Nightly Rundown: Coronavirus new U.S. cases; Trump: Kelly ‘can’t keep his mouth shut’; Missing girl found dead; NBC News Investigates: Smile Direct Club; Valentines volunteers

The Nightly News - with Lester Holt - Nightly News: 2.13.20

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts | View in browser By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News Good Thursday afternoon. Here's what's in our Nightly Rundown tonight. U.S. confirms 15th coronavirus case as outbreak surges in China The 15th case of coronavirus in the U.S. has been confirmed in Texas, and there’s been an enormous jump in cases at the epicenter of the outbreak in China. Richard Engel is reporting tonight on the race to contain the epidemic. The new patient: The 15th patient in the U.S. is among the Americans evacuated from China aboard a charter flight on Feb. 7, the CDC said. That group has been under mandatory quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The new patient is currently in isolation at an undisclosed hospital. This is the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Texas. Other cases have been confirmed in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin. More than 600 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan remain under federal quarantine. Epidemic grows: China has seen a huge increase in cases after doctors began using a new way of diagnosing the coronavirus. Nearly 60,000 cases have been confirmed in mainland China, and at least 1,367 people have died. Cruise ship crisis: The biggest cluster of cases outside China is on a cruise ship under quarantine near Tokyo. Japan has confirmed 44 new cases on board, bringing the total number of infected passengers to 218. Dozens of American tourists are among those who’ve been diagnosed. Engel presses WHO on COVID-19 'iceberg' metaphor Trump lashes out after ex-chief of staff John Kelly defends impeachment witness President Trump blasted his former chief of staff John Kelly for not keeping “his mouth shut,” after Kelly came to the defense of a former national security official who was fired from his job at the White House, following his testimony under subpoena at the impeachment inquiry. "When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn't do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head," Trump tweeted. "Being Chief of Staff just wasn't for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many X's, he misses the action & just can't keep his mouth shut." Trump's attack comes after Kelly, the retired Marine Corps general who left the White House at the end of 2018, defended Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who had raised concerns about Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine's leader. That now-infamous call was at the center of the president's impeachment. Kelly told a crowd at an event at Drew University on Wednesday night that Vindman had done the right thing by alerting his superiors, and later by testifying during the House's impeachment hearings. "He did exactly what we teach them to do from cradle to grave," Kelly said, according to The Atlantic. "He went and told his boss what he just heard." Peter Alexander is reporting tonight on Kelly's remarks, which came after Trump suggested on Tuesday that Vindman may face additional punishment from the military. Missing 6-year-old girl found dead in South Carolina Morgan Chesky is following the breaking news outside Columbia, South Carolina where a young girl who disappeared three days ago has been found dead. Police discovered the body of 6-year-old Faye Swetlik in her neighborhood near the remains of an unidentified male. Faye's death is now being investigated as a homicide. No arrests have been made, but police say they do not believe there is further danger to the community. The tragic discovery was made after police released surveillance video of Faye getting off the school bus on Monday, minutes before she vanished. She was reportedly last seen playing in the yard of her home. Police have said her family has been cooperating in the investigation. South Carolina officials say they found body of missing 6-year-old girl NBC News investigates Smile Direct Club painful complaints You've probably seen the ads on TV or social media. Smile Direct Club is part of the new trend of at-home teeth straightening, with the company promising to fix your smile for about a third of the cost of traditional braces. But our NBC News Investigation looked into a growing number of complaints about the service, and found these at-home treatments can sometimes lead to painful and expensive problems for some customers. Tonight, Vicky Nguyen will have the video of what we found with our hidden cameras inside the company's Smile Shops, and sits down with the chief legal officer to get the company's response to its dissatisfied customers. This Colorado town is a layover for valentines Joe Fryer will close tonight's broadcast with a trip to Loveland, Colorado, where thousands send valentines each February to get a special stamp of approval. 50 volunteers gather for two weeks every year to put special stamps on more than 100,000 valentines – from the "Sweetheart City" – before they head off to their final destination. "I love being Cupid for two weeks," one volunteer told Fryer. "It's my favorite part of the year." ——— Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. FOLLOW US Download the NBC News Mobile App This email was sent to: stevenmagallanes520.nims@blogger.com. This is an automated email. Do not reply directly. 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 Privacy | Unsubcription | NBC Newsletters | Contact