top of the hour. it's friday night. where do you have to go? hey, everybody. i'm chris cuomo. thank you for being here with me, and welcome back to a bonus hour of prime time. so let's talk about treatment here. big breakthrough, right? a drug that may shorten the recovery time for patients with severe covid, who are in the hospital. it's just been approved for emergency use, by the fda. that'll make it more available. the drug's name, altogether, remdesivir. remdesivir. faster. remdesivir. now, you know it. it's the first authorized therapy drug for this virus, so far. it is our first tool in the box. a new report from top health experts is predicting this virus could keep spreading for, at least, another 18 months, maybe two years. perhaps, 70% of the population has been infected.

and, then, there's the race for a vaccine. an administration official says president trump's goal with operation warp speed, is 300 million doses, by january. possible? yes. probable? let's discuss. let let's bring in dr. ashih ja of the harvard institute. and andy slavitt. gentlemen, thank you, especially on a friday night. >> thanks for having us. >> thanks, chris. >> so, ja, you feeling the remdesivir? what is the level of enthusiasm we should have about this development and why? >> so i am feeling enthusiasm. let's be very clear about what it is and what it isn't and what we know. it's not a miracle drug. you don't just pop it and feel all better. but for critically ill patients, it seems to help and, you know, with good-quality studies, a

nice, randomized controlled trial showed it helps people recover faster and probably reduces mortality. though, that part we're not sure of so i don't see this as a miracle drug but it's a step in the right direction. >> and it's better than nothing, which is where we were before. andy slavitt, 300 million doses, that they are front loading, in anticipation that they have it right, in terms of how to plan a vaccine for this virus. plus/minus? >> so there's a couple smart things here, and a couple concerning things here. the smart thing is you have to smart manufacturing, even before you have a drug. you have to be ready because, if you don't, what happens to the first 10, 20, or 30 million vaccines off the line? where do we think they go? there becomes a black market. people behind the guarded, gate communities get them first. so you have to be able to go with mass production. and i think the idea of a moonshot to get things done in

january, is something i think would be just terrific. but i think there is a hidden layer here, chris, which is that for a drug company to say i'm going to rush my process. they're going to ask for one thing we should be very weary of. they're going to ask for liability protection. in other words, they're going to say, if we inject this drug in 300 million americans, and 100 million of them die, we can't be sued because you rushed us. so do we really want to inject a drug into 300 million people, without enough safety knowledge? or would we rather wait a few more months, and make sure that it's absolutely safe? that's the question we're going to need to address. >> that's a great question. great question. i hadn't thought of that. ja, you're shaking your head. what's the answer? >> i'm with andy on this one. we want to have safety. i think we can get there. i don't know if we're going to be able to get a vaccine in january. but cutting corners on safety is a bad idea. i don't think it's going to delay us by thatch. maybe

that much. but it's worth it because we're going to give it to a lot of folks, including a lot of vulnerable people. and if it turns out not to be safe, we'll end up doing more harm than good. what we know, chris, is when we go through the regular process, vaccines are very, very safe. so if we do our job right, i think we can produce another safe vaccine. >> and i think you have to take some risk here. and here's why i am saying it that way. i don't mean be reckless, which is reopen when you don't know what the hell you're talking about. i'm saying the opposite. take the risk to make it right, which means i don't get the moonshot mentality, andy, on the vaccine but not going all in on getting people to make the testing stuff and ppe, here, when you know it's a matter of national security. and you know you'll have the same supply-chain issues in the fall because it's going to go through all the different places on the same longitudinal plane and latitudinal plane.

why aren't we doing that, if we're doing this? >> well, politically, with why not focus on the longer-term problem that will be judged in the long-term, rather than the ones you are getting judged on every day. i think that's a political move. i would say another thing on the vaccine, chris, i think we would all agree you got to go bold. but part of going bold is taking a portfolio play and portfolio approach. so the w.h.o. is developing many, many vaccine candidates. asia is paying for them all. the eu is paying for them all. the u.s. is not at the table. if one of those proves to be successful and one of our leading candidates does not, we do not have skin in that game. so there is a strategy here which we are choosing to go it alone, an america-first strategy, that is a potentially risky strategy. bold, fine. but let's hedge our bets, as well, by getting our hands on all the potential vaccine candidates. >> i like it. i like it. because, you know, look, you can print the money and, of course, you're going to have tons of issues with currency and economic fallout.

but, to use the president's own logic, if you don't get this out of the way as soon as possible, you're not getting anywhere, anytime soon. but i guess it's that scared money never wins mentality, dr. ja, that brings me back to the tracing and testing. one company in maine, look, all love and respect to this company in maine. thank you, for being the only one who's been able to step up, thus far, and make a stick with polyester fiber at the end of it. but i don't get it, why they're not all in the same way with pushing manufacturing of what you know you need when it's so much easier to achieve than a vaccine. what's your take, doc? >> look. i don't understand the political calculus. i'm not a political scientist. what i know, as a doctor and public health person, is that we need to substantially ramp up testing. the federal government has largely not paid attention to this topic. they come out every day and say we have enough tests when we

know -- everybody knows. governors, red state, blue state, governors, everybody knows we don't have enough tests. it's interesting, when the military decide they are going to really deal with something in the middle of a war, you know, they have visibility to their entire supply chain. they don't -- they make sure the tanks show up at the battlefield. they don't say, well, you know, the guys didn't show up with the parts. not our problem. that's sort of the approach the federal government is taking on this. and, i have to say, i have been completely baffled because lack of testing is what has caused us to shut down. lack of testing is what has caused our shutdown to last as long as it has. lack of testing is what is going to make it really hard to open up again. it's really that simple. >> well, let me help you on the political side. the truth of the scale of the problem is bad for the president, in his estimation. now, the miscalculation he's making is, all these governors, left and right side of the aisle, are popping in the polls like he can only dream about, by telling the truth of the situation and the problems they

have. so i think his calculation's a bit off. but, andy slavitt, the idea that 100 senators are coming back on monday, and they were told there are not enough tests for all of them, i mean, do you need any stronger metaphor of the disconnect between the reality of where we are and this president telling people we're ready to reopen? >> i think there were certain thingin things in march and april that should no longer be acceptable in may. in other words, we were in a crisis. scrambling. people were doing the best they could. but, to be here may 1st, when the gates foundation says we could use much more common swabs than the ones are specialized and only come from italy or maine. that we have companies saying they can't invest in testing machines because they don't want to be stuck with them a year and a half from now and people don't need them. and the president sit by and not do anything. that's -- you know, that may be, in the middle of the crisis at

march and april. but, now, we're in may. and, in may, when you can't give 100 senators a test, to come back and be in close contact with one another, that is a failure. that is a big failure. and we should have higher expectations now that we've moved away from the early stages. >> ashish ja, andy slavitt, brother, thank you. appreciate you both. hope you have good weekends and hope your families are happy and healthy. >> thanks, chris. >> all right. you want to check something out that's interesting? take a look at this. see this map? these are all the states that are starting to reopen this week. all across the country. question is, are some of these states reopening too quickly? how can that answer not be yes? none knows how many cases they actually have. they are all flying blind to different degrees. how is this okay? we're going to take this on. and, also, coming up, we have two big-city mayors, from two different states, that are both

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what happens when you fly blind? you don't know where you're going. coronavirus deaths, spiking in texas, as the state begins reopening. how do you deal with that, as anything but a complete contradiction? texas saw its largest one-day jump in deaths yesterday. and its second-highest number of new cases today. more than 800 texans have been lost to coronavirus. retail stores, malls, restaurants, theaters, reopening today.

albeit, with limited capacity but, still, every one of those moves increases the risk at the worst time. now, contrast with ohio. the republican governor there has taken a slower approach to reopening, as deaths in his state surpass 1,000, today. joining us now, mayors from both states. austin, texas, mayor steve adler. cincinnati, ohio, mayor john cranley. mayors, thank you. >> good to be here. >> first, let's be very clear. i wish you, both, uneventful reopenings. i hope that everything goes way better than any basis for suspicion of disdain and nobody should have any interest in seeing bad outcomes to make a point. believe me about that. we should all be coming from a good place. now, let's talk about the

decisions. cincinnati, first. yes, i've talked to the governors many times. you guys are being more methodical than texas. all due respect, you can defend yourself in a second. but, you are still nowhere near declining numbers of cases, as the cdc gave guideline. how do you balance caving to the pressure of wanting to reopen, with flying blind because you can't even test and trace, in any big percentage way, where you are going to reopen? mayor? >> well, thanks for having me. ohio has taken a different approach. we've worked, in a bipartisan manner. we've generally followed the advice of doctors and experts. and the governor and the mayors of the seven biggest cities, we talk every single day. and, by and large, i think we're doing it about right. i wish we would've had a stronger emphasis on masks.

and the opening today was fairly modest. and lots bars and restaurants are still closed. and i believe the way they we have worked together, democrat and republican, in a transparent way is right. and want to work but only if we can do it safely at least for the next 12 to 18 months. >> listen. let me be very clear. i get the pressure. okay. i got one of you guys at home in my brother. i understand that people are hurting. okay. this is not about a burger and a beer. this isn't about vanity for people. they are suffering. i get it. but it is a weird reality that you're faced to deal with, mayor cranley. then, i'm going to you, mayor adler. which is, you do not know, with even 50% certainty, how many cases you have in your city. you can't know because i know the testing metrics. you're flying blind.

so how do you justify a decision like that? go ahead, mr. mayor. >> well, first of all, the governor, we are ramping up tests. we'll have 20,000 a day, in a couple of weeks. but hospitalization number, which i think is the most important statistic to follow, have plateaued. and, remember, the reopening is very slow. we're not, you know, as you pointed out in your opening, we're not opening bars and restaurants, yet. we're just doing general office construction. there are 50% capacity mask requirements for employees. i wish we were doing a little bit more on masks. but it's a fairly modest opening, and i think it's a decent balance. look, we want people to work and will continue to monitor the numbers as we go forward. >> understood. so, mayor adler, you owe cranley a drink for taking all that fire and letting you to go school on his answers. but, now, obviously, it's more

aggressive in texas. and i inject some livety, again, becau because i'm not beating up on you guys. i know that your hearts are in the right places. i've studied the situations. there is no reason for me to come at you guys for playing fast and loose with the facts. i would, if that were the situation. i don't see the basis for it, in fairness. but, mayor, austin, texas. we've spoken before. it's a big and important city. you know, it's a thriving population. the testing, in texas, is even less than it is in ohio. how worried are you about trying to do the right thing but it going wrong? >> i'm real nervous. this was not a choice we got to make in the city. if it was, we would have waited a little bit longer to -- to execute. but, you know, we don't know the -- the testing is one thing. but, even more important than that, we don't know what these

behaviors are going to do to -- to the transfer of the virus. that's what we don't know. we've been able to flatten this thing out because we've decreased physical interactions by 90%. >> can't make the virus go down. it can't make the virus go down. right? there's zero chance that what we're doing is going to make less cases. so we know that much. >> it's got to make more cases. but what people don't know, and where we're flying blind is, how far can we go down and still avoid a surge? because, at some point, we're going to cross that line and we're going to be facing another surge. that's what we don't know, and that's why everybody here is real nervous. and i'm nervous because of the messaging. i think it sends -- right now, people in my city are confused. they don't know whether this thing is -- is over or not over. and i keep telling them, you know, the stay-at-home orders are still in place. the governor's given us a few more exceptions. but people need to stay at home. but they're confused by what's happening, at the state level.

i hope the governor's right, too. we're going to do everything we can to make it as successful as we can. but we just don't know, which is why we're going to have to monitor the numbers and watch it every day. so if we dip too low, we're going to have to -- we're going to have to act. >> now, another situation, that actually joins you guys in purpose is you're broke. you know, revenue's drying up. the budgets were already tight. both of your cities are victims of a fiction, which is this is the best economy in the history of the world. but then why is big-city budget so tight all over country? why did it take just a few weeks for big, powerful states, like ohio and texas and new york, to go broke basically and have to condense their budgets? because the economic reality's a little harbor than we have be little harsher than we've been hearing. mayor cranley, what is the thought behind having mayors get

together and saying, please, have this stuff that we need made here. please, give us the money to have the manpower to do the tracing. make it here. have the desperation of americans' efforts reflect the desperation of the circumstances. what would that mean to you, mayor cranley, if you didn't have to bid against adler in austin to find ppe and you didn't have to bid for different testing in different places if you could get it? >> yeah, it's outrageous that we don't have a national unity. i mean, the only person leading this nation through this, candidly, is your brother, chris. >> sad commentary, if ever there were one. >> but we're not getting the ppes and the unified purchasing out of the president. and, then, we have mitch mcconnell, who's just south of ohio, lecturing us about

bankruptcy, when he spent more money than anybody. we have to balance our budget. he gets to print money. cops and firefighters will be laid off, all over this country and owl over tall over the stat if they don't give us the help. and i will say the bipartisan support of our governor, our senators, have becalled, as pelosi said rightly, for police and firefighters and our public health department, which is doing contact tracing and supervising these businesses that are slowly opening, to make sure they meet the mask requirements for employees and the requirement of reduced capacity. we have the infrastructure but we don't have the money. the brookings institution said that cincinnati is the second most at risk for income loss. $ $90 million deficit we're looking at because we're relying on income tax. >> all right. i'm out of time but i'll make a point for mayor adler that i already know from looking at his

own budget figures in that city. the democrats are not in power in the senate. they are in the house. they did not to fight to give states that adler needs in austin. that cranley needs in cincinnati. and that dewine needs in ohio. they didn't fight for the money for local governments, so they can't have the money for the manpower to trace. and that's a big need. that's on democrats, too, in the house. you have to be fair about this. mayor adler, the best of luck to you. i'll give you a break because it's friday night. i won't come at you again. mayor cranley, thanks to both of you. i wish you good luck, going forward. we're always a call away. >> thank you so much, chris. >> all right. you put responsibility on these cities to do things they can't pay for, and then you don't give them the money. i mean, come on. in these troubling times, we got to be real. but we also need hope. there is a lot of good things coming out of this. ameri-cans. okay. one of my guests spent nine days

in a coma. was on a ventilator. he battled through covid. why? because of doctors, like amy compton phillips. you remember her? this is a good world, with good people, doing good things. a story that will give you the friday feels. next. when we started our business

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everything that every state wants to do is going to cause more cases. that's the reality. it is inevitable. the question is whether we can prevent a second deadlier wave from happening.

now, our next guest knows, firsthand, just how bad things can get. he was practically right there, like right when it was going to be no going home. nine days in a coma. hooked up to a ventilator. well over 70% of people on ventilators, don't come off. darren godden is here. as well as amy compton phillips. oversaw care at st. joseph hospital, in orange, california, where darren was treated. they, both, join us now. can you guys hear me and see me? >> thanks for having me, chris. hi, amy. >> hi, darren. >> you know the expression bu s bucket of sunshine? other than bringing home that boy, when i read your story, one, there was the selfish

reaction of there but for the grace. darren's young and strong, you know, that could've been me. for you to make it through, when you were in there and things were bad, before you went into the coma, tell me where your head and your heart were and how updealing wi you were dealing with what you were looking at. >> actually, chris, the time i was admitted march 17th in the emergency department, once the doctor read the chest x-ray, and said there is a distinct pattern to the coronavirus. and he said, it's there on the x-ray, i'm pretty sure you have it. we'll confirm it with a nasal swab. at that point, i think i just went in shock. i called my wife, crying. i called a friend. and, from that point forward, i actually don't remember much. my wife tells me i was pretty depressed cause i was isolated and alone. i was scared. and the doctor told me you're likely to get a lot worse before you get better. but one thing i did not want to

do is end up on a ventilator. but i just continued to get worse and worse that week. and, by saturday, i was admitted on a tuesday, by saturday, i was having more and more oxygen. couldn't breathe. and the doctors decided that that's what would be best for me, and so i was intubated, sedated and, like you said, i was on a ventilator eight nights, nine days. eight agonizing nights for my wife. and it was scary. i'll tell you i don't remember much about it, but from the time i was told, i just couldn't believe that i had actually gotten coronavirus. >> and you're in the hospital, she couldn't be there with you, right? >> no. >> so you were alone. >> yeah. i was -- i was driving down to find a testing location in orange, california. and decided to -- to, also, call, at the same time, to get a virtual visit with a doctor through providence express care, actually. and i got connected with a provider right away and i pulled off the freeway.

went through my symptoms with her. had multiple days of a really high fever, the cough, different things that i was explaining to her. and she said you need to go, right away, to the emergency -- to the emergency room. and i was like, no, no, i just want a test. and she said, no, you need to go now. she said what hospital are you near? i said st. joseph hospital in orange. and she said we're going to call them to let them know you're on your way. and it was all of that, within about an hours time, from the time i was on that phone call to the time i got the news that i had coronavirus. >> any underlying health conditions? >> no. i'm 44. no underlying health conditions. i have no idea who i came in contact with it. i can think back to the two weeks prior. different things i did. you know, from picking up coffee to stopping at a store. going to a luncheon. >> it's hard to know. it's hard. it's hard to know. so, then, you're in there. they put you on the ventilator. you're kind of out of it. hopefully, you didn't know how dire it is once you're on a

ventilator. >> that's a question i get quite a bit is do you remember this? but when you're on a ventilator, they sedate you. you're in a coma and hopefully you don't remember anything. by the grace of god and great nurses, they -- and great respiratory therapists, they took good care of me. i don't have any memory of that, thank god. >> do you remember coming out of the coma? and realizing that you were going to be okay? >> i do. i don't remember when they first extubated me and took the ventilator off. but after that, about 12 hours or so, i understand people were looking in on me. there was a room and a window and all the nurses and staff would come by and look at me. at first, i kind of felt like i was in a fish bowl. people waved at me and they looked happy. and i couldn't quite understand it but i was gracious and waved back as much as i possibly could. everything didn't work quite well after being on the ventilator but it was the very next day that one of my nurses

explained to me, when i was really frustrated, why is my body not working? why can't i lift my hands up? that sort of thing. she explained to me that i had been on the ventilator for eight nines, nine days, whatever, and she told me the toll it takes on your body and that i had coronavirus. and so it was, at that point, that i was realizing i was really lucky to be alive. >> that's the part you got -- >> it was lots of tears and, you know, she told me that literally thousands of people were praying for me around the world. i had friends that harnessed a great army of people that were praying. i've, since, heard stories from nurses and respiratory therapists that work there at st. joseph hospital that told me they prayed for me and talked to me. they told me to fight. and what incredible people. i am just so thankful for the care i received there, and i am thankful that, in tohose times y family couldn't be present because nobody's allowed in the hospitals right now, that there were men and women who were, not just providing me care but, they

were caring for my whole person. they were caring about me as an individual. my family. they told me to fight for my two little boys, my wife. here i am today and i am so grateful for that. >> boy, amy. you know how lucky he is. to have been in that circumstance, and wind up being like a cherub, right now, on tv. when you look at the case, and what you're seeing, what are the realities when somebody in that? and how impressive is it that he is strong and on with us tonight? >> well, the reality is that darren was really close to death. and thank heavens, he is young, he is, otherwise, healthy. so that really increases his odds that it's not that young people don't get this germ. they do get this germ. but, when they get sick, they're more likely to live through it. and so, fortunately, through -- through luck and great medical care and unbelievably kind

people, that work with darren and his family in support of him, he was able to make it through. and, fortunately, younger people do have better odds of making it through than somebody who gets this later in life. >> you know, darren, you know, i have been hearing about you for a while. you became a symbol of hope for people. whose families had loved ones, who were hit in a hard way. and, now, the hard part for you to figure out is going to be what do you do with this chance, that not everybody gets and so many don't? and what it means about just how special your being on this earth is. what does that mean to you, at this early stage? >> yeah. somebody asked me, did you think, why me? and my answer to that is, i haven't thought that but i do realize i've been given this

opportunity to share this story. i've had many families reach out to me, already, and tell me they have family members on ventilators and so forth. and luckily, most all of them have been coming off the ventilator. still, one young man we are praying for. his name is austin in reno, california. 24 years old. he is a nurse there in reno. fighting 15 days on the ventilator right now, and we're believing he's going to come off. but i really just feel like that's what god has given me. given me a story to share to be able to encourage and give them hope. just, like i said, chris, so grateful and thankful for those that cared for me and prayed for me. amy, you know, i worked for providence st. joseph health for almost six and a half years. my current employer, city of hope orange county gave me such grace and compassion during this time. and showed that to my family, and took care of my family. so my wife katie and i just feel like we have been given this chance and this opportunity, and

our job now is to pay it forward. everybody that's reached out to me so far, have gotten ahold of them and let them know we're not just praying but have shared different things the doctors and staff did for me. if those might be helpful. i knew that st. joseph health was part of a larger health system, and it gave me comfort to know that providence had treated that first patient in everett, way back in i think it was february or january. and i was hoping that, behind the scenes, they were sharing information, and they were saying, hey, this worked here. try this on darren. i'm not sure if all that actually happened. amy can probably speak to that better. but i am certainly thankful for that. that i was where i needed to be and even though i was early in orange county, i was the first covid-positive patient at st. joseph hospital of orange. i got the very best care and i'm just so thankful and so pay it forward. that's my message. >> amy compton phillips has become synonymous with the best care. she was on this from the beginning. she was getting the country rallied around making masks, and getting the word out. we're big fans of hers, here,

because of the reality of her actions. but here are two things for you, that you're going to have to deal with. one, you being in a coma was much tougher onnure wi your wif because you were out of it. you're going to have to be doing some work there because you owe her. and you have two sons, who know something that every kid dreams is true. their dad is one of the toughest people that they'll ever meet. you beat something that almost nobody beats the way you did. so take god's blessing. take the grace. pay it forward. but know that you have done something, and you've given a gift to your kids of letting them see what it is to fight to the finish. even when the odds are against. i hope your blessings continue, and i thank you for sharing your story with my audience. and, dr. compton phillips, as always, seems like you're always attached to good news. so thank you for being with me. >> like it that way.

>> yeah. me, too. all right. have a great weekend. and, as always, dr. compton phillips, when you need something, we are a call away. and, darren, you're now added to that invitation. >> thanks, chris, appreciate it. >> thank you. i told ya. can you imagine being in that position? and can you imagine what you'd do with that newly sung life? sobering new report, predicting coronavirus could last up to two more years. why? why is this thing so hard? let's look at some answers from one of the study's authors, next. you know reflexes are key. you know your kid doesn't step around puddles. and wet shoes, not cool. you know what else isn't cool? those cheap leaky diapers. because with luvs, you get the pro-level leak protection you're looking for.

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zblfrmg a new study warns the pandemic could last as long as two years, until more than two-thirds of the population is infected. why? it goes to the idea of heard immunity. now, it was co-authored by john barry, who also wrote the great influenza, which deals with the 1918 outbreak, which the president keeps calling the 1917 outbreak, and i'm not sure why. welcome back to prime time. it's good to have you, john. >> thanks. good to be back. >> is there anybody who calls it the 1917? i mean, is that when it started? and we're just -- why? >> you know, the strangest. i think it encapsulates too many things about him. you know, if he makes a mistake, instead of admitting it, he just wraps his arms around it and thinks, insists he can get away with it. >> so the idea of it taking that

long. barry, you are a pessimist. no way. we've never dealt with anything like that in this country like this. and we're much better off now. why should we believe this? >> well, i mean, 1918 did take that long. so there was a pandemic, in 1889, that lasted three years. you know, pandemics take a while to work their way through. even in '57 and ''68, when we hd vaccines, they still took a while. in the study is short-circuited, the point really of the study is to remind people, and everyone who does it wants a vaccine. i mean, every author of the study. there are four of us. i'm over 70. i certainly want a vaccine, sooner rather than later. but it may not work. you know, there are -- there are many pitfalls between here and

getting a vaccine. so a little bit of reality checking and recognizing what could happen if we do not deliver a vaccine and prepare for that. so that we're not -- don't get the rug pulled out from under us again. >> what is the key thing, in terms of how we structure the strategy, that determines how long this takes? >> well, you know, the irony is the more effective we are, in terms of social distancing, so that we don't get a huge spike, the longer the process will take. by the same token, the more effective we are, the fewer people are going to die. if you go back a few -- it seems like years but it's really only a few weeks ago -- to the early studies that were predicting deaths, in the united states, of 1 to 2 million, if we did nothing.

as this disease has persisted and as people have died, those numbers look more and more accurate, if we had done nothing. now, we did do something. we've intervened. those interventions have been successful. but we're getting overconfident. there's not a single state that has met the white house's criteria. forget about the criteria from more skeptical public-health people. and, yet, they're reopening. you know, they're -- i'm afraid, and i hope i'm wrong -- but i'm afraid we're going to get some major upticks. you know, we can control that. we can prevent that, if we do things right. >> and doing right means doing less, and we are in a climate, right now, where people want to do more. john barry, you did the right thing putting the piece out. people have to have the perspective of more than just the immediate appetite. so thank you for doing it. i hope you stay healthy and i look forward to seeing you again. best for the weekend for you and

the family. >> you, too. thanks very much. >> all right. great story for ya on a friday night. you got to -- got to keep it positive when we can. high school principal. boy, did he go as big as the state of texas that he's in. and that's why he's tonight's ameri-can. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™

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ordinary people doing the extraordinary during the pandemic makes them an

ameri-can. texas high school principal, making sure that graduation ceremonies, of course they're going to be cancelled, but he wants to make sure that seniors feel special and get their diplomas. get this. in person. verdi montgomery is his name. he gets in his car, and he drives to all 612 students' homes or jobs to meet up. it took him 12 days. 800 miles of road. he gave every single graduation a snickers bar. why? because he's joked with all of them, one day, they'll look back on all of this and snicker. what a memory. what a moment. what a man. thank you for watching. stay tuned. the news, always, continues, here, on cnn. staying connected your way is easier than ever.

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new studies, one warning. 100,000 people in the u.s. could die by midsummer while another suggests covid-19 could be with us for two years. meantime the federal drug administration approving a drug to treat coronavirus as the cdc says the next few weeks are crucial. also, some humor. >> go to work and home school. go to there. stay here. go instead. >> a message from the weary parents i