Fact-Checking Trump On Concord; Trump Administration May Announce Deal With Taliban To End Afghanistan War; Trump Cites "A National Emergency Or Serious Economic Conditions" To Limit Government Employee Raises Next Year; Buttigieg Criticizes Trump's Budget; Dr. Celine Gounder Discusses Trump's Assertion That Warm Weather Will Take Care Of The Coronavirus; DOJ Backtracks On Sentence Guidelines For Roger Stone After Trump Tweet.
BALDWIN: Breaking news, the Trump administration says it is looking to announce a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan as early as this week. Let's go straight to the Pentagon and our correspondent there, Barbara Starr. Barbara, what's the story?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brook, they hope to. They have a lot of optimism about it. But there's still plenty of skepticism as well that this may all work out. Still, it is a hint that there could be a breakthrough in the end trying to end America's longest wear, the 18-year war in Afghanistan. We know that the negotiations with the Taliban seem to be headed in the right direction. And earlier today, Afghan President Ghani tweeted saying -- commenting on Twitter he said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had brought him a, quote, "significant and enduring reduction-in-violence Taliban proposal, a reduction in violence now being proposed by the Taliban." It could be announced formally this week by the United States. And if this reduction in violence works over the coming days, this could then lead to a peace agreement. So why not huge optimism about this? Look, the Taliban leadership they're negotiating with may not be able to control the thousands of Taliban fighters and loyalists across Afghanistan. This is a group that is very diverse, that has loose command and control. Those who sign onto a peace agreement may not be able to deliver in the end. And of course, there's still ISIS in Afghanistan. So a lot of concern about enduring violence there. But a hint, at least, that maybe the U.S. is making a breakthrough. And if they do, and if they can get an enduring peace agreement with the Taliban, then it could lead to American troops coming home. Right now, there's 12,000 to 13,000 forces, Americans on the ground in Afghanistan. They think they can break it down to 8,600 pretty quick. And the hope is an eventual peace agreement will bring all the Americans home after 18 years -- Brooke?</s>BALDWIN: Barbara, thank you. It is the Trump campaign talking point that is in every rally, in hundreds of tweets. And even critics admit it may be his best case for re-election, the U.S. economy.</s>TRUMP: Since my, election America has gained seven million new jobs. After years of building up other countries, we are finally building our country. Our economy is now the envy of the entire world. I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been.</s>BALDWIN: So then it may be surprising that the president is citing, quote, "a national emergency or serious economic conditions" for why he wants to limit government employee pay raises to just 1 percent next year. He adds in a message to Congress, a pay increase above 1 percent is, quote, "inappropriate." Let's talk this over with CNN Global Economic Analyst, Rana Foroohar, a columnist and associate editor for the "Financial Times." You saw the clip. Today he was tweeting the U.S. economy is the best in history. Why only 1 percent?</s>RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Yes. I think there's a couple of things, possibly a negotiating position, which is something we were talking about earlier. I think the president may be managing expectations a little bit. The truth is, yes, the headline numbers look great right now. We still have near record low unemployment, the markets are up, but we know that there's some headwinds. Coronavirus in China is already hitting a number of American companies, Apple, Qualcomm. Some of the big ones are issuing profit warnings. There are wages that are still not ticking up. There are really kind of two economies here. One is the headline numbers, which look great. But when you scratch below the surface, you see a lot of vulnerable groups, young people, minorities, women. The quality jobs for those groups are just not there. And I think that that's something you're going to start to see Democrats hit home on the campaign trail, particularly as they go into the heated-up primary season.</s>BALDWIN: You're reading my mind.</s>BALDWIN: I was going to say, you're good, Rana Foroohar. Here's a quote from the National Treasury Employees Union. They represent 150,000 workers. They're condemning this pay increase limit. Quote, "For an administration that has added $3 trillion to the federal debt, gouging federal employee pay and benefits in the name of deficit reduction is ridiculous." I mean, at the end of the day, Congress does have the final say. And like you said, the 1 percent maybe it's a bit of "Art of the Deal, like let's start here and maybe move up.</s>FOROOHAR: But it's really interesting because I think that you're going to see Democrats say, look, we need to focus on income. I mean, we know at some point as high as markets are that they're going to correct. Our 401Ks are going to feel that. There's some statistics out recently from Goldman Sachs showing that 1 percent of the country owns 50 percent of those stock price increases that we've seen in the last few years. Really it's about income. And I think that with income still flat, you're going to see Democrats saying, look, we're in a go-it-alone economy. You know, all the things that make you middle class, housing, health care, education, these things are getting more and more expensive. And, OK, yes, we can still buy cheap phones and cheap TVs, but the stuff that we really need, we need more money in our pockets for that.</s>BALDWIN: Pete Buttigieg, right? Out on the trail. He talked about the president's new budget, just speaking of what's been going on in terms of dollars and cents. He talked about this with John Berman. Here he was.</s>PETE BUTTIGIEG, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SOUTH BEND MAYOR: He's rolled out a budget that will make savage cuts to education and environmental protection. He said Social Security is on the table and Medicaid is up for cuts. We know what would happen if this presidency continues?</s>BALDWIN: Between President Trump's January comments and proposed budget cuts, like why don't we see more of that? Why do you think, you know, of these candidates criticizing Trump?</s>FOROOHAR: I feel, up until about right this point, it's been a dog fight amongst the Democrats, right? There's this existential crisis within the party. Do we think the current system is work something do we want to make tweaks at the margins or are we a Medicare For All party? Are with a debt jubilee party? I think that fight has been occupying a lot of airtime. I think now, after New Hampshire, and definitely after Super Tuesday, you're going to see Democrats consolidate around. are we going to go with a middle of the road message or something more progressive, more radical as a solution. I think once they decide on that, then they'll be able to really hammer home the message against Trump in the November election.</s>BALDWIN: Makes sense. Rana, thank you.</s>FOROOHAR: Thank you.</s>BALDWIN: Rana Foroohar. China is reporting their deadliest day since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. On Monday, 108 people died and nearly 2,500 new cases were confirmed. And that brings the number of cases in China to nearly 43,000. And the death toll has now surpassed 1,000. Here in the United States, a 13th case of coronavirus has been confirmed. Health officials say the American, who evacuated from Wuhan, China, last week, was in quarantine after mistakenly being released from the hospital. As the deadly virus continues to spread, now infecting more than 25 countries around the world, President Trump is pushing a theory that the deadly disease will go away in the next couple of months when it gets warmer outside.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The virus, they're working hard. Looks like, by April. You know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. I hope that's true. But we're doing great in our country. China, I spoke with President Xi, and they're working very, very hard. And I think it's going to all work out fine. Rough stuff, I tell you. Rough, rough stuff, but I think it's going to work out good.</s>TRUMP: We only have 11 cases, and they're all getting better.</s>BALDWIN: Dr. Celine Gounder is an infectious disease specialist at NYU School of Medicine, and the host of the podcast, "American Diagnosis." Nice to see you. I know the president doesn't have an M.D., but he's one degree of separation from a lot of top medical minds. And so is there something to what he's saying about like coronavirus, you know, miraculously disappearing when it gets warm, or is that just bunk?</s>DR. CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, there's a reason for the winter cough and cold season. That's for a couple of reasons. One, we're indoors more, around each other more. We're swapping viruses more. And secondly, the winter is drier, it's less humid and viruses can stay in the air better. That doesn't mean viruses go away completely in the summer. Then you have more tropical countries where viruses transmission continues through the year and they function as a reservoir for the rest of us.</s>BALDWIN: Here's what the director of the World Health Organization says. He believes they can eventually stop the virus but warn it could, quote, "create havoc if it reaches a country with a weaker health system." What will it take? I know this has now surpassed SARS. What will it take to make this finally go away?</s>GOUNDER: Well, I don't know if we're, frankly, ever going to get there.</s>BALDWIN: Wow.</s>GOUNDER: It's what we saw with H1N -- and there's a lot of similarities here in terms of death rates and so on. That is part of our regular mix of flu viruses that circulates now. And what we have against that is a vaccination. So if that happens -- and we don't know yet, you know, if we're going to be able to contain this or not. But if this becomes the regular mix of flu bugs that we see, that's going to be our best protection, is really to vaccinate the most vulnerable.</s>BALDWIN: OK. Just incredible. You wake up every day and it like it's like more people affected by this. But at least once the weather gets warmer it will, it sounds like, you're saying lessen.</s>GOUNDER: Lessen and buy us some time. Yes.</s>BALDWIN: Dr. Gounder, thank you very much.</s>GOUNDER: My pleasure.</s>BALDWIN: Let's get you back to our breaking news. The Department of Justice today backtracking on the sentencing guidance for Roger Stone after President Trump complained on Twitter about the time his long- time confidant is facing, time behind bars. Stay here.