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10 Killed in Shooting Rampage Near Frankfurt; Suspect's Website Points to a "Xenophobic Motive"; Former Trump Adviser Roger Stone to be Sentenced; Virus Proves Deadly for Two Cruise Ship Passengers; 74,500+ Cases and 2,100+ Deaths in Mainland China; Iran Reports Two Deaths in Qom Province Ahead of Election; Candidates Target Bloomberg in Heated Debate. Aired 10-10:45a ET
Aired February 20, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: A deadly terror attack kills nine in Germany. German leaders calling it a poisonous, racist act.
Passengers continue to leave the Diamond Princess as the cruise ship confirms two deaths.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She'd been allowed to bleed internally for almost ten hours. And her heart stopped immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: African-American women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women as maternal mortality rates
continue to rise in the United States.
I'm Becky Anderson. It is 7:00 in the UAE. Hello and welcome to what is our expanded edition of CONNECT THE WORLD.
A test of presidential power and influence moments from now. Trump ally Roger Stone will be sentenced. We will bring you the judge's verdict when
we get it.
First up, before we do that, to a tragedy in Germany. German leaders are calling out, quote, poison, that is hatred and racism after a deadly terror
attack in a town east of Frankfurt. At least ten people were killed when a gunman went on a shooting rampage in Hanau on Wednesday night. Nine of the
victims were gunned down at two separate shisha bars. Authorities say they all had a migrant background. Officials also say the 43-year-old suspect
had deep rooted racist views and left a letter and a video admitting to the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BEUTH, HESSE INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): First evaluation results of the suspect's website point to a xenophobic motive.
The car's owner is a 43-year-old German man from Hanau. The car was found at the owner's address. When police special forces entered the house, two
more dead people were found. One was the 72-year-old mother and the suspect himself. Both had gunshot wounds. The murder weapon was found alongside the
suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Melissa Bell is in Hanau in Germany where those shootings took place. Melissa, what more do we know at this point?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been hearing quite a bit more, thanks to the prosecutor's statement that's just been issued with the
very latest on the investigation. Let me show you quickly where we are, Becky, just behind me. This is the first shisha bar where that rampage
began at about 10 p.m. yesterday. The suspect then went on to another one, continued the rampage. A manhunt ensued and he was then found with his
mother who is also deceased at the flat.
What we've just learned from the prosecutor is that his father was caught and arrested just outside the building. He himself was unharmed. We've been
finding out more about the victims, as you say, beyond his mother who was also found dead next to him. The nine people who were killed in these two
shisha bars, they were both German nationals and foreign nationals, but they were, according to the prosecutors, and to use the German phrase, of
migrant background.
This is a well-known and very diverse part of the city of Hanau with a strong Turkish population in particular. Becky, we've also been hearing
from the prosecutor that they're now looking into whether the suspect was helped by anyone. Who he might have been in contact with before he began
his rampage.
ANDERSON: And this against the resurgence of the far right in Germany and the context for that, a backdrop of bitter debate about immigration.
BELL: That's right. I mean, ever since the 2015 refugee crisis, Germany's been profoundly divided. The AFD have been doing extremely well, and there
have been -- this was pointed out by the foreign minister yesterday when he tweeted about what happened here. This is the third far right attack in a
year.
So that speaks to something that's going on here for a long time now. The last few months, authorities have been warning that the specter of the far
right and the fear that many of those involved in some of the far-right groups could go on to commit domestic terrorist attacks has been expressed.
Germany was preparing to beef up its domestic security and intelligence services next year to help take on this very threat.
So it is very much on the map here, on the radar of authorities. Of course, it divides the country politically. Now all of the political parties here
in Germany has come out to condemn the attack. Let me just give you an idea of what the AFD said, the largest opposition group, of course, in the
Bundestag right now and one that has been accused of being on the far-right of the political spectrum.
[10:05:04]
They came out earlier and said that they condemned this terrible attack. Not calling it a terrorist attack. I think that's an important distinction,
but a terrible attack. Saying that they were behind authorities and believe an investigation would get to the bottom of what had gone on.
For the time being really there is just a great deal of outrage here in Germany. And we're going to see a steady state of politicians coming
through here. We've seen the interior minister later today. Steinmeier, the German President will be here. He'll be taking part in a vigil that's going
to be held not far from here. But I think a huge amount of shock that this has been carried out and that this particular form of violence is rearing
its head once again in Germany -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Melissa Bell is in Hanau in Germany. Thank you.
Well just moments from now, longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone is set to learn his fate in Washington. And it is no ordinary case. The American
President making it a test of Presidential power and influence. Stone will soon be sentenced on seven charges of obstruction, lying to Congress and
witness tampering. He has asked for a sentence of probation. But the Justice Department is pushing for prison time. But even so, earlier this
week, the department moved to lessen his sentence. That saw all four prosecutors quitting the case.
And for the last few hours, U.S. President Donald Trump opening the way to suggesting he could be open to pardoning Mr. Stone. Remember week President
Trump indulging the sheer power of his office, pardoning or commuting the sentence of 11 others.
Well let's bring in Sara Murray who is outside the court case. And CNN's John Harwood who is at the White House. Sara, let's just start with you and
get a tick tock as to exactly what we expect in the hours to come.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, the proceedings have just begun. The judge has just called things to in order this courtroom.
And Roger Stone arrived here a little bit earlier. It's unclear how long this is all going to take. But it is judge Amy Berman Jackson's opportunity
now to weigh in and to decide what kind of punishment she thinks Roger Stone deserves for the seven crimes he was convicted of.
Stone's team has said they don't think he deserves any jailtime. Obviously, the Justice Department originally said he deserves 7 to 9 years before Bill
Barr intervened and filed a new memo saying essentially, that he should get less than that. It's ultimately going to be up to the judge to hand down
whatever sentence she sees fit today.
And then after that, Roger Stone is not going to be detained immediately. He's put in a motion for a new trial and the judge said she would consider
that before she requires Stone to start serving out any of his sentence.
And the x-factor here is what President Trump is going to do. You know, he could weigh in at any point and decide he wants to pardon Roger Stone.
They've obviously seen him appearing like he's moving in that direction based on some of his public statements and tweets in recent days. And even
overnight he was tweeting about things that anchors were saying on Fox News about how Stone had been treated unfairly and deserves to be pardoned. So
we will see if the President could once again throw a wrench into this case.
ANDERSON: John, you have an article on CNN.com/politics today on our politics site. And I quote the headline, Trump's bending of justice will
have consequences. Explain.
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, this case has become much larger than the fate of Roger Stone. This is really a flash point for
the vibrancy of the rule of law in the United States. Ever since he has been acquitted by the Senate on impeachment charges, President Trump has
been emboldened to purge his administration of people who had participated in the impeachment proceedings. He has moved to issue a large number of
pardons to high-profile white-collar criminals, and he has signaled that he's going to continue to try to intervene.
His Justice Department asked, as Sara just outlined, a lighter sentence than initially recommended. What that triggered was then the withdrawal of
four career prosecutors, a letter from 2,000 former members of the Justice Department demanding that Roger Stone -- excuse me, that Bill Barr, the
Attorney General resign for doing the personal bidding of the President.
And, remember, the rule of law in the United States is the foundation of American leadership, economically and diplomatically. And if President
Trump erodes through his conduct and his interference in the justice system, confidence in honest governance in the United States on principle,
on law, that's going to have consequences in terms of weakening the American economy and weakening the ability of the United States to lead
other countries around the world to achieve our objectives.
ANDERSON: John, to which I ask a very simple question. Is there any confidence, that is, in honest governance in the United States these days?
[10:10:04]
HARWOOD: Well, it's certainly have been questioned more in the last three years than in any other point in our recent history. Look, for 100 years,
the United States has been the leading nation in the world. The dollar is the world's reserve currency. That is an expression of confidence in the
United States as a safe haven, a haven for investors. A place where property rights are expected that sort of thing.
So those advantages, and obviously we're the largest economy and largest military in the world. Those advantages don't go away overnight but they
can be eroded, and we have seen erosion, and the President does not seem to be particularly concerned about that erosion. Many other people I talked to
who served past Republican administrations are concerned that the damage has been done. The question is how much damage and if the President's
reelected, are we going to have four more years of damage after that?
ANDERSON: November 2020, of course, is only months away at this point. Sara, and proceedings as I understand it have begun. There are more than
100 people in the room. We've talked about the process at this point. What else do we know about whether we will hear from Mr. Stone and his lawyers
today or not?
MURRAY: You know, I would be a little shocked if we do hear from Roger Stone today. As you mentioned, it is a full house inside that courtroom,
about 100 people there. Stone showed up with a number of his supporters and members of this right-wing group known as the "proud boys." He's got five
lawyers with him today. And then there are the new prosecutors who are on this case since the four previous prosecutors have resigned. So that's all
getting under way.
But you know, one of the things to keep in mind is that Stone has asked the judge for a new trial. And she said that she will consider that motion
after they get through sentencing. So you know, while you may in other cases see a defendant, someone like Roger Stone speak on their own behalf
at sentencing, it would be really surprising if he were to do so today given the fact that he has this motion for a new trial. It's also possible
he could appeal whatever sentence he's going to get from the judge.
And so my best guess would be his attorneys would prefer if he not speak. And I will tell you, in the past when he has taken the stand in front of
this judge, which he did not do at trial but did in some of the proceedings before the trial, it did not go very well.
ANDERSON: Sara Murray and John Harwood in the house for you. An important and incredibly important story and when we'll stay on as it continues this
hour.
Ahead as well on the show, the novel coronavirus proving itself deadly in new places. Japan reports two people who caught the virus on a cruise ship
have died. The quarantine that failed to keep people safe.
And Roger Federer won't be playing in the French open this year. Find out why a little later this hour.
[10:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The novel coronavirus proving itself deadly in new places. Two people infected on board a cruise ship in Japan have now died. This as the
ship which was under quarantine for two weeks lets hundreds of people disembark.
In China, we are seeing reporting of a dramatic drop in new cases. There were more than, 1,700 on Wednesday. Less than 400 on Thursday. That appears
to be because the government is now changing how it is counting confirmed cases. Remember last week when we saw that one day increase of 15,000.
Well, that was also because the case definition changed.
Well the W.H.O. has said its normal course of an outbreak to adapt the case definition but all this begs the question, how many people actually have
the virus?
Well, we have teams across the region. Will Ripley is in Yokohama in Japan where the Diamond Princess is letting off passengers. David Culver is in
Shanghai with how fears of infection are affecting people who live there. I mean, daily life of course must go on. And Fred Pleitgen is in Iran where
the virus I'm afraid has proven deadly for at least two people.
First to Will, though, in Japan. What is the latest there? We've certainly heard that there have been two deaths now on that Diamond Princess cruise
ship. And yet, passengers, as we understand it, still disembarking.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky. A couple hundred people allowed off the ship today. The number yesterday, we were initially
told 800 then the Japanese government revising that number saying just over 400 people were allowed to disembark. But this comes as there has been --
you just mentioned it -- a sad but not surprising development.
Two passengers, Japanese, over the age of 80, who died. Who developed serious cases of this infection. We know that people in that age category,
people over 60, also people with pre-existing conditions like heart disease and diabetes do pose a higher risk of a potentially serious, even deadly
case of novel coronavirus. Which has a 2 percent death rate as we stand right now. Statistically speaking, that means that 2 out of every 100
people who develop this disease will die.
The Japanese government, Becky, continuing to defend its procedure on board the ship despite criticism from an infectious disease professor at Kobe
University that we had on yesterday. Saying that the conditions on the ship were scary and basically it was an incubator, a breeding ground for people
to continue getting infected.
The Japanese government firing back with a statement today saying that they are taking every measure possible to keep people on the ship safe and keep
them from becoming infected. Even as we learned two of their own workers have now have the virus. Two additional workers have tested positive.
But people who are able to leave the ship, they are given a clean bill of health. If they test negative for novel coronavirus, they have a letter
from the Yokohama quarantine office that allows them to get right into a taxi, get on to a subway, get on to the bus and go back to their homes,
their businesses, their schools.
We even learned that one of the people in this new round of cases here Japan, Becky, was a taxi driver who drove a Diamond Princess passenger --
this was in Okinawa when the cruise ship stopped there. But this all kind of builds the case that there's a lot of concern that what Japan is doing
is allowing people to potentially carrying this virus back to their communities.
Meanwhile, for the 100-plus Americans who remain here in Japan, and those in the hospital -- they've received a letter telling them that they're
going to have to go through an extensive testing procedure. Far more extensive than what Japan is requiring, Becky, before they are allowed to
return back to their country.
ANDERSON: Yes. Well, that's the story in Japan. David, Chinese officials citing better testing capability for what is this change of classification
of confirmed cases. The numbers they say are lower. For those at ground zero in Wuhan, of course, life must go on. And you have been speaking to
one woman who has been describing just how difficult things are.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wait until you hear her story, Becky. It is heartbreaking. We have been in touch with dozens of folks. My team and I
near Shanghai. We've been talking to a lot of the folks on the ground there in Wuhan. And even if we were there in Wuhan, we have to still rely on
video chat to be quite honest because of how strict these lockdown procedures are and the protocol there to not even leave your home. And
that's what they've now resorted to so as to stop the spread of this virus.
But as you mentioned, we've been in touch with folks who are increasingly desperate, and they want to get out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER (voice-over): Guizhen Qian gave us a video chat tour of her Wuhan apartment. It only took a few seconds to show us the small space where she
has spent the past 20-plus days unable to leave her home as part of the latest Wuhan lockdown measures.
GUIZHEN QIAN, GRANDMOTHER OF FELICITY (through translator): Since the lockdown I've been really rationing my food so it will last longer.
CULVER: The local government has allowed for grocery delivery but Guizhen fears opening her windows and doors could mean exposure to the novel
coronavirus. She's not only protecting her own health but also that of her 2-year-old granddaughter, Felicity.
[10:20:05]
QIAN (through translator): I'm looking after this baby and the floors above and below me have confirmed coronavirus cases.
CULVER: Felicity is a U.S. citizen. Guizhen has been raising her granddaughter as the little girl's parents are living and working in New
York City. But amid the outbreak and extreme lockdown, Felicity's mother is desperately trying to get the pair out of Wuhan.
AMANDA JIANG, MOTHER OF FELICITY: I'm afraid I cannot see my daughter again. I think if they are affected, I think that they will be dead.
CULVER: Fearing the worst, Amanda Jiang is pleading with the U.S. embassy to grant her mother-in-law, a Chinese citizen, a visa so she can accompany
the toddler back to the U.S. In the meantime, she has started stockpiling supplies in her New York City apartment hoping to ship them to Wuhan.
JIANG: We want to send all these masks to our -- to my families, to my relatives and donate some to the hospitals.
CULVER: But she has struggled to find a carrier to deliver within the lockdown zone. There are similar fears and frustrations shared by other
Hubei province residents.
WENDY YANG, WORKER IN DETENTION (voice): And now we are totally blocked. There's no person allowed to go out.
CULVER: By phone, Wendy Yang told us that she was on day 27 or 28 inside her apartment. She started to lose count. She sent us photos from her
window looking out. She says, she feels trapped and depressed.
YANG: So many people pass away in these long days. And we are suffering.
CULVER: Back inside Guizhen's apartment, the 61-year-old admits she's relied on cartoons to keep Felicity entertained.
QIAN (through translator): If it wasn't for Peppa Pig, there'd be no way I could look after her.
CULVER: But there's an added fear for Guizhen. She says she's also battling thyroid cancer and worries she may be more susceptible to
contracting the coronavirus.
QIAN (through translator): If I get sick with this pneumonia, I have no idea what I would do with this child.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: So I have been in touch with the U.S. embassy, Becky, about this case in particular. They are aware of it. And the reality is it's very
difficult for them to just jump in and pull this grandmother and granddaughter out. I mean, there's complicating factors, including the
lockdown and what's going on there logistically just to get around, not to mention coordination with the Chinese government. Nonetheless, they're
aware of it. We'll keep in touch with them to see how they're able to proceed on it.
And we should point out, the American embassy here in China has been able to get out, along with several other embassies around the world. Hundreds
of their citizens. But there still remain 780 million people in some form of lockdown, including the major cities like Shanghai. It's not as
restrictive as you see in Wuhan but, Becky, it still exists to some degree.
ANDERSON: David, there are reports that a fugitive businessman at the center of Malaysia's infamous 1MDB scandal is possibly hiding in Wuhan.
This seems like something akin to a movie. What more do we know at this point?
CULVER: Isn't this bizarre? If this story in and of itself wasn't made for a movie, a man who actually is believed to have ties to Hollywood himself.
You're talking about Jho Low. He is accused of having siphoned off billions from the Malaysian Sovereign Fund and according to the inspector general of
Malaysian police -- this is what we're hearing today from state media out of Malaysia -- he is believed to be within the city of Wuhan. At least that
was his last siding, if you will.
Now police in Malaysia say that they still want authorities there to be on alert in case he decides to return. It's not clear how he would leave the
lockdown. But should he, they say they welcome him back, even if he has the coronavirus, Becky. They said that's a good place to be treated because
they've had recent success in some of those cases.
ANDERSON: David Culver on the reporting for us. David, thank you for that.
All right. Fred, I need to get to you, and apologies. Just having a moment myself here. Fred, let's get to you. You are in Tehran. What more do we
know?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Becky. Here in Iran, it seems that the coronavirus has
come very suddenly. Has hit this country very suddenly but has become very deadly, very quickly. There're two cases that are now confirmed by the
Iranian government who have died -- two have died of the novel coronavirus.
It was quite an interesting dynamic that has been unfolding here over the past sort of not even 24 hours. I would say about 18 to 20 hours where
yesterday evening the Iranian authorities announced that there were two patients in Qom who had tested positive in the initial test for
coronavirus. Only a few hours later, the authorities announced that those two patients had died.
[10:25:03]
Now the Iranians are saying that those two patients who did die were in frail health anyway and were of quite advanced age. That's the official
line we're hearing from the Iranian health ministry. Now today the Iranians have announced that two more people in Qom, which is a religious center,
very important religious center, a place of pilgrimages as well -- about 150 kilometers south of Tehran. Two more people there have apparently
tested positive for coronavirus as well. And one person in Arak, which is also south of Tehran.
The Iranians are also saying that five people have been transported to Tehran on suspicion of having coronavirus. They're undergoing tests right
now and are in isolation. What the Iranian government is saying is that the government here is portraying this as them being in control and then trying
to come to terms with all of this. As the President has announced that they have now initiated what they call an anti-coronavirus headquarters. They
had members of the military in it. Members of the health ministry in it and other ministers as well -- the education ministry, for instance.
And the Iranians are saying that they are stopping passenger flights to and from China. I can tell you when we got in here to Iran, we had, at the
airport, people there waiting with screening machines for flights that were coming from China. So there was a sense of preparation for this already.
Now the Iranians are saying they're trying to contain all of this. They are telling people to try and avoid public gatherings in places like Qom. But
they are also saying that they have the situation under control.
But, of course, Becky, as you know, tomorrow there's going to be a very important Parliamentary election here in this country where people have no
other choice than to go to public places if they want to go and cast their ballot.
So that's certainly something that's going to be an interesting factor there as we monitor the Iranian election as well. As the coronavirus now
really becoming a very big news item here in this country and the authorities very much saying they are taking precautions and that they are,
as they put it, very much on top of trying to prevent this disease from spreading any further.
ANDERSON: Briefly, just how might this latest news affect people's enthusiasm to get out and vote, do you think?
PLEITGEN: Yes, I mean, that certainly is going to be one of the big questions. And, Becky, as you know, even before the coronavirus cases were
confirmed, voter turnout was one of the main things we were going to be looking at for this election here in Iran. There were a lot of candidates
who were barred from running by the Guardian Council. Moderates saying that among those who were barred, many of the people were moderates.
I actually asked the Guardian Council, you know, what the factors were for barring people from running. And they said it had nothing to do with
whether they were moderate or not. They said there were other factors that were in play. But certainly, there are some who thought that that could
dissuade certain people from actually going and casting their ballot, leading to certain voter apathy.
The government has been trying to counteract that. There have been ad campaigns out here in Iran urging people to go vote. Iran's supreme leader
has urged people to go vote. Iran's President as well. But turnout was certainly one of the things we were going to be looking at anyway.
And now with the coronavirus cases, you do see in public places more people than usual wearing masks, more people than usual taking these precautions.
And you hear people from the health ministry saying, look, try to avoid public gatherings in certain places. So that's certainly going to be one of
the things that could have an effect on voter turnout as well -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran for you. And this CNN alert for you. These are live pictures of security forces in eastern Ukraine deployed
there after protesters arrived to try to confront a plane load of people evacuated from Wuhan in China. Protesters want to block the evacuees from
getting into the country even though none of the passengers are showing symptoms of the coronavirus. They will, though, undergo a 14-day quarantine
period. The Ukrainian President defended the decision to allow them in calling security measures unprecedented.
Well still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, candidates came to win at the Democratic debate in Las Vegas. But instead of finding common ground, they
went after each other. That after this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OLIVIER LAOUCHEZ, CEO TRACE: My name is Olivier Laouchez and I am the chairman and CEO of Trace. People of African origins were completely
underrepresented in traditional media. They needed to have their own voice, their own platform to express their culture, their creativity. So we
decided to set up Trace from the very beginning. It would be this platform so they can express themselves.
[10:30:03]
At the very beginning it was mainly focused on music and entertainment. And now we are migrating to employment. You can have an impact on the life of
the people with education.
For each we can give this platform and make it a game changer for the lives of people, a positive game changer, then I will have considered that I have
accomplishment for now a kind of dream.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right now, we are waiting for a judge in the United States to hand down the sentence for a long-term Trump ally Roger Stone. Now he is
the Trump associate who was convicted on seven counts of obstruction, of lying to Congress and of witness tampering. The sentencing proceedings are
now under way. The judge started by telling the courtroom she expects everyone there to maintain decorum.
Remember the American President opening the door to pardoning Stone this morning even before the sentencing. We're watching this for you, and we
will bring you news from that sentencing as soon as we get it, as well as the wider analysis of Donald Trump's departure from the typical standards
of law and order in the United States.
Well CNN has back-to-back what are known as town halls just hours from now with two Democrats vying for the White House. Joe Biden's first. Starting
early Friday morning in Abu Dhabi followed by Elizabeth Warren. Both were part of the lineup at the Presidential debate Wednesday night that turned
downright hostile -- it has to be said. And the main target of the vitriol, the newest candidate on the debate stage, former New York mayor Michael
Bloomberg. Here is a taste of what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are giving a voice to people who are saying we are sick and tired of
billionaires like Mr. Bloomberg seeing huge expansions of their wealth while a half a million people sleep out on the street tonight.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I actually welcomed Mayor Bloomberg to the stage. I thought that he shouldn't be hiding behind
his TV ads.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would like to talk about who we're running against. A billionaire who calls women fat broads
and horse-faced lesbians. And, no, I'm not talking about Donald Trump. I'm talking about Mayor Bloomberg.
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's easy. All the mayor has to do is say, you are released from the nondisclosure agreement. Period.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's put forward somebody who is actually a Democrat. Look --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well CNN political commentator Arlette Saenz joining me now from Las Vegas. It was less about the winners and more the perceived losers
making their headlines this morning. The morning after the night before, of course. And Michael Bloomberg must be hoping that what goes on in Vegas
most definitely stays in Vegas -- Arlette.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it was certainly was a Michael Bloomberg pile-on last night as he received incoming fire
from all of the Democratic contenders on stage. And though he had spent some substantial amount of time preparing for this debate, there were
moments where Michael Bloomberg appeared a bit flat-footed.
And one of those came when Elizabeth Warren was criticizing him for allegations of sexual harassment or gender discrimination within his
company and talked about some nondisclosure agreements that Bloomberg had some people sign. Take a listen to what she had to say and what he said in
response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: And I hope you've heard what his defense was. I've been nice to some women. The mayor has to stand on his record.
[10:35:00]
And what we need to know is exactly what's lurking out there. He has gotten some number of women, dozens, who knows, to sign nondisclosure agreements.
So, Mr. Mayor, are you willing to release all of those women from those nondisclosure agreements so we can hear their side of the story?
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: None of them accused me of doing anything other than maybe they didn't like a joke I told. And let me
just -- and let me --
WARREN: Some is how many?
BLOOMBERG: They decided when they made an agreement, they wanted to keep it quiet for everybody's interest, they signed the agreements and that's
what we're going to live with.
WARREN: I'm sorry. This is not just a question of the mayor's character. This is also a question about electability. We are not going to beat Donald
Trump with a man who has who knows how many nondisclosure agreements and the drip, drip, drip of stories of women saying they have been harassed and
discriminated against. That's not what we do as Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: And that was one of the many lines of attack that Michael Bloomberg faced. And he has been rising in the polls, in part because of that massive
amount of his own personal fortune he has been spending across the country on television ads. But yesterday it did seem that he was knocked down a
little bit after that debate performance. We'll see how these next few days play out for him.
He's also expected to be on the stage in South Carolina for the debate there next week. But one person that really emerged from this debate
relatively unscathed was Bernie Sanders. He's currently the front-runner of this Democratic pack and he really had those Democratic contenders going
after Bloomberg and not really hitting Sanders all that much. As is typically the case with the front-runner. Now we are two days out from the
Nevada caucuses, and all of these candidates, except for Michael Bloomberg, who is not competing here, they are all making their final pitch to voters
as they're trying to come out of this state with strong showings -- Becky.
ANDERSON: And Michael Bloomberg's camp suggesting that his performance was somewhat underwhelming. Saying that he's only just getting his feet under
the table as it were. Is it any clearer, do you think, that debate provided any clues as to where we are at going forward from here with regard this
Democratic race?
SAENZ: Well, I think it's still a little early to tell how big of an impact that debate will have. But this was the first time that people
across the country really got to see Michael Bloomberg facing criticism, facing questions.
He hasn't done a lot of media interviews. And he really hasn't been engaging with the other Democrats in this race since he's been running. So
this was the first clear picture that people have gotten of Michael Bloomberg, besides the events he's held in those television events that
have been running.
But there's still a lot to figure out about this race. Right now Bernie Sanders is rising. He is -- has a double-digit lead over his rivals. And
so, for now, he remains the Democratic front-runner. One question going forward is, will one of these more moderate candidates, kind of emerge from
the pack? And will moderate supporters around the country be able to coalesce around a candidate like a Michael Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Pete
Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and will they present a viable alternative to what Bernie Sanders is currently offering.
We're going to see that play out over the course of the next few weeks as we have the caucuses here in Nevada, the primary down in South Carolina and
then those Super Tuesday contests where there is a massive amount of delegates that these candidates could acquire.
ANDERSON: Arlette Saenz is on it. She is in Vegas in Nevada. What an evening to be there in the casino kingdom as it were. Thank you.
This is CNN. We are waiting for the sentencing of one Roger Stone. We will be back straight after this.
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