Transcripts For CNNW New Day With Alisyn Camerota And John Berman 20200217

Tested positive. And this is crucial, days after disembarking interacting with other people. That ship was believed to be virusfree. And over a thousand passengers were allowed to leave. We have the significant story covered from every angle. Lets begin with lucy kafanov. She is at the travis asir force base in california. Theyre going to spend two more weeks in another quarantine. Reporter two more weeks after being on the diamond princess for two weeks. For many the nightmare is almost nearly over. Now, the second plane landed in texas just over two hours ago. The first one landing here at the travis air base near San Francisco and sacramento at around 11 00 p. M. Local time. The people who had landed here, the americans will be evaluated. Theyll be housed at the same facility where the plane loads of americans from wuhan are housed in a separate area. The wuhan evacuees due to be released tomorrow. Their nightmare is almost completely over. A lot of questions being asked about how the 14 infected passengers were able to get home. There were 46 american who is had previously been diagnosed with the coronavirus on board that ship. They were told they could not go home. They had to recover in japanese hospitals. And yet these 14 sick passengers are now here. Well, its not really clear how it all played out. Were understanding that the state department and u. S. Officials potentially learned of these infections after the 14 passengers who were not displaying symptoms disembarked the diamond princess cruise ship. They were on their way when it was discovered they were sick with the coronavirus. They were tested two to three days ago. And the decision was made to let them board probably of great frustration to those americans who had to stay back. Again, they are here. They are safe. But they are embarking on another two weeks in quarantine. Thats just one cruise ship. You got to think of all the other places you got to keep track of this. Thanks very much. It has been an agonizing two weeks in isolation for so more aboard that cruise ship. In japan 700 americans just made the journey back to the u. S. And they shared video of their trip exclusively with cnn. Cnns will ripley live in yokohama japan with more. These planes are not your normal planes. Theyre taking extreme measures here, really, to keep a lid on this 37. Yes, this was not confined to the cramped cabins. They were told after the quarantine on the cruise ship they would be able to go directly home. Then they learned the government was coming in to evacuate them. But a whole new ordeal was about to begin. Daybreak in yokohama, japan. The final day on the diamond princess for more than 300 americans. Evacuated by the u. S. Government. This is a converted cargo 747. So less insulation. Bring layers to stay warm. Reporter American Health officials try to prepare passengers for a long, uncomfortable journey. A journey karey from utah is reluctant to take. She and her husband already endured nearly two weeks of quarantine on the cruise ship. I didnt like that answer. Reporter now theyre about to do it all over again at a California Military base. They have sent over a dozen emails assuring us that there would not be an additional quarantine. And they just told us that wed be requarantined for 14 more days. Ive just a whole month of my life. Reporter shes angry at the u. S. Government. Angry they waited so long to evacuate the american passengers. Others like gaye courter from florida are grateful. I want to go somewhere where i can feel safe. And i just want to thank President Trump and the u. S. Government. Theres been a lot of silence on this. And now we know the silence has been putting together a brilliant plan. Reporter executing that plan will take nearly ten hours. Even though the airport is just a 20minute drive from the ship. Buses are starting to line up. Reporter once they get on, theres no getting off. Not even to go to the bathroom. The best i can do is find out where a bathroom is. Reporter as the hours drag on, this Health Worker tries to break the tension. What do you call a witch on the beach . A sandwitch. There you go. Reporter passengers are beginning to feel like the joke is on them. Were just waiting. I dont really know what were waiting for, but we are waiting indefinitely. Reporter finally theyre allowed off the bus. Yes. Reporter and onto the tarmac. Boarding two converted 747 cargo planes. The cabin best described as bare bones. No windows. Makeshift toilets. Temporary seats. This is first class, baby. First class. Reporter lack of luxury aside, she feels anxious. Its not good conditions. No one on here has had their temperature taken by the federal government or any government for that matter. So were all in really closed, tight quarters. Everybody is sitting next to each other. I have a girl sitting here in just a minute. It seems dangerous and not safe. Reporter the u. S. Government says they are safe. Even though 14 passengers who tested positive for coronavirus are allowed on the flight all showing no symptoms. Theyre put in a specialized containment area isolated from the other passengers. Just after daybreak, both planes finally take off. A long, sleepless night followed by a tenhour flight. Now theyve arrived in california and texas. One ordeal ends. Another begins. The centers for Disease Control and prevention acknowledges the people on the cruise ship face a higher risk of becoming infected. M in the last 24 hours, 169 new cases on the ship. Including the 99 we learned of overnight. Im sure a lot of those americans are grateful to be off that ship. Understood, will. Thank you very much for all of your reporting. Joining us now are Blake Courter and Ashley Rhodes courter. Their parents were on board that quarantined cruise ship and they have just landed in texas. Blake, i know these past couple of weeks have been very stressful for you and your family. Have you talked to your parents yet . Ive not talked to them yet this morning. We did receive a text from them about an hour and a half ago with some new images. It sounds like they slept fine, they traveled fine, and theyre looking forward to their new temporary home in texas. Ashley, one of the big headlines this morning is that of those 300 americans whove been evacuated, heres a picture we have of your parents. They look well. For given the conditions. But the big headline is of the 300 passengers that were quarantined on that ship and have been evacuated, officials thought they were all virusfree when they put them on that plane. But then when they tested some of them and i think we might even have some pictures of their throats being swabbed. 14 tested positive for the virus. Do you know if your parents are two of those 14 . So far well, sorry, blake. I have been texting with my mom this morning. Maybe its a mother daughter mini freakout. But so farther feeling healthy. Theyve been testing negative. Regular temperatures. And this is a negative stressful situation that is being handled as best it can. Even though conditions may not be ideal, she sees one too many porta potties than shes accustomed to. But they realize theyre in the best place to receive the care that they and the others need. And we hope the same can be said for everyone else aboard that ship because the numbers are increasing. Theyre including rapidly. And we are tremendously grateful that our parents are now back on u. S. Soil receiving all of the care and medications and things theyll need to hopefully remain healthy. And in fact, i mean, i know that your mom i guess did have some or maybe your dad did have some medical challenges, needed medication, then was quarantined on the ship. Didnt have enough medication for that time. So i can only imagine how stressful these last couple weeks have been for you. Our reporter just showed another woman who was one of the evacuees, another american. She was crying. I mean, she is so disappointed that theyre going to have to be quarantined for longer. She wasnt expecting that. No one was. Shes really feeling so, you know, like shes lost a month of her life. How are your parents feeling about being quarantined now . Well, lets unpack that for a second. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Although there was a shelter in place policy announced, it didnt really pass the sniff test. That boat, its hard to argue even if youre not an ep deemologist that that was a safe quarantine. That the ventilation systems were the same specifications you would use in a hospital under the same circumstances. It turns out not even the hospitals could contain the infection. Its been our position that that was not a safe quarantine since the beginning. And the doctor of the cdc in charge of the product recently announced the boats a hot spot. I think were going to see more and more caution with people coming off of that boat. And were thrilled that the United States government took a leadership position in gets people off and doing the right thing for the passengers. Well, youre so right. Obviously its not a safe quarantine since we keep getting new numbers and they keep growing from just that ship. I think the new numbers are 99 more people just overnight have tested positive. But i guess my question, ashley, and since youre in touch with your mom maybe you can answer this. The idea of now being quarantined for longer, for two more weeks not being able to get back to their life. How are they feeling about that . I think theyre feeling this tremendous responsibility to keep as dramatic as it may sound, the American People safe. They have no intention on spreading this virus. They want to ensure that they are healthy. This has not been ideal. One of the more frightening components of their quarantine was that when the quarantine was announced, they knew they didnt have enough medication including my mothers insulin. We had to work as a family and utilize Family Friends and very Grassroots Efforts to work with the local hospital to send them a package of medication and masks and insulin. And so the people that remain aboard, many of them still dont have life saving critical meds. And i think because of the alternative, theyre very grateful to be here to be able to have access to what theyre going to need. And they want to be sure that theyre healthy. They have grandchildren. We call ourselves the courter 15. My brothers and i all have families. They dont want anyone to get sick. They want to figure out whats going on just as much as everyone and this is the place for them to do so hopefully safely. Its not ideal, but they are they know that this is the responsible choice for the protection of thousands of others. And if that means by parents using a porta potty a little longer, then so be it. And those pictures of your parents with their grand kids are great. But this has been stressful for you both as well. It sounds like you havent had a lot of support from the state department. And you had to do these grassroots things. And ashley, i was just reading the research. Have you all been getting threats from people online . Whats that about . Sadly, yes. We i think culturally live in a bit of a divisive time right now. Initially my brothers and i were powerless. We didnt know what to do. So we were reaching out on social media trying to bring awareness about the plight of the people aboard the ship. And that was not necessarily well received. I think because our family was so entrenched in research and medical information, we realized very quickly the severity of the situation. And while my parents were very jovial and positive in the beginning, there also needed to be an urgency to ensure people were going to get off the ship and get the help they need. Especially once we saw the numbers rising as quickly as they are. And so there was at one point a change. Org petition started to put me aboard the ship so i could die with my parents. So weve received some pretty hateful feedback trying to advocate for our parents. At the end of the day, we were three siblings with our spouses and families coming together trying to keep our parents alive. And i think thats what anyone would do for their family. Oh, my gosh, blake. We only have five seconds left. But whats wrong with people . How dare you guys be on the receiving end of that vevitriol. What, blake . You know, i think a lot of people want to obey authorities. I want to say that captain arma has been a fantastic leader throughout the process. I think that its always tricky when you have different governments saying different things. We took a critical eye to the situation, brought a Team Together and did what we thought was right. Ashley rhodescarourter, bla courter, thank you for taking time this morning. Were thinking of your family and hope your parents are healthy. Thanks so much for talking to us. Thank you. Thank you. That is one of hundreds of American Families at this point and you think the Global Impact of this. Its were feeling it. Were just seeing the beginning of it. Were just five days away from the nevada caucuses here at home. Where do the numbers stand . Harry enten breaks it down next. This is it, youve been planning for a while think how shell look walking down that aisle go on and ask her. Tell her how you feel. Cause there is no doubt this love is real ooohh. Take the leap, with our diamond price match guarantee. Jared. The business of family time. And downtime. And you time. And forgetting what time it is. Altogether. Modernized comfort inns and suites have been refreshed because when your business is making time, our business is you. Get the lowest price guaranteed on all Choice Hotels when you book direct at choicehotels. Com. Ready to juvederm® it . Correct agerelated volume loss in cheeks with juvederm® voluma™ xc. Add fullness to lips with juvederm® ultra xc. And smooth moderate to severe lines around the nose and mouth with juvederm® xc. Tell your doctor if you have a history of scarring or are taking medicines that decrease the bodys immune response, or that can prolong bleeding. Common side effects include injectionsite redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, firmness, lumps bumps, bruising, discoloration, or itching. As with all fillers, there is a rare risk of unintentional injection into a blood vessel, which may cause vision abnormalities, blindness, stroke, temporary scabs or scarring. Juvederm® it [ fastpaced drumming ] its already starting. Early voting underway in nevada. The next contest among democrats in the race for the white house. Who do the latest polls say leading in that state . Lets get to the forecast with harry enten. Top of the morning to everybody. Four score, seven years ago. Did he say top of the morning . I dont know if he said that. But the fact of the matter is i also have a new hair cut so ill show that off now and toss this over here to someone who may get that. Lets talk about nevada a little bit. Look, this is the Democratic Caucus and primary electorate. You can see the Democratic Party here diverse. 57 white, 50 latino. New hampshire not all that diverse. 9 white, 5 latino, black 3 . Nevada looks a lot more like the nation as a whole. Its almost perfectly represented. Exactly. A little bit more latino, a little less africanamerican. But pretty much perfectly represented. We are no longer New Hampshire and iowa. Nonwhite democrats will finally get a say in this primary. Okay. Whos going to win . You know what . There has not been a lot of polling here, but based upon the polling predictiveness and the betting markets, the favorite is clearly Bernie Sanders. He has a 12 in 20 shot of winning. Thats about 60 . But the rest of them all have a shot combined anyway. 3. 5 in 20 of wiping. Well see if that holds. Given bidens performances in the first two states, a second or a third. Would that be considered a win in effect for him . I think if he came in second, that would not be awful. I dont think he can come in third here. Obviously he would need to come in first in South Carolina which is the next contest down the road. Majority africanamerican. Have you looked at who wins in iowa and New Hampshire and then who wins in nevada . We have a very small sample size in the democratic side where we have iowa and New Hampshire, then nevada. Back in 2008 Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire. Obama won in iowa, did not win in nevada. Jump forward to 2016, again you saw Hillary Clinton winning in nevada. Bernie sanders won New Hampshire. The answer is we dont know yet. We dont know yet. That is the answer. Lets just talk about this. You know, theres all this talk about a contested convention. And im actually pretty big on this train right now of there being a realistic shot. Im going to tell you why im banking on this train. Look at the iowa winner this year. We dont know whos won yet. We do know there is about 26 of the vote. That is the lowest share ever for a iowa caucus winner since 1992. And Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire but with 26 of the vote. The lowest percentage since 192. These two combined do hint at that. You know what you had in none of those races that you have in this race . A billionaire with endless amounts of money. That could shift the entire dynamic. But i think theres another thing that im looking at. How many candidates actually got above a certain threshold . So four candidates were at or above 20 in iowa. That is the greatest. There has been never been a point and in New Hampshire we get three candidates at or above 20 . We had never had that before in a democratic primary. It is so interesting to look back at history and how different it is right now. So what else gives you a clue . So whats Something Else . Were talking about iowa. Were talking about New Hampshire. But take it national, right . Take a look at the primary National Poll leader by polling share after New Hampshire primary. Normally the lowest before this year was bill clinton at 39 . So look at Bernie Sanders. Hes in front, but hes just at 26 with undecided allocated. That is very different from what we normally see. Where normally theyre at about 50 or above. He is well below that. So we see it in iowa. We see it in New Hampshire. And we see it nationally. And you put that together and you really do think theres a real shot of a contested convention. Can you say in effect that there is no front runner at this point . With confidence . Well, i would say theres a front runner but its a weak front runner. And more than that, theres not a clear favorite, right . Theres a favorite in Bernie Sanders, but its not overwhelming. And, you know, just talking about this if we were just to put this in mathematic kal terms, this is an average of a bunch of different sites. Right now i think the most likely option is no contested convention. But a 4. 5 in 10, thats not a low shot. Thats basically 50 50. Oh, my gosh. This could actually happen. As you keep saying. What day is today . I dont know what today is. How do you spell it . Is the president s day is the apos fee here or here . We said this is grammatically wrong because its for two president s. Right . You believe that. Im going to get hit on twitter. All right. You vote. Let jim know. Please. Goodness gracious. Mike bloomberg as we said spending hundreds of millions of dollars as he rises in the polls. How his democratic rivals are trying to slow his momentum. Thats next. If you have an infection or flulike symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. Alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. These may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. Some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. Talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. Remission can start with stelara®. Be stronger. With nicorette coated ice mint. Layered with flavor. Its the first and only coated nicotine lozenge. For an amazing taste. That outlasts your craving. Nicorette ice mint. 60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising. But it cant erase your record. Ive got to answer questions like i just did. On 3my record. And he has to do the same thing. I dont think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys. Five days away from the nevada caucuses. Democrats taking aim at a candidate not even competing in that state. Michael bloomberg. His numbers are on the rise. How far can his billions take him . Joining me now michael smerconi smerconish. And mitchell landrieu. Good to have you both on. Mike, i suppose one good thing about being attacked, it means youre getting some traction. Doesnt it . For Michael Bloomberg . Well, he clearly is getting traction not only in those National Surveys but when you look at some of the state by state breakdowns, its pretty remarkable the rise he has had. And i think whats about to transpire is that he can only be matched and on a percentage basis not 100 by Bernie Sanders as we approach super tuesday. So i think some of this almost concerted effort is to try and sort of squelch his ascendancy before we get to the third of march. Okay. So mitch, you wrote a piece on cnn. Com published just this thursday on the souths role in choosing the candidate this cycle. This time around it will have a bigger voice. I want to get to why you think that. Is Michael Bloomberg the kind of candidate that can do well in the south . Well, you can see actually tom steyer spending a significant amount of money in north carolina. And his poll numbers are going up. That will be true as you move into super tuesday as well. When youre advertising on tv and youre in peoples living rooms every 30 seconds and they feel like they get to know you, thats going to move your numbers up. Thats just politics 101. The reason i talked about the race changing, if it comes to the south, is primarily because of diversity. If South Carolina would have been the first primary, this race would not be where it is today. And so were moving into a whole new battleground as you said before. When you move into nevada, when you move into South Carolina, and then you go into super tuesday, you just have a completely Different Group of people that are voting than the demographics of iowa and New Hampshire. Yeah. And given that the results were so mixed, michael smerconish, coming out of New Hampshire and iowa as we were just talking with harry enten there, nowhere near the leads that previous democratic nominees have coming out of those races. It provides an opportunity, does it not, to those more diverse voters in this south to play a role in choosing the democratic nominee . Well, i think it puts tremendous significance in who can do well among people of color. First in nevada, then in South Carolina. Joe biden as we all know has been counting on that to be his firewall. So yes, i think the great sway is going to be held by people of color in these next two states. And i said smerconish. I know its smerconish. For someone with my name, i should get that right. Just a few weeks ago, folks were talking about Elizabeth Warren as a front runner. Her poll numbers are dropping. I just want to play sound from her over the weekend responding to that, get your reaction. This is our time to choose hope over fear. This is our time to show courage. This is our time to dream big. Elizabeth warren we should note fighting through a cold there. Weve all been there. We know how tough that is. But tell us, mitch, where you think her chances stand at this point . Again, listen. Its still early. Well, first of all, shes a warrior. You can tell that shes really straining but shes giving every ounce of herself to this race. But im just remembering that just after the debate in detroit, we counted Bernie Sanders out. Nobody was even thinking about amy klobuchar. These races go up and down every day. I was surprised coming out of iowa and New Hampshire she didnt get more play. And she seemed to fall off the radar screen. But she spent a long time building a national network. And i think that shes going to be with us for a little bit. This thing will start clearing up a little bit after super tuesday, i hope. But right now its just a mosh pit. Michael, joe biden another one. I mean, people write their political obituaries way too early given how volatile this race has shown. But his numbers in South Carolina and also nevada are better. Could we see biden perform better than expected there . Or have a second place finish . Perhaps better in South Carolina and then resurrect his chances . We love a comeback story, right . Regardless of your political affiliation, i think americans love to see someone whos down and out and then almost rockylike rise again in the surveys. It could be joe biden so long as voters of color stick with him the way theyve told pollsters they will. Those numbers have declined a bit, but theyre Still Holding relatively strong as compared to the rest of the field. So his fate rests in the hands primarily of africanamerican and to a lesser extent latino voters. You know, when a race is tight, it gets nasty. But listen to Bernie Sanders going after Michael Bloomberg here. I want to talk about the overall tenor of the race. We will not create the excitement and energy we need to defeat donald trump if that candidate pursued, advocated for, and enacted racist policies like stop and frisk. Strong words to say the least there, mitch. Does that kind of back and forth weaken what Bernie Sanders there said was the main goal here . Was for a democrat to defeat donald trump . First of all, whats interesting when you saw harrys numbers, bernies at 26 . We have a person right now that gets only a quarter of whatever the votes are going to be. And thats going to be the person that is going to win in the general election. Thats hard to see. Whoever the nominee is, theyve got to get that number way high in order to be a candidate that can win. Thats first. Secondly, Mike Bloomberg has parts of his record to answer for. Thats part of being a candidate. Just as bernie has to convince people that somebody who is a selfavowed democratic socialist can win which many people doubt. Thats what this is about. All of them have to have this argument. They have to have this debate. And they have to convince, you know, folks that are going to be voting in the Democratic Caucuses to stand against trump. And they will have to confront the voters and do that. Thats why you play the games, right . Mitch and michael, thanks to both of you. All right, jim. We have some breaking news right now on the investigation into lev parnas and igor fruman. You remember them, of course. The Rudy Giuliani associates accused of funneling russian money into u. S. Elections. We have some brand new cnn reporting next. janine i used to be a little cranky. Dealing with our finances really haunted me. Thankfully, i got quickbooks, and a live bookkeepers helping customize it for our business. live bookkeeper youre all set up janine great vo get set up right with a live bookkeeper with intuit quickbooks. Lets get down to business. The business of atlanta on monday. Cincinnati on tuesday. Philly on wednesday. And thursday back to cincinnati. Modernized comfort inns and suites have been refreshed because when your business keeps going, our business is you. Get the lowest price guaranteed on all Choice Hotels when you book direct at choicehotels. Com. A clear plan for retirement to help cover the essentials, as well as all the things you want to do. Because when you have a retirement partner who gives you clarity at every step, theres nothing to stop you from moving forward. Who gives you clarity at every step, oh no, here comes gthe neighbor probably to brag about how amazing his Xfinity Customer Service is. Im mike, im so busy. Good thing xfinity has twohour appointment windows. They have night and weekend appointments too. Hes here. Bill . Karolyn . Nope no, just a couple of rocks. Download the my account app to manage your appointments making todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Ill pass. Breaking news this hour. Sources tell cnn federal prosecutors with weighing new charges against the associates of Rudy Giuliani. These charges would bring their own investigation closer to giuliani himself. Heres the breaking details. Tell us whats in here and what it means for the president s personal lawyer. Well, good morning, jim. Sources tell me and my colleague that pres cuters so sources tell us that prosecutors are telling us that theyre considering charging lev parnas and one associate of his of misleading investors in the company that giuliani was in. Prosecutors are looking closely at the marketing pitch in this company and specifically whether any investors were misled about the value of the business and what they intended to do with the proceeds. Prosecutors have interviews numerous witnesses, investors who were approached, and received Text Messages and documents over the past several weeks. All of this brings this investigation closer to giuliani and raises questions about what role, if any he had in the marketing of the company. Now a lawyer for one of the investors who did provide this half Million Dollar payment, he told cnn previously that his compliant had invested in the business based on Rudy Giulianis reputation and his expectation that he would serve as a spokesman for the company. Now, a lawyer for giuliani said he had no role in the marketing of the business and never authorized parnas or others to use his name in their marketing pitches. He also says that giuliani did do some legal work for this business. But a person close said he did not do any work for the company. Now, we also reached out to parnas lawyer. He gave us this statement. We have taken into account prosecutor statements that they might bring additional charges against mr. Parnas. We are not surprised. And are prepared to defend mr. Parnas against any such charges. This is still continues as they dig into thinker monetary business relationship between parnas and giuliani and just what role the combination led to in their joint effort to try to oust the u. S. Ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch. Thank you very much. It does feel like this investigation is ramping up instead of slowing down. Thanks for the reporting. Joining us now to talk about this and more, we have cnn legal analysts elie honig and elliot williams. Theyre both former federal prosecuto prosecutors. I want to start with you with karas reporting. We have so many mornings that said follow the money. Follow the giuliani money. He was paid half a Million Dollars by Fraud Guarantee and it looks like investigators think, surprise. That Company Might be fraudulent somehow. Yeah. Who could have imagined that a Company Called Fraud Guarantee could be engaged in fraud. The big question i have, this company Fraud Guarantee paid half a Million Dollars to Rudy Giuliani. And my question is for what. What did he do . Did he give them half Million Dollars of Legal Services and if so, for what . Was it for cybersecurity . This guy cant even stop butt dialing people from his phone, meaning Rudy Giuliani. Theres a big question about that half a Million Dollars. Why was it paid to rudy . Elliot, what do you think of this new factor . Well have to wait and see. Obviously once it ensnares Rudy Giuliani, he gets closer to the president of the United States. And many of us on this program and elsewhere have questioned giulianis role both with respect to mr. Parnas but also i guess his work for the president of the United States. And so obviously more is going to come out. We dont know if hes going to be charged yet, but i think well have to wait and see. I back up everything elie said. You follow the money. Lets go to this letter that you both signed as well as basically 1100 other former Justice Department officials. Prosecutors, basically. Because you have both been so alarmed by what youre seeing happen in the department of justice. Ill just read a portion of it. It says, a person should not be given special treatment in a criminal prosecution because they are a close political ally of the president. Governments that use the enormous power of Law Enforcement to punish their enemies and reward their allies are not constitutional republics, they are autocracies. Elie, why did you sign this . I had two purposes. First of all, im under no expectation that bill barr is going to read this letter and think im going to go. One, i want the public to understand how unusual it is what happened here. The Justice Department prosecutes over 60,000 cases per year. And for the attorney general to step into really two of those 60,000 cases, Michael Flynn a couple weeks ago, and now roger stone, is so unusual. And i think what were seeing is politics injected into this process. And the other thing i wanted to do was send a message to the women and men who work at the Justice Department on the lines and let them know, we know this is not normal. We have your backs. We have been through this. Keep your head down, do your job, dont let politics play into it. Elliot, it sounds like you wrestled more with whether or not to sign this letter. I did. Ill be candid about that. Calling on an attorney general of the United States under which i served under four of them to resign is a big deal. But as elie said, the stakes here are very high and its very troubling. But to me its less about William Barrs individual conduct. It was more about the president s conduct and what he seems to have expected of the attorney general. I have the power to step in and i guess end criminal investigations. He said about the Mueller Probe that got this down. And that to me is far more toxic behavior. So at the end of the day, the yoel has become so corrupted that i dont think incan serve that in good conscience. It just doesnt work anymore. And youre serving an individ l individual. Thats where i got on it. It was less about did barr violate some norm and whats he being asked to do and whos he serving. And i think if you truly love the department as much as he purports to, of course backing up elies point, showing support not just for the men and women of the department but of the four people. I have been asked to do something and im being almost superseded by this supervises in such an offensive way i have to step down and i wanted to show support to them as well. Elliot, just to let people know what youre referring to. Its this tweet where the president said on february 14th, he quoted attorney general barr saying the president never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. Then the president went on to say, this doesnt mean that i do not have as president the legal right to do so, but i do. But i have so far chosen not to. That is what upset you so much. And elliot, i mean, just to follow up on what you were saying. If no one can serve as an attorney general for this president because you think this president is going so outside the bounds of what his are his rights to do, then where does that leave us . Well, i think we need a new president , frankly. But look. The president is i want to be clear about this. This is nuanced. The president is the head of the executive branch. You know, he runs the operation that has the Justice Department in it. But we go back centuries at this point of president s staying out of criminal investigations, staying out of the role of prosecutions and so on. So the idea that the president seems to think hes almost a monarch with respect to Law Enforcement, it is a dangerous place that takes us. And again, william barr as a purporting to be an institutionalist to serve the department, its odd to be in that role and to express that given how toxic the president s conduct has been. Elie, were out of time but very quickly, can someone do a better job than william barr . Or is it out of the question . I think someone can do a better job than william barr. He gave us an indicator of that on friday when he said stop tweeting. I need to do this myself. If someone can follow through on that, they can do a better job. Thank you, both very much. Well, the nba is paying tribute to kobe bryant during a thrilling allstar game last night. Andy scholes is in chicago, has more on bleacher report. Its hard to believe it was three weeks ago nba lost kobe bryant. You saw a lot of the emotion there last night. Yeah, thats right, jim. It was such an emotional night here in chicago. I tell you what. The new format for this allstar game, it was a huge success. That untimed Fourth Quarter had so much drama. Its going to go down as one of the best allstar games of all time. But before the game, the night started with tributes for kobe, his daughter gigi, and others in the crash. Magic johnson spoke about what kobe and stern meant to the entire world. And Jennifer Hudson sang a touching tribute to kobe. Then common, he was great during player introductions honoring kobe while recalling chicagos great they wore kobes 24 during the game, wore gigis number 2. They only needed 24 points to win the target score for the game, lebron needed 343. They played with incredible intensity, back and forth. The crowd was really into it. Came down to chicago native Anthony Davis to win it. He would make the free throw to attain victory for team lebron. Winning first ever kobe bryant allstar mvp award. He said its an honor hes going to cherish forever. How happy i am. To be able to put that trophy in my room, my trophy room and be able to see kobes name on there, it just means a lot to me. Hes a big inspiration in my life. You know, he did a lot for me. All the players were big fans of the new allstar format and it was really cool. The first three quarters started 00 with teams raising money for communitybased organization. Guys, those kids, they wre all sitting right behind the basket wearing their teams colors, just rooting their hearts out. Team lebron raising 400,000 for chicago scholars. All the kids ran on the floor to celebrate with the players at the end of the game. The new format, huge success. I imagine the nba will want to continue going forward. Cant stop thinking about his daughter and all the family impacted by this. What a moment. Thank you very much. Former Vice President joe biden is, of course, looking for a strong finish in nevada and South Carolina. How is it looking . Tums vs. Mozzarella stick crowd noise bell rings when heartburn hits. Fight back fast. With tums chewy bites. Beat heartburn fast. Tums chewy bites. The best of pressure cooking and air frying now in one pot, and with tendercrisp technology, you can cook foods that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The ninja foodi Pressure Cooker, the Pressure Cooker that crisps. A new kind of investor is changing things up. [ indistinct talking ] with an app thats changing the way we do money. Download robinhood now. Early voting is already under way in nevada days before saturdays caucuses. Minority voters now get their say. Former Vice President joe biden is hoping that works for him. More from reno. No matter what happened in iowa or New Hampshire, well remain confident in this. Reporter here in nevada, hope for a revival for joe bidens campaign. A turn around is coming. Reporter nevada marks the first test of bidens theory hell perform better in states of more diverse grarvegs. Minority voters made up more than a third of Democratic Caucusgoers in 2016. As early voting kicked off this weekend, biden targeted latino and africanamerican voters saying its time their voices are hard. The reason why we are here is because, you know, 99 of the africanamerican vote hasnt spoken yet and 99 of the latino vote hasnt spoken yet. Reporter but biden faces stiff competition for the latino vote from Bernie Sanders who won the majority of democratic latino caucusgoers here in 2016. A 33yearold state senator backing the former Vice President thinks his experience will resonate with latinos here. Its really important to voters they see in a leader experience and making sure they can deliver on Campaign Promises they are delivering. Biden has that. Thats going to be a differentiating point that will win over a number of voters, latino and otherwise. Biden is making a hard push for union support. I know in their hearts the culinary workers are there. The powerhouse Culinary Union declined to endorse a candidate before the caucuses. They did express approval of sanders medicare for all plan. The former Vice President trying to seize on the health care divide. Not going to tell all of you who have broken your neck and given up wages and salaries in order to be able to have health care through your employer and youve worked like the devil for it, youre not going to be required to give it up. Are you planning on voting . Biden expressed confidence hell place in the top two in nevada. How well do you do in nevada . I have to do well. Do you think you need to win . Come in first place. No, i dont think i have to but i have a shot of that. He hopes the state will be a launching pad in his path for nomination. Hes going to be in nevada now and a different story. I believe moving forward, you know, the country will understand the momentum that he will pick up. Joe is our boy. Reporter now, there are 36 candidates up for grabs in nevada. The biden cam paper knows he needs a strong showing to propel him into other diverse states like South Carolina and other super tuesday. Arlette thank you. Thats a beautiful shot. Thanks to viewer for watching. Cnn newsroom is next. For our u. S. Viewers we have breaking news on the coronavirus. New day continues right now. More than 300 passengers landed in the u. S. Overnight after evacuating a japanese cruise ship infected by the coronavirus. They will then begin a new ordeal in the u. S. , quarantined at military bases. You could be affected and have minimal symptoms but you still have the possibility of transmitting it to someone else. We are going to end a corrupt political system in which billionaires it can buy a lot of advertising but cant erase your record. This is about making sure everybody prepared to defeat donald trump is on the same team. This is new day with Alisyn Camerota and john berman. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your new day. It is monday february 17th