we're backing up a week of chaos in the justice department with yet another story of controversy. our sources say that the attorney general is calling for a closer look into michael flynn's case. that's coming up here this hour. also, americans stranded by the coronavirus could get as early as this weekend. we're live near the cruise ship that has been their prison for almost two weeks. and called up in a seamlessly endless war in syria. a look at life for hundred of thousands of civilians trapped

by fighting in the grit of winter. live from cnn headquarters in atlanta, welcome to viewers around the united states and around the world. i'm natalie allen. this is "cnn newsroom." thank you, again for joining us, 5:00 a.m. here in atlanta. and we begin with u.s. attorney general william barr facing harsh scrutiny over his motivations and president trump making a stunning statement about his executive power. before heading to florida for the weekend, president trump tweeted he had the legal right to intervene in criminal cases but hasn't yet. that comes as we get word the attorney general has ordered the re-examination of several high-profile cases with close ties to the president.

cnn's boris sanchez has more on president trump and his allies based on justice or politics. >> reporter: fresh off the denial he can be influenced by the president, attorney general william barr facing new scrutiny today, after sources say he secretly ordered a re-examination of michael flynn's case, seeking no jail time for trump's former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi about his ties to russia. >> the president has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case. i cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me. >> reporter: trump today throw throwing barr's words back at him, claiming he does have the right to intervene in doj investigations tweeting, quote, this doesn't mean that i do not have as president the legal right to do so. i do but i so far have chosen

not to. while sources say barr has voiced his frustrations to trump in private multiple times, officials telling cnn that barr did not know that trump would go public. sources insisting that trump wasn't bothered by barr's comments. >> i'm confident in bill barr. i thought he did a good job. i think he's told the president this is not helpful, making it difficult for him to do this job. i think the president will listen to it. >> reporter: meantime findings from another investigation launched by bill barr over the u.s. intelligence agencies handling of the russian meddling in the 2016 election. >> i have president putin. he just said it's not russia. i will say this, i don't see any reason why it would be. >> reporter: despite consensus among the entire intelligence community that vladimir putin launched a covert effort to undermine the 2016 election.

"the new york times" reporting that special investigator john durham is looking into unfounded deep state conspiracy theories. sources they that durham is even investigating former cia said john bremen who says -- >> i think the whole thing is silly. i'm willing to speak to professor durham and anybody else who has questions about what we did at anytime during 2016. >> let's talk about this developing story with richard johnson joining mefrom lancaster england, at lancaster university. good morning to you, richard. >> good morning. >> well, it's been white the whirlwind in the justice department. and what is going on with attorney general william barr with the president and the public and not public?

>> i think what we're seeing is an erosion of important but formal norms that existed. one of those is a sense that although the attorney general is appointed by the president, of course. and is part of the president's administration, that there are certain things that the justice department has to do 245r somewhat at arm's length from the white house. and certainly, when we're talking about the sentencing of previously close associates of the president. and the president trying to put pressure on the attorney general to recommend a certain sentence, that really does seem to cross one of those important norms in government. you know, in one sense, yes, it is technically true that the president could put this pressure on his attorney general. but that really then starts to undermine the part of the power of the attorney general which is that the attorney general isn't just some kind of personal lawyer of the president. but is the lawyer of the entire

country. and i think this raises really serious concerns to be quite frank. >> why, because this is a president who before he came president had a big legal team called his fixers. and it almost seems he expects the attorney general in some respect to be a fixer here. is the president also looking -- does it seem to you -- to be undermining the mueller investigation? >> yeah, well, you even heard bill barr say that he felt undermined. i think what we're seeing is donald trump feeling empowered, unleashed by the events of the impeachment trial. you know, when there is a compliant senate as has been demonstrated by the impeachment trial that gives the president an enormous amount of leeway. because at the end of the day,

the way -- there are two ways that a president can be held accountable for these kind of infractions. one, of course, is the ballot box and that remains to be seen in november. but the other is through congressional scrutiny. and when that congressional scrutiny isn't there, until we get to an election, it seems that the president now believes that he can sort of operate unchained. and that's a very serious development. >> right. it seems that way. meantime, congressional democrats are calling for an emergency investigation, here we go again, and even for barr to be removed. do you expect some movement here from the democrats? >> well, i mean, you might be able to see some affects coming out of the house. but now that the senate has demonstrated it's going to

protect him even when the evidence against him is so clear, it becomes a question, actually, what is the value of these movements from the house, are they, of course, going to be stymied by the senate. there's a symbolic value and it may be important in itself. in terms of concrete changes to the president's behavior, i think there has to be some other tactic, there can be other pressure brought there. i don't think it can be relied on the formal processes. the president just seems to wash off so easily now. >> absolutely. we appreciate your insights as always, richard johnson. thank you, richard. >> thank you. all right. let's turn to the presidential election. we are one week away from the caucuses in the state of nevada. and democratic candidates are making their way through the state. former vice president biden

redeployed his campaign staffers to nevada and south carolina with hopes of regaini ining momentum, that comes after disappointing outcomes in iowa and new hampshire. and for weeks, former new york mayor mike bloomberg has been able to stay away from the primary fray. but now audio clip has resurfaced of bloomberg showing support of the controversial stop and frisk policy in new york. and candidates are taking the opportunity to lash out, as we hear from our. >> reporter: as mayor mike bloomberg with the controversial stop and frisk policy used by the nypd during his time as mayor. >> what i can do is learn from my mistakes. >> reporter: the city policial allowed police to stop and search anyone for weapons, with

comments that resurfaced from 2015. >> we put all of these cops in the minority neighborhoods. yes, that's true. and the way you should get the guns out of the kids' hands is to throw them against a wall and frisk them. >> i didn't understand the unintended pain it was causing for young black families and their kids. >> reporter: some say the words are not enough. >> at the end of the day, when people, a, learn about bloomberg's record of stop and frisk in new york city i think that will change minds. >> reporter: in 2008, he appeared to defend red lining a criminal that tore housing practice which denied loans and assistance to people in low income neighborhoods. >> it probably all started back when there was a lot of pressure in banks to make loans on anyone. >> reporter: bloomberg seemed to

suggest that ending red lining. >> and then congress got involved and saying, oh, these people should be able to get credit. once you started pushing in that direction, banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying house wasn't as good as you would like. >> reporter: his campaign put out a statement after those comments came to light, saying, mike's saying that something bad, a financial crisis saying followed something good which is the fight against redlining he was part of as mayor. his democratic rivals pounced. >> that crisis would not have been averted if the banks had been able to be bigger racists. and anyone who thinks that should not be the leader of our party. >> reporter: cnn loas vegas. we want to turn to an international security

conference and a development there. the united states and taliban sale they will both scale back the violence in afghanistan, that's a possible step towards peace. the agreement calls for a seven-day reduction in violence. the u.s. military and afghans will have a channel to discuss issues. it's very specific about bombs and rocket attacks. the seven-day reduction will take place very soon, according to that official. for more about it, let's bring in vivian there covering the story. vivian, u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo just spoke about this, what did he have to say? >> reporter: that's right, both secretary of state mike pompeo and secretary esper discussing it saying they are hopeful that there was going to be a revolution to the afghanistan crisis. and that they will honor the

reduction in violence. we spoke to officials the last two days here in munich, they said that the agreement, the seven-day agreement and reduction in violence is going to happen in the coming days. we understand at cnn that could start as soon as monday. so, it's really a promising thing, they're very encouraged but also cautious about it moving forward, because a reduction in violence means everything from roadside bombs to rocket attacks and a number of other things. of course, the taliban also hoping to get something out of this. possibly the release of prisoners, taliban prisoners, before they can kind of proceed with a full peace deal. and the other issues that they're really hopeful about is that they're going to get the afghan government on their side. the u.s. trying to talk with president ghani who is also here in munich, to really have him be on board with these talks of the taliban, but of course, that's been a bumpy road from the start, president ghani has been

very critical of the way the u.s. has approached the peace deal with the taliban. so, it remains to be seen what's going to happen. ultimately, president donald trump trying to deliver on a campaign promise he made back in 2016, which is to withdrawal troops from afghanistan and u.s. officials saying we're one step closer to that reality. >> we hope so. the syrian regime steps up its campaign leading to a mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of syrian families. why the bombing campaign in the only threat facing them. we'll tell you about that. plus, americans on board that quarantined cruise ship are told they can fly home sunday but there is a big catch. we'll tell you about it. you're watching "cnn newsroom."

i didn't have to shout out for help. because you didn't have another dvt. not today. one blood clot puts you at risk of having another, so we chose xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto® is proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt or pe blood clots from happening again. almost 98% of people did not have another dvt or pe. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of blood clots. while taking, a spinal injection increases the risk of blood clots, which may cause paralysis- the inability to move.

you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. help protect yourself from another dvt or pe. ask your doctor about xarelto®. to learn more about cost and how janssen can help, visit xarelto.com. and how janssen can help, through the at&t network, edge-to-edge intelligence gives you the power to see every corner of your growing business. from finding out what's selling best... to managing your fleet...

to collaborating remotely with your teams. giving you a nice big edge over your competition. that's the power of edge-to-edge intelligence. dimitri's on it. eating right... ...and getting those steps in? on it! dimitri thinks he's doing all he can to manage his type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but is his treatment doing enough to lower his heart risk? maybe not jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c! jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection... ...in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection,

...ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have... ...severe kidney problems. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c... ...and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. -ask your doctor about jardiance. the syrian government has been stepping up its campaign to take the last rebel stronghold pounding the region with an intense air campaign and massive troop movement. it is calming tensions between

turkey and russia backs different sides. the u.s. said more than 800,000 people, you're seeing some of them here, have been displaced by the offensive and freezing temperatures are making the suffering even worse. cnn's arwa damon is there. >> reporter: there makeshift camps like this that you find throughout these rolling hills that are very close to the border with turkey, because this is where people think they might be able to find some sort of refuge. 800,000 people have been on the move since december. but when it comes to safety, there is nowhere inside syria that is actually guaranteed. this is a family who we met earlier. we've been speaking to them. they just arrived here last night. and they say that -- they say that they're not entirely sure that they're going to come here. this is --

[ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the bombing is still very close to us here. it's very hard. there's no proper heating. i mean, look, the kids don't even have proper shoes, warmth, the ground, she's been burning what she can here. coal, wood. at times, even rubber, when she's had to. one of her kids is actually sick back there. she has a freezer. she has a freezer. it was because of the cold temperatures. the temperatures here can drop below freezing. and this is actually a big issue for a lot of these families. we spoke to a family whose baby died from the cold. that's what the doctors had told

the mother. she was in complete shock when we spoke to her. and like this family, so many others that we're talking to say they're not entirely sure that even this is going to be safe. she was telling us earlier that sometimes she wishes that they were all dead so they didn't have to live like this. she said their life right now is a matter of being stuck between trying to find a safe place to live and escape the bombing. arwa damon. it stands in the middle of many of syrian affects. but there's another reason that the government wants it back. a key highway, once right through idlib, the road from aleppo to damascus also thinks turkey and jordan to syria.

on tuesday, syrian forces took control of the highway. also, the city latakia, a syrian stronghold. and there's a russian air base nearby, russia is an ally of the government. i'm joined by the president of med global, a group for medical missions of doctors to provide health care to war disaster. he has visited aleppo four times. and last week addressed the national security council on syria. doctor, thank you for talking with us. i want to speak first what you said to the security council about the situation. >> with the situation isn't idlib, i was in idlib, the first week of january, after the lamp wave that started at the end of the december. and at that time, there were about 260,000 people who were displaced. now, there's about -- more than

800,000 people who are displaced. because of the bombing and west of aleppo and other villages and cities. the scale of the devastation has not been witnessed in syria for of the past nine years, since the beginning of the crisis. local committees, the local ngos that are providing humanitarian assistance to the people who are displaced and the families who are displaced are overwhelmed. they feel that the world has forgotten them. and there's not enough assistance and there's not enough protection for the simplians and the families and children who are fleeing from the bombing. and there's nowhere for them to go. we're talking about a situation where you have 3 million people in the province of idlib, half of them are displaced from places like aleppo. now, they are squeezed from the turkish border and there's

nowhere to go. we haven't seen that in syria, despite the large scale humanitarian capacity over of the past nine years. >> right. our arwa damon talked to that same mother about that. and she was like, where do you want to go? and her answer was, we have no idea where do go or how to get there. what was the response from the u.n.? >> well, the u.n. members have been speaking about their concern about this happening to the population. we had a meeting also with the u.n. and members of the u.n. people who are supposedly providing assistance and watching what's happening but the local committees and, the local ngos when i was there feel that the u.n. has deserted them. antonio guterres hob isn't idlib, should not be watching from new york what's happening over there. this is the worst humanitarian

crisis that the world is witnessing. we have a large scale of people displaced who are being bombed. you have a civilian infrastructure being bombed endlessly since the beginning of the month. more than 43 medical centers have been closed because of the bombing. just last week, a hospital was bombed. and the director of the hospital was killed. we have families, no place to go, 85,000 people, 80% of them are women and children, they have no place to live in. not enough shelters, not enough food for them. and also on the last couple of days, we have seen these two children, a 4-month-old, and later, an 18-month-old died freezing to death. admit it's very cold nowadays. the temperature a couple days was minus 6 degrees.

and children are freezing to death because there's not enough diesel fuel for warming and they feel that the world has deserted them. >> they have said is that for years and it seems like it has. >> it's a shame for everyone. it doesn't take that much from the united states, from president trump, to pressure russia to stop the bombing. it doesn't take that much from antonio guterres himself to go and visit and tell them that we have not forgotten about human beings who are trapped in a big concentration camp called idlib. when i was in idlib, i've met desperate people. i met the director of the hospital displaced with her family she was traumatized because of the situation. and she told me she's seen many children with severe malnutrition. so we're witnessing in the last few days where you have children, dying and freezing to death is the tip of the iceberg.

what i'm worried about as a physician in chicago, that we're seeing too many people who are dying from malnutrition. too many patients dying of chronic diseases. too many people who are dying from the bombing, and they are trapped. and there's nowhere to go. >> well, we appreciate your commitment and your work and these photos, dr. zaer sahloul, thank you so much. we hope to talk to you again. thank you. >> thank you. preparing for the worst. just ahead as the coronavirus spread, we're telling what you the u.s. health officials are doing to prevent a widespread breakout in the united states. and this creature could be the source of the outbreak. we're telling you what the market is saying about the selling, handling of other wild animals. you know your kid doesn't step around puddles. and wet shoes, not cool.

you know what else isn't cool? those cheap leaky diapers. because with luvs, you get the pro-level leak protection you're looking for. luvs, parent like a pro infallible up to 24hr demand morfresh wear.wear. by l'oreal paris. excellent coverage with no weigh down. a lightweight, breathable formula for fresh skin hour after hour. defies transfer, no excess. longwear with no compromise. infallible up to 24hr fresh wear. now in 40 shades. by l'oreal paris. i'm worth it. man: can i find an investment firm that has a truly long-term view? it begins by being privately owned. with more than 85 years of experience over multiple market cycles.

with portfolio managers who are encouraged to do what's right over what's popular. focused on helping me achieve my investors' unique goals. can i find an investment firm that gets long term the way i do? with capital group, i can. talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information.

talk to your advisor or consultant [ fast-paced drumming ]

welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world, i'm natalie allen. you're watching "cnn newsroom." our top stories here, attorney general william barr has ordered a re-examination of several high-profile cases including that of president trump's national security adviser michael flynn. flynn pleaded guilty of lying to the fbi and currently awaits sentencing. world leaders are waiting at the munich security conference where the big topic is to scale back the violence in afghanistan. the deal could lead to initial withdrawal of u.s. troops.

another 67 cases of the novel coronavirus have been found on the cruise ship "diamond princess" in japan. quarantine ends on wednesday for the ship. but passengers won't be getting off until friday at the earliest. the president of the cruise line said all passengers will be tested for the virus before they can disembark. and this just into cnn, a chinese tourist who tested positive to coronavirus has died in france. that's according to a statement from french health ministers. this is the first coronavirus patient to die in europe. about 400 americans are expected to be off the "diamond princess" before the quarantine ends there in yokohama. a plan in the works to fly them back to the u.s. on sunday, but it's not quite that simple. back in the u.s., they'll be quarantined for another 14 days. and even though leaving the ship is voluntary, the u.s. embassy

warns that any american who chooses to remain on board past sunday won't be allowed back in the u.s. for the foreseeable future. that could be a quagmire for many people that want to get off that ship but what next? and of course, matt rivers joining from us yokohama, this news just breaking from france, that the first person with the virus has died in europe. so, still a very, very serious situation. what's the latest there on this cruise ship? >> reporter: yeah, it's a very fluid situation here, natalie. i mean, we've had a lot of news happen throughout the day today. let's start with the one that's a bit easier to digest, if you will, with these americans. 400 americans likely will say yes to this offer by the u.s. government to be flown back to the united states. especially given what we know about how they would have to disembark this ship, if they stay. we'll get to that in a moment.

but what's going to happen, the u.s. government is sending at least one plane, if not two, here to japan that will arrive tomorrow evening. shortly after they arrive, the passengers who want to get on them, who are american, will get off the ship with their bags, get on a bus, go from the bus to the airport, get on a plane. go back to the united states where they be quarantined at either travis air force base in california or lackland air force base in the city of san antonio, texas. they'll have to be there for 14 days. similar, exactly the same from what we saw when the u.s. government evacuated the american citizens from wuhan china, the center of the outbreak. as for the thousands of people on this ship, they're in a much tougher situation. remember, the quarantine was supposed to end, according to the japanese government, that's what they've been saying on february 19th. that's no longer the case. what the japanese government is saying they're doing now is on the 18th, they're going to begin testing all remaining passengers

in a order that is yet to be released. they can't test everybody on the same day, they test on the 18th, the 19th, the 20th. then they have to wait for the test results to get back. the quarantine is supposed to end on the 19th. no one is off the ship until they've been tested who knows how long that takes. >> absolutely. matt, you've been there from the start. we appreciate your reporting, thank you. as the infection spreads worldwide, the u.s. centers for disease control is preparing for the worse. a widespread outbreak of the virus here in the united states. cnn medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta spoke with the director of the cdc about what's being done to contain the threat. >> it was a fascinating interview sitting down and talking to dr. robert redfield who is the head of the cdc, trying to understand this aggressive containment strategy, to what end? what's the real goal here? keeping in mind that some of the strategies that we're seeing

haven't been in place for some 50 years in this country. here's how they described it. >> no y >> you know, this is obviously going to be a an investment. >> reporter: i went inside the agency's emergency operations center with director dr. robert redfield. how good is the public health infrastructure in reporting in? to give you an idea how rapidly the situation has changed? >> by the way, the number has changed. it's all chicagctually 15. >> reporter: it's a lot to keep up with. what is the worst case scenario? >> so far, we're able to dane it. so far the virus is with us beyond this season. and the virus will find foothold. and you can start to think of it in the sense, like seasonal flu. the only difference is, we don't understand this virus. >> reporter: which is exactly why the cdc wants to be on the ground in china.

it's probably redfield's biggest frustration. >> right now, there's no evidence to me that this outbreak is at all under control. it's definitely not controlled. and the sooner we can help them get it under control the better for the whole world. >> i guess that does raise the question why are we sitting near atlanta, talking about this, versus the cdc being in china collecting some of this medical data? >> i don't think it's a medical decision. >> what do you think it is? a political decision? >> i don't think the director of the cdc is making that decision. >> do you think it's a political decision? >> all i can say it's above the director of the cdc. we would love to have this assistance. >> reporter: the cdc is waiting to hear whether it's going to be a part of that team. in the meantime, redfield said his priority is to keep americans safe. >> our whole issue right now as i said, aggressive containment to try to give us more time. it's going to take, one 0 two

years, to get that probably developed and out to prepare the health systems. to be able to be flexible enough to deal with the potential. second major cause of respiratory illness. >> i think the thing i really took away from the interview was this reminder that viruses don't respect boundaries. they don't respect geography. they're going to cross into many of these other countries, so these containment procedures in the form of quarantines, for example, that you're hearing are really to slow down that process of the virus entering into countries, buying time. and buying time matters. because you're going to learn more about the virus. that might give insights how to best deal with it. buying time could mean that you're going to develop some therapeutics in the form of anti-virals. also buying time means that you might get the thing that everyone has been asking about which is a vaccine. that doesn't come quickly. that takes months or even a year so that time can be helpful

there as well. >> and again, as we just learned, someone now has died of the virus in europe. this is the first death due to the virus in europe and they were in france. well, a chinese study says the pengolan is popular for it's outer shell and meat. i talked with a wildlife expert about that and the dangers of these live markets. >> the executive director of wild aid joins me from san francisco. peter, good to see you. thanks for coming on. we know that your non-profit

work around the world. let's talk about the coronavirus a study indicates it might have been the pangolan. >> it's a scaly animal that has scales like your fingernails and it's trafficked for two residence. one, the scales are used in traditional medicine. secondly, the animals are eaten in these live wildlife markets one of the dishes they use, they actually just cut the throats of the animal and pull the blood straight on to rice. without even cooking it. in terms of hygiene, it's a huge, huge risk. >> this animal is among the wild animals told in china's wildlife markets. let's talk about the market because your group is calling for all wildlife markets to be

shut down. how pervasive are they? >> not just in china, all over asia, and africa. particular central and west africa. the reason why these things are an absolute disaster because they bring lots of different types of animals together, bats, snakes, and pangolin and 96 tmi them together, right in the middle of the market. and they're often mixed up with chickens and pigs as well. in terms of hygiene, it's terrible. obviously, a lot of these problems are coming from viruses that are jumping species. so if you're mixing species together, a virus coming from one species to the next and ultimately to humans is much, much higher. >> right. we saw the video from the wuhan wild animal market, and you could see the various animals in cages that were all brought there together. and these markets, you can see, why they'd be a breeding ground of something that we're seeing

now, hurting people and killing people. >> indeed, costing millions of dollars to the economy in china. and they couldn't really make it much worse. these animals are usually stressed. you've got predators next to prey. and animals stacked on top of each other, the feces are dropping through the cages. it's just a is disaster. we need it to top. >> your group has been success in that for stopping the killing of ivory and rhino horns. no one thought you could infiltrate people's minds and culture and change it. but your group did. so what are your chances that groups like yours can have an impact here?

>> we're already advising the chinese government. a slolg slogan no trading no ki is being used by the chinese government to try to persuade people not to buy these products. in a recent poll at the end of the january, 97% of people were strongly against wild animal consumption. there is a ground well in china. enough is enough. a small minority of people have indulged in this. but obviously it's a huge activity. we need to know that the strip malls, with that massive support of that, we can use that chain to reinforce that. >> right. i've heard a few people, citizens say we just don't have enough information on what's at danger, what's at risk, what shouldn't be consumed. in the past, china hasn't been that open with information. but you're seeing it change now. even young people don't want

certain animals killed for consumption. >> absolutely. so, in recent years, pangolins for example, people posted a picture of someone eating it. there were like 7 million hits on social media. and he lost his job as a result of it. in wuhan this is where this consumption is focused. but many places like this, this is no longer going on. obviously, we've had sars and other outbreaks in africa. we really need to close these markets down now before something which could be way more deadly than we've got now comes out of this process. >> peter knights of wildaid, thank you for your information. we appreciate it. >> and for more about these wild animal markets and the work of wildaid.org, you can go to their website. there it is on your screen.

next here, he got a sweetheart plea deal in 2016. now more alleged victims of a former new york gynecologist are coming forward. begin to tell you... how bright you shine. how strong you are. how brilliant... unique... how you're... my rock. my diamond. for the diamond in your life, there's only one diamond store. it's the valentine's day sale.

get 25% off everything. including these special deals. at zales, the diamond store.

can you help keep these iguys protected online?? easy, connect to the xfi gateway. what about internet speeds that keep up with my gaming? let's hook you up with the fastest internet from xfinity. what about wireless data options for the family? of course, you can customize and save. can you save me from this conversation? that we can't do, but come in and see what we can do. we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. ask. shop. discover. at your local xfinity store today.

we have an update on the horrific story involving the wife of former u.s. presidential candidate andrew yang. more than 35 new accusers have come forward since evelyn yang said in a cnn exclusive she was assaulted by her ob/gyn while she was pregnant, bringing the total to nearly 70 women now who say, they, too, were victims of the doctor. he received a sweetheart plea deal in 2016 and did not spend one single day in prison. cnn's drew griffin says as more and more alleged victims come forward, the district of attorney of new york is being pressured to file new charges. >> reporter: an attorney now

representing dozens of former patients of this man dr. robert hadden, all the more stunning to his accusers that this former ob/gyn never spent a day behind bars. >> he's a tyrant. he raped, molested all of these women and nothing has been done. it makes me furious. how can that be? >> reporter: emilia heckman, the latest to come forward, she trusted hadden, squeezing her into the last patient of the day in 2012. she was told to completely undress while naked on an exam table he assaulted her. >> it went from a rubber glove examination to a tongue and beard and i recoiled. tensed up. he abruptly got up and i put my clothes on really fast. and i didn't know if he was

going to rape me or -- >> you didn't know if the attack was over? >> yeah, yeah. i didn't. i ran out. >> and you never saw him again? >> never saw him again. >> reporter: heckman was a young model at the time said she didn't tell anyone about the assault worried no one would believe her. years later she learned there were many others. in 2012, police arrested hadden for allegedly licking a woman's vagina and hadn't returned for the medical clinic for more than a month that's when he allegedly assaulted at least two more women, including evelyn yang, wife of former presidential candidate andrew yang. >> what happened to me should have never happened. he was arrested in his office. and he was let back to work. >> reporter: two years later, hadden was arrested again, this time indicted on nine counts

involving six of his patients. but even though the office of manhattan district attorney cyrus vance knew of 19 potential victims, prosecutors cut a deal. dr. hadden pleaded guilty to two charges, gave up his medical license and walked away. no prison time, no probation, not even community service. >> it's like getting, you know, slapped in the face and punched in the gut. the d.a.'s office is meant to protect us, it's meant to serve justice. and there wasn't justice here. >> reporter: since evelyn yang told her story on cnn last month, her attorney says dozens more former patients have come forward, saying they, too, were assaulted. emilia heckman and 40 other patients not included in the plea deal wants the office to reopen the case. >> i want the district attorney to reopen the cases. i want to be included. i wasn't included before.

>> reporter: heckman and yang are suing columbia university his former employer saying columbia did nothing to stop the serial sexual abuse on countless occasions. in legal filings, columbia said it did nothing wrong. heckman listed in the lawsuit as jane doue number 23, after everybody evelyn yang came forward, her husband encourage herd to come forward. >> after it came out that i'm a real person, not jflt a jaust a doe. >> reporter: emilia heckman plans to present her case directly. manhattan district attorney vance has not spoken publicly about it. but saying while we stand by the decision of this difficult case, we regret that the resolution

has caused survives pain. those alleged survivors of dr. robert hadden say that's just not good enough. drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. next here, a heat wave in the an atarctic, as ice melts, why scientists are blaming global warming. (beep) the ups and downs of frequent mood swings can plummet you to extreme lows. (crying) lift you to intense highs. (muffled arguing)

or, make you feel both at once. overwhelmed by bipolar i symptoms? ask about vraylar. some medications only treat the lows or the highs. vraylar effectively treats depression, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i. full-spectrum relief of all symptoms. with just one pill, once a day. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, may be permanent. side effects may not appear for several weeks. metabolic changes may occur. movement dysfunction, restlessness, sleepiness, stomach issues are common side effects. when bipolar i overwhelms, vraylar helps smooth the ups and downs.

woman: what does the word "partner" really mean? someone i can trust. (impact, click) who is with me for the long-term. who understands i'm dealing with lives, not only livelihoods. that in order to help people, i need more than products, i need quality support and insights. can i find someone who partners with me to achieve people's long-term success? with capital group, i can. talk to your advisor or consultant for investment risks and information.

l'oreal's magic root cover up. advisor or consultant three seconds to flawless roots. 3...2...1... roots gone. magic root cover up by l'oreal paris. look for the turqoise one.

we want to take you live now to the munich security conference under way. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky delivers prepared remarks right there. this coming after a little over a week president donald trump was acquitted in the impeachment trial. mr. zelensky unwittingly finding himself in the middle of a massive scandal after that infamous phone call last july. speaking with the chief international anchor christiane amanpour who is there and we'll bring you that as soon as it happens. a heat wave at one of the cold of the places in the world is raising concern amongst scientists. they've is observed a decline in local animal colonies and large portions of glaciers, shearing

off antarctica. well, thank you for watching cnn newsroom. i'm natalie allen, "new day" is just ahead. eating right... ...and getting those steps in? on it! dimitri thinks he's doing all he can to manage his type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but is his treatment doing enough to lower his heart risk? maybe not jardiance can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death for adults who also have known heart disease. so it could help save your life from a heart attack or stroke. and it lowers a1c! jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast or urinary tract infections, and sudden kidney problems. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. a rare, but life-threatening bacterial infection... ...in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ...ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction and don't take it if you're on dialysis or have... ...severe kidney problems.

taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. lower a1c... ...and lower risk of a fatal heart attack? on it with jardiance. -ask your doctor about jardiance.