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Hala Gorani Tonight
Coronavirus Death Rate Continues To Rise; New Hampshire Primary Today; Sudan To Hand Over Former President To International Criminal Court; Hong Kong Apartment Building Partially Evacuated; Researchers Worldwide Hunting For Coronavirus Vaccine; Abbas Blasts "Swiss Cheese" State; Hundreds Injured During Protests In Lebanon; U.S. Seeking To Announce Deal With Taliban As Soon As This Week; Sea World Settles "Blackfish" Lawsuit With Investors. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired February 11, 2020 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:36]
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Isa Soares, in for Hala Gorani.
And tonight, public enemy number one: Top world health officials ramp up their warnings on the novel coronavirus.
Plus, the race for the White House, 2020 Democratic candidates get ready for round two in New Hampshire.
And a swift rejection: Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls Donald Trump's peace proposal an Israeli-American plan.
But, first, the World Health Organization says the coronavirus epidemic is clearly an emergency in China and a very grave threat to the rest of the
world. There are now more than 43,000 global cases -- you can see on the map -- most of them in mainland China. More than 1,000 people have now
died, and Monday was the outbreak's deadliest day so far with 108 people killed.
Now, in order to get control of the epidemic, the WHO says countries need to consider the virus public enemy number one, and really be aggressive in
their containment efforts. And if they don't they warned, the virus could create chaos, especially for countries with underdeveloped health care
systems, which is something we've heard before from them.
But the WHO also says there's ample room for hope. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: If we invest now in rational and evidence-based interventions, we have a
realistic chance of stopping this outbreak. We have a window of opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, let's take a look over the last week at the number of new reported cases each day across the world. You can see, on February the 5th,
it looked like the number of new cases reached a high. Then, as you can see, went down a tiny bit. The overall trend is downwards.
Meanwhile, the number of new deaths reported each day is creeping up steadily. Remember, all but two of the more than 1,000 deaths have happened
inside mainland China.
David Culver joins me now from Beijing. And, David, we heard from China's leading epidemiologist expert, basically saying the virus may soon peak. Is
that bringing -- from those you're speaking to -- any sort of relief? Is this a message that Chinese state media is happy to re-emphasize?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Isa, this is certainly the preferred message that state media wants to get out there, especially when you start
to look at all the numbers, right? You can look at this in a variety of different ways. You can look at the rising death toll, day after day; or
you can look at, as you mentioned, in the past two weeks, the five drops of daily reported cases, confirmed cases of this virus.
So they're certainly focusing on the more positive aspects of this, though it is interesting to hear from Zhong Nanshan, who is this leading
epidemiologist. He's somebody who is well-known for his work in SARS back in 2003. And he's also somebody who, if you just go back to January 20th of
this year, was one of the first within mainland China to speak out on state broadcaster CCTV and stress that this is in fact an outbreak.
He also, Isa, was one of the early ones to consider this human-to-human transmission, and to really look at this overall as something to be
concerning, and especially for medical workers on the front lines, given that they themselves were getting infected.
So he hasn't shied away from any of that. But you talk about the WHO pushing for these aggressive containment efforts, well, we've seen that
here, almost to the extreme at times -- Isa.
SOARES: Let's talk about that. Because the WHO did say today, David, there won't be a vaccine for another 18 months, 1-8. From those you have spoken
to, what does that mean for China's containment efforts?
CULVER: It doesn't seem that China's waiting for a vaccine on this. And there's no indication that that will do much good, 18 months from now,
obviously.
They're (ph) focusing on these lockdowns and in some jurisdictions, I mean, you're looking at one person from every household being allowed to leave
every three days. Those measures are considered extreme, even by some provincial leaders who have said to these local jurisdictions, you might
want to relax that a little bit, it's a little bit too much.
SOARES: Yes.
CULVER: That being said, even Zhong (ph) who (ph) -- the leading epidemiologist, was somebody who said, look, these are also effective. You
can't deny that they're not going to stop the spread. And so he believes that they should be kept in place.
At the same time, he's also not wanted to shy away from calling out the local governments in their missteps early on. I mean, that's something
that's really getting a lot of attention, and even state media has been dwelling on that.
[14:05:10]
And we noticed that, Isa, because the central government is now in control here. Xi Jinping himself, the president, is handling the deployment and
coordination efforts.
And so for the local leaders to be taking the fall is not all that surprising and may actually be merited because they -- you know, as we saw
with some of the early whistleblowers -- weren't pushing things up the ranks, and so now we know, as of Tuesday, that two of the senior health
officials within Hubei Province have been fired.
SOARES: David Culver there for us, thanks very much, David. Fantastic work on the ground.
I want to get more on this. Dr. Celine Gounder is an infectious disease specialist at New York University's School of Medicine. She hosts the
podcast "American Diagnosis." She joins me now from New York.
Doctor, thank you very much for being with us. I want to get your take -- really, your assessment -- of the numbers that we were just talking about.
What we have been seeing is a decrease in the number of infections, something like 20 percent. We're also seeing the deadliest day so far.
Before (ph) I bring up those graphics so our viewers can show them again -- I'll get my producer to bring them up -- how do you make sense of this,
doctor?
CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: I think it's a little too early to say, Isa. You know, I
think what you may be seeing is partly some catch-up in terms of screening and diagnosis and testing, and so you saw an increase in cases that was
reflective of that. And then part of this may also be that you're having waves of infection, and so you may have some waxing and waning of the
rates.
And so I think we really need to give it a couple more weeks before we can say this is a true down trend in cases.
SOARES: We've been hearing a lot from China's leading epidemiologist expert, who says the virus may soon peak. Take a listen, then we can talk -
- get your reaction after that. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZHONG NANSHAN, CHINESE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: We (INAUDIBLE) has a prediction based on the mathematical A.I. model, and also based on the monitoring of
the real-time development of recent days. And based on the risk factor, and also based on the strong intervention of the Chinese government.
So we suppose, maybe, the peak time may be reached and -- at the -- maybe in the middle or late this month, February. So -- and then keep a little
bit plateau or something like that, and then going down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: What do you make of what he said, Doctor? I mean, the fact that perhaps it will peak. Are we out of the woods here? Are we mid-peak? It's
hard to tell, I know it's all mathematical at this point.
GOUNDER: Right. And so much depends on, you know, what interventions are in place in any one particular country. Maybe we'll be lucky and things
will peak in China in the next couple weeks or month. But remember, we do have cases elsewhere, and we have seen a sustained transmission elsewhere
now.
So again, I think it's too early to say. I think some of this is promising, it's reason to have hope. But at the same time, we need to be prepared for
if this does not turn out to be the case.
SOARES: Yes. And I was speaking to our correspondent on the ground in Japan yesterday, Will Ripley, and he said to me, you know, it's important
not to sound alarmist. But at the same time, I heard WHO director general today say the coronavirus poses a grave threat for the world. So viewers
really watching around the world, how do you square those two things off?
GOUNDER: Well, I've spent a lot of time working in sub-Saharan Africa in countries -- for example during the Ebola epidemic in countries like
Guinea, which have very, very weak health care systems, where they may not have the ability -- they may not have running water, honestly. And so this
idea of hand-washing in a country like that is going to be very challenging.
And there's also a lot of trade, of travel between China and Africa. And it's not just Africa. But, you know, that -- those are the places,
countries with weaker health care systems, that I am very concerned about still.
SOARES: Yes, so the weaker health infrastructure, which is something the WHO director general said right from the beginning.
He also said today, Doctor, that their vaccine may not be ready for another 18 months. Give us a sense -- I mean, is that normal, that it takes that
long?
GOUNDER: That's actually pretty fast fora brand-new vaccine --
SOARES: Oh.
GOUNDER: -- to be developed. I think we were a bit lucky with this one because there were already some candidate vaccines for SARS and MERS that
are being adapted for the new coronavirus. But still, it takes time to study something like this. And to do that in the middle of an outbreak,
which is what you're going to have to do, to demonstrate it works, that takes time.
SOARES: Just a very probably odd question for you. With something like this, with a virus like this, is there an aspect of seasonality to it? For
example, as the weather gets warmer, perhaps, the number decreases? That got -- is there any correlation between those two things, Doctor?
[14:10:06]
GOUNDER: Oh, sure. So there's a reason we think of, you know, the fall and winter as cough and cold season. There's a couple reasons for that. One is
that we tend to be indoors more, around each other more. So you're sharing the same air in closed rooms much more, whereas, you know.
The other thing that's different between spring and summer and the cooler months is humidity. So when you have drier air, cooler air, viruses are
able to linger longer. Whereas if you have warmer temperatures and higher humidity, you have less of that.
So it is certainly true that you see more transmission in the cooler months, but it doesn't go away completely in the spring and summer either.
SOARES: Thank you very much, Doctor, there, for joining us. Really appreciate you taking the time here on the show to speak to us. Dr. Celine
Gounder, there, of the Infectious Disease Special (ph) at the New York's University School of Medicine. Thank you.
Now, more than 3,000 people are still stuck on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, 135 people aboard have tested positive for the
coronavirus. But there's a tiny bit of good news, as Matt Rivers explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here on Tuesday in Yokohama, Japanese health officials reporting no additional people testing positive
for this coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess. That is a stark change. It's the first day in several that we haven't seen the number of
cases go up, especially considering what we saw on Monday, when an additional 65 cases, including five crew members, were reported.
That said, we've spoken to multiple health officials who say they are expecting the number of coronavirus cases to rise over the next several
days. We are in -- still in the middle of this two-week quarantine process, where everyone has to stay inside their rooms except for limited amounts of
time during the day, imposed by Japanese health officials.
Now, health officials say that even if the number of viruses go up, they do not believe that the people who will eventually test positive picked up the
virus after the quarantine started. They believe that these people contracted the virus before the quarantine period; they believe the
quarantine is working.
That said, we've spoken to people on board who are feeling uncomfortable, they're feeling tense, they're feeling that maybe the health officials are
not doing the exact right thing here. But Japanese health officials are sticking by their plan. They say the quarantine is the way forward.
The ship, currently out of the harbor in Yokohama for some routine maintenance, expected to come back in around 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning
and the quarantine will likely stay in effect until February 19th. Matt Rivers, CNN, in Yokohama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, Sanders, Buttigieg or someone else? Right now, the people of New Hampshire are voting in the first primary of the 2020 U.S. presidential
campaign. Pete Buttigieg brought donuts to some of his volunteers on Tuesday morning.
Just like in Iowa, the Buttigieg campaign has invested a lot of money in staff and organization in New Hampshire, hoping to pull off an upset and
beat Bernie Sanders. Now, most polls show Sanders with a small lead and he's from neighboring Vermont, so this is in many ways his backyard.
All the candidates seem eager to see what happens next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor, are you going to win here today?
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We think so, feels fantastic. The volunteers are fired up and the energy on the ground's wonderful.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If the early votes, the midnight polls are any indication, we're going to have a pretty good night
tonight.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is just exciting, to be out here. And it's great to see how many people show up to
show their support, and how many people show up to vote. So I'm really excited about this.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of good friends (ph) here in New Hampshire, but this race isn't over until you've got -- a significant
portion of the electorate hadn't voted yet. And I'm gone -- we're going to head to South Carolina tonight, and we're going to go to Nevada, as I've
said from the beginning. We've got to look at them all. And I'm feeling good about that.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT): We had by far the largest rally that any Democratic candidate in the New Hampshire primary has had. You know, we
were, you know, hit a little bit hard by the impeachment process, which kept me in Washington for a couple of weeks. But I'm proud that we have
spoken to tens and tens of thousands of people in New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now, CNN's Ryan Nobles is covering the Sanders campaign in New Hampshire. Just moments ago, he told me they expect to have a big night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isa, there's no doubt that Bernie Sanders and his campaign feel very confident about his prospects here in New
Hampshire. And if he is to win here tonight, that could make him the legitimate frontrunner, not only because he has done so well in these first
two states, but also because national polling shows him pulling ahead of Joe Biden, who is falling behind after very disappointing showings in Iowa
and what appears to be a disappointing showing here in New Hampshire.
[14:15:03]
Still, Sanders, tempering his expectations, telling his supporters that they need to turn out in a big way for him today if he's to cross the
finish line in first.
SANDERS: I'm not going to speculate, you know?
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: All I can say is we have worked really hard. Our volunteers have done an extraordinary job and, you know, I hope very much that we're going
to win here tonight. But I'm not into much --
(CROSSTALK)
SANDERS: All right, thank you all very much.
NOBLES: Now, make no mistake, even if Sanders doesn't win in New Hampshire, that doesn't mean he'll be out of this race any time soon. He
still has a lot of money funneling into his campaign and strong support in some of these states that are further down the primary calendar including
Nevada and of course California on Super Tuesday.
Still, this will represent a very important symbolic victory for Sanders, and start to coalesce support within the Democratic Party to show that not
only can he win now, but he can win in November against Donald Trump -- Isa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thanks very much, Ryan Nobles there.
Well, the candidates who may have the most on the line tonight are Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren. They each struggled, if you remember, in Iowa.
And the polls show them well back of the leaders in New Hampshire. And if they're again left in the dust tonight, do they have a path forward? Is
there momentum?
CNN's Miguel Marquez is following that story from Dover, New Hampshire. So, Miguel, a lot to play for, in fact, for all the candidates. Joe Biden in
particular, who didn't do so well in Iowa, interestingly, he's not staying in New Hampshire tonight, going to South Carolina. How is that being
interpreted?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that he's probably not going to perform very well here. And, you know, we're at Ward 1 in Dover, it's a
very liberal city in New Hampshire. And I've spoken to dozens and dozens of voters as they have left the polling station here. The vast majority have
said that they're voting for Bernie Sanders. Pete Buttigieg is up there as well, and then coming in a bit perhaps third and fourth are Amy Klobuchar
and Elizabeth Warren.
The one person who nobody that I have spoken to today said they support is Joe Biden, which does come as a bit of a shock.
I have Jackie Valley here, who is the boss. You are the ward mediator for this ward here, is that correct?
JACKIE VALLEY, MODERATOR, DOVER WARD 1: I'm the moderator for Ward 1, yes.
MARQUEZ: Not the mediator, the moderator. Thank you very much.
VALLEY: There's a lot of mediation too.
MARQUEZ: There's a lot of mediation. How are things going so far today?
VALLEY: Going great. We've seen about a third of our precinct coming in. It's only 2:15 p.m., we expect that a lot of people are going to be coming
in after work today. So we're hoping to see numbers that are going to rival some of our top numbers, it's about 75 percent of our Ward. And I think
we're going to rival that today.
MARQUEZ: Right. So you, the top -- in 2008 was the big --
VALLEY: Yes.
MARQUEZ: -- number for you guys, about 2,500 voters in this particular ward. Do you think you'll hit that today?
VALLEY: I think we're going to exceed that today. We're already at 1,100 voters, and we haven't even seen the after-work crowd. So I really do
believe we're going to exceed that.
MARQUEZ: You opened up at 7:00 a.m., you close at 7:00 p.m. and you expect probably in the what, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. hours is when you're going to see
the bulk of voters?
VALLEY: Absolutely. We have a lot of people in this area that work, they come in after work. So 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. is usually our busiest time.
MARQUEZ: You're one of six wards in Dover. What are you hearing from your colleagues around the city?
VALLEY: So all of us are seeing about the same thing. We're seeing slow, steady progress. You know, we haven't seen huge lines, which is wonderful
because things are running smoothly. But we are seeing a steady stream of people coming all day long, excited to be here, all pre-registered and
ready to vote.
MARQUEZ: Jackie, thank you very much --
VALLEY: Thank you so much.
MARQUEZ: -- good luck, really appreciate it.
VALLEY: Thank you.
MARQUEZ: So -- and we watch Dover very closely as well, Isa, because it is a city that typically is a bellwether for how the state will go as well.
In the last several Democratic contests here, the contested Democratic contests where you had lots of candidates out, Dover was the exact
bellwether for how the state went, not just with the top candidates, but the first, second, third and fourth and even fifth candidates, Dover was
spot-on. So we're watching Dover very closely -- Isa.
SOARES: Miguel, you were saying to me that a lot of the people you spoke to, a lot of them said they're backing Bernie Sanders. According to a CNN
poll, 29 percent will likely back Sanders. But interestingly, 56 percent of them say they are undecided. Are you hearing that too?
MARQUEZ: Well, so a lot of voters here are undecided voters or undeclared voters, meaning they have no party and they can come in and take any ballot
they want. That's part of it. The other part of it, there are so many individuals, so many candidates in this race that a lot of people aren't
making up their minds until the last minute.
One thing that I've heard, interestingly enough today, a lot of, is that they have made up their minds for Amy Klobuchar in the last moment because
of her -- her -- the way she handled herself in the last debate, just a few days ago. They thought she was very impressive, and that seems to have
brought a surge of voters her way -- Isa.
SOARES: Still a lot to play for. Miguel Marquez, thank you very much.
I want to bring in now CNN Political Commentator, Joe Lockhart. He was White House press secretary for Bill Clinton. Joe, always great to have you
on the show. Thanks very much for joining us.
Let's talk about the latest poll -- and I know it's only a partial -- only paints a partial picture, but as I was discussing there with Miguel
Marquez, is that we have -- Bernie Sanders is the favorite there in New Hampshire, but 56 percent of Democrats, undecided. How do you read this?
Are people just not prepared to tell us the truth?
[14:20:17]
JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, I think that people are undecided. There's a lot of choices. I think the Sanders' support is solid,
the people have been there from the beginning. I think the -- you know, the headline out of tonight will be, I think Sanders wins. But the race isn't
any clearer tomorrow than it was yesterday.
We have -- you know, you've got Joe Biden, who has underperformed consistently now. But he's going to South Carolina tonight because that's
his firewall, that's where he thinks he can win a primary and get back into the race.
I think the real race tonight is who comes in third. You know, if Amy Klobuchar jumps over Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, she then becomes
viable into Nevada and potentially South Carolina.
So I think, you know, we went into New Hampshire with --
SOARES: Let's talk -- yes.
LOCKHART: Yes?
SOARES: Go ahead, sorry. Finish --
(CROSSTALK)
LOCKHART: We went into New Hampshire muddled, we're going to come out of New Hampshire muddled. And it is probably going to be a couple months
before this race figures itself out.
SOARES: Right, before we start getting a clearer picture.
But let's talk for our international viewers, Joe, really, about how much of this (ph) is at stake. And if you don't mind, I would like to do a quick
power round.
You tell me who thinks needs to -- the better finish here in New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders, or Pete Buttigieg?
LOCKHART: Bernie has to win. If somehow Buttigieg defeats him, that will be a huge loss for Bernie. So there's more pressure on Bernie, but I think
he knows he has it.
SOARES: Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren?
LOCKHART: Elizabeth Warren, only because in South Carolina, African- Americans make up the bulk of the -- 60 percent of the population. Biden has a track record there, Warren doesn't.
SOARES: So where does Biden need to finish today to keep the momentum alive in their campaign? I know he's already going to North Carolina, he's
placing a lot of his support and bets on that. But where does he need to finish in order for that to be solid, to have the momentum?
LOCKHART: Yes. I mean, he'd like to finish third, I don't think that's going to happen. What he needs to avoid is finishing fifth. And I think if
he does that, he'll have trouble raising the funds he needs -- you know, even in a place that's so built for him like South Carolina. So I think
more than anything, they want to beat somebody, either Warren or Klobuchar.
SOARES: And the fact that Biden has decided not to stay in New Hampshire today, Joe, I mean, is that a sign -- well, maybe we shouldn't read too
much into it, the fact that he's throwing a lot of his support behind South Carolina, right?
LOCKHART: Yes. I mean, I think you -- you're not in the state that's having the primary if you're sure you're going to win and you want to get a
jump on the next primary, or you're sure you're going to lose and you have to get a jump on the next primary.
SOARES: Yes.
LOCKHART: So I think, you know, he's -- he knows it's going to be a bad night, he wants to tell the people of South Carolina, I'm with you, you
know, this is where I'm going to rebuild my campaign.
SOARES: And we have heard from Biden and also from Sanders, seems the gloves have come off in the last 24 hours. Is this a sign that perhaps
they're feeling somewhat threatened by Buttigieg here?
LOCKHART: Well, I think it's a sign that the -- this has gone to the voters. And, you know, now is the time -- you have to make your case. I --
you know, I don't think there was ever an expectation that everyone would hold hands and, you know, sing "Kumbaya" together as a party. It's -- this
is the tough part.
And, frankly, it's important for Democrats to show whoever wins this that they can take a punch and they can give a punch. So I'm not part of the
Democratic Party that's worried about this. This is part of the process. And in the long run, it's good that we get the best candidate. And this is
one of the ways we find out who the best candidate is.
SOARES: Very briefly, your -- who do you think will win tonight?
LOCKHART: Well, I think Sanders will win. The real battle, I think, tonight, is for third place. I think Klobuchar has a really solid chance of
doing that, and that changes the dynamic for her. As -- I think Warren going to fourth or fifth, you know, it really puts her in a hole (ph). And,
you know, Biden's just going to pray for South Carolina.
SOARES: Joe Lockhart, always great to get your perspective. Thank you very much, good to see you.
LOCKHART: Thank you.
SOARES: Now, our special coverage of the first U.S. primary for the 2020 Democratic presidential contest starts in just about an hour and a half. Be
sure to watch CNN for all the latest updates as well as developments out of New Hampshire. That's 4:00 p.m. in New York and 10:00 p.m. if you're
watching us in Berlin.
Still to come right here on the show, wanted by International Criminal Court, Sudan is handing over its former president who's accused of war
crimes.
[14:24:41]
And then later this hour, Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas slams the U.S. peace plan as a gift to Israel that no one had the right to
give. We'll give you all the latest, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The national security agents have arrived, they've broken up the demonstration. They're
going from house to house. We've been brought into the safe house. We don't know how long we're going to have to wait here. They're trying to figure
out how to get us out of here. People are starting to come in, we have to go inside.
I just saw their cars drive past. They're going from door to door, trying to figure out who was out (INAUDIBLE) demonstrations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: CNN's Nima Elbagir there, reporting from Khartoum during Sudan's unrest in 2019, which just weeks later led to the ouster of President Omar
al-Bashir. Now, that brought about today's event as nearly a year later, Sudan will hand over the former president to the International Criminal
Court. That is according to a senior government source speaking to CNN.
Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in the Darfur crisis, that's between 2003 and 2008. He is one of four former officials that Sudan
will turn over to the court in the Hague. CNN's Nima Elbagir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELBAGIR: Isa, it has been a decade and a half in the making since former Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was first indicted by the
International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes and even just months ago, when the Sovereign Council took over after Bashir was
deposed, this seemed to be a red line that the Sudanese government, in whatever iteration it found itself, was not willing to cross.
But we understand from conversations with government sources that it became a deal-breaker between the transitional government in (ph) the center and
rebel groups in the still-contested regions in other parts of Sudan, many of whom represent those in Darfur who were targeted as part of the campaign
of terror wreaked by al-Bashir's government in that part of the country.
For those we're speaking to in Sudan, it's been a hugely emotional moment and a shock to many of those who heard this for the first time.
We're still very short on detail. The language we're hearing is that al- Bashir is set to appear in front of the ICC; whether that is in the Hague or Sudan, that's as yet unclear. We're hearing hybrid courts that could
allow for him to be tried in Sudan.
Our sources tell us that the Sudanese government acknowledges that Sudan does not have the infrastructure to try war crimes, but they could
potentially place magistrates on courts shared with the ICC.
The ICC itself says that it has not been formally notified. But for many of those in Sudan, hearing this news, none of that matters. What matters is
that finally, after three decades, three incredibly bloody decades, for the most part, that Sudan's former dictator appears to finally be facing some
kind of true justice -- Isa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thanks very much, Nima Elbagir there.
Well, still to come tonight, a British man who contracted the coronavirus is coming forward. He's sharing a message from the isolation unit of the
hospital, we'll bring you that.
Plus, police in hazmat suits evacuated residents from this Hong Kong apartment complex due to the coronavirus: why health officials were
concerned about that building, next.
[14:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. Now, South Korea is the latest country to issue travel warnings over the coronavirus outbreak. The South Korean health
ministry is warning against traveling six Asian countries to prevent people from bringing the deadly virus back home with them. You can see those
countries are Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, as well as Singapore.
Now, all these comes as health officials in Singapore confirmed two additional cases and that brings the total there up to 47. Health officials
meanwhile in Hong Kong are especially concerned about conditions inside an apartment building after two residents contracted the coronavirus.
Our Ivan Watson explains what has them so worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The police in Hong Kong are taking extra precautions as we can see here,
covering themselves in extra protective material as they approach a residential tower block over my shoulder here.
It's called Hong Mei House. And the authorities have partially evacuated this building. After Hong Kong's 42nd case of confirmed coronavirus was
discovered here, a 62-year-old woman about a week and a half after a 75- year-old man living in the same building was found to have coronavirus.
It has raised concerns that there could be transmission taking place within the pipes of the building between the sewage system and the air ventilation
system, that there could be a leak that virus could be transmitted that way.
And so we see the police here going into the building. But it has been partially evacuated. Some people placed into hospital isolation, others
into quarantine and there's precedent for this.
In 2003 during the SARS epidemic, there was a housing estate here in Hong Kong that saw hundreds of residents infected when virus was spreading
between the sewage and ventilation systems. At least 42 people died in that residential housing complex.
This is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. So the city is very much on the lookout for this. This building, the authorities say,
will be thoroughly disinfected in the days ahead.
WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now, and since Ivan filed that report, health officials have confirmed seven new cases of coronavirus in Hong Kong, and that brings the
city-wide total to 49.
[14:35:03]
Meantime here in the U.K., coronavirus patients who have infected multiple people has revealed his identity, Steve Walsh, you can see there, issued a
statement today via his employees, saying he has fully recovered and had isolated himself as soon as he knew he'd been exposed to the virus. This as
a U.K. official confirms to CNN that two prisoners are being tested for coronavirus.
Our correspondent Scott McLean joins me now.
Now, let's talk about Steve Walsh, because he traveled throughout Europe, not showing any symptoms, is that correct?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You're absolutely right. So this virus has gotten around the world quite quickly not just in
China. And Steve Walsh is a prime example of how someone can carry it from country to country without ever knowing that they had it.
In this case, he went from Singapore to France and then to the south coast of England. In the U.K. though, there are only eight confirmed cases. That
said, authorities are taking it extremely seriously.
And as we found out today, researchers are also doing the same. Here in London, they are working faster than they ever have to find a vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN (voice-over): The coronavirus epicenter is in Wuhan, China. But for the city of Brighton and Hove on England South Coast, it might as well be a
sales conference in Singapore. That's where Steve Walsh first contracted the novel coronavirus. From there, he unknowingly brought it on vacation to
the French Alps before bringing it on an EasyJet flight back to England two weeks ago.
Back home, he spent time at this pub in Hove where it's still business as usual. Only after all of that was Walsh told he may have the virus. Today,
he says he's fully recovered but still in hospital quarantine. Walsh says his family which does not share the virus has also been isolated.
On Monday, the U.K. announced four new cases of the coronavirus. France announced five over the weekend. The World Health Organization says all of
them linked to the same ski chalet in the Alps and Steve Walsh.
DR. MICHAEL RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: People are not at fault. They are never at fault in these situations. So let's be
extremely careful here. It's really, really important that we don't attach unnecessary stigma to this.
MCLEAN: Two of the British cases were health care workers. Authorities said they were urgently working to trace their contacts. They believe are just a
few.
MCLEAN (on-camera): On Monday, patients at this clinic in Brighton showed up to find this sign on the door. Closed for extensive cleaning as a
precautionary measure. Though none of the British health authorities will definitively confirm that the closure is due to the coronavirus.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Meanwhile at London's Imperial College, Professor Robin Shattock is in his lab leading a team developing a vaccine that may
put an end to the outbreak. Several other labs around the world are doing the same.
ROBIN SHATTOCK, PROFESSOR, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: We consider this a vaccine race. And I think actually, it's important that there are many
different groups around the world that have started this race.
MCLEAN: On Monday, Shattock's team injected a droplet sized dose of their vaccine into mice. He's confident it will work. If it does, it will still
need to be proven safe in humans.
Compared to previous outbreaks, Shattock's team is moving lightning fast. A vaccine ready for market is still likely a year away.
SHATTOCK: We're always challenging ourselves to go faster. And each time something like this happens, the global vaccine community is challenged to
do -- go faster and do better. We're still hopeful that this epidemic may well be contained by the measures that are being put in place. And it's
still not, you know, implausible that the virus may actually go away during the summer months.
MCLEAN: An ideal scenario the World Health Organization said Tuesday now has a realistic chance of becoming a reality.
DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: If we invest now in rational and evidence-based
interventions, we have a realistic chance of stopping this outbreak.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN: So as we said, while nothing has been confirmed at this stage, a British official has told CNN that they are now testing two inmates at a
prison northwest of London. So they've been put in isolation away from the general population. A certain ward of the prison has also been closed off.
Sort of locked down more than you would normally expect it to be.
SOARES: Yes. Because I'm sure our viewers will be like, how exactly if they're inmates, how do they exactly contract this, right?
MCLEAN: Right. And again, they're just testing. But it is a good question. If they are, in fact, confirmed, it raises this question, how the heck,
does a virus like this get inside of a prison? And at this stage, officials say they don't know.
SOARES: Right. I know that you were visiting Imperial College here in London. They are working on a vaccine. What are they telling you?
MCLEAN: Yes. So they're saying look, they are one of many facilities around the world, many labs around the world that are also looking for this
vaccine, hoping that theirs will be the one. The lead researcher told me today that look, it is good that this is a race. It is good that there's a
little bit of competitiveness to try to find what the actual vaccine may be.
They're all a little bit different from one another. And so it is not clear that this one being developed at Imperial will be the vaccine, but it could
be.
SOARES: What makes this coronavirus so difficult for them when they look at the components of it?
[14:40:08]
MCLEAN: So actually, what makes it easier for them in this outbreak compared to previous ones is the speed at which they can work. And the
reason why is because, because they have the genetic code of this virus, they don't actually need to get the virus to figure out what might be an
effective vaccine. So they can essentially make a synthetic version.
Whereas in previous outbreaks like, for instance, the SARS outbreak, they actually needed a piece of the virus itself in order to develop the
vaccine. So because they don't need that, it's easy for labs around the world to then just decode the genetics and then work to actually find a
vaccine that way. So they're injecting it into mice right now. Just a drop size in mice.
They won't know for about six weeks though whether the vaccine is effective, though. They expect that it will be. And then after that, human
testing comes next.
SORES: Of course, and WHO is saying today hoping the next 18 months to find a vaccine.
Scott McLean, thanks very much.
MCLEAN: You bet.
SOARES: Still ahead this hour, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas takes its case against the new U.S. peace plan to the United Nations,
saying the attempts to give Palestinians a fragmented Swiss cheese state.
And wars around Lebanon's parliament torn down as protests have tried to stop lawmakers from casting a vote. We'll bring you both these stories
after a very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Pictures from Tehran there. Tens of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran and other cities today, really to mark the founding
of the Islamic Republic. It's the 41st anniversary of the revolution that topple the U.S. (INAUDIBLE) and swept in the theocratic regime.
This year's commemorations come after a huge confrontation from member between the United States and Iran that began when American drone strike,
killed Iran's top military commander, and Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani calls it a criminal assassination. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN ROUHANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): The U.S. has made it just made a blunder. That's been a major blunder committed by the U.S.
administration.
Our commander was a guest of the Iraqi government. He was assassinated. That's been a major criminal action by the Americans. That's been a
contravention with international law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, to a searing condemnation of the new U.S. peace plan from the Palestinian authority, President Mahmoud Abbas. He told the U.N. Security
Council today that the plan rewards the occupation of Palestinian lands actually entrenching it instead of holding Israel accountable.
Mr. Abbas says the proposal unilaterally decides court issues like the statutes of Jerusalem in attempts to annul the legitimacy of Palestinian
rights. He also mocked a map of proposed Palestinian state. Take a listen how.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[14:45:03]
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): This is the summary of the project that was presented to us. This is the state
that they will give us. It's like a Swiss cheese, really. We should negotiate over Jerusalem. They shouldn't dictate and say we gift Jerusalem
to the state of Israel. No, Jerusalem is an occupied land. It is an occupied land. Who has the right to gift this as a gift to one state or
another?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, Israel's U.N. ambassador spoke right after Mr. Abbas saying the Palestinian leader isn't really interested in peace or in resuming
negotiations.
Let's bring in our Richard Roth at the United Nations. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.
I'll go to Oren in just a moment. But, Richard, now that we know that the voting resolution has been delayed here. What is Mahmoud Abbas hoping to
get out of this trip? What's he hoping to go back home with?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Delayed and maybe dead due to U.S. opposition and concerns of U.S. retaliation on countries that sit on
the Security Council such as Tunisia, the lone Arab rep.
Mr. Abbas is getting the limelight. And he -- after two weeks ago, the Palestinians promising there would be a resolution, they gave him time in
the Security Council. He spoke for like 35 minutes. I will tell you that I just --
SOARES: Oh, unfortunately, I think we've lost Richard. Let me go to Oren if he's there.
Oren, our viewers would have noticed from when we covered the announcement, the peace plan, the plan was rejected by the Palestinian authority, and
Palestinians themselves. So what has the reaction been on the ground to his visit in New York and really the expectations there?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas knows he has the support of the Palestinian street.
When it comes to Jerusalem, that is essentially the reddest of red lines for Palestinians. And any plan that doesn't give them at least a
significant part of the city, certainly East Jerusalem or most of it, will be flatly rejected by the Palestinian streets. So Abbas knows he has that
behind him.
But you're right to ask what options does he have now. He doesn't have a U.N. Security Council resolution. And as Richard Roth put it out, he's not
very likely to get one at this point. He could go to the United Nations general assembly. He has a near automatic majority there.
But as Abbas has well-learned, those are essentially symbolic resolutions. They're not binding and they carry very little weight. The Trump
administration's decision have been condemned that the general assembly before and that hasn't really changed anything.
Instead, you had Abbas and Israeli ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, charting a path forward, except they were entirely different paths. For
Abbas, it was a change in how the peace process is led. He wants to see an international coalition.
Meanwhile for the Israelis, for Danon, it was replacing Abbas. Here is part of what he had to say criticizing the Palestinians and it seems the U.N.
itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Meeting here once again to criticize Israel and the U.S. for their efforts to promote peace
does not increase the likelihood of President Abbas agreeing to negotiate either. It will be best if the international community focused its efforts
on bringing both sides to the negotiating table.
LIEBERMANN: Well, that seems farfetched at this point to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together in the current framework who has brought together
Israel and the U.S. who said they're working on a joint committee to work on a more detailed map to allow Israeli annexation for parts of the West
Bank.
SOARES: Oren Liebermann there for us in Jerusalem, thanks very much. Apologies for our viewers. We lost the signal there from New York with
Richard Roth. We'll try and reconnect with him.
In the meantime, we have some breaking news to bring you this hour. U.S. Defense officials say the Trump administration is looking to announce a
deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan as early as this week.
Let's get right to CNN Pentagon Correspondent, Barbara Starr who's breaking the story. Barbara, what more can you tell us here?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, what we know is that the administration is at least hopeful they will have a deal to announce.
But, as always, when it comes to Afghanistan, plenty of skepticism about the Taliban.
Here's where it stands. Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, said earlier today that the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, had brought him a Taliban
proposal that had a significant and enduring reduction in violence. Those words from Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani.
We know that the administration hopes, maybe this week, it could announce that that reduction in violence agreement with the Taliban has been
reached, and that they hope for a peace agreement to come after that if the reduction in violence endures.
But look, this is Afghanistan. The Taliban leadership that's part of the negotiations may not have full control over the hundreds, if not, thousands
of Taliban fighters across Afghanistan. There is still ISIS there in that country. Plenty of opportunity for violence to continue sadly to say, and
not have this agreement endorsed.
[14:50:07]
Still, there is a lot of hope in Washington that this may be a breakthrough to ending America's longest war, the 18-year war in Afghanistan. And if it
is, it could put the U.S. on a path to bring in a significant number of U.S. troops home.
Right now, 12 to 13,000 on the ground. They hope to bring it down to 8,600 and, of course, hope eventually to be able to turn security over to the
Afghans fully and bring all the American troops out of that country. Isa?
SOARES: Barbara Starr there with the breaking news. According to U.S. officials as U.S. is seeking to announce a deal with the Taliban as soon as
this week.
Thanks very much, Barbara.
I want to take you now to Lebanon, where protests escalated ahead of a vote in confident -- of confidence in the new government. Hundreds of people
were injured as protesters try to stop members of parliament from participating in the vote.
SOARES: Now, climbing and tearing down walls around parliament, protesters faced tear gas as well as water cannons from security forces. Parliament
ultimately voted to back the new government. Our Ben Wedeman has -- was there and has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Battering rams, makeshift battering rams crash into the barriers separating the
streets from the corridors of power.
Behind the walls, behind lines of riot police, the Lebanese parliament is debating the program of the new government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab,
to be followed by a vote of confidence.
From early morning, protesters gathered to make clear their rejection of the new cabinet. For 30 years, we've suffered from this rotten political
class who waged war and now are in Parliament says Abu Ziad. They robbed the country. They destroyed the country.
Security forces used water cannons to keep the protesters back and fired hundreds of rounds of tear gas. The protesters threw the tear gas back over
the walls along with volley after volley of rocks. Dozens were wounded in Tuesday's clashes.
WEDEMAN (on camera): This is when the Parliament was supposed to begin its discussions leading up to a confidence vote. What is clear is that at least
from the streets and from the protesters, there is no confidence in this new government.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Protesters rip off the facade of one of Beirut's luxury hotels and throw the pieces over the walls. The area around
Parliament rebuilt after the civil war as an upscale neighborhood with expensive restaurants and high-end shops has become the hated symbol of a
political and economic elite, tone deaf to the demands of the street.
GHASSAN GEARA, PROTESTER: In Lebanon, we are sick of wars. We have been living on promises since the end of the war in 1990. And, in fact, you
cannot -- we cannot ask warlords to make peace.
WEDEMAN: The masked protest movement is now into its fourth month. The economy is collapsing and unemployment is skyrocketed as Lebanon grapples
with its worst crisis since the civil war.
TARIK, PROTESTER: And honestly, it's just sad. It really is just sad if you look around like at countries. Members of Parliament have to do all this to
be able to hold a session. They have to go against everybody's will and do the opposite of what everybody wants them to do. Look at all these walls
that are keeping us out.
WEDEMAN: But the walls are tumbling down.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now, a dangerous flare up in fighting between Turkey and the Syrian government is escalating even further. And now Syria is vowing to respond
to attacks by what it calls Turkish occupation forces.
Now, Turkey says at least 51 Syrian regime forces were killed today in the Idlib Province where Russian-backed Syrian troops are fighting to eliminate
rebel supported like Turkey.
Also in Idlib, a Syrian military helicopter was shot down today. The White Helmets rescue group says at least one pilot was killed.
Still to come on the show tonight, a U.S. theme park chain reaches a massive settlement over a lawsuit brought by investors. We'll bring you all
the details after a very short break. You're all watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:14]
SOARES: Now, the U.S. theme park chain, Sea World, has agreed to pay $65 million to settle class action lawsuit by investors. The suit claims Sea
World underestimated the impact of the CNN films documentary "Blackfish" which reveals alleged mistreatment of whales and cases where whales killed
and injured trainers. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The industry has vested interest in (INAUDIBLE) . It sells a lot of dolls, it sells a lot of tickets at the gate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no record of an orca doing any harm in the wild.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Sea World says its settlement doesn't constitute any admission or fault or wrongdoing. It would not comment further about the settlement
which still has to be approved by the court.
Finally tonight, the music world is mourning a man, really whose messages of unity, as well as love touched audiences worldwide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Beautiful. Joseph Shabalala was the founder of South African a cappella group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. In a statement, the Grammy-winning
group said, through your music and the millions you came in contact with, you shall live forever. Joseph Shabalala was 78 years old.
And that does it for tonight. Thanks very much for watching. Do stay right here with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
