this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. 11:00 p.m. on the east coast, and here the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. tonight the number of cases worldwide is nearing 1.1 million. the global death toll just under 60,000. here at home the pandemic is worsening by the hour. johns hopkins university now reporting more than 277,000 confirmed cases in the united states. and more than 7,000 deaths in this country.

more than 1400 deaths reported just today. tonight, nearly 96% of the u.s. population is living under orders to stay at home or shelter in place. that works out to nearly 315 million americans out of a population of 328 million. but eight states are still resisting imposing stay-at-home orders, despite anthony fauci advising that all states should do so. president trump's refusing tonight to issue a national stay-at-home order, saying he'll leave it up to the individual governors. and we had this bit of breaking news late on a friday night. under cover of a coronavirus, the president settling scores with a perceived enemy from his impeachment. a source on capitol hill telling cnn moments ago that the president has removed intelligence community inspector general michael atkinson, the official who told congress about the anonymous whistle-blower complaint that sparked the house impeachment proceedings against trump. i want to get right to cnn white

house correspondent john harwood and cnn justice correspondent evan perez. good evening to both of you. evan, this is a big deal. what do you know? >> it is a big deal, don. look, we've been waiting for this exact moment, and it appears that the president took obviously the fact that the country is preoccupied with the coronavirus crisis to finally get rid of michael atkinson, who is the inspector general for the intelligence committee. he is the one who sort of kick started all of the controversy over the ukraine -- the president's leaning on the ukrainian government that joe biden, his political rival. the inspector general was the one who received the whistle-blower complaint and kicked it over and said he had to notify the lawmakers in congress about it. and of course that led to the president's impeachment. we know that the members of congress, the heads of the two

intelligence committees in congress were notified tonight that the president was firing atkinson. atkinson was informed tonight that he is essentially being put, don, on a 30-day administrative leave. so he is essentially out of the job. he's still essentially working for the government for another 30 days, but he is fired. the president has decided that it is time for him to go. >> evan, i want to read part of the president's letter. it reads "the inspectors general have a critical role in the achievement of these goals, as is the case with regard to the other positions where i, as president, have the power of appointment by and with the advice and consent of the senate. it is vital that i have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general. that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general."

so if that is the rationale, it is rather thin. >> right. lock, the president and people of the justice department who reviewed the whistle-blower complaint did not think that it deserved to be notified congress. they didn't believe that the inspector general that the officer, the director of national intelligence needed to tell the intelligence committees about this whistle-blower complaint. instead, the intelligence community inspector general, he decided that he did. and so that's one of the reasons why certainly the president, people around him were very, very unhappy with mr. atkinson and believe that essentially he had started a controversy that they believe should never have gotten there, don. so you can see why atkinson's days frankly were numbered from the time this inspector general decided that he needed to tell congress about this whistle-blower complaint.

you can see that the president is saying in his letter to the intelligence committees tonight that he has lost confidence in this inspector general. and of course, don, the president, he has this power. he can tell the lawmakers that he has a right to get rid of these people because they serve at his discretion. so that is what he has done tonight. >> john, let me bring you in here. so this is what the president is doing late on a friday night in the middle of a deadly pandemic, a historic pandemic? >> look, don, he set out on this course before the pandemic flowered into a huge story. he started firing people who had called out his behavior. alexander vinman in the white house is one of those conspicuous examples, immediately after the impeachment process was over. he doesn't like people who call him to account within his administration any more than he linebackers reporters asking him difficult questions. and i should note that there is

no indication that michael atkinson did anything wrong by reporting this information to congress. republican senators in the impeachment process agreed that there was a quid pro quo that was imposed by the president on ukraine. he later backed off of it, of course. he just said it wasn't worth impeaching him for. so the president is trying to purge the administration of people he thinks are disloyal to him. and this is not unrelated to the laggard response the administration has had on coronavirus. if your priority as the chief executive, the head of the executive branch is to have people in jobs not because they're qualified to do the jobs, but because they're loyal to you, you're not going to get the highest quality people. we noted by the way the admiral in charge of the navy ship who called out the polite of his crewmen was removed by the president's navy secretary from his command.

and so this is a pattern with the president. and you saw it when jared kushner came into the white house briefing room yesterday. the president's son-in-law is taking a lead role in pandemic response. and that simply illustrates the problem that we're talking about. not the best people, but the people who the president thinks are loyal to him. >> well, you got to wonder if -- i said that under the cover under coronavirus. but i'm wondering if maybe it's to sort of change the news from the coronavirus to this. which came first, john, the chicken or the egg? >> look, he would have done this anyway, as evan said. we were waiting for this to happen. but he is suffering an avalanche of catastrophic news at the moment to the extent that he is embarrassed by this, yes, he is burying it. but in the current news environment, you can't bury stuff very effectively. news is 24/7. and whether you do it on friday night or do it monday morning at

9:00, it's going get pushed back from democrats. it's going to get attention from the press. but the president is not concerned about that. he is focused on somebody who has made him look bad, put him in a bad position. he's going to strike out. >> thank you, both. i appreciate it. i want to bring in now james clapper, the former director of national intelligence. he joins us now by phone. director, thank you so much. first, i want to discuss the timing. why is the president doing this late on a friday night? does the timing tell you anything, or do you agree with john, he is going to do it anyways? >> well, i think john is right. he is going to do it anyway. but of course, i guess figuring friday night is the best time typically for revelation of bad news, but particularly so in the midst of a pandemic crisis. it looks to me like he's got his list of people he wants to remove or punish, who had some

role at what led to the impeachment. and clearly mr. atkinson as the ig was a catalyst for this with his handling of the whistle-blower complaint which for my part i thought was entirely proper. >> let's be clear about this. he was doing his job. but what does this mean for the country, especially at a time of global instability and crisis? >> well, what it means to me, don, is this is bad message to the intelligence community if you care about his independence and objectivity and telling truth to power. so this is another chilling message that you better cue the line here, and don't cross it. and i think the implicit message, which is even more serious is this could certainly i think affect or may affect the

objectivity of the reporting that the intelligence community is doing. and that to me is what is very bothersome about all of this. you take this in the total context of the firing of acting director joe mcguire and the implacement of ambassador gre grenell of acting di and john ratliff all of which i think the bottom line message here is loyalty is more important than professional confidence. >> former director of national intelligence james clapper, thank you, sir. appreciate your time. >> thanks, don. i want to turn now to the news from tonight's coronavirus briefing. the cdc urging americans to wear makeshift face masks out in public. i want to bring in now our resident fact checker daniel dale. daniel, thank you so much for joining. the cdc now recommending americans wear these masks, these face covers. here is what trump said about

the new guidelines, even though he doesn't plan to wear one. >> here's how you can make your own face covering. >> from recent studies, we know that the transmission from individuals without symptoms is playing a more significant role in the spread of the virus than previously understood. so you don't seem to have symptoms. and it still gets transferred. >> but haven't health officials been warning of asymptomatic spread for months, daniel? >> they have been warning to an increasing extent. to interpret this comment generously, there is more evidence today than there was, say, two months ago. way back in january, at the end of january, dr. anthony fauci said he was convinced that asymptomatic transmission was occurring. in february, the director of the cdc said it was possible and concerning. and by mid-march, we had a story on cnn.com by our medical correspondent elizabeth cohen

headline "people with infected symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realize." so this is not breaking news in the last few days. we've known for at least some time now. >> the president also claimed tonight that he never gave a date for when this virus would go away. what's the truth? >> trump said over and over that he thought this virus would vanish from the united states in april. listen to some of the things he said. >> looks like by april, you know in theory when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. hope that's true. >> you know in april, supposedly it dies with the hotter weather. and that's a beautiful date to look forward to. >> i think it's going to work out fine. i think when we get into april and the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus. so let's see what happens. i think it's going to work out fine. >> so he didn't mention a specific date in april, but he kept saying april. and it's also misleading at best for him to suggest today as he

did that his claims in february that it would just go away have somehow been proven accurate. i said it was going away and it is going away. he didn't mention in february that thousand of americans would die and the economy would more or less be shut down before it allegedly went away. >> daniel, the president keeps saying no one could have predicted something like this would happen. but we're learning his own administration had concerns. >> yeah. so don, you and i have been talking repeatedly about how there were repeat warns from the u.s. intelligence community from outside experts. but reporting from a team trump's own officials were warning about this last year. alex azar and senior national security council official tim morrison were at a conference in 2019, and they both said that possible pandemic was chief among their worries. and they suggested it was something that keeps them awake at night. morrison said it's something we might not be preparing for to

sufficient extent, but need to worry about. there were warnings coming from outside from people quite close to the president. >> daniel dale, thank you very much. next, on the front lines inside a new york city hospital, more than 6500 coronavirus cases reported in the city in just the past day. i'm going talk to a doctor and a nurse working, risking their own lives to save their patients.

so take a look at your screen right now. live pictures of the empire state building. that red light symbolizing a heartbeat to pay tribute to all those infected with coronavirus. new york city has become ground zero for the outbreak in this country. residents reporting almost constant sirens. in just the last day, more than 6,500 cases were reported, along with over 300 deaths. just the past day. so joining me now, two new york here droerks laura utick, and

also judy gonzalez. she is an e.r. nurse and the president of the new york state nurse's association. i'm so grateful to have both of you on this evening. let me just thank you right off for what you're doing. and don't tell me that you're not hero, because you indee are. dr. uchik, i'm going to start with you, because these numbers are shocking. you're working on the front lines in new york city right now. can you please take us inside? what is it like at your hospital? >> well, don, first of all, thank you so much for having us. and i just really want to be clear that i'm here representing the voices and the experience of resident physicians throughout my hospital system and across new york. working right now is unlike anything i have ever imagined. things are totally chaotic. patients are sicker and dying at higher rates than i've ever seen before, and we're running out of basic supplies. we've been talking a lot about the lack of protective equipment, but actually what a lot of people don't know is we're running out of everything. the last shift that i worked i was told there are 15 oxygen

masks left in the entire hospital where we have over 500 patients with coronavirus, many of whom are dying because they simply can't breathe. we are also low on pain medicines, which are necessary to keep people comfortable on a breathing machine. without those pain medicines, they'll sometimes pull out their own breathing tube. things are pretty drastic right now. >> judy, stand by. i just want to look at an email, something that you said that corresponds with some of our reporting here. when you said some of the patients -- here it is. it says an intensive care unit nurse at a large new york hospital spoke with cnn's athena jones about the current condition of patients, how the coronavirus is affecting their bodies. and basically the patients they're seeing this week appear sicker compared to last week. and you just said the same thing. what is -- what is -- what's going on? judy, are you seeing the same thing as well?

>> yeah. the level of illness has really increased. the number of patients has increased. yesterday -- last night alone, we admitted 200 additional patients. we have about 1500 corona positive patients in our system. we have over -- we have 1300 people out on furlough. we have about 600 positive covids and many sick workers, many of them nurses. we have lost some nurses. they've succumbed to the virus, and we have quite a few already in the icu. we're terribly at risk because of the intensity of the virus, the virulence of the virus. it's attacking our own systems. and that's the big reason that we need the ppe, particularly the hazmat suits that protect us. >> i hate to cut you off, i'm going to let you finish. you've lost some nurse, meaning

they are sick or they have passed away? >> they have passed away. >> boy. you've been experiencing coronavirus symptoms yourself. how you feeling? >> oh, i'm okay now. i just want to see if i have antibodies. my test was negative. there is a lot of false negatives. but we're hoping to get the antibodies test to see if we have some kind of resistance. i think that would be helpful. it doesn't necessarily protect us completely, but it seems to perhaps give us a little bit of immunity, because our colleagues are exhausted. you know, we started off being concerned. the concern turned to worry. the worry turned to fear and then to abject terror. and now we're just almost numb. many of us are ill. we're still trying to work. but the need for protective equipment is essential. we've done studies. we looked at what happened in wuhan. initially in wuhan and italy, they did not have the protective

equipment, and they lost many health care worker, even young and healthy ones. in the second phase in wuhan, they had those kind of hazmat suits you've seen, those full body gear, and they had zero transmission and much better outcomes for the patients. the other thing that concerns us is the patients are so ill and we just don't have enough people to take care of them that we're having to triage who we're able to care for at a given time. and the outcomes are worse when you're in that situation. >> ywhy do you continue to go ad put your own life in danger? i know you're speaking on behalf of nurses throughout the new york area. >> yeah. we go in. nurses do what they do because that's what we have to do. we're like the normandy of this viral invasion. we are on the front lines. we have had casualties. we hope we'll win. >> dr. ucik, you are 28 years old. you're writing your last will

and testament. how concerned are you about your health? >> i'm absolutely terrified. we had people in their 20s die in our hospital this past week. and i realized when that happened that i also might not survive this pandemic. and it's really been a reckoning for me. i wrote out my wishes. i spoke with my family. i've cried a lot this week. but, you know, this pandemic is something that is affecting everyone, and nobody is really safe from coronavirus. i think about what it would be like to be in a prison right now or in a nursing home. i heard that we are still detaining people and that i.c.e. is stockpiling medical supplies. we're literally putting more people into immigration detention right now which is an enormous risk, because if a virus spreads in a confined space like that, like a jail or public housing, it will spread to the surrounding community. so this is really been a wake-up call for me personally, and hopefully for all of us as a nation that, you know, our health as a community, as a

country is only as good as the health of our most vulnerable communities. >> you know, doctor, a lot of people are getting restless under these social distancing guidelines and these stay-at-home orders. what is your message to people who say i don't know anyone with this virus. my community will never be anything like a new york. i don't think we need these stay at home guidelines. what do you say to them? >> you know, i felt that way too a few weeks ago. when i had friends over, and i realize now how serious this is, both on a personal level. i had patients who i saw in the office a week and a half ago and they were fine, and now they're dead. and the major financial impact. for many of my patients and my community at large. one of my coworkers who is a doctor recently had to paypal a patient rent money so that the patient could stay home and not risk her life by going to work. so my patients, they're losing

their lives. they're losing their jobs. they're losing their homes, and they need basic supports right now lucky eviction, rent support, income protections. those things are just as important as the kinds of protections that judy and i are asking for like masks and gowns, because this is something that we're all in together. and it's so much more than political. and it's hard to imagine when you're not there yet, but it will come, and it will affect all of us. >> well, both of you, you're the reason the people who -- one of the main reasons that i sit here and do that and that i am so hard on the people who are in charge, because they should be protecting you. you're on the front lines. you're risking your lives. you're trying to save people. and they're feet should be held to the fire, and they should be protecting you. you guys should not have to be risking your lives to do this. you should not having to be paying rents. we should not be losing nurses.

so i thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, and i'm sure i speak for millions and millions of americans around this country. thank you, thank you, thank you, and please, please, please take care of yourselves. and if you need anything, you know how to get us. judy, i know you want the say something. go. >> i do. you figured that out. i'm really glad you said that, because there is a potential solution here. if the president would truly invoke and implement the defense production act and commandeer all the factories and all the industries that could make ventilators, that could make the protective equipment that we need, this should have been done two months ago. we understand that they sold -- these companies sold millions of dollars of equipment abroad for a big profit. we don't think there should be a price gouging or a price war or colorado has to fight with new york for equipment. we think the government should commandeer all of these industries just like they did in world war ii and get us the things we need, get our families the things that they need, get our patients the things that they need, and protect the

health care workers in the frontline so that we can save lives instead of lose our own. >> and again, very simply, thank you. >> i can't agree more. >> we'll be right back.

♪ you doing okay? yeah. this moving thing never gets any easier. well, xfinity makes moving super easy. i can transfer my internet and tv service in about a minute. wow, that is easy. almost as easy as having those guys help you move. we are those guys. that's you? the truck adds 10 pounds.

in the arms. -okay... transfer your service online in a few easy steps. now that's simple, easy, awesome. transfer your service in minutes, making moving with xfinity a breeze. visit xfinity.com/moving today. the u.s. economy hemorrhaging jobs as coronavirus slams the country. according to the bureau of labor statistics, the economy lost 701,000 jobs in march. the unemployment rate shooting up to 4.4%. it is the worst month for american jobs since 2009 in the

depths of the great recession. and experts say the worst is still to come. joining me now is cnn business anchor richard quest. richard, hello. good evening. today's report was very, very bad, and this is just a sign of things to come. >> absolutely. unfortunately, don, the report that you're looking at deals with primarily the first, say, two to three weeks of march. it doesn't take account of all the serious job losses that will have happened at the back end of the month as more shutdowns and lockdowns continue to cross the united states. the every economic report i read today from goldman, from bank of america, from jp morgan, they all said the same thing, that next month will be far worse, far worse because this is when we're going to see -- in other words, the month we're in now, when we get those at the beginning of may, then we'll really see exactly the depths. so in terms of a national

unemployment rate, and bear in mind we started at about 3.5 to 3.7. we're now over 4, 4.5%, and expect that to go up, don, at a very fast rate, perhaps as high as 13 to 14%. so i'm not trying to worry. people are well aware of it because for the hundreds of millions of americans who are not infected who have lost their jobs, but they know exactly what i'm talking about. and it's the help for those that is now so crucial. >> well, speaking of people who lost their jobs, people filing for first-time unemployment lame. that system has not gone smoothly at all, richard. >> there is two different things here, don. the unemployment claim, 6.6 million people filed for it over the last week. and, again, that will rise. that was twice the previous week, which was 3.3 million.

there are good benefits or longer benefits, improved benefits. four months of unemployment benefit, help for various different aspects of it. it's been widened to include self-employed, independent contractors. but the sheer numbers involved have completely overwhelmed the system. and you can see why. no system was designed for this. and then you've got the fact that the states are dealing with it. the federal government is already complained about that. you can see why it is such a mess. so when you get it, it will be better and for longer, but you've got to get it. and then of course there is the checks going out in the next two weeks. now most americans, don't be frightened by the report that some won't get it until august. this is a small number of people who do not have their bank details with the tax man, who have not managed to file a return, whether tax authorities are going and the irs is going

to have to go and search for these people. the majority of people will get their checks in two to three weeks, possibly three or four weeks. still a long time. but i think it's been a bit misleading fears go as late as september or august. >> let's talk about the small business side, small business side of this. $350 billion in that rescue package for them. but today was the first day that people could apply for it. and it's been chaos. >> and i'm not surprised, frankly. i'm absolutely not surprised. this program, the payroll protection plan was elevated and extended and put in place at a very, very great rate of note. bearing in mind steve mnuchin talked about it the other day. it opened that night. so what would you expect? it's exactly what you'd expect. thousands, hundreds of thousands, in some cases the websites of the bank weren't ready. in other cases there are

restrictions on who can get it. are you an existing bank loan? have you got a credit card, a business credit card with that bank? so many people found that they weren't eligible, even though they met the criteria. let me give you one phrase. the chase one, the chase one says that there are limited funds available, and chase anticipates high volume and there may be -- there may be delays and system failures. processing delays and system failures. don, it will sort itself out. it's a very good plan, and there are other plans. can i just tell you, don, before you go for -- as well as looking at the ppl one, anybody in a small business should also be looking at the economic injury disaster loan payments, the eidl. have a look at that one as well, because that gives immediate

$10,000 grants, not loans. and it could be easier to get. two big plans. a vast amount of money available. the bureaucracy is intense, but that was inevitable bearing in mind the size. >> do you have this on line, quest means business anywhere? i hope you have this online somewhere, where people can go, richard if not, you put there it? >>ite tweet it the eidl and the payroll protection plan. they're huge plans. it's going to take time. this is a vast country. >> good. good. put it out there, because i think obviously people need to know that. thank you, richard quest. appreciate it. conspiracy theories, false information. how right wing media is trying to deflect from the coronavirus crisis and the risk that poses to americans.

♪ new fixodent ultra dual power provides you with an unbeatable hold and strong seal against food infiltrations. fixodent. and forget it.

tonight, there are more than 7,000 deaths from coronavirus in the u.s., and the predictions that the death toll could climb well past 100,000. president trump now warning of dark days ahead. but initially dismissing the pandemic as a hoax and getting lots of support from right wing media. here is cnn's chief media correspondent brian settler. >> if you could see my hospital,

this physician says, you would know the horror of covid-19. but most people can't see inside the beleaguered hospitals in new york and new orleans, miami and detroit, and other hot spots. and that's given rise to heinous conspiracy theories, and even some denialism that could hurt public health. >> people are saying film your hospital. >> users on social media are showing quiet scenes outside hospitals and suggesting it's not that bad inside. >> i'm sick and tired of hearing about all this fake news. >> but they are lucky to be on the outside. because on the inside -- >> this is a war zone. it's a medical war zone. >> weeks of rhetoric from president trump and right wing stars downplaying the dangers looks ignorant now. patricia caldon, whose husband died at a veteran's home now wonders if the home's leader was influenced by the president.

and wonders if he heard broadcasters who soft pedalled the threat. >> i just can't be mad about it. there was too much confusion for something so serious. >> talk radio personalities and other people close to the president spread faultily information about the virus. >> the coronavirus is the common cold, folks. >> that was rush limbaugh back in february. as recently as last week, rush was doubting the government's medical professionals. >> we didn't elect a president to defer to a bunch of health experts that we don't know. and how do we know they're even health experts? >> he dismisses true expertise. and this week he is still focusing on the politics. >> they want you to blame trump for it. >> the pro-trump media is on defense, looking for any which way to prop up the president amid new scrutiny of trump's belated response to the pandemic. some are still trying to downplay the severity of the disease, but most are shifting blame to china, to democrats and to the news media. >> incessant, never ending constant complaining, and

frankly lack of accountability of that guy. >> sean hannity training his sights on that guy, new york governor andrew cuomo while ignoring the trump administration's failures. as the "new york times" reports, blame the left is a big part of the playbook. and right wing websites are still promoting anecdotes that suggests things aren't that bad. but the growing number of widows indicates otherwise. >> brian stelter joins me now. brian, thanks for joining us. this is not just pro-trump propaganda. this is actually affecting public health. >> and that's what makes this case different than all the other stories we've covered in the past three years. there's always been this propaganda machine designed to promote the president at all cost. the difference this time is that the cost is measured in human lives. >> many on the right are claiming that the government is mislabeling every death as a covid death now.

why don't they want to accept reality? >> that is the newest conspiracy theory that i'm seeing, don. it's an attempt to say things aren't really that bad. the government's trying to lump every death, even something from heart disease or other sorts of illnesses as a covid virus death. that's the new thing coming from fringe right-wing conspiracy theorists. they're trying to say the death toll can't possibly be this bad because they're trying to run defense for the president. they're not even making claims the president is making. look, the president has been behind the 8 ball the entire time. and unfortunately, he has these megaphones that will support him no matter what. the question is whether most americans will see through that nonsense and trust the medical professionals who are on the ground. >> brian stelter, thank you so much. we'll be right back. these days, it's anything but business as usual. that's why working together is more important than ever. at&t is committed to keeping you connected. so you can keep your patients cared for.

your customers served. your students inspired. and your employees closer than ever. our network is resilient. our people are strong. our job is to keep your business connected . it's what we've always done. it's what we'll always do. apps except work.rywhere... why is that? is it because people love filling out forms? maybe they like checking with their supervisor to see how much vacation time they have. or sending corporate their expense reports. i'll let you in on a little secret. they don't. by empowering employees to manage their own tasks, paycom frees you to focus on the business of business. to learn more, visit paycom.com

it's got all my favorite shows turn oright there.boom, i wish my trading platform worked like that. well have you tried thinkorswim? this is totally customizable, so you focus only on what you want.

okay, it's got screeners and watchlists. and you can even see how your predictions might affect the value of the stocks you're interested in. now this is what i'm talking about. yeah, it'll free up more time for your... uh, true crime shows? british baking competitions. hm. didn't peg you for a crumpet guy. focus on what matters to you with thinkorswim. ♪

across the country putting their lives on the line during this crisis. there is the healthcare workers and the first responders battling the virus. and the grocery store clerks, delivery drivers, farm workers, and pharmacists braving the streets, to serve us all, every day. and we appreciate that. to thank them, our cnn heroes team put together this tribute. ♪ >> i'm a new yorker.

it's essential that i'm out here. >> it's a little risk coming outside. but kind of feel like a superhero, saving the world. >> this is a war zone. it's a medical war zone. >> this is an extraordinary time, where you need to see people at their best. >> it is in our heart and it is in our soul to sacrifice, to serve, to fight for you.

>> i travel coast to coast. as long as we can haul food for the american people, you will have plenty of food on those shelves. >> my heroes are all of the people that i work with who are showing up and helping us fight this pandemic. >> and before we leave you tonight, one of my favorites and someone that -- really special to my family. i remember my mom taking us to see him at the state fair back in the '70s. and i just want to note the passing of singer and songwriter bill withers. you may not know his name right away. some of you. but you definitely know his work. "lean on me."

"ain't no sunshine" they are familiar to generations of americans. he died in los angeles from heart complications. his blockbuster "lean on me" now speaks to all of us, all of us who are grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. here is bill withers and others singing it for us. ♪ sometimes in our life, we all have pain, we all have sorrow ♪ ♪ but if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow ♪ ♪ lean on me ♪ when you're not strong and i'll be your friend ♪ ♪ i'll help you carry on these days you need faster internet that does all you

expect and way more. that's xfinity xfi.

get powerful wifi coverage that leaves no room behind with xfi pods. and now xfi advanced security is free with the xfi gateway, giving you an added layer of network protection, so every device that's connected is protected. that's a $72 a year value. no one else offers this. faster speed, coverage, and free advanced security at an unbeatable value with xfinity xfi. can your internet do that?

the big news tonight is the cdc now recommends face coverings in public, though they do not want people wearing medical or surgical masks because those should be left for first responders. the president made this announcement this evening, and the very moment he made the announcement, he also undercut it by informing the world that he, himself, would not be following the cdc recommendation. the president repeatedly pointed out that recommendation is voluntary. but added i don't think i'm going to do it. the other thing the president will not be doing is telling the remaining governors who have not issued statewide stay at home orders to issue the