♪ in an open attack on the trump administration, former president barack obama says the u.s. lacks leadership on the pandemic. this as u.s. states slowly reopen, some more cautiously than others. we'll ask if authorities are doing enough to protect against a second wave. also this hour -- >> the local authorities didn't like to tell the truth at that time. >> a cnn exclusive with china's go-to man on the coronavirus. his take on how the outbreak unfolded, the future and comparisons to america's dr. fauci.

we're live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. 5:00 a.m. eastern here. i'm natalie allen and "cnn newsroom" starts right now. ♪ thank you for joining us, our top story, one of the harshest criticisms to date of president trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is coming from the man he replaced, barack obama has been mostly silent since leaving office, despite frequent attacks by mr. trump. there's a long tradition of u.s. presidents not speaking ill of one another, but that was before nearly a million and a half americans were stricken with covid-19, killing 88,000 of them in just a few months. an alarming number of them,

people of color. the former u.s. president would stay silent no longer. >> doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy, that's how little kids think. unfortunately a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs still think that way which is why things are so screwed up. >> to be fair, president trump publicly attacks mr. obama on a regular basis and the former president rarely, if ever, rises to take the bait. so it is noteworthy mr. obama would choose this moment to speak out. we get more about it from cnn's jeremy diamond at the white house. >> reporter: well, for the second time in two weeks, former president barack obama is speaking out against the trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic. this time, speaking up publicly. >> more than anything, this pandemic is fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea

that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing. a lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge. >> reporter: that criticism came a week after president obama criticized the trump administration's response, calling it an absolute disaster and anemic and spotty. we're hearing from the white house press secretary. she said this in response to the former president's commence, president trump's unprecedented coronavirus response has saved lives. his early travel restrictions and quarantines protected the american public while his paycheck protection program got needed economic relief to our country. president trump directed the greatest mobilization of the private sector. the truth of the matter is, while certain items in that

national stockpile had not been resto restocked by the previous administration, it was by no means completely depleted. and of course president trump had been in office for three years before coronavirus arrived in the united states. but president trump, while he's not directly responded to its predecessor's criticism of his response to this pandemic, he has been leveling other allegations, something he's been calling obama gate. making evidence-free claims suggesting he's been trying to undermine his presidency. over this weekend, president trump has been in camp david with some consecutive fire brands on capitol hill, some of his loyal allies, trying to find a way to advance that latest conspiracy theory. jeremy diamond, cnn, the white house. let's look now at what states are doing opening up across the united states. georgia was at the forefront of states pushing to reopen when it began easing restrictions more than three weeks ago. the surge in new cases, some

predicted, though, hasn't happened at least so far. but there hasn't been a major dropoff either. cnn's natasha chen reports on businesses trying to get back on their feet. >> reporter: here in atlanta, georgia, a lot of people are starting to come back out to businesses that have been reopening over the past three weeks. what we're seeing is the good news. there hasn't been a major spike, but there also hasn't been a major decrease in new daily cases either. what we're seeing, there are some places taking advantage of being allowed to reopen their dining rooms. the governor of georgia relaxed some of the rules for restaurants this past week. now ten people can gather at a table instead of just six. but not everyone is taking advantage of opening their dining rooms. for example, this restaurant is doing takeout only at the window with people being able to take their food to a table. so some restaurant owners are taking this carefully and there are people who have been

observing this over the past three weeks being cautious with their families. we met one family who came out today for the first time in almost three weeks. here's what they said. >> it's actually really scary. it's not like coronavirus is over. and, like, everybody is saying, i wash my hands, i'm going to be okay. but you're still going to be around people that cough and touch everything and, like, you -- and you're very vulnerable. and it's actually very scary. but it's kind of exciting and happy that you get to do outside to some places that you enjoy again. but you also have to be very careful. >> i agree with that. >> reporter: when is the last time you got ice cream? >> 2019. >> really? >> reporter: georgia governor has touted lower hospitalization rates and increased testing while some officials in the metro atlanta area caution people to stay home if possible despite the fact that many things are reopening.

we're talking to the georgia chamber of commerce. the president says it's a mixed bag of who is opening and who  isn't. this is a long-term change that a lot of businesses have to make. it's not just having the resources and masks and gloves for the next two to three weeks. this is really for the long term. he said no matter what industry they're in, they're now in the business of health and wellness. since the start of the pandemic, health officials have been asking patients who they came into contact with to try to track the disease. but now as cnn's tom mormon tel tells us there's a push to make contact tracing even better. >> a viral hot spot erupts in a south korean nightclub district. dozens come down with covid-19 and quickly authorities trace the origin to one man. how did they find him? they analyzed the gps signal of

his phone. now in the u.s. too, vigorous efforts are under way to expand contact tracing. in new orleans, anyone eating in a restaurant will be required to hand over their information. >> restaurants should retain a name and contact number for over 21 days. >> reporter: contact tracing consists of sorting out the physical social network of an infected person and asking or maybe compelling exposed people to quarantine. health officials say it certainly works and this experiment, a group of diners was unaware one of them had invisible paint on his hands. when a special light was turned on, it was clear how many had been symbolically infected. real world studies found the same thing with covid-19. this professor notes one diner in a restaurant infecting nine others nearby. an outbreak in a call center, jumping from one worker to the

next, to the next. >> i want to strongly encourage you to participate in the contact tracing program. >> reporter: many officials argue contact tracing is essential. >> it is the next major step in our effort to defeat the covid virus. >> reporter: but privacy advocates say the same tool for tracking the virus could be used to discover political activity, religious affiliations, private relationships. a poll found nearly 3 in 5 americans say they're unable or unwilling to use the infection alert system under development by google and apple. >> trust really matters in combatting a pandemic and people won't feel trusting of the system if it's not based on a public health need and there is -- there are not very robust privacy and security protections built into any tool that we might use. >> reporter: while we wait on

electronic devices, several states are pushing forward with plans for tens of thousands of people to become contact tracers. one state even drawing in the national guard. let's talk about these developments with a global expert at the university of oxford in england. thanks for coming on, peter. >> good morning. >> we just heard the next essential step is contact tracing. along with hygiene and social distancing to control the spread, peter, how important is contact tracing? >> it's incredibly important and it goes hand in hand with testing, right? once everybody who needs a test can get a test, we're able to identify a positive case, trace all of their contacts and then get everyone who needs it either isolated or quarantined. that's how we can break chains of transmission and have smart

surveillance. that allows us to be much smarter in opening up and prevent that dreaded second surge. >> i was going to ask you that, if it's an accomplished in a major way, it could, you think, prevent a second wave? >> i think so. it's certainly the best shot we got. if you look at the places that have done a good job first in crushing the curve and for the most part keeping it down. of course we've seen blips here or there in places like china, in places like korea and singapore, but australia, new zealand, et cetera, all of them have something in common which is widespread testing, widespread contact tracing, and then measures for isolation and quarantine. i think that has to be at the forefront of all of our efforts right now. >> meantime, we know 48 states are reopening and there were warnings that states were reopening too soon, like right here in georgia, that we were going to see these massive spikes. we haven't seen that yet.

instead in georgia, the number of deaths and hospitalizations are actually going down. what do you make of that, peter? >> well, those of us who predicted that cases would go up would love to be proouven wrong. it's a mixed picture, in places like georgia where cases haven't gone up, you see other places like texas, arizona, minnesota, where in parts you do see the numbers of cases rising as we expected. something to keep in mind, in a lot of places we're not doing enough testing, we have to wait for people to become sicker and hospitalized before those cases are detected. that means there's a three or four week lag from the time we make a change until we actually see a change. it may be that we're just too early and we'll have to see what happens over the next couple of weeks. it's a critical period right now. >> right. the next couple of weeks, the predictions are that some 10,000 more americans could die. meantime, bigger picture here,

president trump launched operation warp speed this week, promising that millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines, that's the goal, they hope will be available by the end of this year. there certainly is merit in working to act fast right now. is the president's timeline realistic? >> it's an incredibly optimistic timeline. i think that most estimates that i've seen from the scientific community who are working in the race to develop a vaccine would give it a longer timeline even in a best-case scenario. we have to remember there's never been an effective vaccine against the coronavirus. the timeline for developing a new vaccine normally is years, often a decade or more. we think it's going to be substantially less. if all of the stars align, everything goes perfectly, they work, there's no speed bumps, possibly early 2021. but i think that's the most optimistic scenario and we have to also be prepared for scenarios in which it takes much

longer to find a vaccine that's going to be effective. that's why, while this development is important, these investments in the scientific race are important, we need an operation warp speed to make sure that every american can get a test who needs a test. we need an operation warp speed to make sure we have armies of contact tracers along with technology in every part of the country because that's what would allow us to save lives and save the economy until that vaccine is ready. >> good point there you make. we'll end on that. thanks so much, peter. >> thank you, natalie. we are tracking a developing story over the middle east. china's ambassador to israel du wei has been found dead at his residence north of tel aviv. police have been at the scene. du wei has been the ambassador to israel for only about three months. we'll continue to track this story and bring you more information as we get it.

some call him china's dr. fauci. the doctor who raised the alarm about coronavirus in china even as local officials downplayed it. cnn's exclusive interview with him coming next. also, italy will slowly try to get things back to normal next week. we'll bring in our reporter to talk about how italy plans to minimize the risks. faced the competition and we brokrough. olay's retinol24 complex hydrates better than the $100 retinol cream. visibly smoother brighter skin in just 24 hours. olay retinol24.

looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene. in the 2020 census guyisn't complicated.o counts everyone living in your home on april 1st counts. my aunt and uncle who live with us, count. my best friend who sleeps over every friday night, doesn't count. (laughs) my new baby sister, she counts. my mom's best friend, who's been living with us, she counts. the dog, mr. bebe, should count, but he doesn't. complete the census online, by phone, or by mail. shape your future. start here at 2020census.gov

the ups and downs of frequent mood swings can plunge you into deep, depressive lows. or, give you unusually high energy, even when depressed. overwhelmed by bipolar depression? ask about vraylar. some medications only treat the lows or the highs. vraylar effectively treats depressive, acute manic and mixed episodes of bipolar i. full-spectrum relief of all symptoms, with just one pill, once a day. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be permanent. side effects may not appear for several weeks. metabolic changes may occur. movement dysfunction, restlessness, sleepiness,

stomach issues are common side effects. when bipolar depression overwhelms, ask how vraylar can help. i don't have to worry about that, do i?are irritated. harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line. crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. it works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest.

china's top coronavirus adviser who saw the country through the sars epidemic is criticizing china's early response to the pandemic and sounding yet another alarm. he said china could get a second wave of infections especially if there isn't a vaccine. david culver sat down with him for this exclusive interview. >> reporter: this is an interview that we have been working to get for months. a conversation with the dr. fauci of china. his name is dr. zhong nanshan. in our exclusive interview, he spoke about what he believes are the concerns still on the horizon for china, even as things are starting to open up. they're not in the clear and

warns of a second wave. he's critical of how things were handled early on, particularly within wuhan. >> the answer is no. >> reporter: in the u.s., many have turned to dr. anthony fauci as that medical voice of reason. in china, it's dr. zhong nanshan, the well known respiratory expert speaking exclusively with cnn. >> i cannot compare with fauci who is the adviser of the president. >> perhaps he does not physically stand next to xi jingping. his advice sparks immediate action. take, for example, wuhan's shutdown. he traveled to the epicenter of the outbreak. he questioned the local health officials. >> in the very beginning, they kept silent. >> zhong who gained

international praise on his work on sars, believed this novel coronavirus was far more devastating than being portrayed by wuhan health officials. >> i suppose they are very reluctant to answer my question. the local authorities didn't like to tell the truth at that time. >> publicly, wuhan health officials as late as january 19th labeled the virus as preventable and controllable. and later, the city's mayor even acknowledged not releasing information in a timely fashion. zhong pressed harder for the actual numbers. when he got them, he headed to beijing on january 20th. he briefed the central government and he was addressing the nation in this live interview. he revealed that human-to-human transmission was likely. as proof of that, he said the virus had infected multiple medical personnel. >> that's a very dangerous signal showing this kind of disease, very contagious.

so i suppose at that time, the central government listened to our advice. >> reporter: within three days, wuhan went into a harsh lockdown that lasted 76 days. even with china's central government taking the lead, there's still skepticism over the official numbers. he believes it's partly political and says the chinese government would not benefit from underreporting. >> the government has got the lesson from the outbreak of sars 17 years ago. all the cities, all the government departments should report the true number of diseases. so if you do not do that, you will be punished. >> reporter: what do you believe to be the origin of this virus in particular? >> i think the origin is very difficult to draw a conclusion

at the moment. but i believe this kind of disease is originated from animals. >> reporter: u.s. president donald trump and secretary of state mike pompeo have said they have evidence that it leaked from a lab, namely the wuhan institute of virology. a theory that many experts and u.s. intelligence says is highly unlikely. now it seems more and more medical experts do not believe that it originated there. do you feel that with certainly? >> they did a checkup that approved nothing about that, no, i don't think so. >> reporter: his focus now is on preparing china for a second wave of the outbreak. over the past few weeks, new clusters have surfaced in several cities including wuhan. >> we are facing a big challenge. it's not the -- not better than the foreign countries, i think, at the moment.

>> reporter: zhong has achieved a celebrity status here in china. his expertise aside, many are impressed with zhong's physical drive. >> what is it that you have been doing during this period to stay mentally sane? >> i still keep exercising and sport and all the things and keep an open mind and eat not too much every time. that's why i still can do something in my age of 84. >> reporter: dr. zhong spoke about the collaboration that's ongoing with his medical counterparts in the united states, particularly with harvard university. he suggests that despite things getting politicized and tensions between the u.s. and china heightened, the collaboration is still under way at least among certain medical professionals. david culver, cnn, china. now we want to turn to

italy. once the center of the pandemic, italy is set to relax confinement measures starting monday. shops, restaurants and hairdressers in the hard-hit lombardi region will be allowed to reopen. the prime minister calls it a calculated risk that has to be done with prudence. on saturday, italy recorded the fewest number of daily deaths i since its lockdown began in march. this must be a day that many people have been waiting for and it's almost here. >> that's right. it's quite exciting. people here in rome have been preparing -- you can see in the shops, the windows are open, people are cleaning, putting down tape to try to mark out the safe distancing. it's still quite unchaptered territory, though. there have been a continuing number of people outside, going for walks, exercising. there's already movement across

the country. but what we don't know what that's going to look like is when restaurants are open, is there going to be plexiglas separating people. they're saying it would be better if restaurant tables can be outside. how are the waiters going to serve the people? there are so many unanswered questions. and people are worried if they go too fast there will be a relapse and second wave and we'll go back to where we started. and that's something nobody wants. >> absolutely. well, our fingers are crossed for italy. thanks so much, barbie. police in london say at least 13 people. >> reporter: arrestwere arreste saturday. they turned out in hyde park. the officers told them to move along. the uk will enter its ninth week of lockdown on monday. the country has 35,000

coronavirus deaths and 240,000 infections. a new and rare illness is targeting children who also may have been exposed to covid-19. we hear from dr. sanjay gupta about this worrisome development. also, hidden victims of the coronavirus pandemic, migrant workers are losing their jobs and their ability to send critically needed money to some of the poorest places in the world.

everyday you're eating acidic foods; you're constantly weakening that enamel structure. pronamel repair allows more minerals to penetrate deep into the enamel layer and it repairs it. it is pretty phenomenal.

make family-sized meals fast, and because it's a ninja foodi, it can do things no other oven can, like flip away. the ninja foodi air fry oven, the oven that crisps and flips away. i've tried the $200 creams, the $400 creams olay regenerist microsculpting cream makes my skin feel so hydrated. i can face anything with my olay. and my latest beauty secret... for bright, smooth skin... olay regenerist cream cleanser. 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. ♪ welcome back to our viewers in the u.s. and around the

world. i'm natalie allen. the world health organization is warning parents and doctors about that new illness related to covid-19 that is targeting children. it's called pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. dr. sanjay dupe gupta has more it. >> my stomach started hurting pretty bad and it felt like my legs were feeling week and i was tired. >> she started having blue lips and her extremities were cold. that's when it was like, this is not a normal flu. >> did you think that this might be a covid or coronavirus? >> my wife thought it was a possibility. she called to try to see if she could get tested. she didn't meet the criteria. she was a healthy 12-year-old. >> by that evening, juliette was

nearly dead. >> they had me leave the room to intubate her. she went into cardiac arrest and they had to perform cpr. >> what was her condition when you first saw juliette. she was about as close to death as you could get. >> this doctor is a pediatric cardiologist in new orleans. >> her heart was barely squeezing. he was going into kidney failure, liver failure and put on a ventilator. >> it's hard to believe we're talking about this same, beautiful little girl. but it's also hard to believe that all of this was related to covid-19. a disease that wasn't really supposed to affect kids. now, it even has a name, it's called pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. >> there's a lot of cells in the body that is just going crazy and what that's doing is

creating a lot of inflammation, affecting the heart, liver and kidney and all the cells of the body. >> it's been described as a kawasaki-like disease. it's a disease commonly diagnosed in children. rashes, and destructive inflammation. but this is different. so many questions like, why now are we first seeing this and why is it so devastating to children in the united states and europe, but not so much in asia where some of the first children were infected. >> we have interesting information coming in from japan as well as korea that no one there that we have been in contact with has seen this severe form of collapse in

children. >> no one can tell you for sure that the sars virus is a trigger for kawasaki disease, but there's a circumstantial evidence. >> we're seeing this in kids who don't have an active covid infection. some of them do. but a lot of them are testing positive for antibodies. >> a study published on wednesday found that the number of children diagnosed with the kawasaki-like disease in italy jumped 30 fold after the pandemic overtook the region. still, in the united states, as frightening as it is, for now, it still appears rare. juliette was discharged after ten days in the hospital. >> how are you feeling now? you look great. >> i'm feeling good. and there doesn't seem to be any long-term effects. >> are you back 100%, would you say?

>> i still feel a bit out of place. i feel like 99%. >> we'll take 99%. >> i want to emphasize again that what you just saw there, i know was frightening but also rare. thankfully rare. even when it comes to kawasaki-like illness, the disease i mentioned in the piece, there's 20,000 in the children in the united states that may be diagnosed with this. we're talking about 200 children with this new illness. thankfully, again, rare. i think the message is for nurses and doctors, but also parents, stay vigilant. if your child has abdominal pain that is usual that could be a sign. and after a child recovers from covid, it might be a concern. stay vigilant. if you would have taken your child to the emergency room last year for something, then you should take them this year as

well. on the other hand if you wouldn't have taken your child to the emergency for something last year, you probably don't need to this year as well. use your judgment, logic and consider telemedicine. that might be one way to get an evaluation at home without having to go into the hospital. >> always good advice from sanjay. earlier my colleague michael holmes spoke with the pediatric cardiologist about what more is known about this illness. >> this is a multisystem syndrome that the majority of patients are coming in with abdominal come complaints, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, rash. and what basically this is the immune system is going into overdrive. so what's happening is the cell signals in the body are telling the body to really ramp up their

response in result to either direct entry from the coronavirus or after affects of the coronavirus. and that's leading to patients with heart problems, dilation of the coronary arteries. they feed oxygen to the heart as well as problems with their liver and kidneys. >> it is still rare and it's important to acknowledge that. but you've got a situation here in the u.s. and elsewhere around the world. the president is pushing for schools to reopen. is there concern in the profession that that could help this illness spread further? >> there's certainly a concern. but, you know, as pediatricians, we also realize that school is important for kid's learning and development and a lot of these kids are going through important developmental stages. we've put together a task force to work directly with schools and develop reopening plans as

well as continued guidance when schools reopen so we can make sure our kids are as safe as they possible can be. >> another angle we want to talk about now, the global pandemic has damaged economies across the globe and many migrant workers have lost their jobs. this has a ripple effect across some of the world's poorest regions since those workers can no longer send money back home. ivan watson has this from hong kong. >> when she got fired from her job as a live-in domestic work, she was made homeless. >> i'm sitting on the floor, all my luggage there. it's the life of a helper. >> reporter: she used to send a third of her income back home to support her family in the

philippines, four sons, a husband out of work and a sick mother. >> but my mommy is sick. it's very hard for me. >> reporter: she says hong kong will extend her visa for a month as she tries to find another job. it's the first time in 15 years she's been laid off. >> does your family know you got fired? >> no. >> reporter: why? >> i don't want to give her another problem to worry. >> reporter: she and her family are not alone. migrant workers around the world are being laid off as the coronavirus virus cripples economies. the money these workers earn provides a lifeline to their families paying for food, housing and school for their children. that lifeline is being cut off. the world bank predicts these sorts of payments will fall by 20% this year, globally. >> the kind of fall we're expecting is unprecedented in history.

>> reporter: they say governments need to do more to support migrant workers and their families. >> we should not ignore the plight of this huge part of humanity. >> reporter: these workers are facing the threat of job losses, lockdowns and the risk of virus outbreak in cramped housing. this man was working as a construction worker for four years and sending his half of the income home before being laid off a few months ago. the government says more than 7,000 migrant workers have lost their jobs due to covid-19 and says they're providing them with free food and a visa amnesty. >> translator: now that i can't send money home, my family is suffering and my old parents cannot get any good medical treatment. >> reporter: his family say they're now struggling to survive. >> translator: my son has

stopped sending the money because he doesn't have a job since everything closed due to the coronavirus. so i've had to take a loan for survival with very high interest. >> translator: when i speak to my parents, they don't ask me for money anymore as they love me so much and they know i'm in this bad situation too. >> reporter: migrant workers operating on the fringe of societies, hidden victims of a global economic crisis. ivan watson, cnn, hong kong. an update on a new story that we're following here. israel's foreign minimum cistry of du wei is not suspicious at this time. police have been on the scene. the 57-year-old had been the ambassador to israel for only about three months. we'll continue to track the story. we'll bring you any more information as we get it. next here, president trump's

firing of another government watchdog ignites a political firestorm and congress. some u.s. lawmakers now demanding answers after a fourth u.s. official responsible for keeping the government honest is abruptly dismissed. there are so many toothpastes out there, which one should i use? try crest pro/active defense. it neutralizes bacteria for a healthier mouth than even the leading multi-benefit toothpaste.

crest. looking to repair dry, damaged hair without weighing it down? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene. when taking a break from everyday life is critical to everyone's health, there is one thing we can all do together: complete the 2020 census. your responses are critical to plan for the next 10 years of health care, infrastructure, and education. let's make a difference, together, by taking a few minutes to go online to 2020census.gov. it's for the well-being of your community and will help shape america's future.

♪ now through may 17, enjoy free access to the best shows and movies from favorites like hbo, showtime, starz and for the first time ever, hulu and peacock! watch the show starring that guy you saw in that other thing... you know the one. or the series this kid on reddit says is "legit," punch emoji, explosion emoji. even the one with the actor people say looks just like your boss. and maybe sounds like him too. put your phones down. everyone's got a show to recommend. watch the best for free. just say "watchathon" into your voice remote, or download the xfinity stream app.

u.s. democratic lawmakers say they will open a congressional investigation into president trump's latest firing of a government watchdog. u.s. state department inspector general steve linick is the fourth official dismissed by the president in recent weeks. mitt romney denounced the firings as a threat to accountable democracy. we get more about it from cnn's alex marquardt. >> reporter: in the trump administration, it is the watchdogs who are being watched closely, with suspicion and

disdain, being dismissed at a growing pace. friday night, the inspector general for the state department was suddenly fired. president donald trump informing the house speaker in a letter, it is vital that i have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as inspector general. that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector gene l general. steve linick was charged with oversight. according to the democratic chairman of the house foreign relations committee, linick had launched an investigation into secretary of state mike pompeo and whether pompeo and his wife has misused a political appointee for personal tasks. the state department has not responded to that accusation. linick had a small but important role in the impeachment inquiry and also had issued previous damni damning reports ability the state department. it was pompeo that recommended

that linick be fired. the president has shown and voiced opposition to his agency's watchdogs. >> did i hear the word inspector general, really? it's wrong. and they'll talk to you about it. it's wrong. >> reporter: it was the intelligence's community inspector general michael atkinson whose actions sparked what became the ukraine investigation and impeachment proceedings of the president. last month, atkinson too was fired. last month the pentagon's acting inspector general, glen fine who was overseeing spending on coronavirus response, was removed from the top job. and two weeks ago, the official serving as watchdog of health and human services was replaced after investigators found shortages of testing kits and masks along with delays in coronavirus test results.

>> where did he come from? what's his name? >> reporter: three of the four were dismissed late on friday nights. nancy pelosi blasted the dismissal of linick. it's a dangerous pattern of retaliation against the patriotic public servants. linick will now be replaced by a veteran state department official, stephen akard, who is a close ally of vice president mike pence. he's been serving at the state department and served in a number of diplomatic posts around the world. he also worked with the vice president in indiana when vice president pence was the governor there. there are now a growing number of democrats coming out angrily against this move to replace steve linick with akard, calling it outrageous. alex marquardt, cnn, washington. the hurricane season hasn't

even officially begun yet, but the first tropical storm of the year is churning in the atlanta. derek van dam joins me next with a look at tropical storm arthur. it can plunge you into deep, dark lows. and, can leave you feeling extremely sad and disinterested. overwhelmed by bipolar depression? ask about vraylar. not all types of depression should be treated the same. vraylar effectively helps relieve all symptoms of bipolar depression... with just one pill, once a day. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or confusion, which may mean a life-threatening reaction, or uncontrollable muscle movements, which may be permanent. side effects may not appear for several weeks.

metabolic changes may occur. nausea, restlessness and movement dysfunction are common side effects. when bipolar depression overwhelms, ask how vraylar can help.

a large fire and explosion injured at least 11 firefighters saturday in downtown los angeles. you can see the plume of spoke towering into the sky. the fire department says there was a blast as crews were entering the being triggering a mayday call. it took more than 230 firefighters to extinguish the flames. four of the injured firefighters have been admitted to a burn intensive care unit. but they are all expected to survive. we now have the first tropical storm of the atlantic hurricane season, tropical storm arthur has formed off of florida's east coast and the hurricane season hasn't started yet. let's go to derek van dam. is this an uh-oh for the hurricane season? >> that's the best way to put it, right, natalie. here we go again. let me show you what's new for

you this morning since the 5:00 a.m. update from the national hurricane center. tropical storm warnings have been i should for the north carolina coast from duck, north carolina, southward into the surf city region. many people in north carolina probably went to bed last night not even knowing that a tropical storm could potentially impact the region within the next 36 hours. now they're waking up to a tropical storm warning which means within the next day and a half, tropical-storm-force winds and rain are expected. now this is the latest from the national hurricane center with tropical storm arthur, the first named atlantic hurricane storm of the year for 2020, 40-mile-per-hour sustained winds with this system. would you believe me if i told you, this is the sixth consecutive year where we've had a named tropical system prior to the start which is june 1st. look at the side of the monitor here.

you can see an airplane flying in. these are the hurricane hunters. they're going into the center of the circulation pattern that will determine if the storm is strengthening. there's quite a bit of lightning strikes, that's an cater for the metrologists that this could be on the upward trend. you can see the forecast path, just scraping the coastline of north carolina by monday. natalie, back to you. >> we know you'll keep an eye on it for us. thanks. a beloved trailblazer in the united states television business has died. phyllis george suffered for decades from a blood disorder before passing away at age 70. a self-described small-town girl, the beauty and magnetic personality propelled her to the miss america title in 1971. she broke ground for women as a commentator in the male world of pro football and became first lady of kentucky.

her son and her daughter, cnn's own senior white house correspondent pamela brown, confirmed her death. they called her, hurricane phil because of her boundless energy. we have this just coming into cnn, some good news for spain. the country's health ministry says the number of daily deaths due to covid-19 fell to 87 for the latest 24-hour period. that is the lowest figure in two full months and the first time in that period it's been below 100. thank you for watching this three hours of "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen, follow me on twitter or instagram. "new day" is next. my gums are irritated. i don't have to worry about that, do i? harmful bacteria lurk just below the gum line.

crest gum detoxify, voted product of the year. it works below the gum line to neutralize harmful plaque bacteria and help reverse early gum damage. gum detoxify, from crest.

working on the front lines, and here's one small way that you can help them in return. complete your 2020 census today. 2020 census data helps communities plan funding for hospitals, clinics, and emergency services across the country. an accurate count helps public health officials know who is at risk, and first responders identify the resources they need to protect our communities. complete your census at 2020census.gov and help shape our future. looking to repair dry, at 202damaged hair without weighing it down? try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene.

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 former president with a tough on the demation of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, more than anything this pandemic is fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing. >> the white house press secretary saying in a statement president trump's unprecedented coronavirus response has saved lives. >> it feels like a regular summer right now. >> reporter: at least 48 states are partially reopened, connecticut and massachusetts being the last holdout. >> i think it's time people finally get out and enjoy themselves and finally have