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Coronavirus Outbreak: Hundreds of Americans to Evacuate Cruise Ship; America's Choice 2020; U.S. and Taliban Agree to Violence Reduction Proposal; Needy Patients in China Struggle to Get Treatment; White House Whirlwind; Battle of the Billionaires; NBA All-Star Tribute. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired February 16, 2020 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Almost home: after nearly two weeks at sea, fellow American passengers on the quarantined cruise ship in Japan will be finally heading home.
Also last week, it was Storm Ciara, now it's time for Storm Dennis. Some are saying it's the strongest storm the North Atlantic has ever seen. Derek Van Dam joins me live in studio about this.
Hear what was going through Nancy Pelosi's mind when she made the tear heard around the world.
Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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ALLEN: 5:00 am in Atlanta. Thank you so much for joining us.
Our top story: hundreds of Americans on that quarantined cruise ship confined to their rooms for nearly two weeks, they're packed and ready to go home. Buses have arrived at the dock to take them at the airport, where at least one chartered jet will carry them back to the United States.
The past 12 days have been an ordeal. The Diamond Princess has had more than 350 cases of the novel coronavirus. Only those Americans not infected or showing symptoms will be allowed to fly to the U.S.
Also Canada now making plans to get its citizens off of that ship. CNN's Will Ripley is standing by in Japan.
Seeing the ship at night, it looks picturesque and magnificent but it doesn't tell the story of what's going on inside.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've been following this ordeal for nearly two weeks now. A lot of them were told up until yesterday, after the quarantine, if they tested negative they will be able to come home. Now the U.S. government is coming o the rescue and they will get to leave the ship a bit sooner.
But they received the unwelcome news that they have to endure a new 14-day quarantine at military bases in California or Texas. Then there are people who thought they might get on those flights and were told they don't qualify.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): For Americans under quarantine on the Diamond Princess, a knock on the door.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
(CROSSTALK)
RIPLEY (voice-over): A glimmer of hope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So our purpose is to come if and check on a couple of the passengers. We'll be looking at all the Americans over the next couple of days.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Infectious disease doctors from the U.S. checking every American on the ship.
Ken Frasure from Oregon has someone else on his mind.
KEN FRASURE, OREGON RESIDENT: Are you also checking those Americans in the hospitals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
K. FRASURE: Yes, my wife is in one of the hospitals.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Frasure's wife, Rebecca, tested positive for novel coronavirus last week. Each day apart feels like a week.
RIPLEY: We are back at the quarantine hospital in Tokyo, where Rebecca Frasure is.
REBECCA FRASURE, QUARANTINED PATIENT: Hello.
RIPLEY (voice-over): She still has no symptoms of the virus. In fact, she's feeling great. They just learned of a plan to evacuate Americans on U.S. government charter flights.
R. FRASURE: So I'm hopeful that myself and my husband can hopefully get on that plane.
RIPLEY (voice-over): She's not bothered by the prospect of yet another 14-day quarantine in the U.S. At least she'll be with her husband. At least that's what she thought.
RIPLEY: So what happened right after we left the hospital?
R. FRASURE: The doctor came in, not even 10 minutes later. I also got my test results back and they were positive still. RIPLEY (voice-over): A positive result means she cannot get on that flight.
RIPLEY: I'm so sorry.
R. FRASURE: It's devastating.
RIPLEY: I'm so sorry.
R. FRASURE: It was like a punch in the gut. I was so sure that this was going to come out negative. I was so sure.
RIPLEY: So you get this news you will still be separated for the foreseeable --
R. FRASURE: It was devastating. It really was. We had a pretty clear picture on our minds what was going to happen and it got shot to hell.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The Frasures' holiday from hell now has no end in sight.
K. FRASURE: It makes things really tough. Today was looking really good. We were getting excited. We might be going home. Hours after that, it's back down, worse than what we were before.
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K. FRASURE: It is basically an unknown until she can test negative.
RIPLEY (voice-over): When the other Americans board the charter flights home, the Frasures have no choice but to stay behind, waiting for the day their good news will finally come.
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RIPLEY: So Ken Frasure is one of the Americans who remains on the Diamond Princess. He's not going to leave his wife, Rebecca, behind here in Japan.
For those who are going, they're told to bring water and snacks and dress in layers. They'll be boarding seven ,buses lined up outside the Diamond Princess. They will drive to Haneda Airport, where two converted cargo planes are waiting for them.
It's not a cushy flight home. For those passengers wanting to get off that ship, they're grateful to be going back to their home country.
ALLEN: It's a first step and a significant first step for this ordeal to be behind them.
I want to pivot just a moment to another story regarding coronavirus, since you're in Japan.
Will, what's the level of concern there as the virus continues to spread considering the Olympics are being held in Japan this summer? RIPLEY: That's a great question, Natalie. Look, there are 407 cases Japan is treating right now; 356 cases are tied to the cruise ship and 51 cases not connected to the cruise ship. They've had one fatality.
This is obviously raising concerns. In just a matter of months, Tokyo will be hosting the Tokyo Summer Games. Scientists do believe that the virus will weaken as the temperatures rise. And it gets very hot here in Tokyo during the summer. That will be good news.
But you can't rely on that entirely. They're putting measures in place, keeping in mind people are going to be traveling here from all over the world, including from China and other countries, grappling with this global outbreak as we speak.
Tokyo insisting the games will go on. But we know how quickly the situation is changing day by day. It's almost impossible to predict what will happen months from now.
ALLEN: We'll keep our fingers crossed. Thank you so much for on your reporting, Will.
All right, to election 2020 now, things heating up on the campaign trail out west in Nevada, where early voting is now underway.
Look at these long lines, with state party officials forecasting high turnout. This was Saturday. Democratic presidential candidates taking every opportunity to gain votes. Notably former Vice President Joe Biden following disappointing results in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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QUESTION: How well do you need to do here in Nevada?
JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just have to do well.
QUESTION: Do you think you need to win?
You need to come in first place?
BIDEN: No, I don't think I have to but I think we have a shot at doing that.
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ALLEN: And Senator Bernie Sanders setting his sights on fellow candidate, billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Regardless of how much money a multibillionaire candidate is willing to spend on his election, we will not create the energy and excitement we need to defeat Donald Trump if that candidate pursued, advocated for and enacted racist policies, like stop and frisk, which caused communities of color in his city to live in fear. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: CNN political correspondent Arlette Saenz has more now from North Las Vegas.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With weeks to go in the caucuses, early voting kicked off here in Nevada as the candidates were out in full force, trying to bring their supporters on board. Bernie Sanders led a march of his supporters over to an early voting site on Saturday. Joe Biden even took a busfull of his own supporters to go vote early for him.
Now Nevada will be the first contest, the first nominating contest that features a more diverse electorate. You're going to see a lot of candidates over this next week, trying to appeal to a diverse coalition of Latino and African American voters.
Also, unions have a very strong presence here in Nevada.
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SAENZ: One issue of particular importance to them is health care, since many of those unions have negotiated health care plans. Some are not so fond of Medicare for all. Joe Biden tried to make that pitch during an event here in North Las Vegas.
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BIDEN: We're not going to tell all of you who have broken your neck and given up wages and give up salaries in order to be able to have health care through your employer and you've worked like the devil for it.
You won't be required to give it up like the other things do. Medicare for all requires you to give it up. My plan allows you to keep what you negotiated. If you want to do it and if you don't want, you can buy in cheaply. And if you don't have the money you can automatically get Medicare in my proposal if you want it.
SAENZ: The Biden campaign is hoping for a bit of a turnaround here in Nevada after disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden telling me he thinks he has a good shot at winning here in Nevada -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, North Las Vegas, Nevada.
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ALLEN: Let's talk Nevada with our guest from England, Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at University of Birmingham.
Good morning, Scott.
SCOTT LUCAS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: Good morning, Natalie.
ALLEN: Let's begin with the long wait, the people standing in line for hours for early voting ahead of the Nevada caucus.
What could that signal?
LUCAS: Well, I think it signals a lot of people are enthusiastic in terms of participating in this 2020 election. I expect it won't just be in Nevada, I expect you'll see it in South Carolina next week and Super Tuesday in early March.
Why is that?
One factor is we've got a wide-open race here. You mentioned Joe Biden; you mentioned Bernie Sanders. You can talk about Pete Buttigieg, who's done well; Elizabeth Warren, who's hoping to rebuild her campaign.
And then of course, the surprise -- not surprise, let's just say the person who's broken through to the top tier, Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota.
Secondly, this is essential, the issues are energizing people. You talked about health care. You can talk about climate change. You can talk about education, economic justice, you can talk about just a decency in politics. People really want to make a difference, especially after the turmoil we've seen in the last few years in the States. That's a positive thing.
ALLEN: We heard from Bernie Sanders there, who's riding on his victory from New Hampshire and his very good showing in Iowa. We heard him say he won't be influenced by billionaires. He's going after the former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who's coming in late to the game but spending gobs of money in advertising.
How does a billionaire stack up to the grassroots campaign of Bernie Sanders in today's environment?
LUCAS: Well, how does a billionaire stack up to running a campaign against the others who've been there for months?
When you say gobs of money, that's more than $200 million --
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ALLEN: I didn't know exactly how to frame that much money so I just said gobs.
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LUCAS: You know, when we get up to lots of gobs then you know how serious this is. Bloomberg effectively is saying, everything up until early March doesn't matter. Now you can just pay attention to me. But whatever you think about Bloomberg coming in late, let's get back to issues.
Where does he stand on climate change, on economics?
And where does he stand on issues like race and policing of the community, especially over the issue of stop and frisk?
Just spending money does not replace the need to actually engage. And just a cautionary note, everybody says, here comes Bloomberg. For what it's worth right now in California, the largest prize on Super Tuesday, he stands at 13 percent in the poll. Fair enough, that's only third or fourth. Less than half of where Bernie Sanders is.
Is Bloomberg all of a sudden going to be surging to the top?
I think it's a question of, where do you stand, Mayor Mike?
Where do you stand alongside Mayor Pete, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden?
ALLEN: Yes, they've been in there from the start. There's another billionaire, Tom Steyer, in there as well.
Let's talk about Elizabeth Warren, she should have a good showing on Super Tuesday. She calls herself a fighter but she had a disappointing run in the first two tests.
Is Nevada do or die for her at this point?
LUCAS: No, I don't think so. First of all, Elizabeth Warren has been quite impressive on the campaign trail.
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LUCAS: She's been impressive in the debates. I think she has a stance on the issues that appeals to quite a few people. She's also running second in the polls in California, she's also favored to win in Massachusetts, will run strongly in Maine.
She's in there in utility Super Tuesday and if she does well in those states, she's there all the way to the end.
People have written Amy Klobuchar off a month ago and here she comes. So it's far too early to write off Elizabeth Warren.
ALLEN: All right, Nevada, we'll be watching in the next few days. Scott, thanks so much. We always appreciate you coming on.
LUCAS: Thank you, Natalie.
ALLEN: Stay with CNN for a special "STATE OF THE UNION" program with Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg. Watch at 9:00 am in New York and 2:00 pm in Dublin.
A deal to reduce violence in Afghanistan is getting a positive nod from the United States and the Taliban at the Munich Security Conference and a clearer picture of what it may look like.
Plus, as the deadly coronavirus spreads, so also is racism and xenophobia. We'll get into that. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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ALLEN: Welcome back.
Diplomats and world leaders are tackling the issue of international security right now, the final day of the Munich Security Conference. And one topic garnering major attention, the war in Afghanistan.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says a plan by the United States and the Taliban to scale back the violence has a, quote, "moving date."
And also House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Nic Robertson's at this security conference.
Nic, Nancy Pelosi spoke a short while ago.
What did she have to say?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, very interestingly, interesting for a lot the delegates that have come here from European capitals, that she was quite aligned with Mark Esper and some of the other government officials from the Department of Justice, from the Department of State, from the State Department and even presidential adviser here, briefing journalists about the concerns about China's Huawei's 5G technology and the U.S.' determination to protect its national security by not aligning with countries who are going to use Huawei's equipment.
That means a lot of European nations. So what we heard from Nancy Pelosi and the congressional delegation, saying they've been engaged in similar discussions with European partners here and they say these European partners are going to do some deep and hard thinking about the Huawei 5G issue.
There really seems an alignment between the Democrats and what President Trump's officials are pushing and telling European partners and is that 5G equipment made by Huawei is damaging for these countries.
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ROBERTSON: It's not --
ALLEN: Go ahead, Nic. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.
ROBERTSON: It's damaging for the national security of these countries. The United States isn't going to use it and won't partner with those countries in the future because they believe the values of China are autocratic, they're using 5G technology against people, to violate the human rights of people in China.
And to use that technology in any way potentially opens the door to China to harvesting data from these nations and stealing intellectual property.
ALLEN: All right, that's something that the United States as you say has been staunchly opposed to there.
Now let's talk about Afghanistan.
And how major is this, what we're seeing as a potential breakthrough with the Taliban?
ROBERTSON: Yes, Mark Esper said very clearly that he believes this is an opportunity for politics to take hold in Afghanistan, from the talks directly between the U.S. government and the Taliban.
It doesn't involve -- those talks haven't involved the Afghan government. But the Afghan government here have been speaking here with Mark Esper and the president's special representative, who has been negotiating with the Taliban.
It's a reduction in violence, is the agreement that the United States government has with the Taliban; the Afghan government supports that. The Afghans saying they'd like more detail on how to implement this reduction in violence.
What would the rules of it be?
All these technical details. So it seems we're on the verge of a potential transition to a reduction in violence, which could lead to ultimately to reduction in U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But it seems that it's not buttoned up entirely and it hasn't gone into force yet.
ALLEN: Right, as you said earlier, that reduction could take quite some time up to a year. All right, Nic Robertson following two different stories there. Thanks so much.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is also there at the Munich Security Conference, she's conducted two major interviews including with president Volodymyr Zelensky and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF UKRAINE: When I had meeting with Mr. President Trump and he said about that -- he said that, previous years, it was so corrupt, his country, Ukraine.
I told honestly and I was very open with him, I told him that we fight this corruption, we fight with this, fight each day. But please, please stop to say that Ukraine is corrupt. Because for now, it's not true.
ALLEN (voice-over): Mr. Zelensky also spoke about his newfound fame in the United States after his country was at the center of the impeachment trial.
ZELENSKY: Now I'm very popular in USA. (LAUGHTER)
ZELENSKY: But I didn't want to find such way. But you know but if this wave will help Ukraine, I'm ready for next call with Mr. Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Now Nancy Pelosi also spoke about the impeachment trial in Christiane's interview and that moment right there, the House Speaker explained that moment that made headlines around the world, where she very publicly ripped up President Trump's State of the Union address.
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REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I had no intention of doing that when we went to the State of the Union. Now I'm a speed reader, so I knew what was there. I got past a third of it and I thought, this is terrible.
A couple of pages, thinking, I ought to remember on this page and then I realized almost every page had something in it that was objectionable.
So it wasn't a planned thing but it was -- one of my disappointments, with all of that we have done legislatively, whether it's equal pay for equal work, raising the minimum wage, gun violence, the list goes on, climate action now, we have very little press on it. And it seems that, if you want to get press, you have to get attention.
So I thought, well, let's get attention on the fact that what he said here today was not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: For our international viewers, tune into "AMANPOUR" for the full exclusive interview on Monday 6:00 pm in London and 10:00 pm in Abu Dhabi.
Basketball's All-Stars are honoring one of their own, how fans and professional players are paying tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter.
Plus this is ahead.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Getting a bed in a hospital shouldn't be contingent whether patients test positive for the virus or not but you look online and you see a different, disturbing reality.
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ALLEN: People in China desperate to get medical attention for themselves or their loved ones. Our David Culver reporting straight ahead here. (MUSIC PLAYING)
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ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States an around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We appreciate it. I'm Natalie Allen.
A look at the headlines we're following.
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ALLEN: The spread of the infection across China has been explosive, well over 68,000 cases and counting. Medical facilities are simply overwhelmed and turning away needy patients. David Culver is in Beijing with more about it.
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CULVER: At the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan, it's more than three weeks since the unprecedented lockdown. In that time two hospitals rapidly built, stadiums and exhibition halls turned into mass treatment centers.
But CNN found desperate pleas for help growing louder, residents suffering with novel apparent symptoms of the coronavirus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): By phone, Gao Jing (ph) told us she rushed her elderly mother to the hospital as soon as she started feeling sick. Instead she said her mom was sent home and told to contact her local neighborhood committee.
Days passed and finally she got tested on Wednesday. The 87-year old hasn't gotten her results and still can't get admitted.
If you listen to authorities, cases like this should not be happening. China's vice premier has called for officials all to admit all who need to be admitted without missing one of them. He said getting a bed in the hospital should not be contingent on whether or not the patients test positive for the virus.
But online you see a different disturbing reality.
On Chinese social media, CNN found hundreds of people posting deeply personal messages with impassioned pleas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom just said she doesn't think she will live to see her grandson's first birthday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can lose everything but I can't lose my mom and dad. I'm begging the government, begging all the kind people out there, please help me.
CULVER (voice-over): This is Li Wa Jun (ph). She's been sick since January 22nd and is believed to have the virus. Her husband showed us this video of her, lethargic and in too much pain to move. Her test results said she initially tested negative for the coronavirus.
But her doctors' reports say CT scans show both the lungs are seriously infected.
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CULVER (voice-over): While the newly reclassified government statistics would technically consider her a coronavirus sufferer, the neighborhood committee, which amidst this crisis has been appointed gatekeeper between patients and hospitals, has refused to admit her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): Li Wa Jun's (ph) grandmother is in a similar situation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): Like Li Wa (ph), she tested for the coronavirus and without a positive test result, no hospital admission, no treatment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
CULVER (voice-over): Li's grandmother was sitting in the hospital waiting room for two days, until a sudden influx of new patients meant she didn't have a seat anymore, let alone a bed. So she left and wandered the park. Eventually her daughter wheeled her home, a 45 minute walk in a borrowed wheelchair.
CNN wanted to know why these patients were still not getting treated. We faxed the Wuhan health commission and the national health commission.
Then we waited; 36 hours later, a response.
CULVER: We just received this fax it's from the Wuhan health commission, they have arranged treatment for all the families that you just heard from, along with four other cases we asked them about.
CULVER (voice-over): We checked in with the families and they confirmed they're now getting some help, following CNN's inquiry. It is reassuring to see the government's response, not only in words but also actions.
But similar posts keep surfacing, more cries for help, reflecting a city's struggle to contain the deadly spread -- David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ALLEN: Global anxiety and fears over the coronavirus have turned into
xenophobia and hostilities toward East Asians living abroad, many reporting racist acts are showing up in their lives, riding public transportation and checking into hotels. Our Natasha Chen has more.
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NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Around the world, the coronavirus has elicited legitimate concerns but, along with that, a douse of racism.
This weekend in Plymouth, Indiana, this person at a Super 8 denied a room for the two Hmong men filming this video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're from China I need to know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the coronavirus going around and anyone from China, I'm told, has to be picked up and quarantined for two weeks.
CHEN (voice-over): Actually it's people returning to the U.S. who have traveled to China's Hubei province recently, not just anyone who may look Chinese.
Wyndham Hotels, franchises Super 8, say they're deeply troubled and there is no corporate policy denying rooms to guests who are Chinese.
Aside from denial of service, people are reporting instances of verbal abuse and physical attacks. The New York Police Hate Crimes Task Force is asking the woman wearing the face mask in this video to report it for a full investigation. The person who recorded this says before the camera started rolling, the man had hit the woman on the head, used expletives and called her "diseased."
She says the video then shows the woman chasing the man, who turned around and attacked her. She said the initial conflict seemed to be over face masks, commonly used in Asia long before the coronavirus as a preventative measure, not a sign that the person is necessarily sick.
On the L.A. subway line, this man was ranting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every disease has ever came from China. Everything comes from China. (INAUDIBLE) It's disgusting.
CHEN (voice-over): This woman told CNN the man was looking at her before she started recording and believes she was the only person of Asian descent on the train.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
CHEN (voice-over): She said she went home that night and didn't realize until she looked online that, around the world, there were other reported cases of racism connected with the coronavirus. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just touched me in a way. It made me realize how big this is and that what happened to me definitely is not unique. What happened to me is not the worst that it can be.
CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Next here on CNN NEWSROOM, the former New York mayor is gaining ground in the race for the White House, a look at Michael Bloomberg's unique years-long relationship with Donald Trump. They weren't always enemies, you know.
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ALLEN: If you're feeling United States political fatigue, you're likely not alone. The country has been through the wringer, arguably one of the most volatile periods in recent U.S. history.
The reminder of the last few days: February 5th, President Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
On February 7th, the president started cleaning house, firing U.S. ambassador Gordon Sondland and Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman and his twin brother.
Then on February 11th, Mr. Trump tweeted, this man, his close associate Roger Stone, should get a lighter sentence. Then, you guessed it, the Department of Justice made a similar recommendation, overruling its own prosecutors, who later quit the case.
Three days ago, on February 13th, attorney general Bill Barr appeared to lash out at the president for tweeting about criminal cases.
Then on Valentine's Day, we got news that he ordered a review of other cases of Trump's allies, like Michael Flynn, raising new questions about Barr's ability to operate independently of the president.
Did you follow all of that?
Well, Michael Bloomberg is rising in the polls as he hopes to unseat Donald Trump and the former New York mayor seems to have a way of getting under the president's skin. CNN's Brian Todd reports the New York billionaires have quite a history.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, he's a lightweight.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The way they talk about each other now, you'd think they've been enemies for life.
BLOOMBERG: I am not afraid of Donald Trump.
B. TODD (voice-over): But back in New York, back in the day, a different dynamic.
TRUMP: And I have to say you have been a great mayor. You really have. I mean, this guy is fantastic.
[05:45:00]
B. TODD (voice-over): That was in October 2013. Then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump lavish praise on each other after Trump helped Bloomberg convert a trash dump in the Bronx into a high end golf course.
BLOOMBERG: But if there's anybody that has changed this city, it is Donald Trump. He really has done an amazing thing and this is another part of it. Donald, thank you for your confidence.
B. TODD (voice-over): Analysts say that partnership actually could have been the genesis of their falling out, because in a 2016 interview with Wolf Blitzer, Trump took all the credit for the project.
TRUMP: I took it over, I got it knocked up in one year and now to tremendous success. Michael asked me if I get involved in it.
MICHAEL KRANISH, "TRUMP REVEALED", CO-AUTHOR: Bloomberg thought that was an exaggeration. His former age thought that was an exaggeration and it sort of split between them.
B. TODD (voice-over): But before then, Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg appeared to get along or at least found each other useful. Trump backed Bloomberg's effort to run for a third term as New York's Mayor. They golf together.
Bloomberg appeared on Trump's NBC show, "The Apprentice". And their daughters appeared in an HBO documentary called "Born Rich". But analysts say in the real world of New York business and philanthropy.
MICHAEL D'ANTONIO, "THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUMP", AUTHOR: In that world, it was Bloomberg who was the star and it was Trump who was the one who is always looking for acceptance and rarely getting it. During all of his life, Donald Trump has longed for the approval of the New York establishment. Mike Bloomberg was the New York establishment.
B. TODD (voice-over): Now the two are being compared and contrasted under a microscope. Both switched political parties repeatedly and were unexpected winners in their biggest elections. And both became billionaires. Although on the Forbes list of the wealthiest Americans at the end of last year, Michael Bloomberg ranked eighth with $53.4 billion, while Trump ranked 275th with $3.1 billion.
KRANISH: They both named their businesses after themselves. They're both very well wealthy people. But Bloomberg came from a more working class background and Donald Trump, of course, inherited a lot of money from his father to run his business.
B. TODD (voice-over): Going forward, how nasty and personal will their battle become?
D'ANTONIO: Well, I think in a head to head battle, Mike Bloomberg and Donald Trump will be nastier than anything we've seen in politics, perhaps in 100 years. You know, these are two people who are not afraid to fight and they're not afraid to fight in a very personal way.
B. TODD: Analysts say the reason Donald Trump appears to fear Michael Bloomberg is that he realizes Bloomberg has the resources, millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars that Bloomberg can spend on ads, highly produced ads that he can use to keep attacking Trump in the most personal of ways -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: It's going to be a long year.
Parts of the United Kingdom are being battered by ferocious wind and rain. We find out where the storm is heading next. Our Derek Van Dam will be with us.
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ALLEN: Some weather news for you, the Pearl River in Mississippi is expected to crest at historic levels later on Sunday. Officials have ordered a mandatory evacuation in some parts of the state.
Neighborhoods are already starting to flood; the river is nearly 2.5 meters or 8 feet above flood stage. Of course, it runs through the capital of that state. The governor has declared a state of emergency as people prepare for more flooding. More than 2,000 homes are at risk.
For the second weekend in a row, a massive storm is battering the U.K. Parts of Britain have already been hammered with rain and flooding. Authorities have advised people in parts of Scotland not to travel due to wide disruptions of rail and ferry services.
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ALLEN: Well, 18-time pro basketball All-Star Kobe Bryant is getting a new honor, the NBA says it's permanently renaming the All-Star MVP game award for him. Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in that tragic
helicopter crash. Former president Barack Obama called their deaths heartbreaking.
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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That loss is something that I know many of us are still grappling with, particularly Kobe, because he was with his daughter.
And those families and those children of those of us who have had the joy and privilege of being parents, taking kids to ball games and rooting for our children and seeing our dreams and hopes passed on to them. Nothing's more heartbreaking.
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ALLEN: On Friday night, fans joined the tribute, chanting Kobe's name.
That's CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Please follow me on Instagram and Twitter. I'll be right back with our top stories.
