listen. you take care. be safe. continue to do great work. jeff james is the superintendent of the stanley county school district in south carolina -- north carolina. we appreciate you. thank you so much, sir. okay. and be sure you tune in tomorrow night. dr. sanjay gupta, anderson cooper going to host a cnn town hall coronavirus facts and fears. tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. right here on cnn. and i'll see you right after at 10:00 p.m. thanks for watching, everyone, our coverage continues. and good evening, everybody. just a short time ago, president trump and his task force wrapped up another coronavirus briefing. the nation's stockpile of much-needed equipment, gloves, and other medical supplies, is near depletion. ppe. quoting president trump, it is because we're sending it directly to hospitals. earlier today, new york city's mayor said they need millions of specialized masks by sunday. connecticut's governor ned

lamont, it's a bit of a mess out there. michigan henry ford system has reached capacity. we are going to speak to michigan's governor in just a few moments. zblnchs also today, spefeveral e states finally doing what design tickets have been announcing for some time. florida's republican governor issued one finally carving out exception for houses of worship. just a day ago, the governor was holding out from declaring an order, citing there was no guidance from the white house. then, yesterday, painted a stark picture of 100 to 240,000 people dying. and that was if their social distancing guidelines were followed nationally, which they are currently not. after florida's declaration, from georgia and mississippi. tennessee, though, they are taking the opposite approach. its governor said he will not issue a stay-at-home order. and i am quoting governor bill lee. quote, there is a wide range of efforts across the country. none of which has given much real data or evidence of what is most effective in social distancing.

health officials have said the opposite. the scientific community is quite clear on this. quoting dr. deborah birx at yesterday's white house briefing, there is no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy. it's just behaviors, she said. today, the u.s. reached 200,000 cases. currently, we're at 211,691. just want to put that in perspective for a moment. according to cnn's ryan strzok who took us -- it took us 66 days, a little over two months, to get to the first 100,000 cases. took five days to log the next 100,000. every day this week, we have seen higher death tolls. today, no different. 911 people died today. total deaths in this country, so far, 4,745. earlier, california's governor gavin newsom appeared on cnn. had a message for his fellow governors who have not issued stay at home orders. he said what are you waiting for? we'll talk later about what the president said today about the road ahead and why he will not issue a national stay-at-home

order. first, we want to focus on the most urgent matter. the public health crisis and those incredible people who are fighting it. want to bring in cnn chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta and dr. leana wen emergency room physician and former baltimore health commissioner. sanjay, the president making clear he won't support any kind of federal stay at home order even though you now seems to be on board, acknowledging this is what we need to do. stay at home. social distance. and, certainly, all the words from his own scientists are we need to do this and more of it. >> look. it's -- it's really hard to explain this one, anderson. i mean, i think that, clearly, as long as it took, i mean, i think the science is -- is now certainly being followed at the federal level. i mean, these -- these recommendations are coming based on the science that we're seeing. based on what has happened in other countries around the world. all of that. i think it's worth pointing out, as well, anderson, that you talked last night to chris murray, who made some of these

models that everyone is now citing in terms of, you know, the number of people who could die. those -- those models are predicated on the idea that we essentially have every state in the country with stay-at-home orders. they -- that has to happen by the end of this week, he said, in order for us to even have that few deaths. so, you know, it's -- it's -- it's -- i just don't understand it at this point. i don't get it. obviously, the president has made some of these recommendations, whatever, 17 days ago. for the first time nationally. but there is lots of states. even where i am here in georgia, i know that the order has been now made but it doesn't even go into effect, i think, until -- until friday or so. >> yeah. same -- same in florida. friday. >> same in florida. yeah. i mean, those models, again, are predicated on the fact that we essentially have a national stay-at-home plan. other countries, like italy, and everyone always cites italy as a worst-case scenario. but they ultimately did do a national plan. much smaller country, i get it. but that's what it took.

>> dr. wen, the science is clear. i mean, there is -- you don't hear scientists saying, oh no, you know, it's case by case is fine. and -- and one state not doing it, it means that the rest of us who are doing it will, likely, have to do it longer if our neighboring state, for instance, is not doing it. it only works if everybody does it. >> you're right, anderson. we know that this virus is new. no one has immunity to. it can spread so quickly. and this virus, just like all other pathogens, they don't know boundaries. they don't know state boundaries. and the longer that we wait for there to be a national order of some kind, the more deaths that it will cost us, as well. i mean, this is the very core element of prevention. you don't wait until something is really bad before you start implementing preventive measures. that's what we do for health conditions, and it's the same thing that we would do here. we actually know what works, and

it is really just stunning that there are still officials who are not following the evidence. and every day that we wait is inaction that's going to cost us more lives. >> i mean, there is an abdication of federal leadership is what it is, at a certain point. you know, yes, you leave it up to governors. but a certain point, the federal government has got to make a stand and make guidelines, just as the governors are begging for some sort of federal, you know, organized buying of ventilators and the like. rather than state-by-state approach and people bidding each other up, which the president himself yesterday said oh, states shouldn't be doing that. they should call the white house. we'll do it and send them out. that's just not happening. sanjay, dr. fauci also talked about a program of containment once we've made it to the other side of the curve. social distancing measures could be loosened at that point. we're still far away from -- from the curve -- from -- from that part of the curve.

>> we're -- we're far away from the curve. we don't really know where we are on the curve and there are several different curves. because what we were just talking about, all these states -- some of them not even having these social distancing mechanisms, it's going to maybe delay their curves but the curve may be bigger in those states. so it's very hard to sort of imagine what the other side of the curve is going to look like for the country. and then you almost have the reverse problem on the other side of the curve. okay. we're doing okay now. but we're not sure these other states are doing okay. if we take our foot off the gas, could we suddenly have a resurgence of cases? not because of us but because of another state that is still further behind on the curve. people may be fighting still. you know, just from an emotional sort of mental standpoint. do i really want to go out now? because, you know, we got through this but if i push an elevator door button, you know, if i touch a handle, if i come too close to somebody, is it going to be the same problem all over again?

that's also the disadvantage of having this be so piecemeal. what will ultimately i think happen when the pace of the numbers is coming down, then we can get back into some of these techniques that we talked about a couple months ago, anderson. you still identify people who have the virus. you still isolate them. you still contact trace them. very hard to do right now because of how -- how robust the community spread is. but when you're on the other side of the curve, you do that and keep doing it until, ultimately, the virus gets to a neglige negligible level in this country. it can happen but we are a long way. >> dr. wen, we are in a situation right now because of the models presented the white house yesterday. which is based on the model dr. murray has done, which does assume by the end of this week, all states in this union will have stay at home orders. by the end of this week, if that doesn't happen, there could very well be a scenario, i don't know, that -- that the white house, for political reasons, would want to do this to embarrass the governors of states who have not put in these

orders. but they could come back out with new estimates about the death toll. and if you believe, you know, what the science behind these graphs, the death toll would be higher because of -- they would now have to factor in that not all the states are doing this. and that would be on the heads of the governors of those states. >> and there's another factor, too, which is that we are out of the equipment and supplies that we need. i mean, we're hearing that no state has the ventilators that they need. we're hearing that the federal stockpile doesn't have any more personal protective equipment left. and all of that will factor into the bottles, too, anderson. i mean, i'm really concerned about this. we are on -- barely on mile one of a marathon. we don't even have the supplies now. and we need to hear what is the seriousness of the situation? and, also, what's the plan that the federal government has to procure these supplies? because, otherwise, and i've heard sanjay gupand you talk ab

this so much, that we will have a problem of rationing. and that rationing is going to lead to doctors and nurses being forced to make difficult decisions about who gets care and who doesn't. not only for patients with coronavirus but all these other patients who also have healthcare needs, too. and that's not an inevitable outcome. that's something that we can actually work to prevent. but we have to figure out how to do that now. and have to come up with an urgent solution now. >> i mean, again, it becomes clearer every day about the cost of the failures of federal leadership, coming from the top. sanjay, thank you. dr. wen, thank you as well. want to bring in cnn's cat lika collins at the white house. kaitlan, president asked about that stay at home order, i want to play what he said. >> i understand that governor of florida, great governor, ron desantis issued one today. and that's good. that's great. but there are some states that

are different. there are some states that don't have much of a problem. there are -- well, they don't have the problem. they don't have thousands of people that are positive or thousands of people that even think they might have it. or hundreds of people, in some cases. so you have to -- you have to look at states. you have to give a little bit of flexibility when you have a state in the midwest or if alaska, as an example, doesn't have a problem. it's awfully tough to say close it down. so we have to have a little bit of flexibility. >> the problem with the logic of that, kaitlan, is that in those states where they, allegedly, don't have a problem, which really just means they don't, you know, they haven't tested enough people. the -- the problem is they haven't tested enough people. there aren't enough tests. or even if there were, they're just not doing it. they're not doing the contact tracing and they're not testing random individuals to know how widespread it is and people who are asymptomatic.

>> exactly. that's what's happening in states like my home state of alabama, where initially they didn't have that many cases and now they are seeing it skyrocket because the testing is only now becoming more available. they're realizing how many people have had it. of course, a lot of these people have had it all along. they have been spreading it to other people. and that is what the health experts have said we are seeing on a nationwide basis. so it's notable the president was making that argument because you didn't hear that from the doctors yesterday when they were presenting those graphic models with those grim numbers. and they were putting out this guidance. and the guidance did not say if everyone follows these measures perfectly, except for in idaho or wyoming, then we will have this projected death toll. they said if everyone follows these social distancing guidelines, this is what, right now, we think we're going to see. i do want to mention one other thing the president said. he was talking about some countries trying things. he said herd mentality. i believe he meant herd immunity. that is something you saw in sweden where initially they left businesses and schools open because it was operating under

this idea that if enough people in a group have this coronavirus and are immune to it, then they -- of course, they were later warned by academic experts about massive death tolls as a result of that. and they, quickly, reversed course. >> i just want to put a map up, kaitlan, of the states that do not have stay-at-home orders as of now. that -- that -- there's alabama, arkansas, iowa, missouri, north dakota, nebraska, south carolina, south dakota, tennessee, texas, utah, and wyoming. i mean, again, they may not have a lot of confirmed cases. but we talked to dr. fauci last week. and he said, in those states where they allegedly don't have a lot of cases, the -- the -- the testing is not being done to the extent it should be. and the contact tracing of the people who are positive is not being done to the extent it should be. so, again, the logic of this.

you don't hear any of the president's scientists saying, oh, yes, we agree with him that -- that these states don't need to -- don't need to do this. is there any sense why the president is so reluctant to impose national restrictions? because, clearly, his own scientists, whether they will say that to his face and on the podium, clearly they don't believe that there should be just this kind of willy-nilly decisions of what states get to do what they want to do. >> and that's why it's important to keep in mind the president isn't just listening to the doctors in this situation. he is also hearing a lot of calls from governors, including the florida governor, who you saw reluctantly stay at home. but today, he cited the president's changed demeanor as to why he was now putting that in place. a lot of these governors, at times, once have strong relationships with the president are operating off their

conversations with him and following suit with him. so that's why it is so important what the president says about this because it can change how these governors operate in their states. while, yes, it is ultimately the governor's decisions, of course president has a lot of influence there. his aides know that. it's not lining up with what the doctors are saying about this with what the president is saying. look what the surgeon general said this morning. he considers that guidance issued yesterday to be a nationwide stay at home order. of course, they cannot believe that. they are not telling all these states to do it but that's what the surgeon general himself is saying. basically, telling all these states they need to be following suit with this. of course, we know there's about a dozen that still aren't. >> clearly, president not listening to the surgeon general. still ahead tonight, michigan governor gretchen whitmer joins me. we will discuss the supply issues threatening hospitals in her state. >> also, report on two cruise ships thousands of passengers headed for florida. questions will the state governor ron desantis allow them to disembark? feel the clarity of new

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well, moments ago, we learned today's death toll from the coronavirus has increased again. now, 917. again, the highest single-day total yet in america. again, shows the strain placed on healthcare professionals. as reported at the top of the program, president trump says tonight the strategic national stockpile of personal protective equipment for doctors, nurses,

police, firemen, emt, first responders, is just about depleted. president trump said this evening, they are sending it directly to hospitals. joining me now, juliet. can you just walk us through how it's possible that the national stockpile is depleted? because, from what i understand, fema works for ways to find supply and distribute to states. but are there situations which fema's actually competing with states, what the governor was saying? >> absolutely. so, basically, how it works is you have a known quantity of things. so let's just say it's masks. those masks are counted by fema, and then distributed to the states based on need. so it's a basic supply chain. now, this one is much more complicated. you have got lots of needs and lots of demand. so, basically, what happened was you have the strategic national stockpile. totally, predictable by the way. this should not have been a shock. 50 states making requests simultaneously. fema is trying to deliver those materials on time.

and, at the same time, trying to replenish the strategic national stockpile, therefore, on the open market with other states competing. because the president still refuses to utilize the defense production act to essentially get rid of that competition in the market. what people forget about that act is it actually creates a price, right? just your basic market price so that no one's competing with each other. >> so, just yesterday, after governor cuomo said, you know, this is ridiculous. the system. we're competing. then fema's competing against us. the president was asked about that. didn't seem to quite understand it. then finally said the states shouldn't be doing that. they should call the white house. we'll get them and send them out. he clearly just doesn't understand or -- what i -- i don't understand -- i don't want to speak for him. but that is not an accurate representation of -- of what's happening. >> right. that's exactly right. so the president -- the president doesn't know basic low

gist tic logistics in this sense and you think he would given his background. the federal market is the best market so that the states are not competing with each other. and then they can also demand supply from the -- the -- the private sector. in other words, right now, it's a sellers market. so all these companies are able to raise the prices because illinois wants this. and texas wants that. i will tell you, it just seems like the president doesn't understand how the systems work. and, also, is disrupting the system. so it's the worst of both worlds, right? he's, you know, bartering and, yet, doesn't understand that the system actually does work. this is the easy part. >> the president said, tonight, quote, we will fairly soon be at a point where we have far more than we can use. when it comes to the national stockpile, that seems to contradict what dhs official told cnn. what the president, himself, said later on in the same press conference. >> that's exactly right. there -- this -- the idea

that -- the idea that we will have too much stuff is so enraging because i see these doctors every night on your show. and -- and throughout the day. demanding, begging for ppe and other materials that they need. patients who are going to need extra care. like, they think that this is like a one moment in time. we are talking multiple weeks ahead of us. of just waves of people getting sick. the idea that we have enough right now is just -- they're living in never never land. they think it's like a hurricane. it comes and you know what you need and then you leave. this is going to be waves of demands across 50 states. it could've been predicted. and, now, we need to gear up for it. but it's just a weird -- it's a weird reaction. i should also say something else. most of this stuff does not go bad. what's the worst that happens? you over order? then you replenish the strategic stockpile. you sell it back to states. or as the statute imagines, you sell it to other countries.

there is a statute that makes a lot of sense yet for some reason the president will not use it aggressively. >> i want to bring in director of global medicine at columbia university medical center. governors who have not put stay at home orders in their place. i am not a scientist but every scientist i have spoken to says this is a no brainer. bill gates among them. this has to be done nationwide. it's a tough pill to swallow but we got to do it. the sooner we do it, the sooner we will be able to get out of these stay at home orders. these numbers are based on the entire country, every state, doing it. and they are not. >> exactly. yeah. i've been saying the virus cannot infect you if the virus never meets you. our only hope, right now, is social distancing. we don't have a magic-bullet medication. we don't have a vaccine. we only have staying away from sick people. and we don't know who are sick with enough time.

i appreciate that florida has put in place a stat ahome. it's too -- it's much later than it should have been. texas needs to follow suit. all the other states that you read out. everyone needs to follow suit. it is our only hope right now to flatten the curve and prevent this wave of infections from going across the u.s. my family's in michigan. we're concerned about cases there. my family's in -- i have family and friends in new orleans. we're concerned about cases there. my parents are in florida. we are seeing a huge spike in cases there. we need to act now so others don't experience what we've been experiencing here in new york. >> yeah. it's a little rich for governor of florida to now have a stay at home order, which doesn't actually go into effect until friday. and not want this cruise ship to dock, with a lot of old people on it. but he invited spring breakers, you know, spring breakers were coming down, no problem, because supposedly florida didn't seem to have a problem. even though, obviously, they just weren't testing. let's just talk in the hospitals, what's happening because you and i, during the

break, were talking about something that i had read. which is that doctors are -- you know, the amazing thing with a situation like this is people learn how to adapt. and doctors are doing that. i read that -- that when -- for one covid patient, doctors were realizing, nurses were realizing, it takes an awful lot of personnel to address this one patient. that means an awful lot of ppe. and that there is ways to now try to streamline that. can you explain? >> absolutely. so every day, we're getting new protocols. we are learning a lot about this disease. so we're thinking about how we readapt and reorganize our emergency departments. we are doing some really good things. so we're trying to isolate the risk of exposure. having certain teams that do the intubation. so putting people on mechanical ventilation. making sure that's not everyone in the er that is doing that. that's great because, right now, there are multiple patients being put on ventilators. sometimes multiple at one time. many an hour. so isolating that to one person or one team lowers likelihood of infection for everyone.

decreases amount of personal protective equipment and makes sure the right people are doing it. >> just to be clear, that's a very intimate -- that's not the right word -- procedure. you are basically right on top of somebody. you're sticking something down somebody's throat. they're coughing. >> risky. >> that's a high-risk procedure. >> absolutely. that's one of the highest-risk procedures, which is why everyone is putting in place protocols to lower the risk from that. we need perfect ppe. we need the right people to be doing that procedure, otherwise, it does increase risk for everyone. we're adapting. we're thinking about the best way to prevent that infection. but, still, again, the most important way is to decrease the number of people coming into our emergency room. decrease the number of people that need to be put on ventilators. and it all goes back to physical distancing. >> we would never allow soldiers in war to not have equipment, to not have -- i mean, it's happened. and -- and, you know, but there was outrage about it. there should be equal outrage that, even at this stage, you know, you're concerned and other

doctors and nurses and all these people are concerned about, you know, masks and gloves. and i mean are medications being depleted, as well? >> i'm glad you brought that up because that's what i was going to say. it's not just personal protective equipment. i read an article last week calling for the defense protection act to get us that ppe but we need it for more. right now, there are nationwide shortages of the exact medications we need after we put people on a ventilator. so there's #weneedmeds trending on social media. we need them. doctors are aware the medications we need are already in short supply. we need to increase that output immediately. or, otherwise, we're not going to have the -- the tools that we need, in addition to the personal protective equipment to provide the highest quality of care for our patients. >> you know, i do wish -- you know, nobody knows how long this is going to go on. but the idea like these 15-day increments. like, yeah, it's going to be another 15 days. i mean, it's going to be longer

than that. at least the president now is talking about a month. to the end of may, very likely, in new york, we could be in this situation. i mean, we just don't know. dr. craig spencer, i really appreciate your time and thank god for all you are doing and all your colleagues. thank you. >> thank you very much, anderson. >> just ahead, i'm going to talk to michigan's governor gretchen whitmer about the situation her state, which she needs and is seeing and any thoughts or advice she has for what should be going on. later, two cruise ships with dozens of passengers with flu-like symptoms, i mentioned them, several with confirmed cases of coronavirus. they want to dock in florida. they've been out for a month on -- nobody -- no country is -- has been allowing them. question is will the governor and other officials in florida allow them to disembark? that, ahead.

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as we reported earlier, the president says he does not plan to issue a national stay-at-home order, preferring to trust the judgment of state leaders. i want to show you this map. again, the states that have refused to issue such orders are alabama, arkansas, iowa, missouri, north dakota, south dakota, tennessee, wyoming. earlier, we showed you a map that included texas. texas does have a stay-in-place order as of yesterday. joining me now is michigan governor gretchen whitmer, who issued a stay at home order for her state last monday. governor, you originally said you had no plans for stay at home order. obviously, no governor wants to do this. you ended up reversing that, as i said, last monday. the idea that this is not yet nationwide, i don't understand. just the science doesn't back that up. the -- the science -- the science is clear.

every governor should be doing this. i know it's not your job to tell other governors what to do. but don't the people of michigan suffer if other states aren't doing it? and y'all are going to have to stay at home longer. so are we, here in new york, because not all states are online yet. >> yeah, we were pretty aggressive. we were one of the first states to pull kids out of school. to close bars. to make restaurants dine out. then with the stay home, stay safe order, it became very clear after talking to epidemiologists and physicians that it was the right thing to do. we have to take this incredibly seriously. covid-19 does not discriminate between party line. it does not discriminate between state line. we really should have a national strategy instead of a patchwork of -- of policies. but that's what we're doing and that's why i think it's important that we, governors, are leading and showing the way and being aggressive. and i am grateful that i have great, you know, colleagues here in the midwest, in particular. we've been pretty aggressive as -- as a geography. and i think that's important.

but without a national strategy, without a uniform policy, this is going to go on longer than it needs to. and more lives are going to be lost. more than we otherwise would. >> again, as you say, more lives will be lost because of these delays. let's talk about michigan. what you need? where are things right now for you? >> so we've got a lot of hospitals that are already at capacity. and we are in the early part of what we think will be a pretty dramatic upswing. we know that it is growing exponentially. 75 people in the last 24 hours. i think that it's something that we know we've got too little ppe. we have too few hospital beds. we definitely have too few ventilators. and we're worried about our first -- our frontline responders, our nurses, respiratory therapists, and our doctors. so we're trying to lure people to come back into the practice of medicine. make it easier. releasing -- you know, relaxing scope of practice. and also, encouraging people

from other parts of the state and other parts of the country to think about coming in to detroit area because that's where we have so many people that are -- are really struggling right now. >> governor cuomo talked with great, you know, frustration the other day about the situation he finds himself. competing against other states and all these states, you know, trying to do the best they can for their states. and competing and driving the price of ppe and other, you know, ventilators and things up. and then fema coming in and also competing, then, against states. the whouite house seemed not clr on this. the president said that shouldn't be happening. they should just call the white house and the white house will do it and distribute it. clearly, that's not the case. so what needs to change? >> you know, i made the same observation last week. and i think made some people really unhappy with me. but the fact of the matter is we are desperately trying to obtain these -- this ppe that is so

critical. we're not getting enough out of the federal stockpile. and we know how that's been diminished. so it's on us to go outside the federal government to try to contract and when we are all competing against one another, it means there are a lot of people who aren't going to get what they ultimately need. millions of n95 masks have been either delayed or totally cancelled after we were counting on that to happen. so that's precisely why more aggressive use of the defense production act is so important. our need is right now while we see some businesses ramping up, we know that there are going to be people who don't get the kind of care they need because we just don't have it right now. and we're taking herculean. but it shouldn't be wild west fight over this. we should have a unified national strategy so every american, no matter what state you live in, you know you're going to get the care that you need if you get -- contract this

virus. >> yeah, i mean, again, this is -- hate to keep saying this but this is a failure of national leadership right now. governor whitmer, appreciate it. thank you. earlier, we reported the governor of tennessee was not going to order citizens to shelter in place. quote, there is wide range of efforts across the country. none of which has given much real data or evidence of what is most effective in social distancing. that's just wrong. joining me now by phone is democratic congressman steve cohen of tennessee. c congressman, you sent a letter to the governor today imploring him to issue a mandatory shelter in place order. i'm wondering your reaction to the stance governor lee is taking. >> well, i've been surprised. i told him, on a call we had with the entire congressional delegation last week, that i thought he should do it. and wrote him originally that he should do that. he gave a response that he was concerned about personal freedoms. and it was this and this is not a time to be concerned about

personal freedoms. we're talking about the most serious public health crisis in the history of our earth. there has probably never been a crisis that will result in so many deaths. and certainly not in the united states. and in tennessee, we know, and he knows today, he said he is trying to get dormitories and convention centers and hotels to be lined up as additional hospital rooms because he foresees the next three to four weeks, the hospitals being overwhelmed. well, if he sees the hospitals being overwhelmed, he ought to take action, in spite of his concern about quote/unquote personal freedoms to protect tennesseeans lives. i had a friend die today. john pryor is a friend of mine. he's in stable condition. i felt good he's not in critical. there are going to be lots of tennesseeans die and this is no time for that. we are going to act with the most care we can, the most protection we can for citizens

because people don't know they have this. and i'm, personally, my district is a district that's on the border of arkansas and mississippi. i was pleased that even mississippi went to -- to -- to a standard and mandated shelter in place. >> i mean, what -- what -- what limits personal freedoms is having a tube shoved down your throat, and being hooked up to a ventilator because you can't breathe. and a machine breathes for you. that's really what ends up hurting your personal freedom. and that's what's going to happen to an awful lot of people. i don't -- it -- you know, we talk about we're all in this together. and, literally, we are because what's happening in your state, if -- if tennessee doesn't have these orders in place. there's going to be more people die there than in neighboring states. but all of those who do have them in place are going to have to have them in place longer because, ultimately, tennessee is going to end up with shelter in place. they're just going to do it late, and more people are going

to die. >> right. the virus doesn't know county lines or city lines. governor bashir in kentucky instructed his people not to go to tennessee. because we have a -- a less strict, less careful, less healthy policy than kentucky. and what i've seen, and it's really distressing, and it's basically red states that have not had the -- the more stringent controls and health protections for citizenry. and it's because they're following trump, who said it would just -- it would just disappear. it was just the flu. it'll magically disappear. >> now that the president has at least -- you know, seems to accept the 100,000 to 240,000 figure which, by the way, is based on the idea that all states have shelter-in-place orders, which they don't. do you think, if the president said, you know what, to all the governors, you should do this, you know, i can't -- i can't mandate it legally. but all of you should do this

that, that would at least give the governors cover to do it? >> it gives them cover and i suspect that's why florida, georgia, and mississippi acted today. but, you know, trump was for the -- the second coronavirus bill that we passed in the house. and there were still 40 republicans that voted no on giving people that suffered from this unemployment compensation, sick leave. gave -- gave free tests. gave -- gave hospitals and -- more -- more opportunity. small business, more opportunity. and they were predominantly from the southern red states. and it says something about their constituencies and them. even with trump giving them -- giving them cover, they still were not willing to go beyond what i think they thought their constituency thought. and their constituency must think they are beyond this. that they are, somehow, impervious to this virus. well, they're going to get it just like people who are blue people are going to get it. it doesn't know blue and red. it knows people.

it knows lungs. it knows eyes. it knows mouths. it knows noses. and -- and the governor should know that and he should protect tennessee. we're the volunteer state. we shouldn't volunteer. we should be forced to do because if you go out -- even if you don't know you have the virus, you're spreading it to other people. and you need to be concerned about that. get in your house. and -- and then watch some tube. and learn how to cook. >> is there widespread testing in your state, at least? >> i mean, there's some. it's not widespread. >> that's what i thought. >> memphis done a good job. all the mayors, which are -- which are blue areas and have democratic mayors, have all ordered shelter in place. but the rural areas have not. and the governor has not. and it just -- it's irresponsible. you know, it's astonishing to me, anderson, he says he's the governor. and he's a nice guy. but, you know, you can be a nice guy. you need to act. and -- and he says it's personal

freedoms. when it comes to a woman's choice, he's not concerned about personal freedom. when it comes to somebody in possession of maurijuana, he's not for personal freedom. but when it comes to some yahoo walking on the street and breathing unknown virus out to others, that's personal freedom. >> yeah. >> that's not. >> congressman cohen, stay safe. thank you. >> take care, anderson. >> as we reported earlier, florida's governor is imposing stay at home orders for the entire state. finally. doesn't start until friday, early friday at least. but holland america cruise ship the zaandam is standing by to head to the port of ft. lauderdale. a sister ship that were off loaded from that ship, that's also waiting. there are some passengers on the first ship with coronavirus. with coronavirus. and others with flu-like symptoms. governor ron desantissy says hy

allow florida residents to disembark. so what's the situation? what's going to happen once these ships get close? >> well, right now, anderson, the ships are off the coast of cuba. and they are hoping to dock here at port everglades where i am. but there is no agreement in place for them to enter florida waters right now. and the situation you touched on, the situation on board is just terrible. it is a real nightmare. there are about 2,500 passengers and crew. of those, four people have died at last check. eight of them have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. and about 200 in all are experiencing flu-like symptoms. they are self-isolating in their cabins. there are some supplies on board. they have some masks. some ppe gowns but that's about it. right now, they are begging to dock here but the florida governor says he's not willing to give up hospital beds here in florida for those people on board. in fact, his quote was you can't just dump foreigners or foreign nationals here in south florida. anderson. >> i mean, they were -- i don't

understand because the governor was more than happy to dump spring breakers from around the country and i guess around the world just a couple weeks ago. i'm not sure -- you know, i assume many of these people on board are american citizens. >> absolutely. there are about -- last check, 311 american citizens. 52 of them are florida residents. and then there is the big question of where are the bodies of those who passed away? we don't know if there is a morgue on board. the cruise line isn't saying anything about what they've done with the deceased on board. so that's a big question. >> probably use a freezer i would imagine. >> you would imagine so. but the passengers who were feeling okay have been moved to that sister ship. and now, we are just learning tonight, anderson, that 14 passengers on that ship say that they have flu-like symptoms. so now there's a problem on that ship, as well. the crew on the original ship, the zaandam, they have stayed there. but we should note that there are six ventilators. there's four doctors, four nurses on the zaandam. but, still, that's not enough.

that's why they need help. this is a desperate situation for them. >> randy kay, appreciate you calling it. thank you. question now, can blood plasma from coronavirus survivors be effective therapeutic treatment for those diagnosed? that would be extraordinary. we're going to talk about that next. doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis.

if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you.

with death counts rising, no end in sight for the pandemic,

there's testing under way to determine if blood plasma from coronavirus survivors can be an effective treatment going forward. the issue came up at the white house briefing, dr. anthony fauci said it was the right thing to do. joining me is dr. david rich. dr. rich, can you explain the study, who can take part in it and do you think it's promising? >> yes, we think it's very promising. we are enrolling people as donors who are at least 21 days after the initial diagnosis and we're able to test them in our laboratory and do quantitative antibody testing to measure the level of antibodies in their blood, and people who exceed a certain threshold, we send them to the blood bank, they send us plasma and we identify recipients and the fda has created a process so we can enroll patients who are in the hospital with moderate to severe illness.

>> i know some people who have survived this who would like to participate in something like this. they have to be 21 days clear, is that right? >> well, it probably -- 28 days would be more ideal -- >> from their diagnosis? >> yes. from the diagnosis. and what happens is that the peak of the antibodies is probably between four, maybe even up to six weeks, but we're getting very early spikes around three weeks, and that's important, because we have a lot of patients sick and some even dying in our hospitals in new york city, so, it's very important that we get this therapy to people as quickly as possible. >> and how many people do you need? >> well, in order to find out if it's effective, i think that somewhere between 50 and 100, when we compare it with the rest of the population that was not able to receive it, just by virtue of lack of availability. there can be some data which show association, which generate

sort of a view that this may be effective therapy. it's very different than a prospective trial where other people in the nation are looking to do that over time, but right now in new york, the crisis is so intense that we have to get the therapy to people on a compassionate use basis. and then analyze our data. >> how quickly might you know if this is working or not? >> i think that we'll have enough experience when we're six to eight weeks into this, because of the rapid increase in the amount of plasma that's becoming available. that the models will hopefully show if there's an association so that others can learn from that and i expect that many people in the nation will be participating in a national trial that has a controlled arm to it. >> so, if you are in the new york area and you have survived the virus, after, what, 20 some odd days you would want somebody to reach out to you, would you want them to reach out before?

>> well, right now in new york, there is a registry, and most every patient who has had a diagnosis of covid-19 has some physician relationship. there are people that weren't tested with mild symptoms, but everyone with a positive test can be contacted, but we've had no lack of people reaching out to us, several thousand have reached out. so, there's been a wonderful groundswell of support from new yorkers and it's a beautiful thing to see. >> yeah, that's awesome. mt. sinai, the field hospital in central park is part of mt. sinai. what's your situation on supplies? do you have enough ventilators, personal protective equipment? do you have the things you need? >> well, across the street is actually run by a charitable organization called samaritan's purse and they are under our license and we're providing them with logistical support but they're staffed and run independently for the most part, but we will do everything we can

to help them. as far as ppe is concerned, in our entire health system, it's always a concern for us. we have to do extended use and reuse of n-95 masks because there are just not enough of them and we work very hard to provide all the ppe that we can to all of the employees of the health system, but it is a constant struggle, and we worry about, you know, where the next few days supply will come from. so, it is a serious concern in new york. >> dr. reich, thank you for all that you are doing. it is extraordinary. and we all need you, so thank you. >> thank you very much. >> i want to check with chris, see what he's working on and how he is feeling. chris, how are you doing? i can't hear chris, can you at home hear chris? can somebody in my ear tell me? okay, yeah, i didn't have chris' audio at all. he looked okay. i don't know.

anyway, we'll check in with him, you'll hear from him in a few minutes, he'll be coming on 3 1/2 minutes from now. tomorrow night, dr. sanjay gupta is going to -- chris is back, hey, chris. can you hear me? sorry, the virus has screwed up my technical abilities. >> your smell and your voice, apparently. >> yeah, what an irony with a nose this size, it doesn't work. look, last night i had one of the wildest nights of my life. i have never experienced anything like it thanks to this virus. i'll tell people the type of symptoms i have. not everybody has the same thing. and i'll share what's been working for me -- >> so, you are saying the night even after you were on the air, like, the actual, the night? >> oh, yeah. i finished the show and i started to get -- we all grew up, you get fever chills, okay? the ones you remember as a kid where you'd have those dreams at night? times like 10 or 15. i saw my father, i was having

hallucinations of people walking around, it was on the floor, sweat all over. this is wild stuff and it can go on for days and longer for people. so, now i know more what i'm dealing with, now i know what kind of fight i'm in. now i'm ready to fight. once i know what i'm up against, i feel more comfortable about it, but i got great news today that makes any symptom i have meaningless to me and i'll share it on the show. and i'm also going to take a really hard look at why we're still holding back. you've been doing brilliantly in every one of the interviews i watched on the show tonight, it is madness, what's going on in tennessee, what's been allowed in florida, what the president did today about drug interdiction. we'll take that on and there will be dog ambiance going on behind me. >> i got to say, it's just an abdication of leadership, it's just irresponsible not to do this nationwide. >> it's like -- as you posed so perfectly earlier on, we're all in it together and so what are we going to do? just watch every community learn

the same lesson the same damn way because they wouldn't do the only thing they know that works? and the governor in tennessee, we don't know if this really matters. as you said, that's just not true. >> it's the only thing we really know. i mean, that's -- anyway. chris, thank you very much. see you again, i'm glad you are doing the show. tonight, as more lives have been lost to the virus, we want to continue to remember some of the victims. let's begun with that. douglas lynn hickok was a physician assistant in the new jersey national guard. he's the first active duty u.s. service member to die from the coronavirus. he comes from a family of service. his dad was a major in the air force and his son is looking to join the navy. his family says he wanted to contribute and make a difference and he certainly did that throughout his life. he was so proud of his military service. he was 57 years old. wallace roney was a legendary jazz musician, he played with miles davis. he grew up in a music-loving

family. his talent was, well, you couldn't hide it. it was evident early on. when he was just 12, he became the youngest member of the philadelphia brass, a professional quintet. he recorded nearly 20 albums during his career. "the washington post" profiled him in 1987, called him one of the best jazz trumpeters in the world. he was 59 years old. and rabbi romey cohn. he was born in what's now slovakia. he lost his mom, two sisters and two brothers during the holocaust. when he was just 16 years old, he joined an underground resistance. he helped 56 families escape the nazis. he later settled in new york and got married. didn't have kids of his own, but he was deeply involved with his community. he was 91 years old. our thoughts are with all the families impacted by this pandemic. the news continues right now, want to hand it back to chris