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Americans to Be Evacuated from Diamond Princess Cruise Ship; Chinese Medical Workers at Risk; U.S. Assures Afghans It Will Not Abandon Them after Peace Deal; Barr Orders Re-Examination of Michael Flynn's Case; Avenatti Guilty on All Counts in Nike Extortion Trial; Manchester City's European Ban; Airplane Seat Etiquette. Aired 3-3:30a ET
Aired February 15, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): I'm Michael Holmes here on CNN NEWSROOM.
Evacuation: the coronavirus outbreak has put many Americans on quarantine but they could soon be going home.
A deal with the Taliban: the U.S. says they have reached an agreement to reduce violence in Afghanistan.
And the attorney general's new actions that could help Donald Trump's friends and allies.
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HOLMES: Welcome, everyone.
Hundreds of Americans, stuck aboard a quarantined cruise ship in Japan, could be coming home sooner than expected. We have now learned that the U.S. is preparing a charter flight on Sunday, for about 400 Americans on the ship.
They and other passengers have been confined to their rooms for 11 days now and even though their evacuation from the Diamond Princess is voluntary, there are some pretty big caveats.
First, they will be quarantined in the U.S. for another 14 days and if they choose not to leave the ship on Sunday, they won't be allowed back in the U.S. for an undefined period of time. Let's bring in CNN's Matt Rivers who is standing by in Yokohama.
What more are you learning about what's going to happen and what the conditions are and who's going to take up this offer?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Michael, what happened here is CNN was sent this letter, from the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, the embassy had sent a letter to all Americans on board the ship, basically outlining the details of this proposed evacuation plan. So there is still not a ton of specifics in terms of the timing, the
exact timing. But we know the U.S. State Department is sending a plane that will arrive here in Japan sometime during the evening on February 16th, that is Sunday.
And at that point, passengers and their belongings, who are American, will be taken directly from the ship, to the plane where they will be put on the plane, flown back to United States and have to go through that quarantine period you mention at Travis Air Force Base in California or at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
People who are symptomatic, however, they're going to be screened before they get on the plane. Anybody showing any symptoms, cough, high fever, they will not be allowed to board. They will have to stay in Japan for treatment in the same way that people who have already been diagnosed with the virus have been.
The whole time we have been here in Yokohama, the U.S. government has been saying that Americans will serve out the quarantine on that ship with everybody else and come February 19th, once they cleared, they would be allowed to return to United States just as I would on a commercial plane.
But something has changed the calculus here. We don't know what that is and they are now choosing to take this step of evacuating Americans off that ship and bringing them back to the U.S.
HOLMES: The Japanese have had a fairly stringent regime here when it comes to quarantine.
What do we know about the Japanese government's position and other nationalities that their government could turn around and want to do the same thing?
Is the government OK with this?
RIVERS: Yes, I mean, will the only way United States government could be doing this, is that if the Japanese said it was OK. And if you think about it, in some ways it makes sense for the Japanese government to do that because now they have to take care 400 less people.
So I think in some ways it is now on the U.S.' hands, it's their responsibility and they want to say, sure, you can take the Americans.
In terms of the other governments, though, I think that's a logical conclusion, if there are other nationalities on board, they want their people off. It is certainly something that other countries are exploring.
And we know for a fact that there were representatives from several different countries, down at the ship today, according to an employee of the harbor. So discussions are being had, as the captain of the ship said it is a dynamic situation.
We saw it firsthand this afternoon, with a kind of surprise announcement, that 400 Americans will be U.S. bound basically this time tomorrow.
HOLMES: A lot of people that didn't expect their cruise vacation to go this way. Interesting developments, Matt, good to see you. Matt Rivers in Yokohama.
A team of disease experts, with the World Health Organization.
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HOLMES: They're expected to arrive in China this weekend. Overall the death toll from the novel coronavirus is more than 1,500, with more than 67,000 confirmed cases. But Beijing is increasingly upset over what it views as a heavy-handed response to the outbreak by other countries.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Some countries have stepped up measures, including quarantine measures, which are reasonable and understandable but some countries have overreacted, which creates unnecessary panic.
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HOLMES: Well, the battle against the coronavirus outbreak is taking its toll on the nurses and the doctors on the front lines, David Culver in Beijing with that part of the story.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China is releasing this data, which shows the number of medical workers dealing with the coronavirus, reflects what we have been reporting for several weeks now.
CNN has been in touch with doctors and nurses, describing the dire need for medical supplies, protective equipment like hazmat suits, the face mask, goggles, one nurse even telling us it was like going into battle without armor.
They feared there would be casualties. And Friday's numbers reflect that. The central government has mobilized supplies to the front lines. And it's finally reaching where it needs to be.
But for so many it's arriving too late. Meantime countries around the world are closely watching to see how effective China's containment effort will be. Officials planning major events like the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo tell CNN the games remain on track despite the outbreak. They do plan to monitor and potentially screen the mainland athletes and tourists who will travel to the games.
The World Health Organization said they have not had talks with Japan yet about potential impacts of the outbreak on the games, which are slated to start in less than six months -- David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
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HOLMES: We have complete coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and instant updates on the story at cnn.com.
After more than a year of talks, the U.S. and the Taliban have agreed to a seven-day reduction in violence in Afghanistan. A senior administration official said the deal is, quote, "very specific" and references roadside bombs, suicide bombs and rocket attacks.
It is all very precarious though some analysts say a lull in fighting, could be a chance for Taliban forces to regroup and secure battlefield advantages. CNN's Vivian Salama is in Munich where heads of state are attending the annual security conference there,
Vivian, good to see you. This does look like progress in America's longest war. But there is a lot riding on one week pause in violence.
VIVIAN SALAMA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There certainly is, trying to end America's longest running war. What U.S. officials tell us is they have agreed to agree to the seven-day reduction in violence. There's a lot at stake because the U.S. is hoping that if the Taliban commits to this, if they do away with roadside bombs and rockets and other kinds of attacks during that period, they can proceed to a long-awaited peace deal that President Trump has been touting for quite some time.
The last time we were here was about eight months ago. Talks with the Taliban were well underway and then they collapsed because of violence in Kabul that killed an American.
So everything really hinges on whether the Taliban can maintain the seven-day reduction in violence that would essentially lead to a peace deal down the line.
HOLMES: And you are at the Munich Security Conference, of course, what are the other major themes discussed there?
What's hitting the headlines where you are?
SALAMA: So China has really dominated a lot of the talks, which is interesting, because the conference really was trying to focus on Europe as basically a rebirth of Europe. But officials her, both from the Trump administration and lawmakers from both political parties from the U.S., have been pressing the message of trying to pressure European allies to do away with using Chinese technologies, mainly Huawei.
And the U.K. recently said it was going to proceed with an agreement with Huawei for its 5G network and that really rubbed a lot of U.S. officials the wrong way. A lot of talk about threatening intelligence sharing down the line. The U.S. government insists that Huawei uses spy tactics, because it's a tool of the Chinese government.
That has definitely been a long running theme. Also Germany's president opened the conference and took a swipe at President Trump's America's first policy, saying that's not something we can proceed with and alliances are far too important to maintain that kind of view.
[03:10:00] SALAMA: So you might be able to see behind me, Michael, there's a long line forming of policy makers and world leaders. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper are due to talk any minute here now. They will be delivering the message from President Trump as well.
HOLMES: And you will be on top of it, thank you, Vivian Salama in Munich.
We'll take a short break on the program. When we come back after a whirlwind of week for the U.S. Justice Department, attorney general William Barr facing backlash from Donald Trump, we'll have that and more when we return.
Also a little later a shocking ruling may hit one of England's super teams out of the college. Why Man City is being banned from the prestigious tournament. We will be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
U.S. officials say attorney general William Barr has ordered a reexamination of several high-profile cases, including that of the president's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn.
As CNN's Sara Murray reports, the latest news raises even more questions about whether political motives could be behind some of Barr's actions.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump has long clamored for an attorney general who will protect him. And it seems Trump has finally found at least an attorney general who shares his way of thinking. But Bill Barr says he will not be pushed around.
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I am not going to be bullied or influenced by anyone.
MURRAY (voice-over): U.S. officials say Barr has ordered a reexamination of the case against Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, who the president still speaks of fondly. He has intervened in the case of Roger Stone, Trump's longtime political adviser, to try to get Stone a more lenient sentence than prosecutors had initially recommended.
BARR: I did not need anybody to tell me that seven to nine years was an excessive sentence.
You think I need the president's tweet to tell me that seven to nine years is excessive?
MURRAY (voice-over): That does not mean Trump gets everything he wants. The president has eyed former acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, warily for his work on the early Russia investigation.
TRUMP: What is happening to McCabe?
It was a whole set up, it was a disgrace for our country.
MURRAY (voice-over): But the Justice Department announced Friday it will not bring criminal charges against McCabe over whether he may have lied to investigators or leaked information to the press.
On other presidential priorities, Barr has delivered. When special counsel Robert Mueller's report was released, Barr came to Trump's defense.
BARR: There was in fact no collusion, there is substantial evidence to show that the president was frustrated and angered by his sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents and fueled by illegal leaks.
MURRAY (voice-over): Then he eagerly opened an investigation into the origins of the 2016 Russia probe and embraced Trump's view that his 2016 campaign was spied on.
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BARR: I think there is a spying that did occur. Yes, I think spying did occur.
MURRAY (voice-over): Even as current FBI director Christopher Wray distanced himself from the politically charged term. It was used to describe the investigation into Trump's campaign officials, who associated with Russians.
Trump has told aides he wants a bulldog of an attorney. He often says he wishes he still had an attorney like Ray Cohn, known for serving as Senator Joseph McCarthy's counsel during his Communism investigation and later for being disbarred for unethical conduct.
Barr insists he is still an independent AG.
BARR: I'm going to handle each case as I think the law requires.
MURRAY (voice-over): Though it is clear the two men often see eye to eye anyway.
BARR: I feel that he has faced a lot of resistance and he is still able to accomplish a lot of good things and we have a good working relationship.
MURRAY (voice-over): Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Back now to that high profile case of President Trump's longtime adviser, Roger Stone. He is requesting a new trial. Again, this comes despite a judge denying his previous request.
Earlier this week, attorney general Barr stepped in and overruled his own prosecutors' sentencing recommendation and that led to four career prosecutors on the case to quit the case.
Stone is to be sentenced on Thursday on charges of obstruction, witness tampering and providing false statements to Congress.
Earlier, I spoke with Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School. I asked her if Barr's recent actions were any indication the attorney general is looking to run interference for the president and his allies.
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JESSICA LEVINSON, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Really since the beginning of attorney general Barr's tenure, with the administration, I think he has been a very vigorous advocate for President Trump.
Trump famously with, his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, basically said you are not loyal to me. You're not acting like my attorney.
You have to think that when it comes to attorney general Barr, the Mueller report, Flynn Roger Stone, he really feels like he got his money's worth. I think attorney general Barr has been an enormously effective advocate for the president, not necessarily the American people but absolutely the president.
HOLMES: When it comes to Barr's comment about Donald Trump's tweets, that was interpreted in some quarters as a rebuke to Donald Trump but then he did pretty much exactly what Trump wanted anyway.
Was it really a rebuke or do you think he was trying to throw people off?
LEVINSON: I don't know if it was a rebuke so much as we can take it a couple of other ways.
One is a warning to the president, please don't do that in public. If you need to do that do that in private because it hurts my ability to do my job.
Another is that it allows attorney general Barr to maintain some sort of credibility if he looks like he is probably going against the president, then maybe it looks like the situation, where we have to question, is he really doing President Trump's bidding?
Again, actions speak louder than words. If you look at the actions he has taken, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Mueller report, there is little question that I think he has been a very vigorous advocate of the president. What happened with respect to the Roger Stone case, really, it can't
be overstated how remarkable it is to have four career federal prosecutors say I can't be part of this change and strategy. I can't be part of this case.
It is hard to read it as anything other than a very vigorous protest against attorney general Barr and the career appointees.
HOLMES: You make this point, it is worth revisiting. We have to remember that Trump is making it sound like some miscarriage of justice with Roger Stone. These were not insignificant charges or convictions. He was found guilty of these charges.
The other thing that is interesting here is former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, he actually ordered federal prosecutors to ask for a maximum possible sentences under federal guidelines. That's the Trump administration policy and that is what the prosecutors did with Roger Stone.
LEVINSON: There is a couple falsehoods that have been floating around. But Roger Stone has been convicted, not of amorphous -- we are not really sure if these are crimes but of very specific, very serious federal crimes, things like lying under oath, witness tampering and intimidation, these are well defined crimes, not that there are any humorous (ph) federal crimes.
But these are things that we take very seriously, undermine the criminal justice system and so the idea that the conviction somehow represents some sort of lack of integrity to the system, miscarriage of justice, is simply incorrect.
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HOLMES: That was law professor Jessica Levinson, speaking with me earlier.
Another case making headlines involves a lawyer who once floated the idea of running for U.S. president. A federal court in New York has found Michael Avenatti guilty on all counts, including extortion.
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HOLMES: Prosecutors say he threatened to publicly accuse Nike of paying amateur basketball players exclusively (ph) unless the company paid him millions of dollars. He rose to fame representing Stormy Daniels in her legal action against Donald Trump.
He is facing two more trials, one for allegedly stealing Daniels' booking advance.
When we come back, to recline or not to recline?
The viral video of an awkward encounter on a flight has people asking, when is it OK to put your seat back?
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HOLMES: Harry and Meghan's office at Buckingham Palace is set to close, that news is not surprising, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex transition into their new lives in North America. Some of the 15 people working in the office are expected to lose their jobs. Details are still being finalized, efforts are being made to redeploy people in the royal household.
Manchester City say they're going to appeal, after being banned from the Champions League for two years. European football's governing body UEFA is saying there were serious breaches of regulations by the English club. Patrick Snell with the details.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The SEC current plight engulfing one of the biggest names in world football, reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City.
On Friday, the club, lavishly backed by the Abu Dhabi ownership, learning they've been banned from European football, the league club competition, UEFA Champions League for the next two seasons, after falling foul of financial fair play regulations.
They will continue in this season's competition where they play Real Madrid later on this month in the round of 16. They've also been fined over $32 million but that is not what is truly significant here.
Just for context, they have been fined before. That was back in 2014. This is making headlines, because it is an actual ban and right now it stands at two seasons. City have always denied any wrongdoing, saying they will appeal and they will take it to the court of arbitration for sport.
Watch this space, no question, this story is going to run and run and run.
What about the reaction. UEFA saying they committed serious breaches of the club licensing and financial fair play regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break- even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.
Manchester City meantime says they're disappointed but not surprised by the announcement, adding with reference, UEFA's chief investigator, the subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result he would deliver.
The club has formally complained to the UEFA disciplinary body, which was validated by a court of arbitration for sport ruling.
"Simply put, this is a case uninitiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA." Winning the college for any club is always huge but City aren't any
club. They're a super club, undisputedly, desperate to win the tournament for the first time ever. We estimate lifting the trophy is worth to the winner something in the region of a staggering $90 million.
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HOLMES: Patrick Snell there.
Now getting comfortable on a airplane is hard enough these days. Now imagine you are seeing there and someone is punching the back of your seat because you reclined it. That is what happened to one woman on a flight to New Orleans in January.
A video of the incident has gone viral and ignited a debate on proper seat etiquette while flying. Richard Quest with that.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNNMONEY EDITOR AT LARGE (voice-over): When Wendi Williams reclined her seat on an American Airlines flight, she had little idea of the trouble that was in store.
She says she was flying back from a teachers' convention when the man sitting behind her asked if she would return her seat forward while he ate his meal. Williams said she did and that she reclined it again only when he was finished eating.
But Williams says the man started punching her seat repeatedly, as the video shows. CNN's not able to reach the man in the viral video for comment.
To recline or not to recline: it is not the first time the issue has been brought up in the close quarters of economy. In 2014, a United Airlines flight was forced to divert when two passengers got into an altercation over a gadget called the knee defender.
The tool was invented by Ira Goldman in 2003. The idea is to block the seat in front of you from reclining. Goldman told me it was all about passenger consent.
IRA GOLDMAN, INVENTOR: If I buy an economy ticket and it is this much space, that is the space I get. But I don't agree when I get on an airplane to say, sure, come and whack me on the knees.
QUEST (voice-over): So the traveling world is once again roiled by the question of reclining seats in economy and just what is the right thing to do. As airlines cram in more seats to fit more passengers, they are going to have to reckon with the consequences of their design -- Richard Quest, CNN, New York.
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HOLMES: On that note, thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Michael Holmes, I'll be back with headlines in just a moment.
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HOLMES: Hello, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes. This is your "CNN News Now."
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