- Well welcome to The 700 Club.
Still on a deadly rampage,
the monster Coronavirus continues
killing people by the thousands in China.
The number of cases in the US has doubled,
and a new study shows thisvirus is deadlier than the flu.
And while we're talking about deadly,
the plague of locusts is now spreading
from Africa to Asia.
Tremendous famine may be in their wake.
George Thomas is gonnahave us more on that,
but first here's Mark Martin
with the latest on the Coronavirus.
- China's update raised the number
of people who have diedfrom the Coronavirus
in mainland China to more than 18 hundred
and the total number of confirmed cases
to more than 72 thousand.
14 Americans infected with the Coronavirus
were flown into the country Monday.
That nearly doubles thenumber of cases in the US.
Those new victims comingfrom a cruise ship in Japan,
and authorities did notdetect the infections
until the last minute.
Now Chinese health officialsreleasing the first analysis
on all the victims.
The findings, about 2.3%of Coronavirus victims die,
making it more dangerousthan the seasonal flu.
Most who succumb tothe disease, about 60%,
are in their 60's or older.
More than half of China is on lockdown
or travel restriction,
and there are concerns about how
the country informed the world community.
- Greater concern with regardjust to this Coronavirus alone
is the secrecy and control ofthe Chinese Communist Party.
Of course this goes all the way back
to the beginning of December.
It didn't really startcoming out until mid January.
By then the epidemic had spread.
- [Mark] Meanwhile, we're learning more
about how the church in Chinais responding to the crisis.
The lead pastor of Rootand Fruit Christian Church
in Wuhan, Huang Lei, saysno meetings are allowed
because of the lockdown soChurches are meeting online.
- It is just not our ownideas for protection,
it is also hard rule by the government.
No more physical meetings are allowed.
- [Mark] Churches inChina and around the world
called for three daysof fasting and prayer
in early February.
- It is our way to pray to God to repent
and ask God to stop this plague.
We ask God to help his people on Earth.
Help us to survive.
So, with this prayer I thinkthe children of God in Wuhan
got to closely connect with their
brothers and sisters all over the world.
To encourage one anotherand care for each other.
- The virus is affecting the economy.
Apple announcing today that it will
miss it's revenue forecast due to
global supply constraintsand lower Chinese demand
due to the shutdown ofmajor Chinese cities.
Mark Martin CBN News.
- Well in other news,yesterday we told you about
hordes of locust puttingmillions of Africans
at risk of famine.
And now the dire threat is spreading.
Efrem Graham has morefrom our CBN newsroom.
- Pat, the plague oflocust marching through
Africa is also invadingother continents as well.
As you can see from this map
massive groups of locustsare swarming through
the Middle East and countries like
Yemen, Uran and Pakistan, into India.
With some reported even in China.
Billions of the locustare ravaging through
East Africa devastating crops.
That could lead todeadly threats of hunger
for millions of people in the region.
The United Nations haswarned of the risk of
a catastrophic famine.
Pat.
- Well, Senior InternationalCorrespondent, George Thomas,
is just back from Africa.
He joins us now.
George, I'm shocked tolearn that these locusts
have actually been spotted in China.
How is that possible?
- Absolutely, as my kids wouldsay, Pat, that is cray-cray.
I mean it really is crazy.
But the officials from the Foodand Agriculture Organization
warned the Chineseauthorities on February 11th
that a swarm of locust leaving Africa
would fly across theRed Sea, across Europe
and into the westernmostprovince of China,
known as Xinjiang.
Incidentally, it's aprovince that I have been to.
And this is the winterseason in Xinjiang province,
and so, Chinese authoritiestold the national media,
just in the last 24 48 hours
they are not concerned of any threat from
these locusts because it is winter time
in Xinjiang province and they say
it is very unlikely that these locust will
travel further inland into China.
China, as you know Pat, hasall the various wherewithal
to deal with this.
They've got high tech technology.
They've even told the United Nations that
they've been tracking thisparticular swarm of locusts
coming into the western part of China.
So they're not concerned.
- Does anybody know what theorigin of these locust from?
Where did they come from?
- That's right.
If you were to look back in 2018.
Just we have a map thatwas provided to us by
the United Nations.
But of the coast of Yemen and Oman,
there's a desert region that's primarily,
there's no water,
and last year they got hitby torrential rainfall.
And then they had two cyclones
hit that very region.
That is very, very unusual Pat.
And those conditions gave rise
and just allowed these locustto multiply by the millions.
And now, obviously, the concern,
all eyes, as we focused on yesterday,
all eyes are on the hornof Africa, East Africa.
But as you look at that map,
the border region of India and Pakistan,
they are also concerned in that region.
And also along the bothsides of the Red Sea.
So down Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
But right now, as you mentioned Pat,
all eyes are on the whole of Africa.
You see there, allthose red dots represent
millions, billions of swarms of locust.
And that is the concern.
That's where all thefocus is right now Pat.
- George, one last question.
Do you have any knowledgeof how many people
might be affected bythis, from starvation.
- Yeah, I mean if youlook at those who are
really in the cross-hairsare folks in Africa.
I mean India, Pakistan,Iran, China they all
have the wherewithal.
They're not dealing withacute food shortages.
They're not so much at risk.
They have the wherewithalto deal with this.
My biggest concern is thosewho are living in Africa.
As I mentioned yesterday,that particular region
of the area that's been hit right now,
the estimates are between18 million to 20 million
are already facing acute food shortages.
This is making it worse.
Hopefully, the UnitedNations, and other NGOs,
can step in in the next few months
and get them fed.
The planting and the harvest season
happens between now and June,
and so really hopingthat they can curb this
before it gets any worse.
- Thank you George.
Well ladies and gentlemen,you turn to the bible and
the Lord Jesus said theregoing to be famines,
there going to be plagues,
there going to be earthquakes.
Famines and plagues.
So, you've got thefamine developing through
these locust.
You got the plague of Coronavirus,
and you've of course gotwars and rumors of wars
building all around the world.
I mean, it looks like..
I don't want to be some kind of alarmist
but it does seem that some of the things
are now coalescing to bring about
a fulfilment of Biblical prophecy.
Well, there's somethingthat's going on here
that I wouldn't say is Biblical,
but it's certainly is unfortunate.
The third worst floods inthe history of Mississippi.
Efrem has that.
- Pat, those flood waters continue
to cover parts of the South.
In Jackson, Mississippi,hundreds of homes affected
by flood waters, coveringdozens of city streets.
While the Pearl Riverappears to have crested,
authorities are warninghundreds of evacuees in the area
not to rush back home untilthey get the all clear.
But Monday, Governor Tate Reeves did say
they don't expect higherwater levels in the
central part of the state,
even though more rain is expected.
Meanwhile, the TennesseeRiver overflowed it's banks
earlier in the week.
You're looking at videos showing water
up to the rooftops ofhomes in Hardin County.
New questions over the US military strike
that killed IranianGeneral, Qassem Soleimani.
A recent White House memo to Congress
does not cite an imminent threat,
leading Democrats to question
the legitimacy of the attack.
But one security experttells CBNs Eric Philips
there were strong indicationsof Iran's next move.
- We sat down with Michael Pregent,
a well connected MiddleEastern intelligence expert,
who has also fought in that region.
He provided insight on so-called chatter
regarding the situation and how it
hearkened back to the1979 hostage situation.
(talks in foreign language)
- He was worse than Osama Bin Laden.
He was worse than Baghdadi.
He was worse than (mumbles).
- That's why last month at my direction
the US military executed aflawless precision strike
that killed Soleimani,
and terminated his evilreign of terror forever.
- It was the best move we could have made.
- [Eric] Michael Pregent ofthe Hudson Institute says,
"The clear picture provided by sources
of the treat Soleimani posed to the
US Embassy in Baghdadmade his demise a must."
- The chatter was thatthey were going to do
a 1979 hostage siege.
They were going to take over the embassy,
take all the Americansin the embassy hostage,
and then broker releasefor sanctions relief.
- [Eric] While Soleimaniwas the main target,
Pregent says the otherterror leader killed
in the strike would have also played
a key role in the siege.
- The chatter was, they were going to put
Abu Mahdi al-Mohandesin as prime minister,
so do a coup, and then seize the embassy.
(gun shots)
- [Eric] Pregent says when militia forces
penetrated the US Embassy on December 31st
it was essentially a dressrehearsal for what was to come.
- They walked into theembassy, without weapons,
trashed it.
Saw how close the could get to it
so they could throw things over.
Saw they could get as close as to
almost breaking the windows,
but the US guards were on the other side.
The next thing they wanted to do
was roll through the embassy in a protest
of civilians with Iraqi flags,
and make it look like the protesters
were taking the embassy.
When it would actually be the militias.
- [Eric] Pregent says ifSoleimani and al-Mohandes
had lived, a coup was all but certain.
- Killing Qassem Soleimani was actually
a de-escalating event.
It sent a message to the regime
that the president wasreally serious about
hurting Iran.
- Pregent also addressedthe tidal wave of critisism
the president faced as Democrats demanded
the intelligence that led to the decision
to take out Soleimani.
Pregent points out itis important to remember
that intelligence does notconfirm an imminent attack,
it only hints at one.
In Washington, Eric Philips, CBN News.
- Eric, thank you.
Pat.
- So, another exclusiveyou're getting here
on CBN News.
I'm sure that I appreciate the work that
our news team is doing tobring you these stories.
But this is one that you don't hear,
there's so much criticismof the president.
As a matter of fact therewas a move in the Senate
to restrict his powersfollowing the Soleimani hit.
And it turned that heaverted something that
could have been a takeover of our embassy
and a possible coupfor the nation of Iraq.
Phew.
Well, there's something elseI think we're going to see.
I believe the Democrats are going to turn
on Mike Bloomberg like banshees.
It's going to be anotherbloodbath of the Democrats.
And Efrem has more about that.
- Pat, billionaire MichaelBloomberg will face
his fellow Democraticcandidates for the President
on the debate stage forthe very first time.
Bloomberg has qualified for
Wednesday night's debate in Las Vegas,
just days before Saturday's Nevada caucus.
He broke into double digitsin four national polls
to make the cut.
And NPR PBS Newshour Marist survey
for the former New York City Mayor
took 19% ahead of formervice president Joe Biden,
and second only to frontrunner Bernie Sanders.
Pat.
- (mumbles) said in adebate I can take him,
I can't take all that televisionbecause it's so expensive.
But I believe if he gets in there,
it will be a big mistake for him,
because they're going to go after him
for sexist remarks he's made,
for racial things that had to do with
that stuff in Frisk.
He's going to be so vulnerable.
And to be in the midst of that,
and he will be the targetof everyone of them.
So, what does it say,
"When your enemy is killing himself,
don't stop them."
Well, let it go.
