GETS UNDER WAY ON THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
NIGHT. WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN
FROM OUR NBC NEWS HEADQUARTERS
HERE IN NEW YORK.
DAY 1,133 OF THIS TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. THAT LEAVES 251 DAYS UNTIL OUR
2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
AND TONIGHT THE UNITED STATES IS
PREPARING FOR THE POSSIBILITY,
INDEED THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THE
INEVITABILITY, OF AN OUTBREAK OF
THE CORONAVIRUS.
THE CORONAVIRUS. JUST YESTERDAY IN FACT AN
OFFICIAL WITH OUR CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL SAID, "IT’S NOT
SO MUCH A QUESTION OF IF THIS
WILL HAPPEN ANYMORE BUT RATHER
MORE OF A QUESTION OF EXACTLY
WHEN."
WHEN." NOT ACCORDING TO OUR PRESIDENT
TODAY.
TODAY. THAT QUOTE WAS FROM YESTERDAY
WHEN TRUMP WAS OUT OF THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. TODAY BACK FROM INDIA, HE GAVE A
MARKEDLY DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE
EFFORT TO CONTAIN THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. AMONG OTHER THINGS HE SAID IT’S
A FLU.
A FLU. HE SAID THERE ARE JUST 15 CASES
IN THE U.S. AND OF THOSE
FICTIONAL 15 HE SAID THEY ARE
EITHER BETTER NOW OR CLOSE TO
BEING BETTER.
BEING BETTER. HE DOESN’T THINK THE SPREAD IS
INEVITABLE.
INEVITABLE. HE SAYS CHINA’S PRESIDENT IS
WORKING SO HARD TO CONTAIN IT
AND HE BELIEVES HIM WHEN HE SAYS
HE’S REVERSING THE TREND.
THE PRESIDENT ALSO ANNOUNCED
MIKE PENCE HAS BEEN PUT IN
CHARGE OF THE EFFORT TO COMBAT
AND CONTAIN THE VIRUS.
NOW SOME REAL NUMBERS.
AND THIS FIRST ONE HAS THE
PRESIDENT UNSETTLED.
PRESIDENT UNSETTLED. THE DOW HAS DROPPED OVER 2,000
POINTS SO FAR THIS WEEK.
LARGELY BECAUSE OF UNCERTAINTY
OVER CORONAVIRUS AND THE SUPPLY
CHAINS FOR GLOBAL PRODUCTS THAT
HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISRUPTED.
SO FAR MORE THAN 81,000 PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN SICKENED WORLDWIDE.
OVER 78,000 OF THOSE CASES ARE
IN CHINA.
IN CHINA. THAT WE KNOW OF.
THE VIRUS ALSO SPREADING
THROUGHOUT EUROPE NOW.
ITALY REPORTING OVER 400 CASES.
AND TONIGHT THAT SAME CDC IS
CONFIRMING A NEW AND CONCERNING
CASE IN CALIFORNIA.
CONCERNING BECAUSE IT’S A VICTIM
WITH NO KNOWN RECENT TRAVEL
HISTORY, NO KNOWN RECENT
EXPOSURE TO ANYONE CARRYING THE
VIRUS.
VIRUS. AND WITH THAT THEY SAY THE
NUMBER OF AMERICANS WITH
CORONAVIRUS IS 60, NOT THE 15
THE PRESIDENT KEPT REFERRING TO
AS HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO SAY
HE DOESN’T THINK IT’S INEVITABLE
IT WILL SPREAD TO THE U.S.
>> I DON’T THINK IT’S
INEVITABLE.
INEVITABLE. IT PROBABLY WILL.
IT POSSIBLY WILL.
IT COULD BE AT A VERY SMALL
LEVEL.
LEVEL. IT COULD BE AT A LARGER LEVEL.
WHATEVER HAPPENS -- WE HAVE A
TOTAL OF 15 PEOPLE.
AND THEY’RE IN THE PROCESS OF
RECOVERING, WITH SOME ALREADY
HAVING FULLY RECOVERED.
WE’RE AT THAT VERY LOW LEVEL,
AND WE WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.
SO WE’RE AT THE LOW LEVEL.
AS THEY GET BETTER WE TAKE THEM
OFF THE LIST SO THAT WE’RE GOING
TO BE PRETTY SOON AT ONLY FIVE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. AND WE COULD BE AT JUST ONE OR
TWO PEOPLE OVER THE NEXT SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME.
AND AGAIN, WHEN YOU HAVE 15
PEOPLE AND THE 15 WITHIN A
COUPLE OF DAYS IS GOING TO BE
DOWN TO CLOSE TO ZERO, THAT’S A
PRETTY GOOD JOB WE’VE DONE.
>> AGAIN, TO BE CLEAR, THE TOTAL
NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CASES
PRESENTLY IN THE U.S. INCLUDING
EVACUEES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES IS
60.
60. THE PRESIDENT ALSO MADE THIS
PREDICTION ABOUT A VACCINE.
>> IT’S A LITTLE LIKE THE
REGULAR FLU THAT WE HAVE FLU
SHOTS FOR AND WE’LL ESSENTIALLY
HAVE A FLU SHOT FOR THIS IN A
FAIRLY QUICK MANNER.
>> BUT MOMENTS EARLIER A CDC
OFFICIAL FROM THAT VERY SAME
LECTERN SAID A FINAL VACCINE IS
AT LEAST A YEAR TO 18 MONTHS
AWAY.
AWAY. "WASHINGTON POST" IS REPORTING
TRUMP IS AGAIN VERY WORRIED
ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ALL
THIS.
THIS. "TRUMP HIGHLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THE MARKET AND HAS ENCOURAGED
AIDES NOT TO GIVE PREDICTIONS
THAT MIGHT CAUSE FURTHER
TREMORS.
TREMORS. PRIVATELY TRUMP HAS BECOME
FURIOUS ABOUT THE STOCK MARKET
SLIDE."
SLIDE." AND EARLIER TODAY THE PRESIDENT
ACCUSED THE MEDIA OF "DOING
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE
MISSPELLED CORONAVIRUS LOOKS AS
BAD AS POSSIBLE INCLUDING
PANICKING MARKETS IF POSSIBLE."
JUST YESTERDAY THE PRESIDENT’S
ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY
SECRETARY, CHAD WOLF, WAS
GRILLED ON CAPITOL HILL.
REPUBLICAN SENATOR JOHN, NO
RELATION, KENNEDY OF LOUISIANA
WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH WHAT HE
HEARD.
HEARD. >> HOW MANY ARE YOU
ANTICIPATING?
ANTICIPATING? >> AGAIN, WE’RE WORKING WITH HHS
TO DETERMINE THAT.
>> HOW MANY ARE YOU
ANTICIPATING?
ANTICIPATING? >> WE DO ANTICIPATE THE NUMBER
WILL GROW.
WILL GROW. I DON’T HAVE AN EXACT FIGURE FOR
YOU, THOUGH.
YOU, THOUGH. >> DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE?
IS SOMEONE MODELING THAT?
DO YOU HAVE ANY WAY OF GUESSING?
>> AGAIN, HHS, THEY’RE MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS --
PROFESSIONALS -- >> BUT YOU’RE HEAD OF HOMELAND
SECURITY.
SECURITY. >> YES, SIR.
>> AND YOUR JOB IS TO KEEP US
SAFE.
SAFE. YOU CAN’T TELL US HOW MANY YOUR
MODELS ARE ANTICIPATING?
>> NO, SENATOR.
AGAIN, I WOULD DEFER YOU TO THE
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOR
THAT.
THAT. CDC.
CDC. >> YOU THINK YOU OUGHT TO CHECK
ON THAT?
ON THAT? >> WE WILL.
>> AS THE HEAD OF HOMELAND
SECURITY.
SECURITY. HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED?
>> A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WADES.
>> TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE.
>> AGAIN, HUMAN TO HUMAN --
>> HUMAN TO HUMAN HOW?
>> YOU’RE ASKING ME A NUMBER OF
MEDICAL QUESTIONS.
MEDICAL QUESTIONS. >> I’M ASKING YOU QUESTIONS
BECAUSE YOU’RE SECRETARY OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AND YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP US
SAFE.
SAFE. >> YES, SIR.
>> AND YOU NEED TO KNOW THE
ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.
>> IT WENT ON LIKE THAT.
AND TODAY VETERAN JOURNALIST
JOHN HARWOOD POINTED THIS OUT.
"PRESIDENT TRUMP RESPONDS TO
CORONAVIRUS WITH AN ACTING WHITE
HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF, ACTING
INTEL DIRECTOR, ACTING HOMELAND
SECURITY SECRETARY.
SECURITY SECRETARY. HE HAS LAUNCHED A LOYALTY PURGE.
HE WANTS TO CUT CDC AND NIH