the coronavirus claims new victims including the first american and japanese citizens. u.s. democrats take the stage for their final debate before voters in new hampshire cast ballots. and fire and witnesses, the u.s. president getting rid of who people who testified against him in the white house impeachment trial. >> the president exacting revenge. we have reaction to his moves this hour. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. >> from cnn world headquarters, "newsroom" starts right now.

4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. it is good to be with you this day. first we startfatality, this ti and the u.s., the two victims said to be in their 60s. they were in the city of wuhan. >> and that brings the virus' death toll now to at least 726. it is climbing so rapidly, it could not so overtake the sars outbreak of 2003. >> and the infection is on the rise daily, nearly 35,000 people now have the virus. the majority in china. and let's go live to china, steven jiang is following the story. tell us more about the latest victims. >> reporter: george, we really

don't know much about beyond what you have said. in the case of the japanese citizen, we know that he was a man in his 60s, died in wuhan. the cause of death was pneumonia. and as of now, it was listed as a lhighly suspicious case. and the american embassy mere is not telling us much about their 60-year-old because they say that it is out of respect for this person's family's privacy. but we know he -- this person died on thursday in a hospital in wuhan designated to treat this virus. these deaths are probably not entirely surprising given wuhan is where the virus originated. and also continues to record very grim numbers on a daily basis. as of friday, the city had now reported more than 13,000 cases with 545 deaths. that was the overwhelming majority of the stats that you

mentioned. and the worry in wuhan and the surrounding area is the cities outside of wuhan, two more cities have recorded more cases. and these are smaller poorer cities with probably even less public health infrastructure to cope with this kind of outbreak. so that is the big worry for both local officials and residents, that is who is going to be the next wuhan. and in the province where they are located, officials are telling us that they are still facing severe shortage of medical supplies and medical personnel even after the rest of the country has september i sen than 10,000 medical workers. and they are still short at least 2,000 medical personnel. >> steven jiang, thank you. and well over 300 cases of the coronavirus have now been documented outside of mainland china. fears of it spreading have led

to the quarantine two cruise ships, one in hong kong, one in japan. it is the ship in japan, the diamond princess, where the greatest concentration of the virus has been found outside of china. matt rivers is live where people on that ship, matt, are just going nowhere. what is the latest? >> reporter: they are frustrated. i mean, and you can imagine, you know, trying to be in these people's shoes and they are just really bored and scared and nervous about the situation. i mean, there is roughly -- there were roughly 3700 people on board that ship, a little more than 1,000 staff, more than 2,000 passengers. and now they will be in quarantine for the better part of the next two weeks. we know that 64 people have been identified as having this coronavirus and they have been taken off the ship one by one to get treatment at local hospitals here. but for those people who haven't

yet either been told that they have this coronavirus or people who just don't have any symptoms, they remain on board the ship. and you know, you might say, well, why are people staying on board the ship. why are they not allowed to get off the ship, allowed to spend their quarantine time in local hospitals and positions that are a bit more confident abomfortab. but authorities say it is protocol to keep people sheltered in place. if they are tested positive, they will be brought off the ship. but in the meantime for the safety of the people on the boat and the shore, it is their firm stant stance that they will keep them on their ship the next two weeks. so are the number of confirmed cases on board going to go up? we were at 20 two days ago and we've jumped up to 61 yesterday, only an increase of three from 61 to 64 today, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. and if you are talking about the uncertainty and the trepidation of those who remain on board,

that is what they are looking at, day to day who knows how the virus is spreading on board. just a lot of unknowns. >> and matt, because they don't know how it is spreading on the ship, is there a concern that being quarantined on the ship could potentially expose passengers to the virus rather than protect them from it. >> >> reporter: yeathat is a go. and as far as officials say, as far as they can tell through the ventilation system, they say that the virus is not being spread through the vepntilation system. and i think if that was happening, you'd have to get people off the ship. but officials are saying no, it is mainly person to person contact which is how these things have spread or some contact of some sort. it is not being spread through the ventilation system. and that is key. but you know, imagine if you are a person on this ship, does that make you feel comfortable? if i was on that ship, if i was in one of these rooms, i'd be uncomfortable. i know that that is what the

japanese authorities are saying and i'm sure they are telling the truth. but it is one thing to hear that and another thing to live it on board. and that is why i think that the people we've spoken to, they are just nervous being in such close proximity to people and to rooms that have been con tam natured by this virus. >> and we're seeing video of one of those rooms right now. i can't imagine what people there are going through. matt rivers, thank you. u.s. health officials are scrutinizing a cruise ship that docked on friday near new york city. >> that's right, because the number of passengers had recently visited china. polo sandoval has this report. >> reporter: it was initially 27 passengers aboard this cruise ship that caught the attention of health officials who boarded it not long after it docked early friday morning, all sxent for four were medically cleared. and the family was sent to a nearby hospital to be tested for coronavirus and we should point out that according to royal

caribbean, they did not exhibit any coronavirus symptoms and only one tested positive for the flu during the trip itself. so it looks promising, but they will have to wait for the test results until they can definitively say that they were not exposed to the virus itself. and we can tell you that royal caribbean is having stricter boarding protocols and they say guests from hong kong or china denied access. and anyone traveling from main land china the last 15 days regardless of country of origin wille be denied access. and then finally, there would be mandatory health screenings for some of those passengers who feel sick, particularly if they report traveling to mainland china in the last couple of weeks. in the meantime, as for the ship itself, it was initially scheduled to rush baeturn back sea friday afternoon and we're told they will now head out

saturday. polo sandoval, cnn, new jersey. and now back to the epicenter of the virus, wuhan, that city has been shut down and under quarantine for more than three weeks. >> and that means 11 million people are now feeling the strain when it comes to finding necessary supplies. cnn's david culver spoke with some of them and asked how they are coping. >> reporter: within the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus, an eerie silence. the streets of wuhan, a city 11 million people call home, mostly empty. but even in self-quarantine, some locals keep moving. >> translator: the start of day 21 when we chatted -- >> reporter: he's only left his place three times. >> translator: i don't really have any real difficulties in daily life right now exempt that i'm extremely bored at being confined at home.

>> reporter: most of his time spent in his apartment with his cat. >> translator: i stopped going out from about january 13 because i feel the epidemic is quite serious and it is relatively safer to stay home. >> reporter: from cooking to practicing good hygiene, the 26-year-old graphic designer records videos to keep he entertained. having friends over isn't really an option. >> translator: everyone says don't let any outsiders to come in. >> reporter: he wishes the rest of the country was a bit more understanding. >> translator: the enkem democratic de epidemic is in no one's control. and the government did not resolve problems in time. but though a small number who spread the epidemic, all the you wuhan citizens are carrying the blame. i don't think that is sensible. >> reporter: as you can see, the store is starting to get pretty cleared out here.

so i'll grab some food while i have the chance. this american gives us a chance from an expat's perspective, awaiting the proper paper work to evacuate his wife who is chinese and their one month old baby. he and many others becoming at home safety health experts. >> next thing, take eye protection. well, i don't have a pair of medical safety goggles, i do have my handy dandy eye slide s. >> reporter: and also a daily temperature check followed by a game of hide and go seek with his cat. >> translator: i believe the epidemic will pass and for us ordinary people, all we can do is take good care of ourselves. >> reporter: day 22 is still hours away. david culver, cnn, beijing. next here, we look at the 2020 election and time running out, the democrats plead their case ahead of the new hampshire primary. what candidates say they have to do to beat donald trump.

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welcome back. friday night was the last chance for vote hers in new hampshire to hear from the democratic candidates at once. >> and as the debate heated up, pete buttigieg found position in the cross fire over his lack of experience while joe biden and bernie sanders sparred over health care. nadia romero has more on where the candidates stand ahead of the primary. >> reporter: seven familiar faces took familiar places at the debate. before after the disastrous iowa caucuses -- >> i took a hit in iowa and probably here. all right t . >> reporter: the stakes seemed higher than ever. >> we need to re-establish the rule of law. >> reporter: pete buttigieg and bernie sanders claiming victory in iowa, leading the polls in new hampshire and feeling the frontrunner fire. >> miayor buttigieg is a great guy. he is the mayor of a small city who has done some good things, but has not gln straig not demo

ability. >> bernie and i work together all the time, but question not outdivide the divider in chief. >> next president will have to restore the credibility of this country. >> reporter: the democratic candidates touching on health care. >> if we do what joe wants, we'll be spending some $50 trillion on health care over the next ten years. that is the status quo. >> reporter: climate change. >> maybe we pool our resources and fight our common enemy, which is climate change. >> reporter: and the economy. >> we're going to have to take mr. trump down on the economy and he will beat us unless we can take him down on the economy stupid. >> what we have to do is get the markets working to improve our family's way of life. >> reporter: with the new hampshire primary on tuesday, the time for candidates to stand out to voters is quickly running out.manchester, nadia romero reporting. and fresh off his acquittal,

prthd president trump fired two key witnesses from the proceeding. alexander vindman and gordon sondland. >> it points to a campaigni of retribution. kaitlan collins has the latest. >> reporter: president trump has fired two of the most prominent witnesses that appeared in the impeachment inquiry against him that resulted in those two articles of impeachment which the president was acquitted of just days ago and that comes a the president had been complaining about both of them privately, but aides had been advising him to wait until the trial was over. now it is and he has fired sondland who we should note gave $1 million to his inauguration, but of course came to testify that he did believe that there was a quid pro quo in the president withholding that security assistance and demanding those investigations into the bidens. the president has also fired

lieutenant colonel vindman who was the top ukraine expert, someone who also came forward to test filed in his uniform because he had been on the july call that the president had with the ukranian leader where he first brought up the bidens and those investigations that he wanted. alex vindman was escorted off white house grounds by security in addition to his brother, who is an attorney for the national security council but never testified, neff never spoke publicly about the impeachment inquiry. but according to his attorney, was also fired without any kind of explanation despite his years of service. both are expected to go back to the pentagon for the time being, but still unclear what their role will be and of course now that gordon sondland has been recalled from his post in brussels, it is in-clear what he will unclear what he will say when he returns to the united states. he was essentially seen as not someone with a lot of power for the last several weeks and was clearly on bad terms with the president, but this will raise

questions going forward by democrats saying this is a clear sign of retribution by the president who is trying to get retaliation because of their testimony and the question of course going forward is whether or not anymore witnesses who testified in that impeachment inquiry are also going to be fired. kaitlyn collins, cnn, the white house. >> what a week. a lot to talk about. for that perspective, scott lucas is with us, professor of international politics at the university of birmingham, and also founder of ea world view live this hour in birmingham, england. good to have you with us. >> great morning to you, george. >> let's start with the firing of the u.s. ambassador to the european union, gordon sondland, and also vindman, top ukraine expert at the national security council dismissed. one trump adviser reportedly described this as flushing out the pipes. how do you see it? >> if you want to call it flushing out the pipes, fine, but let's call it what it is. it is revenge.

it is retribution. donald trump jr. tweeted in celebration of it afterwards. donald trump sr. spent all day on twitter yesterday spreading slanders against alexander vindman, slanders that say he is disloyal, that say he should not have worn his military uniform when he testified before congress. the crime of alexander vindman and of sondland oig who rememwa subpoenas and to testify. for that crime of actually accepting the congressional subpoenas and not breaking the law, they have been removed from their post and in the case of vindman, a decorated war veteran, the humiliation of escorting him from the white house by security guards. last week republican senators just fid nified not to convict president trump by saying that he will do better, he will learn

from this. this is what learning looks like, folks. vindictive, angry that mitt romg any voted with the democrats. this is just the start of what donald trump will do and what stephanie grish ham caam called payback. >> and what is the message to others in the administration who see something and feel compelled to say something? >> well, the message is theit h years. anytime donald trump has faced criticism over his actions, and that is don't cross me. you may look at him as the man in the white house, but his actions are like the boss of a large organization who says to his subordinates you stay in line. i don't want to necessarily compare this to a mob movie, but we need to know that this is what trump's tactics are and that he is being enabled. those in his inner circle who helped him with the smears against vindman yesterday.

there are those who will help him today by smearing sondland even though he gave $1 million to donald trump's flaul commina committee. and there will be those in congress such as republicans that continue to excuse this kind of behavior. >> what precedence does it set, this impeachment trial, does it set for the future, other presidents when it comes to using the power of the i have to get dirt on political rivals? >> the precedent has been set not by the trial, the precedent was set by donald trump. he is the one who worked with russia during the 2016 election. he is the one who carried out an investigation with his personal attorney rudy giuliani for ten months to get dirt on joe biden, to cover up russia's interference in the 2016 election and the lesson is that any person not just donald trump can try to get away with this by screaming witch hunt or hoax and exerting payback to anyone who crosses them. >> and let's switch to the

debate. joe biden admitted that he would take a hit in gar scomparison t bernie sanders. and joe biden has momentum. who had a good night in that debate and who had a tough night? >> let me just say it is a wide open race. and in addition to the three that you named, bernie sanders, pete buttigieg, joe biden, amy klobuchar and elizabeth warren each got 13% of the votes from iowa. i think all of the candidates showed they had strengths, some also had stumbles. but i think what you have is a debate really on issues and position. if you have a certain view of health care, a certain view of climate change, you might go for a buttigieg or biden or klobuchar. if you have a view about economic justice, you might go with elizabeth warren. in other words, i think what comes out of new hampshire is even though it was a feisty debate, sometimes scrambled, this continues to be a rich debate in giving americans a

real choice, a real choice, not just of a candidate, but of the issues that concern them as we go beyond the nomination and into the general election in november. >> the ask the liscott lucas gis take, good to have you with us. >> thank you. you now that the impeachment trial has come to a close, the house democrats who prosecuted the case against mr. trump are speaking out. the exclusive interview you will only see on cnn next. also ahead, growing concerns over how beijing is handling the coronavirus outbreak. $9.95 at my age?

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welcome back to our viewers around the world. this is "cnn newsroom" live from lan atlanta. >> and these are the headlines we're following for you. u.s. president trump cleaning house after his impeachment acquittal. the president removed lieutenant colonel alexander vindman from his role at the national security council and he recalled gordon sondland from his post as ambassador in the eu. both men gave testimony in the impeachment inquiry. and several democratic u.s. candidates took the stage friday night just days ahead of the new hampshire primary, they clashed over health care, foreign policy and climate change. many targeted pete buttigieg as he and bernie sanders remain the frontrunners in the iowa caucuses, but of course their main target is president trump. the coronavirus, the u.s.

government confirms an american in u wuhan died. it is the first death of a u.s. citizen from the disease. and japan also reports one of its citizens has died from the coronavirus. and we're reporting to you how u.s. health officials are scrutinizing accrues sh cruise docked in new york city. and some americans on board have tested positive of the coronavirus. >> and there is growing concern over how the chinese government has handled it. brian todd has this. >> reporter: the anthem of the seas was just on a standard caribbean cruise, but the alarm other than the kroern hcoronavi gotten so strong that when it docked in new jersey, passengers were screened and four people who had been to mainland china in late january but not wuhan were taken for additional

testing. half a world away on another cruise ship in japan, rebecca frazier is one of about a dozen americans who have tested positive for coronavirus. >> a little scared. hard to know what the future holds since i don't really feel sick right now. is it going to get worse. >> reporter: thousands of people have been quarantined, confined to their cabins, which one expert says could present a new set of dangers. >> cruise ship are petri dishes. one thing that concerns me, you are you keeping them in close quarters where you may be amplifying transmission from sick people to other people. >> reporter: meanwhile the latest planes out of americans being evacuated from wuhan, ground zero of coronavirus, arrived in the u.s. on friday. hundreds of them are being quarantined on military bases. one wearing a mask and streaming about conditions inside. >> we are allowed to do anything inside the fence but not allowed

to go outside. >> reporter: there are more than 31,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world, with more than 630 deaths, almost all those cases inside mainland china. but the virus has spread to more than 25 countries and regions there are a dozen cases in the u.s. >> although it is a potentially very serious public health threat and we continue to see more cases here, the immediate risk to the american public is low at this time. >> reporter: meanwhile there has been a social media revolt inside china, accusations that the dcommunist government coverd up the early stages of the outbreak. and citizens are outraged over the fate of li, a doctor who was targeted by police. he later contracted the virus himself and died. xi jinping meanwhile uncharacteristically disappeared from public view for several

days at the height of the outbreak. >> the need to avoid to be the public face of this issue is quite pressing. xi is extremely careful about his reputation and image. >> reporter: and this analyst who monitors chinese media says that the beijing government is still blocking information about the virus like online article about dr. li's death. >> it says that the contents of this article revealed revelations of the information, therefore it cannot be viewed. >> reporter: president trump would not criticize china for covering up the outbreak, the president saying he has had at least one lengthy discussion with xi jinpingen a says that the chinese are working hard to defeat it. this as the president and his team are imposing tough new measures. coronavirus getting new levels of attention inside the white house now that impeachment is behind them. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> since that report was filed,

the number of coronavirus cases has risen to nearly 35,000 around the world, 726 people have died. in parts of the u.s. state of oregon, there is a state of emergency. still ahead, severe flooding washing out roads and forcing emergency rescues there. and democrats are determined to hear from john bolton. more about their efforts coming next. - do you have a box of video tapes, film reels, or photos,

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this is the state of oregon, ten people were rescued from floodwaters friday, two of those rescue personnel themselves. the flooding happened quickly washing out roads. >> and derek van dam is here to tell us more are about it. having reported up in that part of the world, mudslides and things like that are a big

danger. >> and it is fluctuating temperatures too. it start ted out as snowfall earlier in the week and then the temperatures rose and it fell in the form of rain. so there was so much water in a short period of time and created these scenes that are you about to see. unfortunately, closing several hundred miles of interstate across eastern sections of oregon and you can see the reason why. the water just flowing directly over the waterways there. and if you look at the aerial perspective, you can see how expansive the flooding is inundating agricultural and also homes and businesses. get to the graphics behind me. this is an image from the oregon national guard and you can see a couple of individuals on top of their homes waiting to be rescued. these are a few of the people that were rescued from the tops of their houses during swift water rescue attempts.

but they had to actually be rescued via helicopter because the waters rose so quickly and in fact the rescues became part of the rescue attempt as well. so it was quite an operation there to say the least. there is pendleton, there is oregon, you can see another storm system impacting the pacific northwest. more snow for the mountain, rain for the valleys. and that will add to the already ongoing flooding concerns. but i have to bring your attention to what is happening across the southeastern united states because this doesn't take place a lot. into atlanta where the cnn world headquarters is, we have the potential iffor a rain/snow mix here the next couple of hours. up interstate 75 or 80, you will start to see snow starting to stick to the ground. the national weather service hoisting winter storm warnings across northern georgia and the greater atlanta region. of course it doesn't last long here. temperatures get too warm too quickly. and you can see the daytime

highs to end out the weekend. and let me take you to the southern hemisphere, of course this is summer time across eastern australia. we've had a big story here, that being the bush fires that were ongoing from queensland into new south wales. now they have had some of the heaviest rainfall in the past two decades, heaviest 24 hour rainfall total. 275 millimeters and counting. and the rain is ongoing. that is a lot of precipitation in a short period of time as with he will. leading to some localized flooding. but they will take what they can get because of course this is helping extinguish the massive bush fires which by the way 62 active fire, but compare that to two weeks ago when we had over 100, look at the rainfall total, significant, that means low fire danger, so looking much more promising in the extended forecast and that is good news. prayers answered for those

regions. we needed to get those fires out in a big hurry and hats off to all the firefighters out there still battling the blazes pl. >> and looks good to he's blue and green. >> yeah. >> and the late baseball player kobe bryant, his widow is offering fans a chance to celebrate his life. >> vanessa bryant announced plans for a public memorial february 24th, it will be at the staples center are where he p y played his entire career. >> he was killed last month when i a helicopter that he was in with his 13-year-old daughter crashed into a hillside near los angeles. >> friday the u.s. national transportation safety board released new details in the investigation into what happened. nick watt reports from los angeles. >> reporter: the ntsb is calling this an investigation update, this is not analysis, these are not conclusions, this is a report of the facts that they

have gathered so far. but experts say it does give an indication, a roadmap of where the investigation is going. and one line in particular stands out, and that is viewable sections of the begins shengine no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure, which suggests that engine failure has pretty much been ruled out. a former managing director at the nmpgtsb talked about his initial reactions. >> if there were concerns about either the equipment or anything else, it would be mentioned. in this case, they focused in on the weather, they focused in on the pilot's interaction with air traffic control, and in the end i'm afraid the spotlight will be on the pilot and his decision making. >> reporter: the report also details the condition of that helicopter as there were no outstanding air worthiness directives or minimum equipment

list items and all inspections were up-to-date. the pilot age 50 had worked in that island express for about ten years. no issues with his record either. there was focus on the weather. photographs, one showing -- taken from a security camera showing it flying in heavy fog. some eyewitness testimony, videos and photos taken by the public in the area, also depict fog and low clouds obscuring the hilltops. we now also know that the last contact with controllers, the pilot said that he was planning to climb to 4,000 feet to avoid cloud. he only got to 2300 feet before making a left turn, descending and crashing. a full report might take more than a year to come out. and in the meantime, we now know that there will be a memorial for kobe bryant at tstaples center here in los angeles

monday, february 24th. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. >> and that will be one packed staples center for sure. >> absolutely. now that president trump has been acquitted in his impeachment trial, diplomats and officials who gave testimony are bracing for the fallout. >> mr. trump on friday fired the eu ambassador gordon sondland and also alexander vindman. both men testified under oath in the impeachment hearings. and both sides are far from letting go of the ukraine investigation. m . >> reporter: the trial may have ended. >> president trump not guilty as charge in the second article impeachment. >> we will continue to do ouroff sight to protect and defend the constitution which is three co-equal branches of government,

each a check and balance on the other. >> reporter: both democrats and republicans now with their sights set on their own targets. for democrats, it is john bolton, the president's former national security adviser, who said that he would be willing to testify in the senate trial if subpoenaed. but republicans blocked witnesses. >> that is still an open chapter out there. and if for nothing but the historical record, i certainly am very interested in hearing what mr. bolton has to say. >> reporter: now house democrats say that it is likely they will subpoena bolton. who has a book coming out reported on in the "new york times" that further alleges that the president did link military aid for ukraine with personal political investigations. and that he pressured bolton to help him. bolton's tell-all book and willingness to testify angered republicans who argue that the bidens' role in ukraine deserves more scrutiny. >> we'll get to the bottom of this and i can prucan prove bey

doubt that joe biden's effort to root out corruption was undercut because he let his son sit on the board of the most corrupt company in the ukraine and we won't give them a pass on that. >> reporter: the trump administration has already handed over documents and information to senate republicans on hunter define after the white house refused to cooperate with house democrats on their requests. democratic senator ron widen today blasting republicans for turning the senate into an arm of the president's political campaign. it was that campaign for trump to win in 2020 that lev parnas, indicted associates much rud indicted associate much rudy giuliani, told cnn that it was at the mission of their ukraine. >> it was most important to keep the fight going. no other reason for doing. >> reporter: rudy giuliani told cnn he cannot discuss that trip to spain because it is a matter of national security. as for parnas, despite his best efforts to be cooperative, a trial date has now been set in

manhattan in october meaning that verdict could come in the final days of the 2020 presidential election. alex mar quart, cnn. and house managers say that donald trump did not learn anything from the trial.mar qua. and house managers say that donald trump did not learn anything from the trial. >> i would consider it fake news. because we did not have a fair trial athink back to robert mueller's words when he said if he could exonerate the president, he would. but he could not exonerate the president. the evidence again was overwhelming against him. many senators said that we proved our case that the evidence was clear and convincing and overwhelming. the president is not good on ra exonerated today and we were there to present the best case to the senators and the american

people. i believe that we did that. >> i find myself optimistic coming out of this trial which may be counterintuitive, but the fact that senators indeed a small number showed the kind of courage that they did, senators like mitt romney obviously, but also joe manchin and others, i think that they lived up to the confidence the founders put in our ability to have self-governance, that we could rise are to the occasion. and so i find myself optimistic about the future. i think that what mitt romney did in particular demonstrates that one person can change the course of history. i think that he will give strength to others who will learn that can you can stand up to this president, you can disagree with the leader of your party and be an example of courage to others. >> i think the impeachment trial was never about polls, politics

or personality disagreements with president trump. it is about the precious nature of the constitution. in fact, george washington observed in his farewell address to the nation that the constitution is obligatory upon all. that means everyone. and from the very beginning of this effort led by chash man schiff and speaker pelosi, we've been trying to go vin vindicate notion that no one is above the law, not even the president. >> the house managers there speaking to my colleague anderson cooper on that. still ahead, there is a change at the oscars this year. you how the push for sustainability could turn the red carpet after parties there green. when we started our business

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it is one of hollywood's biggest nights and we are just days away from it, but this year's oscar parties will feature something different new on the menu. >> and lynda kinkade has the oscars going green. here she is. >> reporter: it is sweeping hollywood's awards season with

his performance in the joker. and joaquin phoenix is using his time in the spotlight to spread a message of sustainability throughout hollywood, but encouraging show organizer hes to feature plant based menus. >> i think now consuming animal products is no longer just a personal choice, it is having a drastic and vast consequence on the rest of the world. >> reporter: so far the golden globes, screen actors guild and "the critics' choice awards" have served vegan meals to their attendees. and this weekend nearly three quarters of the menu at the afterparty will be plant based dishes with the options of adding meat. >> everything in moderation, you know? if we eat smaller portions of red meat for example, we have to raise less cattle. >> reporter: and some welcome the changes saying it is a small step in the right direction. in terms of the vegan menu,

yeah, i think anything -- anytime anyone can contribute, it is helpful, right? >> reporter: others see it as a call to action. >> i plan to change a great deal in my diet and the way that i use energy. i'm certainly not taking any private jet, i'll tell you that. >> reporter: they asked members to dress sustainably. joaquin phoenix says that he has worn the same tuxedo to each awards show and plans do the same on oscar night where the big win could be for the environment. if more people in hollywood use their star power in the real life drama of protecting the planet. lynda kinkade, cnn. and coming next here, fierce of the coronavirus, it is not stopping thousands of couples from getting married. >> tens of thousands came together to watch a mass wedding at the unification church in south korea where nearly 6,000 couples tied the knot there. but staff weren't taking any

chances, they checked people's temperatures and gave out hand sanitizers. many got married with matching face masks hoping that their marriages would thrive in sickness and health. >> certainly hope so. we'll have the latest numbers on coronavirus just ahead here. much more, please stay with us. i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell. the news continues right after this. can my side be firm? and my side super soft? yes. with the sleep number 360 smart bed, on sale now, you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. can it help me fall asleep faster?

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ahead this hour, the coronavirus claiming new victims including the first american and japanese citizens. in the united states, democrats take the stage, their final debate before voters in new hampshire make their votes. and firing witnesses. donald trump gets rid of two people who testified against him during house impeachment hearings. >> we're live at cnn headquarters in atlanta. and welcome to viewers here in the united states and around the world, i'm george howell. >> i'm natalie allen, "cnn newsroom" starts right now. 5:00 a.m. here in atlanta. and we begin with the coronavirus yet again. japan and the u.s. now both reporting their first fatalities. the two victims said to be in their 60s were in the city of wuhan, t