesn't actually face the voters again for a couple more cycles.

CHURCH: Scott Jennings, thanks so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Let's get the view now of a Democratic strategist. Chris Kofinis joins me now from Houston, Texas. Welcome.

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, the Democrats weren't able to convict the president but they were able to make it a bipartisan vote with Republican Mitt Romney joining the Democrats. In the end though, what all the Democrats achieve?

KOFINIS: I think in terms of standing up, I think for the Constitution the rule of law, I think they send a pretty clear message about what is acceptable and what is unacceptable for any president, in particular, President Trump to do.

So, I think there's -- that's one perspective. Constitutionally, I think and in the terms of the rule of law sending a message there, clearly, I think has been a pretty significant black mark on President Trump's presidency.

Politically, I mean, we basically are where we started. A country that is extremely divided, politically and otherwise when it comes to this president.

CHURCH: Right.

KOFINIS: And by no means did the impeachment bring the country together. It arguably reinforces those divisions.

CHURCH: Yes. We've certainly seen that in the earlier part of the week. And, Chris, the Democrats looked incompetent Monday night. It has to be said at the Iowa caucuses.

With the result still coming in, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi allows President Trump to get under her skin throughout his State of the Union address, ripping up his speech at the very end. How can you prove to voters that the Democrats offer a viable alternative when they see all of this playing out?

KOFINIS: I think we have to focus on the issues. I think where we sometimes, I think get a stray, and I think you've seen this in the various campaigns that are running for president.

[03:10:05]

They try to talk about so many issues it becomes very difficult for voters to know exactly where you stand or to distinguish you between the various candidates. And I think that's why so many of these candidates are jumbled together.

I mean, this race really is still, the Democratic race is still really undecided. It's obviously very early. But you can feel it amongst the people I talk to, a lot of anxiety about who is the potential nominee. And it's just not clear. I think the Iowa caucus and how that panned out didn't help.

CHURCH: The latest Gallup poll shows President Trump's job approval rating is now at 49 percent. How concerned does that make you and the Democrats of course?

KOFINIS: Listen, I've always believed that President Trump is going to be a much more formidable opponent than some either in my party or in the media believe is going to be the case. I think when you go out there as I do and you talk to so many of the American people across the country, they have very different perspectives than some people who live in New York City or Los Angeles or San Francisco.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: But even more formidable when the Democrats can't get their act together, right? I mean, if you can't rally behind the person that you feel can beat President Trump, what are your chances going forward?

KOFINIS: I think the challenge that we had here is what is going to be our competing message and vision against a president who is going to be more formidable than we want to believe, and who's going to run a very aggressive nasty brutal campaign.

And when you face that kind of an opponent in campaigns and elections, you cannot have many mistakes or setbacks. We had one -- one with the Iowa caucus, it's going to be forgotten in the coming weeks and months as we move on but you can't afford to have many more of those going forward.

CHURCH: Yes. Very good point. Chris Kofinis, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

KOFINIS: Thank you.

CHURCH: It has been three days and counting since voters in Iowa caucus for their Democratic presidential hopefuls and the final results are still not in.

Right now, with most of the precinct's reporting, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are in a tight race for first place with Buttigieg clinging to a very slim lead. Elizabeth Warren is in third place and Joe Biden is in fourth.

Biden is admitting the Iowa caucuses did not go well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to sugarcoat it. We threw a gut punch in Iowa. The whole process took a gut punch, but look, this isn't the first time in my life I've been knocked down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And many of the Democratic candidates say they have moved on. Looking ahead to the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday several took part in the series of CNN town halls Wednesday night telling voters their plans for the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I know they call me middle class Joe because they think I'm a middle-class Joe because I'm concerned about the middle class. And the reason I'm concerned about the middle class is to find avenue to get to the middle class, to be able to stay in the middle class. And when the middle class does well everybody has a shot.

People on the way up, and in fact, the wealthy do very well. The way I do it, first of all, no one should be working in the United States of America 40 hours a week and living in poverty. That's why we have to raise nationally the standard of $15 an hour for every worker in America. SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have an

America where the GDP keeps going up, where corporate profits keep going up, where -- were up -- the stock market keeps going up. And where hardworking families have flat wages and rising expenses for health care, for housing, for child care, for trying to send the kid off to school.

The squeeze on working families, on middle class families, on the working poor is just getting unbearable. But those at the top just keeps sucking more and more value out. We got to change that in 2020 that's why I'm in this fight.

ANDREW YANG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My flagship proposal is a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month for every American adult starting at age 18. This will be a game-changer and actually make it so our economy works for our young people. Because right now we have to face facts. We are stacking the deck against our young people much, much more seriously than it has ever been the case in this country.

If you are born in the Unites States in the 1990s, you're down to a 50/50 shot of doing better than your parents and it's declining fast.

TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm for a wealth tax. You know, if we think that incomes are unequal and have gotten much worse which they have 10 times worse over the last 40 years. Wealth, we have redistributed the wealth in this country from everybody to just the richest people.

[03:15:05]

I'm for a wealth tax, both to raise money and to address this huge inequality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN will hold four more town halls Thursday night with Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Deval Patrick. It all starts at 8 p.m. eastern, only here on CNN.

A cruise ship in Japan becomes a floating quarantine zone after people on board test positive for the Wuhan coronavirus. We'll have a live report with the very latest.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: More cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been discovered on a cruise ship in Japan bringing the total number of infections to 20. Officials have quarantined the vessel and are telling thousands on board to stay put for at least two weeks.

For more, CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now from Yokohama in Japan where the ship is docked. So, Paula, what more are you learning about this cruise ship and the people on board?

[03:20:05]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we know that 10 people were tested positive and taken off the ship yesterday. And then another 10 today. And we know that there is more than 100 tests that still have not been completed at this point. So, that number could still rise.

Now we've just spoken to one American couple inside that were actually on their honeymoon and they say all they wanted at this point is to get off the ship, but they say that their temperature has been taken but they haven't actually been tested for coronavirus itself.

It's really only people at this point, it appears, that are starting to feel unwell that are being tested, but they say that there is some discontent on board the ship. They're certainly discontent that they say that they want to get off. They say that they should be quarantined, they believe in an area which is known to be sanitary as opposed to a cruise ship which has been contaminated.

Now the alert was raised just several days ago when there was an 80- year-old man from Hong Kong who tested positive for the virus after he had been on the ship for five days. So, after that event, then the testing started and that's when they realized that there had been some transmission.

Of course, we don't know at this point how the virus was transmitted, but clearly it is a concern for more than 2,600 passengers. More than 1,000 crew who are still on board. They're being told that they will have to be on board for 14 days.

They believe from the first positive testing from yesterday but there are some concerns that it may be 14 days from the latest positive testing. So, there's really a lot of questions that are being asked at this point.

Now we know that they are going to be putting food and drinks and medical supplies on to that ship this evening to try and cover this extended stay, but the Americans that we've spoken to have said that they would like to see their government get involved as they know they have done in Wuhan in China. The affected area when they brought some of their citizens out. But clearly, it doesn't appear as though that is going to be the case here. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Our Paula Hancocks bringing us up to date on the situation from Yokohama in Japan. Many thanks to you.

And we are joined now by Karey and Roger Maniscalco, two passengers on board that quarantined ship. Thank you so much for talking with us. So, you're only on day two of a 14-day quarantine. Confined to your cabin. How are you both coping?

KAREY MANISCALCO, QUARANTINED ON CRUISE SHIP IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: Well, we're a bit frustrated.

ROGER MANISCALCO, QUARANTINED ON CRUISE SHIP IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN: It's all crazy. K. MANISCALCO: Yes. We don't have any answers really. So, which makes it more frustrating for us.

CHURCH: So, what's been the hardest part of this quarantine experience?

K. MANISCALCO: Not knowing exactly when we are going to be --

CHURCH: Right. And how are you getting food and water?

K. MANISCALCO: So, the employees come with their mask on and gloves and drop it off.

R. MANISCALCO: We are confined to our state rooms.

CHURCH: Right. So, you haven't been able to go out at all? And that's --

R. MANISCALCO: That's correct.

CHURCH: And that's what you're going to have to -- you look forward to 14 days of that. Well, 12 more.

K. MANISCALCO: Yes. Pretty much unless they keep on adding days that we've heard since we had new 10 additional passengers today with the coronavirus. We've heard rumor that our day start over again today to 14 days.

CHURCH: Right. So, with the 10 additional infections this means that you're not really on day two, you're on day one?

K. MANISCALCO: That would be correct.

R. MANISCALCO: Correct.

CHURCH: Right. So, talk to us about what you're doing to fill the day. Because I understand you're not allowed to stream movies. I don't know why. But talk to us about how you're passing the day there quarantined in your cabin.

K. MANISCALCO: Well, we've -- I've been on Facebook quite a bit just interacting with friends and family and that kept me pretty busy throughout the day. When that ends, I don't know what we will do because there's not a lot of TV to watch. I did bring four books but I already read them during our actual cruise, so that's out.

R. MANISCALCO: They have added some more movie channels, and supposedly they had higher speed internet. You can see how that's going since we have to do this over the phone.

CHURCH: Right.

K. MANISCALCO: So that's not working out well. And just working as much as we can from here. We both have businesses back home so we're trying to keep up to date on that as well. CHURCH: Right. As you mentioned, we were actually in the break trying

to get the picture up and we had you for a moment, but it froze, and you know, understandably under these circumstances it's very difficult to establish those sorts of shots, but thankfully we're able to talk on the phone.

And certainly, understand your frustrations. How much time did you actually get to enjoy this voyage before you were in this lockdown?

[03:25:00]

K. MANISCALCO: Well, we were not in lockdown. We were actually until the day we were supposed to disembark. And so, we actually completed the cruise and we arrived in Yokohama, ready to -- we actually arrived 12 hours early because it had taken so long to disembark from the prior port, Okinawa.

We had arrived in Okinawa on the first. We were quarantined then but we didn't know we were quarantined. The ship didn't inform us about it. They just told us that the Japanese government, because we arrived back in Japan, they had to reprocess us and it was taking quite a long time.

So, it took us -- we're supposed to get off the ship at 1.30, we didn't get off until after six, and so we didn't really get to see that port. So, we didn't why. We didn't -- they took our temperatures so they had so in Vietnam as well, which is a very quick process.

On the third, the day before we were supposed to disembark in the evening, that's when they let us know that someone had coronavirus on the ship.

CHURCH: Right. And as -- right. And as we are looking at some of these pictures, we see some passengers out on their deck, presumably coming off their cabin. Are you able to get outside at all or you're confine completely indoors?

K. MANISCALCO: We have a balcony so we are able to go out on to our balcony.

CHURCH: All right. So at least you can get a bit of fresh air there. But Karey and Roger Maniscalco, we feel your pain. You've got so many more days ahead of you there on the cruise ship. I hope time passes quickly for you and you get home safely very soon. Many thanks.

K. MANISCALCO: Thank you very much.

R. MANISCALCO: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: Well, if you're watching internationally, thanks for being with us. Inside Africa is next. And if you're joining us from here in United States, I'll be back with more news in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00] CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. I'm

Rosemary Church. And we are watching the fallout from the U.S. Senate vote to acquit Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. The decision mostly along party lines, sparked protests in several cities. This small crowd gathers outside of the U.S. Capital.

And in New York, police arrested at least eight people for disorderly conduct outside of the Trump International Hotel. Another group of protesters showed up near Central Park. And we get more on how the president is responding from CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We're going to hear from President Trump in person for the first time since his acquittal vote yesterday, when he addresses reporters here at the White House, at about noon today. Though it is unclear still what exactly the president is going to say. Though aides have said, yes, you can expect a victory lap from the president.

Of course, a big question is going to be whether or not he addresses the elephant in the room, which is the fact that this vote was not bipartisan in the way that the White House was hoping for. Instead of having a Democrat cross the aisle to vote with Republicans, they had Republican Senator, Mitt Romney, of course, vote to convict the president on that first article of impeachment. And no Democrats ended up voting to acquit the president on that article, alleging abuse of power.

Of course, the president is already fuming about this, tweeting about it last night. A video saying that Mitt Romney posed as a Republican, even though he was once the Republican nominee for president, and also claiming that he tried to infiltrate the president's administration, likely a reference to that interview that President Trump did and sat down with Mitt Romney for, for the Secretary of State job, which, of course, he ultimately did not get.

Now the aides have predicted the president's anger over this is not only going to come from this longstanding feud that he had with Mitt Romney but also because now, you're seeing the coverage not focus on just the president's acquittal vote, like that he had been hoping for the last several weeks since this trial got started. But it's also focusing on the fact that a Republican, for the first time ever broke with their party and voted to remove their president from office.

Of course, that ultimately did not happen. And the question is going to be what the president does, how he continues to treat Mitt Romney for the time going forward. Though people have predicted that tweet last night is not the end of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, some of the world's top disease experts will gather next week in Geneva, Switzerland, to brainstorm strategies for dealing with the Wuhan coronavirus. Meanwhile, the streets of Chinese cities like Wuhan have been largely deserted for weeks under a strict lockdown.

On Wednesday China's death toll surged by 73. So far, the virus has killed at least 565 people including two fatalities outside of mainland China. The number of people diagnose with the virus also skyrocketed on Wednesday, with nearly 3,700 new cases. There are more than 28,000 confirmed cases in China, plus another 255 cases globally.

About 350 Americans are back in the United States after being evacuated from Wuhan. And they will now spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine.

Well, thousands of passengers aboard two cruise ships are now caught up in the outbreak. At least 20 people aboard The Diamond Princess tested positive for the coronavirus. Some 3,700 passengers and crew are now under a 14-day quarantine in Yokohama, Japan. A second cruise ship was quarantined in Hong Kong. No one onboard has tested positive for the viruses yet. But eight passengers from an earlier cruise have the disease. Hong Kong officials fear the virus may already be circulating in the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE (through translator): With regards to the three, new cases from yesterday, the patients had not traveled outside of Hong Kong during the incubation period. And there is no obvious source of infection from the mainland. So these are three locally infected cases which brings up the concern that Hong Kong may already have community transmission. The next 14 days will therefore be a crucial period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And the legacy of the 2003 SARS outbreak is weighing heavily on Hong Kong right now. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is there for us. So, Kristie, that is, I mean that was the early 2000s. People still remember. And still getting over that experience. And now, of course, they're confronted with this problem.

[03:35:00]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This happened nearly two decades ago. I'm referring to the SARS outbreak. But many people here in the territory of Hong Kong, very much haunted by what happened then and are very afraid of what's happening right now. And first, Rosemary, I want to give you an update on the cruise ship here in Hong Kong, that one that dock in (inaudible) in Victoria harbor, where we know 3,600 people are in quarantined. They are being held for health checks after a former passengers from mainland China were confirmed to have the new coronavirus.

And an update for you, 32 of the crew members onboard have tested negative for the virus. Good news, but it's unclear when everyone onboard that ship can leave. Now, the outbreak here on Hong Kong, as we have been reporting, is growing. There are 21 confirmed cases, as well as one death. The latest three infections are local transmission cases, meaning, this people have no history of travel to mainland China and all of this is bringing back painful and horrific memories of SARS. And it's prompting many here to ask, what is it going to take for these latest outbreak to end?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Even after nearly two decades, former SARS patient Alex Lam is haunted by his experience.

ALEX LAM, FORMER SARS PATIENT: I was put in a big room. With many other patients. And I heard some coughing at night, crying. And that's really sad. It's really sad.

LU STOUT: SARS infected around 8,000 people globally and killed 774. Nearly half of them in Hong Kong. The isolation of cases eventually led to the end of the outbreak.

The new coronavirus outbreak, is already larger than SARS. And unprecedented measures are in place to control it. The rapid construction of hospitals, mass production of medical supplies and protective equipment, and sweeping travel restrictions and temperature checks. When will these measures stop the outbreak? Well, the answer lies in understanding the virus itself.

Inside that building is the world's first lab-grown copy of the Wuhan coronavirus outside mainland China. It's a major breakthrough that allows researchers here in Hong Kong University to better understand the behavior of the virus.

Inside the lab, we are required to wear face masks.

DR. JOHN NICHOLLS, PATHOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: My feeling is that this is just going to be like SARS. It's that the world is going to get basically a very bad cold for about five months.

LU STOUT: But with one major caveat, it appears the new virus, unlike SARS, can spread before symptoms arrive.

NICHOLLS: The problem with this virus is that it does appear is that there's a period within the first four or five days, people say they can be -- maybe asymptomatic. So for that reason, it's going to be far more difficult to manage.

LU STOUT: I want to shake your hand. But it's during an outbreak. So, the masks are off when I meet Malik Peiris in his office. He advises the World Health Organization on the virus.

MALIK PEIRIS, PUBLIC HEALTH VIROLOGIST: An Indian greeting or the Japanese greeting.

LU STOUT: He says there are two extreme scenarios. The outbreak is about under control or --

PEIRIS: The other extreme of course, is that, the virus is like influenza, which means that it cannot be contain and it will spread.

LU STOUT: This already happened with H1N1, also known as swine flu. This strain emerge in a pandemic in 2009 and now it's a seasonal virus. But for Alex Lam, humankind doesn't need another disease to contend with.

LAM: We must stand together. We need to think positive. Because one day, the disease will go away.

LU STOUT: Now, the head of a group of SARS survivors in Hong Kong, he's calling for the government to take tougher measures, whatever it takes, to end the latest outbreak.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: In terms of those tougher measures, Alex Lam, wants this, he wants the Hong Kong government to completely seal off the border with mainland China. And that is also what a significant number of public medical health workers are asking for right now and why they are out on strike for a fourth day today. Now, according to the union, the hospital authority union, more than 8,000 members, these includes doctors and nurses, have walked off the job and joined the strike these last three days during an outbreak. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Kristie Lu Stout, bringing us the very latest from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

And global financial markets have been struggling to figure out how serious the coronavirus outbreak truly is. We turn to John Defterios, he joins us from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, John. So, what has been the impact if the coronavirus so far on global markets, businesses and trade?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Rosemary, it's almost a surreal situation. You have real measures going into play on mainland China of course, and Hong Kong that Kristie was talking about. In the last hour, we saw Saudi Arabia suspend flights for both citizens and residents to China at the same time. And that in parallel we have a stock market rally, taking place.

[03:40:05]

So, stock markets are usually a lead indicator for six to nine months down the road. Kind of predicting what could happen. Of course, and this is a far cry from what we saw on Monday with that 8 percent correction in Shanghai. You can see here, the Nikkei index, the Hong Kong Hang Seng index, Seoul and even Shanghai, all with very solid gains right now. And there was a belief here and they were grasping on into information that was coming out of mainland China, from Hubei province where Wuhan is, that there may be a vaccine solution in the pipeline faster than expected.

There's also a widely held belief -- and I think a correct one -- that the Chinese government will act swiftly to prop up the economy. They announced that $173 billion stimulus plan. But the medium-term outlook is still unknown. For example, the (inaudible) radiance agency was suggesting that the past, kind a, indicates we could see a drop of 2 percent on GDP in the first quarter. But how quickly they can find a resolution to see if that spills into

the second quarter or not. The stock market is telling us that they can tackle this in the first quarter alone. But that is clearly not sure. Airlines, cruise companies, major companies, like Apple and Boeing, all indicating -- Disney, they are going to get hit in the profits as a result of what's taking place in China, which is the second largest economy in the world. Huge consumer demand for all these American and European companies to move in over the last decade.

CHURCH: Yes. And John, also, China is a huge consumer of oil. How does that, you know, what sort of impact is that having?

DEFTERIOS: So, there was a knee-jerk reaction. And rightfully so, Rosemary, we saw prices go down to a one-year low in the last five days of trading. But we're seeing a rally yet again. The demand from China has dropped by 3 million barrels a day on the interim here. They can import 10 million barrels a day, consumed 14 million. So, that's a big strike.

But again, we are looking at the glass half full in global financial markets. Brent Crude is up 1.2 percent. And WTI, the U.S. benchmark, up 1.8 percent. Now there's a technical meeting taking place and it just started in the last half hour in Vienna. This filled over, Rosemary, to the third day. Now this group is supposed to make recommendations to the 23 countries of the OPEC plus agreement, the major oil producers of the world. To see if they should actually cut production by $1 million barrels a day, perhaps even more.

This spilling over a third day means they don't have a consensus. But they're taking the issue very seriously. Do they cut now? Is it short term? Does this spill in to the second quarter. These are questions for the market. But the cloud is lifting, as you can see both in the oil market and equity markets today.

CHURCH: All right, we will keep an eye on all of this. John Defterios bringing us the very latest from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.

DEFTERIOS: Right.

CHURCH: Three people have died following a plane accident in Istanbul. Video released by Turkish news agency, shows the plane skidding off the runway. Turkish officials say the plane went up to 60 meters before breaking apart and landing in a ditch, 183 passengers and crew members were onboard. The 179 of them went to local hospitals. One person is unaccounted for. Some remain in intensive care. Thunderstorms were moving through the area at the time of the accident. But they don't know for sure what role weather played in this.

An American citizen has been abducted in Afghanistan. A U.S. official tells CNN it happened in an eastern province near Pakistan. But it's not yet known who is responsible. The individual was a contractor but was not working for the U.S. military at the time. Officials say search efforts are under way.

Well, a long-time Hollywood legend is gone. Coming up, a look back at the life and career of Kirk Douglas.

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[03:45:00]

CHURCH: The actor, Kirk Douglas was larger than life on-screen and off. And on Wednesday, that celebrated life came to an end after 103 years. His career spanned seven decades and in that time, he challenged the Hollywood establishment by creating his own production company and helped to end the industry's notorious blacklist, which targeted people with alleged communist sympathies. Stephanie Elam has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before Kirk Douglas became a big star, he was Issur Danielovitch Demsky, born to Russian immigrant parents in 1916. Douglas headed to Hollywood after serving in the navy during World War II. Caricaturists focused on the famous clef chin. But beyond that he was distinctive for the way he tore into each part with almost animal ferocity. After his breakthrough role in 1949s champion, came a slew of memorable parts. The ambitious Hollywood producer in the bad and the beautiful. The rebellious soldier and Stanley Kubrick's, Paths of Glory. The sailor in Disney's 20,000 leagues under the sea. Artist Vincent van Gogh in lust for life and perhaps his biggest one, Spartacus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Spartacus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Spartacus.

ELAM: Douglas produced the historical epic and hired Dalton Trumbo to write it. Dalton was one of the 10 Hollywood figures who were blacklisted for 13 years for refusing to disavow communism at a Congressional hearing. Douglas felt breaking the blacklist was his proudest moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Studios would not mind using a blacklisted writer as long as they didn't have to look at him. As long as he didn't come into the studio and as long as he never used his name. And that was such hypocrisy that it enraged me. And I decided to hell with it. I'm producing Spartacus and I'm going to use Dalton Trumbo's name.

ELAM: Douglas performed in more than 80 films, produced almost 30 and directed two. His son, Michael, followed him into the business and became an A-list star himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that he kind of personifies the individual, at the time of the big studios. The man who stood alone.

ELAM: In 1991, he survived a helicopter crash in which two people were killed. Five years later, he suffered a debilitating stroke that affected his speech and left him contemplating suicide. The three time academy award nominee was finally recognized by the academy in 1996, with an honorary award for his half-century of accomplishments in the motion picture industry. In his later years, Douglas wrote a number of successful books,

including his memoirs and still did some occasional acting. Appearing in a one-man stage show and starring with son Michael in the 2003 film, it runs in the family. Whether on-screen or off, professional accolades or personal challenges, Kirk Douglas approached life in a simple yet powerful way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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[03:50:00]

CHURCH: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has both critics and supporters talking after she ripped up President Trump's State Of The Union speech. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Despite all the flattery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbelievable. Amazing job, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brilliant, Mr. President.

MOOS: It was President Trump's nemesis who will be remembered for ripping up his speech. The state of their union is ice-cold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She ripped him a new one.

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it was a new low.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shredder wasn't available, so she did what she needed to do.

PENCE: I wasn't sure if she was ripping up the speech or ripping up the constitution.

MOOS: Mike Pompeo, tweeted Lisa Simpson ripping up her own civics essay. Then he got ripped by a former Simpsons producer saying, Mr. Secretary of State, please do not ever, ever, ever use Simpsons material. Though fans and critics dubbed Pelosi, Nancy the ripper. Unlike their previous run-ins when she famously pointed a finger at him and clapped back at the president. This time, he didn't see it coming. Of course, when Nancy Pelosi went on a tear, others couldn't resist following suit.

[03:55:11]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very clear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm moving on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That wraps up the show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got radio talk show hosts.

MOOS: Speaker Pelosi told House Democrats, he shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: It was a courteous thing to do.

MOOS: The shredding even eclipsed the snubbing, if that's what it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked like he blew her off with the handshake. Some people say no, no, he just didn't see it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. He saw it.

MOOS: And then there was all that head shaking.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I keep my promises. We did our job.

MOOS: By Nancy.

TRUMP: The big pharmaceutical companies, we have approved a record number.

MOOS: And other Democrats, along with mouthing things like not true.

TRUMP: Illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidies --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is wrong with her? She looked like she was reading the cheesecake factory menu.

MOOS: The guy who avoided Pelosi by hanging a towel over his T.V. missed the big moment, but team Trump turned it into what Mitch McConnell thinks of the articles of impeachment. Does that count as a rip-off? Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Here's a rip-off. Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Early Start is next. Have yourselves a great day.

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END