Doctor Dies of Virus He Tried to Warn World About; Academy Awards.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A day after his impeachment acquittal came an hour-long rambling stream of consciousness. And Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for its biggest night of navel- gazing and sell congratulations. Plenty of drama expected that this year's Academy Awards. The Chinese doctor who was among the first to sound an alarm about the Wuhan virus died on Friday from that disease. Li Wenliang died at the same hospital were back in December, he recorded several patients with a new coronavirus similar to SARS. But after he posted his findings on social media, Chinese authorities accused Li of spreading rumors and warned him not to speak out. Less than a week after being diagnosed with the virus, Li died. His death adds with ever-increasing number of victims. At least 638, all but two from mainland China. Chinese health officials now say more than 31,000 people are infected, an increase of more than 3,000 from a day before. And that's despite about 60 million people in China under lockdown that's now heading into its third week. Beyond Mainland China, there are now more than 300 cases worldwide, including at least 61 people on board a quarantine cruise ship just off Yokohama, Japan. Let's get the very latest now. Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing. We have Matt Rivers in Yokohama, Japan. We want to start with Steven Jiang because Steven, this death of Dr. Li, this whistleblower if you like, it's actually getting a lot of play on social media, which seemed a little unusual when you consider the -- you know, initial reaction by the authorities was to close him down. And now they're allowing people essentially to blow steam, to talk about this, to call him a hero, to say he deserves an apology. What's going on here?</s>STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, John, the story has literally lit up all social media platforms here in China for hours. But before get to that, there was a late-breaking development. The country's top anti-corruption agency, the National Supervisory Commission has just said they will be sending a team to Wuhan to investigate issues raised by the masses in their words related to the death of Dr. Li. Now, this vague, one-line statement didn't say what kind of issues they will be investigating. But this is obviously the government's attempt to respond to the -- to the raw emotions unleashed by millions across this country since the death of Doctor Li. Now, remember, this outpouring of grief and anger started Thursday night when news first emerged about the death. But of course, then we had a few hours of confusion. And many people suspected that the authorities did not announce his death until Friday, early Friday morning, in attempt to lessen the impact. But if that was their intention, they have failed miserably. As I was saying, social media platforms across the country, this is the only topic people seem to be caring -- people seem to care about. I was looking at my own social media feeds, talking to people across the nation. You know, you have government officials, and also police officers, social -- state media workers, as well as dissident activists really united in this one rare occasion posting the same image of this young doctor, and sending their condolences and asking really hard questions of why did this happen, and who was to blame. And as you said, this doctor when he first sounded alarm about his virus, he was only warning his college friends, as he told my colleagues last week. But by doing such as simple act, he was questioned by the police, threatened, and forced to sign a confession, basically. And then, of course, he passed away two weeks after he was admitted into a hospital. So, this was such a soul-searching moment for this nation. And people are now of course also demanding not only government accountability, but also freedom of speech, as you were saying sensors have been working overtime to fanatically delete all posts about this doctor. And John, just to tell you one surreal moment. I just watched the main news -- the new cast on the main channel, CCTV. 30 minutes they didn't mention Dr. Li's name a single time. Instead, they had 30 minutes of self-congratulations of how well they have been doing fighting this virus and the praise they have been getting from the rest of the world. John?</s>VAUSE: Sounds familiar. Steven, thank you. Matt, to you in Yokohama with the situation onboard this quarantine cruise ship. We're hearing from some passengers about conditions on board, that they're only let outside the cabins for fresh air for an hour and a half at a time to get some daylight, that kind of thing. Others say they're running short on medication. What do we know about the conditions onboard the cruise ship there, and how much longer are these people expected to be quarantined?</s>MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a really tough situation, John, for the people that are onboard the ship behind me here. And we know they're going to be in that situation for at least two weeks according to the Japanese government. They say they are doing that out of an abundance of caution saying that they can't let the people on board that ship, some 3,700 including 1,000 staff members because they don't want them coming onboard or onshore. And when you -- when you think about the number of cases that have increased, it's hard to blame the Japanese government at least at this point. It was just yesterday, it was 20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on board. Well, today that not increased to 61, an increase of 41 patients including eight Americans, we're told, and a number of other nationalities including Argentinian people, Japanese people, a number of different cases. And so you can expect that number to continue to go up. And you know, and that's what these cruise ships are in such difficult situations. There's a ship just like this one that's been quarantined off of Hong Kong. These are people that have been in close contact with each other for a long time now, and that's how these viruses spread. And we've been in contact for a few days now with an American couple who are on board that ship right now who were on their honeymoon which definitely turned in to a nightmare. And earlier today, they messaged us saying they're not doing so great mentally but they feel good health-wise, but they're afraid that's not going to last. "We just want to get the hell out of here. We're deathly afraid we're going to catch this virus being trapped on this ship." And I can only imagine what is going through the minds of these people who got on that ship hoping for a nice vacation. And now they're essentially in a floating prison.</s>VAUSE: Wow. OK, yes, a floating prison indeed. The holiday from hell is another interpretation. Matt, we appreciate your report, and also, Stephen, we appreciate the update from you there in Beijing as well. Thanks to you both. Within days of being told he faced certain impeachment for Watergate, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, in his words, for the good of the country.</s>RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I regret deeply any injuries may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision.</s>VAUSE: After his impeachment acquittal, a solemn and contrite Bill Clinton apologized to the nation for the Lewinsky affair.</s>BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events.</s>VAUSE: And then there's Donald Trump acquitted after the impeachment trial, which for the first time in U.S. history, called no witnesses and saw no new evidence.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We first went through Russia, Russia, Russia. It was all bullshit.</s>VAUSE: The President unloaded what seemed to be three years of pent up anger and rage, bitterness, and Fox News talking points, a rambling monologue lasting an hour and two minutes. By contrast, Bill Clinton's apology, one minute 36 seconds. We get worn out from White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.</s>TRUMP: This is what the end result is.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One day after he was acquitted, President Trump touted the headlines and expressed no remorse as he claimed vindication.</s>TRUMP: I never thought a word would sound so good. It's called total acquittal.</s>COLLINS: From the East Room of the White House, the President lashed out at the Democrats he says tried to bring him down.</s>TRUMP: Adam Schiff is a vicious, horrible person. Nancy Pelosi is a horrible person.</s>COLLINS: Trump repeated a jab he made it the House Speaker Pelosi during the National Prayer Breakfast, accusing her of being dishonest when she says she prays for him.</s>TRUMP: I pray for the President. I pray for the president.</s>COLLINS: Pelosi who was four seats away from Trump at the breakfast later hit back.</s>REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I don't know if the President understands about prayer or people who do pray. But we do pray for the United States of America, pray for him.</s>COLLINS: basking in his victory while surrounded by Republican allies, Trump also denounced the one member of his party who voted to convict him on the abuse of power charge.</s>TRUMP: And then you have some that use religion as a crutch. They never used it before. Say hello to the people of Utah and tell him I'm sorry about Mitt Romney.</s>COLLINS: Some Republican senators have claimed Trump learned his lesson after being impeached. But today, he insisted he did nothing wrong.</s>TRUMP: And some has said, I wish you didn't make the call. That's OK. If they need that. It's incorrect. It's totally incorrect.</s>COLLINS: During the at times rambling remarks, Trump appear to undermine aides who claimed earlier in the day he would express honesty and humility.</s>TRUMP: We first went through Russia, Russia, Russia. It was all bullshit.</s>COLLINS: Instead, he lashed out at the investigations against him, which he dismissed as efforts to take him down.</s>TRUMP: It was corrupt, it was dirty cops, it was leakers, and liars, and that should never ever happen to another president ever.</s>COLLINS: Now, the President's legal team who led his impeachment defense got a standing ovation in that room today. But even though the President spoke for over an hour, there was one attorney he didn't mention, his own Rudy Giuliani. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.</s>VAUSE: We're live to Los Angeles now with Michael Genovese, president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. Good to see you.</s>MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, John.</s>VAUSE: I was watching the president in the East Room of the White House, notably. What seemed such a contrast to the president who turned up at Congress to deliver the State of the Union, that president was on message. He stuck to the script. It was a script which was filled with misleading statements and outright lies. But the address to Congress didn't unravel into this bizarre mix of self-pity, victimization, and conspiracy theories. What we saw Thursday, was that a lot closer to Trump's real state of the union compared to what we heard on Tuesday?</s>GENOVESE: In a State of the Union Address, he stuck to script. He rarely does that. And that was, I think, one of his great strengths. And that's why this speech was more well-received than what you saw today. Today, it was unvarnished, unhinged, unplugged Donald J. Trump. He missed a great opportunity to press the reset button to say, all right, we're moving on, we're going to govern the country, we're going to lead for America. Instead, it was an orgy of revenge and anger. And it was</s>VAUSE: And if you look at the stuff that he was saying, so much of it has just been debunked over time again, and again, and again. But it's this part of this narrative, which has now become sort of Trump law.</s>GENOVESE: Well, Donald Trump says what he wants to be true, says it convincingly. He's got an experienced -- you've got an experienced entertainer who's had years and years on television. He knows how to work a camera. He knows how to speak to an audience. And his view is what I believe to be true is true, alternative facts being what they are. And you know, there are fact-checkers out there, but he's not talking to people who listen to fact-checkers. He's talking to his base. And in his base, this is red meat. It works. It's powerful. And it's going to get him to the polls, and that's his strategy for winning in 2020.</s>VAUSE: If there was one message from whatever that was in the East Room today on Thursday, it is this.</s>TRUMP: I mean, it worked out. We went through hell unfairly, did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong.</s>VAUSE: I did nothing wrong. Two Republican senators voted not guilty and justify that by saying the president had learned a valuable lesson. Where are they left now?</s>GENOVESE: Egg on their face. And I think the hope -- and it was a hope that the President would come through this humbled and would learn a lesson and that he grew up. Who believed that -- who could believe that? There is no evidence to support that or to believe it. It was wishful thinking on their part. They were trying to find reason and excuse to support the president because they know that the base will go after them if and when they go against. Look what -- look what the treatment of Mitt Romney right now. I mean, at the Prayer Breakfast, Donald Trump weaponized religion, used it against Mitt Romney, used it against Nancy Pelosi, when he said, oh, she doesn't really pray. I don't believe she prays. Well, I come from a same tradition, Catholic tradition as Nancy Pelosi. I was Catholic grade school, high school, college. When you were raised in that tradition, you pray for the sinner. You may hate the sin but you love the sinner. And when Nancy Pelosi says, I pray for the president. It rings true. I pray for the President. I do it almost every day, because I pray and prayer is important to me. Donald Trump seems not to understand that. And so, he weaponizes religion, uses it against people in a way that is unbecoming. And to me, it's an attack upon my faith.</s>VAUSE: Yes, let me stop you there because this is exactly what he actually did say in that National Prayer Breakfast which happened before he went on this rambling speech in the East Room. Listen to this. This is Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney.</s>TRUMP: I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, I pray for you when they know that that's not so.</s>VAUSE: But after he said that, not immediately but very shortly after he said that, he warned that will be retribution for those behind the impeachment. Now, surely a religious man as Donald Trump says he is, whose favorite book is the Bible, he would know Romans chapter 12, verse 19. Do not take revenge my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge. I will repay, says Lord. Let's be honest here. This is the President who has almost zero understanding of basic Christian teaching. It is beyond shameless what he said to Pelosi and Romney, and he seems to be totally and blissfully unaware of it.</s>GENOVESE: He may be unaware of it, but his constituency, the Evangelical Christians ought to see right through this. The fact that they don't is a function not of their belief that he is a good person, but his standard on abortion and on judges. They're willing to sell their position very cheaply to Donald J. Trump, and say, whatever you are, whatever you say, whoever you may be, we don't care. What we want you to do is give us A, B, and C. And that's what he's done. He's given them something very important to that constituency, that base, but it's a base that many people now say is too political, a little bit hypocritical, and they wonder if that Christianity that they are supposed to believe in applies to people who as Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney don't agree with the president.</s>VAUSE: We should note, there has been a lot of anger from religious leaders, from traditional churches, but nothing from you know, the evangelical supporters of Donald Trump. And as always, Michael, a good way to end of the week. Thank you for being with us.</s>GENOVESE: Thank you, John.</s>VAUSE: And the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses is we just don't know. All precincts have reported in and the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, Pete Buttigieg is locked in a virtual tie with Senator Bernie Sanders. He leads in the overall vote count, but the real battle, the real action is the state delegates. And now the Democratic National Committee Chair is calling for a recanvas of all results. Tom Perez tweeted, "Enough is enough." He wants all the numbers released by the state to be checked against results recorded at the caucus sites, and that could take forever. Well, still to come, the Trump Administration's Middle East plan for peace may be backfiring as violence ramps up between Israelis and Palestinians. We'll look at what's fueling the anger. That's in a moment. Also, Indian police make an arrest in a shocking crime against a five-year-old girl allegedly happened on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy. A live report from New Delhi. That's next.