e postff oice again! the president did not once mention the single, central fact of the coronavirus pandemic at his briefing tonight. the fact that almost 143,000 americans have now died. john berman here in for anderson. nor, did the president utter a single word about another fact. for the first time in weeks, the nation's daily death toll surpassed a thousand and is on the brifrnk of doing it again tonight. california eclipsed new york in total cases. with texas about to do the same.

the president also made no mention of these new, revised guidelines for reopening schools, which we're supposed to have seen by now. which are being rewritten, don't forget, because the president considers the existing ones too tough. what we did hear with parents and teachers and school administrators increasingly worried about kids returning to classrooms with statements that could wildly mislead about the risk. >> i would like to see schools open 100% and we'll do it safely, we'll do it carefully. but when you look at the sta ti tibtices i just read having to do with children and safety, they're very impressive. they have very strong immune systems. >> some live with their grandparents. there is a real risk. >> well, they do say that they don't transmit very easily. and a lot of people are saying they don't transmit. and we're looking at that. we're studying, john, very hard, that particular subject. that they don't bring it home with them now.

they don't catch it easily. they don't bring it home easily. and if they do catch it, they get better, fast. we're looking at that fact. that is a factor and we are looking at that very strongly. we'll be reporting about that. >> keeping them honest, there is a new, large, highly-regarded study out this week from cdc, it shows that children ages ten and up are just as good as transmitting the virus as adults. and if any of the experts, dr. fauci, dr. birx, dr. redfield, had been there, they might have been asked about that. >> i don't think we really got an explanation yesterday on why the health experts are no longer joining you at these briefings. can -- can you explain why? >> because they are briefing me. i'm meeting them. i just spoke to dr. fauci. dr. birx is right outside. and they're giving me all of everything they know, as of -- as of this point in time. and i am giving the information to you. and i think it's probably a very concise way of doing it.

it seems to be working out very well. >> very well, perhaps, for the president in that there is no trusted person sharing the podium to correct him when he strays from the science. and dr. birx's concerns about the science are precisely what held up the new school guidelines. the president also strayed from the science when he talked about a cure, as though it were just around the corner. >> that would be great, if we could go into the hospital and just cure people. and we're at a position we're actually able, to a certain extent, what we have right now. and we think, in a very short period of time, we will be able to do that. >> keeping them honest. as nice as those thoughts would be if true, there is no evidence they are. or as he says, will be able to

do that. no evidence, wwhere was there a at all. the fact that 50 million texts have been in this country but did not mention have to wait up to two, or in some cases, three weeks for results. that is, even if they qualify to get them. some states are limiting who gets tested again. despite the president's claim months ago that anyone who wants to get tested can. and you don't have to believe us. take it from a republican. >> i just feel it's taken us a long, long, lodge time to get to a point where we have rapid testing, which we don't have yet. ample testing, which we don't have. personal protective equipment that's still in short supply, in certain places. i mean, look at other nations. look at germany. the eu. they had some tough times, as we did. but they came out of them and we're still struggling, in part because of lack of effective oversight of this process. >> when asked by cnn he's manu raju if he is satisfied with the testing situation, republican

senator told manu quote i don't think anybody's satisfied with it. except perhaps the man who can get tested whenever he wants, along with all the people around him. early on, the president underscored how deadly this pandemic has been to american seniors in nursing homes and that much is true. it's a tragedy. but then, he went on to say something remarkable in light of what he had said just seconds before. >> from the beginning, we have made it our top priority to shelter our seniors. in early march, we announced guidelines suspending all medically-unnecessary visits to nursing homes. and prioritized resources for those facilities. and we gave it a very strong priority. >> mr. president, with all due respect to the office and acknowledging there is blame to go around, if protecting seniors was a priority from the beginning, then, why have so many seniors died? if you are so on top of testing, why can't people get tested? if you are so gung ho about sending kids back to school, why isn't there a plan for deciding

how to do it safely? and if, as you said yesterday, you're working on a very, very powerful national strategy to fight the disease that has taken more lives in this country than any place on earth. where was it almost 143,000 american lives ago? perspective now from cnn chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. also, kathleen sebelius. secretary sebelius, the president delivered his second news conference in two nights but we, still, were not presented with a coordinated, federal plan to beat the virus. we' so what do you make of what he is saying, versus doing? >> well, i had the feeling tonight, once again, that the president lives in an alternative universe. i'm not sure who is beaming up information to him. but it doesn't match any of the facts that i know. as you say, we just exceeded a

thousand deaths yesterday. it's likely we'll do it again today. that is on the uptick. it's not a very good job. the kieser family foundation just documented that cases in hotspot states and nursing homes are, once again, on the rise at an alarming rate. increasing at about four times the case rate in non-hotspot states. nursing homes are vulnerable even with the tightest lockdown rules. i keep hearing of lots of shortages of ppe in nursing homes but they are not in good shape. parents are terrified about sending their kids to school with, really, no clear guidance, no clear information. and on mitch mcconnell's desk is a package of resources for cities and states that they could use to hire additional cleaning crews, get additional spaces, hire additional personal

to accompany kids so that you could break them into smaller groups. none of that has happened. and once again, the president declares we are doing a very good job. we have a cure around the corner. i can't imagine who is suggesting that is even a possibility, or what, in the world, that means. so i'm really alarmed. finally, he said, in his press conference, john, that, you know, mayor lightfoot, he thinks really want troops to come into chicago. and it reminded me of what he had just said about the health issues. because i have listened to her, several times. she clearly does not want troops. i want to hear scientists on this information because there's nothing -- i'm glad you have dr. gupta on. but, you know, the president is, once again, giving really dangerously false information to the american public. >> we'll get to chicago in a minute. i promise. but, sanjay, speaking as a

parent, i think more and more confused, than anything else. more confused than frightened. and when you heard the president tonight say he wants schools 100% open but then go on to say children have strong immune systems. they don't catch it easily. they don't bring it home easily. there's this study out this week, which suggests something different. so where is the science? >> yeah. i mean, the study out of south korea, i think, is the one you're referencing, john. and that was a good study. i mean, there's been -- this has been a little bit of a hard issue to study for, particularly young children because, if you think about it, john, since sort of middle of march, the younger children have largely been at home. so they haven't been part of these huge studies so we don't have a lot of data on that. but in south korea, when they looked at kids 10 and older, they found that they were harboring as much virus in their mouth and nose, and transmitting as much virus as adults. he also said kids have stronger immune systems. actually, young kids and very older people, for example, are much more likely to get sick

from the flu because their immune systems are weaker. and that's always been the concern here. it is true that children are less likely to get very sick from this and it's still not entirely clear why. but this issue of them still having the virus and them being able to transmit it is a significant one. and i think the one -- the one thing that is true that the science really bears out, if you live in a community where a lot of virus is spreading, you are much more likely to come in contact with people who have the virus. and much more likely, when the schools reopen, to contribute to significant -- significant increases in spread. i can just show you, john. you have seen this graph before. but if we can show the israel graph, what happens in some places when schools start places when schools start to reopen, you can get a sudden uptick. this is what we are trying to avoid. >> sanjay, what about the cure? i imagine no one was more surprised than dr. anthony fauci or dr. redfield at the cdc to hear that we're on the verge of a cure? >> i -- i don't know what he is

talking about. presumably, he's talking about a vaccine. i mean, there is antibody therapies. we've done stories on that, as well. there is optimism on the vaccine. we're not on the verge of it. you know, it's just tough. and it is why we do need to have these scientists there, in the room, frachklnkly. i mean, there's stuff that has been said -- i think having the briefing is a good idea because it reminds people we're in the worst public health disaster of our lifetime. but sometimes things are said that are just wrong and sadly, they need to be fact checked real time. i think he was talking about the vaccine. there is optimism around the vaccine. it's only -- we only have seen phase-one data. we got a ways to go. >> secretary sebelius, on school guidance, how much longer do you think we can wait, at this point, given that schools are due to open in weeks? >> well, i don't know. i'm alarmed at a couple of thing around the school guidance. cdc put out guidance, which has

been identified, by the president, as being too tough. and too complicated. basically, it said keep kids six feet apart. do a lot of sanitation and cleaning issues. wash your hands. wear masks. i don't know how complicated that is. that's been the guidance, all along. i am alarmed that what may be happening is some kind of variation of that, which would really deviate from the science. but clearly, schools, parents, teachers, grandparents, need to know what's happening. and states, i have -- you know, sitting here in the state of kansas, unfortunately, our virus is back on an uptick. lots of counties, thanks to the ledge slach eve legislature, were able to opt out of the masking requirement. so we have seen an uptick in virus and the governor has just

suggested that schools delay until labor day instead of mid-august. the school board today voted 4-4 on a tie vote to allow counties to make that decision. but nobody knows what, exactly, the guidance will be. and we are talking about 3 1/2, 4 weeks from now, where kids are supposed to be back in school as our virus count continues to go up. that's very dangerous in lots of parts of kansas and lots of parts of the country. >> yeah, something as benign as back-to-school shopping. i've had parents ask me should we even be doing back to school shopping? sanjay, a study that caught people's attention today and i think needs more clarity, has to do with immunity and the antibodies. this new study suggests that people with mild cases of covid start to lose their immunity every 36 days, it gets cut in half. or maybe it's lose your antibodies every 36 days is a more accurate way of saying it. explain. >> yeah, i think that is a more accurate way of explaining it.

i'll explain in a second. there's two studies that came out of china and italy earlier, which basically showed the same thing. one is that the sicker you are, the more antibodies you make. that's not sbrieentirely surpri but there was significant difference in the people who had minimal or no symptoms in terms of the antibodies and it showed your antibodies do start to wane every few weeks, they go down by a significant percentage. what we don't know, still, is does that also mean you are losing immunity? to your clarification, antibodies are easy to measure. so we measure use and then we use those as a correlative for immunity. it's not a bad correlative. but it's not the perfect correlation either because, john, if you think in this country, five, six months into this thing now, we have not really seen reinfection clusters. right? if you really do lose immunity two to three weeks after infection, we would start to see

anecdotal reports here and there of reinfection. we're not. i think there are other parts that are harder to measure but important. t-cells, for example. they are the core of the immune system. they can quickly ramp up antibody production in response to a virus. they can attack the virus in other ways as well. so i think the jury is still out on this. and i think -- i get that it's alarming. but we're not seeing those reinfections. i think people are immune, still, longer than we think. we don't know how long, how strong, but longer than -- than just a few weeks. >> i think that's so important to reiterate. as of now, we haven't seen clear evidence of reinfection, and you would think we would have by now if it were going to be a mass issue. sanjay, as always, thank you. secretary, thank you very much to you. so next, as the secretary just mentioned what the president said today about sending federal forces into other american cities. and what the founding dhs secretary has to say about how members of his agency are now being used. tom ridge joins us next. later, the hope for one or more vaccines by the end of the

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a crime wave, he says, the mayors of those cities, democrats, have been unable to control. chicago mayor lori lightfoot who was the subject of pointed comments by the president today. said welcome partnership but we do not welcome dictatorship. tom friedman writes, quote, some presidents before they get in trouble in an election try to wag the dog by starting a war abroad. donald trump seems to wag the dog by starting a war at home. be afraid. he might get his wish. many of those federal agents are under the control of the department of homeland security, which as you may recall, was created right after the attacks

on september 11th. i am joined now by the first secretary of that cabinet department. former pennsylvania governor tom ridge. secretary ridge, it is always an honor to speak with you. thanks so much for being with us. tom friedman continues to say president trump is part of this wag-the-dog effort is taking the page out of the middle east dictator's handbook by trying to turn the american people against each other, and presenting him as the singular source of law and order. what do you make of that? >> well, i'm disappointed in my president because it seems like it's a reality tv approach toward dealing with a very, very serious problem. and if they're serious about dealing with the -- with urban crime in chicago or elsewhere, we'll use chicago since the president has identified that as the place with the surge. let's check this out. 200 officers. and by the way, they're not his personal -- but he is going to send in 200 officers. good men and women, no doubt

about that. to work with 13,000 police, men and women in blue. good men and women, no doubt. and with a sudden surge. they may have a few arrests. they may have a few imprisonments but they are not going to sustain that commitment. and nothing in this plan -- i'm not even sure they have a plan. have they talked to the mayor? have they talked to the chief of police? et cetera. et cetera. and they will leave in a couple weeks and you lawlessness will reemerge and they still haven't dealt with the issues that underpin the lawlessness. so it's a very disappointing response to a serious problem but it's difficult for somebody who thinks reality tv is real. >> you just used the phrase personal militia to describe what the president is trying to do here. and i have heard you say that before with regards to what he is doing in portland with dhs officers. what do you mean by that? >> i mean, the men and women in not only dhs but throughout the federal law enforcement agencies.

and there are many, many agencies. go to work, every single day, to try to provide safe and secure communities all around this country. but you cannot secure the country from inside the beltway. so, the best thing you can do is deploy these federal agents, good men and women all, and to work in conjunction, in cooperation, with the state and local law enforce. but you just don't pick up the phone and order them into any community. and i would say this, and rarely will i speak for republicans or democrats or anybody in elected office. i doubt if there is a republican offer democrat today, mayor or governor, that wouldn't contest the unilateral incursion of federal agents, without coordination with state and local law enforcement officials. i just don't think that would happen, or should it, by the way. >> you said it would be a cold day in hell before you agreed to that. so what's your advice? what's your advice to the governors and mayor where these troops are being sent? >> well, i think, i'm going to take -- listen. i think the mayor of chicago's

handled it beautifully. she said she wanted to be cautiously optimistic, which certainly was a very thoughtful and kind response, in spite of the declarations from the white house. but i want her to be cautiously optimistic. the optimism will fade, immediately, if these agents don't sit down with local officials and let them help drive the process. and that optimism will fade, if they come in, make a few arrests, have a video camera following them around. they're doing their job. and they leave in a week or two. so i think we ought to take -- we all want to be cautiously optimistic but this is a serious problem. the involvement of several hundred agents is a good start. but they have to be sustained and it has to be coordinated with so many other activities, involving political and community leadership. and it doesn't sound to me like that's, at all, part of this plan. and that's why it's so disappointing. it's a serious problem and the mayor would like to solve it. and the chief of police would

like to solve it. but the notion you're going to send in 200 agents and, suddenly, it's going to disappear. it's -- well, there's a lot of words i would use for it. but it's just not going to happen. >> as far as the coordination, it seems like the acting secretary of homeland security, chad wolf, and by the way, he is the acting secretary. he has not been confirmed to this position, nor has his deputy, either. seems to be a lot of that going around. he said i don't need invitations by the states, state mayors or state governors about doing our job. he seems to be openly defiant about doing it unilaterally. >> well, i often wondered as i look back, i consider a privilege and opportunity to serve the president, serve my country, as the secretary. but i like to think one of the reasons the president called me is that i had been a governor, as he had been. and he knows that we are the -- we need to solve problems at the state and local level. and that we're best when we coordinate our activity, at all

levels of government. and that's what the mission was. i mean, listen, the basis of the joint-terrorism task force. you got the fbi working with state and local law enforcement. some are better than others but they have a coordinated plan. they meet on a regular basis. they set priorities. and move in that direction. the sudden surge -- listen, i have some empathy for the acting secretary. i wish he was empowered as the secretary. i wish the president would fill some of the upper-level management vacancies. would probably make it easier. he will not achieve the outcomes i believe he wants and the president wants and the may eor wants if you act unilaterally. it never happens that way. you can't secure the country and certainly chicago by 200 agents coming in, well-intentioned agents from the government. can't do it. >> wonderful to see you doing well. thanks so much for being with us. >> always a pleasure to be with you as well. have a good evening. >> more breaking news just

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we have breaking news to lo report out of los angeles. while president trump today says the response to the virus is, quote, working out, unquote. the public health director of los angeles says the exact opposite. >> covid-19 is on track to claim more lives in l.a. county than any disease, except coronary heart disease. it's killing more people than alzheimer's disease, other kinds of heart disease, stroke, and

copd. >> l.a., whose mayor is considering a second lockdown, is a major hotspot in california, which now has more total cases than any state in the nation. though, we shall point out on a per-capita basis, they are far behind states, including new york. nevertheless, california today added almost 13,000 new cases. joining us now, los angeles's public health director. doctor, thank you so much for being with us. coronavirus now set to become one of the leading causes of death in los angeles county. how concerned are you the situation is deteriorating? >> thanks so much, john. and, of course, we're extraordinarily concerned. our -- our data for the past two weeks has really been moving us in the wrong direction. we've had about 2,200 people in the hospital, the last four days straight. that's almost double what it was about six weeks ago. our case numbers, every day, new cases of covid-19 are topping 3,000. and of course, our positivity

rate has, also, checked -- you know, really ramped up a bit. and now, it's about 10% of everyone tested. so, yes, we're concerned. i do want to note that we have taken actions, over the past few weeks, that we're hoping we'll start seeing something different in the weeks ahead. because, you know, it's the actions we took a few weeks ago that are resulting in the outcomes we're seeing today. we have closed down many of our businesses that were operating indoors, and asked them to move their operations outdoors. our bars are closed, here. restaurants are only open for in-person dining, if they can do that outside. and we've asked businesses to really make sure they're adhering to the directives that we have in our health officer orders about how they can offer a safe environment for all of their workers. you know, we are going to beef

up enforcement of those directives. but we're also pleading, as i think so many other counties are, with the people who live and work here to do their part. i'd like to say, at this point, you're either part of the solution and you're protecting others. or you actually end up being part of the problem. >> many of these measures that you just mentioned have been in place now for a few weeks. since california started seeing this rise in new cases again. so you are already a few weeks into some of these stricter measures. los angeles mayor eric garcetti on cnn this weekend, said that the counties on the brink of shutting down. so why wait, at this point? >> i don't think we have any independe indicators right now, that would lead us in the direction of shutting down for the county. >> what would those indicators be? >> overwhelming our healthcare system. or getting close to overwhelming our healthcare system. you know, we have ample capacity in our hospitals, still. we obviously can't continue to

accelerate the daily hospitalizations, and maintain capacity in the hospitals. but, right now, we're not overwhelming our hospitals. we're not even close, in terms of bed capacity. so we do think that the steps that people are taking today will, hopefully, lead us to a place where we start slowing the spread again. and i would say, although we did some things three weeks ago, we did a lot more things about ten days ago. and we'll need to wait another week or two to see what the impact of those actions are on getting us back to slowing the spread. >> as you sit here tonight with us, is there any sign that things are slowing down? >> your positivity rate is not increasing, and i think that's a really important indicator for us. you know, we report on the cumulative positivity rate, which is closer to 10%. but the daily positivity rate, much more sensitive number, is

back down to 8.5%. and it's been about 8.5% for the last few days. if that holds steady or continues to decline, which is what we would like it to do, it will indicate we're having a little bit less community transmission. those are the kinds of numbers we like to see is any indication that we slowing the spread. >> i think we'd all like to see that. we certainly hope it happens. doctor, thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. good evening. >> just ahead. the big deal the president mentioned on getting a future vaccine to the american people. but when they're ready, can this administration or possibly a next deliver? and who will get the vaccine first? a lot to cover when 360 continues. can it help keep us asleep? absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable save up to $900 on select sleep number 360 smart beds. plus, 0% interest for 24 months on all smart beds. only for a limited time. -always have been. -and always will be. never letting anything get in my way.

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about who should get the first doses. >> i think people are a little uneasy here. >> the nih director called the national academy of medicine an esteemed nongovernmental organization and asked them to advise who should be first in line. a second group of cdc advisers are also asking. who counts as an essential worker? should race and ethnicity factor in and where do teachers fall on the priority list? >> clearly, the vulnerable, are going to be, if not the top priority, one of the top priorities. >> the trump administration is tapping top health officials and industry experts to lead vaccine plans, rather than politicians. but the administration's vaccine effort, operation warp speed, is shrouded in secrecy. >> certainly, ask for both your latitude a little bit in terms of my lack of ability to provide a lot of specifics about what we're doing. >> vaccine developers already have deals with the government to stockpile their product. a timeline vaccine experts

believe is overly optimistic. >> this is a big task. even if you have a vaccine, getting these people vaccinated is a humongous task. >> operation warp speed to lock down fill, finish capacity, as well as syringes, and needless, and glassware. so we have secured that to ensure we will be able to vaccinate the american people. >> the federal government has shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for companies like corning, needed to traps port transport a vaccine. >> there will be plenty to go around, at the point a vaccine is ready. >> hundreds of millions of syringes on order, too. from companies like bd, though contracts and industry experts suggest the government may come up short. >> it is, i think, the gbeginnig of the process. the u.s. government is preparing for two shots of -- of the vaccine. and so, you know, assuming a

population of approximately 350 million people, we're looking at, you know, a total of 750 million -- or excuse me -- 700 million syringes, at least. >> once a vaccine is available, it could take a year to inoculate enough americans to slow the spread. and that's if americans agree to get the vaccine, at all. safety concerns poll tikitics a fears among minority communities that they may be sploidleft out all contributing to america's hesitation. >> sarah, you have reached out to the administration on this. what do they say? and how do they plan to inform the american people once a vaccine becomes available? >> that's right. i talked to a senior administration official earlier at hhs and they said, look, they know they have a transparency problem. they know they need to win over the american public and they are planning this big pr campaign. it's going to feature a number of the doctors we're used to

seeing at those task force briefings like dr. fauci, dr. redfield, to talk to manamerica directly about a vaccine. >> thank you you for being with us. joining us now, director of medical ethics at new york university's medical center. and this really is one of the great questions surrounding medicine. once there is a viable vaccine, how is it decided who gets it first? >> well, it's a hugely important question. remember, nothing ever appears at once, if you are manufacturing drugs or vaccines. so it's going to come out, gradually. we'll see 10 million. 20 million. 30 million. 50 million doses released. so here's how i think people are thinking about this or ought to think about it. one is who is it that's likely to be harmed? so the at-risk group is a group we really have to reach out, first, to. that could be people working in nursing homes, people who are residents in nursing homes. first responders, healthcare

workers, we keep hearing big outbreaks in meat plants, prisons. so those are populations we know are at extreme risk. but let me also say, john, if you try to get after people who are extreme risk, you also have to realize that what was true that produced fda approval, in terms of it worked in 30,000 people. doesn't mean it's going to work for a nursing home resident, who's older. maybe 75, 80, 85 years old, whose immune system is weaker. so we're going to, not only have to wonder who goes first but, we're going to have to study it to make sure that we know it's working. >> that's how we decide who goes firs first. who decide? >> it's not clear who decide. as was mentioned in the early report, national academy of medicine. most people have not heard of that group of esteemed scientists. i think what we need is a national commission made up of interest groups. people can look at it and say

there's someone from a stakeholder there. nurses. teachers. people from minority communities. we need a credible body because vaccine resistance, doubts, and fears about any new vaccine, they're not trivial. weirdly, we argue, at one end, who is going first. on the other hand, there is going to be, i think, a significant number of people, if they don't trust who is making the decisions, that are going to say you go first. i'll wait a few months and see how it works out. >> then, there is the issue of the anti-vax community in the united states which is loud and organized, maybe disproportionately loud and organized. what is the government's role to get the vaccine to places where -- and people -- where they may be reluctant? >> well, look. there is a couple of messages that we need to hear. the president keeps talking about warp speed. we need to hear warp speed to a safe vaccine. the word safety had better be there. no shortcuts on evidence. no rushing the vaccine through.

absolutely, unacceptable. we, also, know that people trust their doctors, their pediatricians. they have to come on board, be educated, understand the facts. they are key salespeople to go out there and get the public to go along. and i think we even have to start asking what's up on social media? are we going to let messaging go up that is deceitful? that is just fear mongering, that's not based in any facts? you can get a pretty effective anti-vaccine campaign going. we have seen it in the past. >> thank you for being with us. it's a really interesting discussion and worth having now, before we get the vaccine which, hopefully, will come soon. thanks so much. >> just ahead, a lingering mystery from the president's return to the podium. why give warm wishes to a former jeffrey epstein associate charged with sex-trafficking related offenses when you are months away from a re-election? details, when we return. because heart and kidney disease

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a big unanswered question tonight. why did president trump give his warm regards to a former associate of jeffrey epstein charged with sex trafficking related crimes? the president's kind words for ghislain maxwell was a stunner during monday's news conference particularly as it reminds people of the president's apparent friendship with both individuals just months before an election. cnn's pamela brown has the story. >> reporter: president trump's return to the briefing room took an unexpected turn with his response to a question about ghislain maxwell arrested earlier this month on multiple charges related to sexual abuse of underage girls by her long time companion convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein. she has pleaded not guilty. >> i haven't really been following it too much. i just wish her well frankly. >> reporter: the warm wishes for

maxwell are bringing renewed scrutiny to trump's relationship with her and epstein who government officials say died by suicide in his jail cell last year after being charged with sex trafficking. some republican lawmakers reacted to trump's comments on twitter, saying this is unacceptably obtuse for a woman accused of the most morally depraved of crimes and she is despicable and he needs to say that. >> i've met her numerous times over the years especially since i lived in palm beach and i guess they lived in palm beach but i wish her well. whatever it is. >> reporter: trump says he has known epstein since the late '80s and pictures from the '90s show the president with maxwell who became epstein's girlfriend, associate, and allegedly his madame. one picture shows trump with maxwell in 1997 then again in early 2000 at trump's palm beach property mar-a-lago with his wife melania and epstein. another picture shows trump with maxwell that same year at a new york fashion show and then again with model naomi campbell.

epstein's one time business partner steven hoffenberg who spent 18 years in jail for a ponzi scheme told cnn today there is no dispute they knew each other well adding, he liked her and she liked him. in the 2002 interview with "new york" magazine trump showered praise on epstein calling him a, quote, terrific guy and saying he's a lot of fun to be with. it is even said he likes beautiful women as much as i do. and many of them are on the younger side. after epstein was arrested last year, trump had a different tune, claiming he kicked epstein out of mar-a-lago years before. >> he was a fixture in palm beach. i had a falling out with him a long time ago. i don't think i've spoken to him for 15 years. i wasn't a fan. >> reporter: prosecutors say maxwell went into hiding over the last year as more victims came forward alleging she lured them in and groomed them to be sexually abused by epstein. one alleged victim claimed

maxwell recruited her in 1999 while she was a locker room attendant at trump's mar-a-lago resort though she never alleged any wrongdoing by the president. pamela brown, cnn, washington. >> our thanks to pamela. just ahead we remember those we've lost to the virus including a brother and sister in their early 20s. bottom line is,

moms love that land o' frost premium sliced meats have no by-products. [conference phone] baloney! [conference phone] has joined the call. hey baloney here. i thought this was a no by-products call? land o' frost premium. a slice above. tonight we remember more lives lost to coronavirus. byron and mckayla hicks were brother and sister from fort lauderdale, florida and had

taken a trip together to orlando and soon after they came home byron started feeling ill and one morning woke up with troubled breathing. he was rushed to the hospital but died soon after. his sister started feeling symptoms a few days after her brother passed. it started with a headache and fever, but then her kidney and liver began to fail. she passed away just 11 days after her brother. their cousin says mychaela was the light of the family and her smile would light up the room. byron was the funny one the goof ball of the family. they both had underlying conditions according to their mother. byron hicks was 20 years old and mychaela 23 years old. catherine hoffman was known as kitty, considered a trailblazer. she worked as a chemistry professor at florida state university at a time when there weren't a lot of women in high profile positions in science. she taught at the university for nearly 40 years and authored textbooks and articles throughout her tenure and before that was a student at the same university. after she graduated she was accepted at duke university medical school. back then duke required female

medical students to remain single. but kitty didn't want to be told what to do and instead married her husband hank hoffman and turned to teaching. they were married for 58 years before he died. they had a son together. kitty was known as a strong woman, friends and colleagues say she was witty, fiercely intelligent, and lived a long and vibrant life. kitty hoffman was 105 years old. may all of their memories be a blessing. the news continues. i hand it over to chris for "cuomo primetime." welcome to "primetime." i am chris cuomo. this country is not going to get back on track unless there is a plan to reopen schools safely. that's what i mean when i say let's get after it. we're not selling t-shirts here. every day that passes without the task force, this white house, congress, someone in power on the federal level