apart. we have. [closing bell ring] liz: we have to go. david, thank you very much. david tice. markets wrap up a shortened week to the upside. the dow biggest weekly gains since 1938. happen passover, happy easter that will do it for "the claman countdown." melissa: simultaneous boost on wall street. stocks climbing after the federal reserve announced a $2.3 trillion main street lending program. i'm melissa francis. connell: i'm connell mechanic -- mcshane, welcome to "after the bell." some pretty strong gains after the close. a little offer the highs. seems like we were dragged down towards the end of the session a little bit because of the decline of price of oil. that is the end of the week for stocks. tomorrow is an off day because of good friday. we have fox business team coverage with the top stories.

lauren simonetti watching markets for us. edward lawrence with new reporting from washington. same story for hillary vaughn on capitol hill today for us. lauren, let's begin with you on the markets? lauren: i can't hear but i can tell you what happened in the markets today. a lot of whiplash. the market was fixing positive news with negative news. the big news today was the fed stimulus, right? also the numbers from the coronavirus seem to be improving. so at the end of the did i we cannot say that the dow is up the best since 1938 but it was higher by 281 points. check out the s&p 500. it squeaks out its best weekly performance since 1974. what a week for the stock market. despite the negative news, one in 10 american workers has lost their job. we got those jobless claims this

morning. take a look at the airlines, guys, it has been a spectacular week for them. names like american airlines, united up. some of them double digits. up all week. i have do have to tell you as you know the numbers for people flying, so low, under 100,000 a day this is one of the sectors beaten up so it is coming back a big way today. the fed, announced they will buy corporate junk bonds. you know what that helps? it helps a lot of companies struggling, macy's, ford, delta to name a few. this is the fed agreeing to lend support to the risky corners of the market. we are wrapping up a very positive week for the stock market today. all three major averages finishing in the green but a little off the highs of the session, the high by the way the dow was up just about 600 points. guys, back to you. connell: lauren, nice job my friend, working through some

technical gremlins when we all broadcast for all kind of different locations. one of those locations in washington. the senate failing to pass legislation that would have expanded the paycheck protection program we've been talking so much about. here with more on that, maybe a look what's next, is hillary vaughn live from capitol hill. reporter: hi, connell. republicans are saying democrats are putting some people's livelihood on the line by blocking funding for the payment pretext program. republicans in the senate tried to get $250 billion for the additional funding approved without objection today, but some democrats did object. >> i'm not talking about changing any policy language. that both sides have already negotiated together several weeks ago. i'm literally talking about deleting the number 350 and writing 600 in its place. reporter: the move to block the bill came from one of its ornal cosponsor of the payment

protection program, senator ben cardin, who argued that the program is not running out of money. he says they have only burnt through about 30% of their total budget. he says and other democrats argued they want to tack on additional funding to this bill, things like more funding for states, more funding for hospitals. republicans are objecting to that saying money they allocated for hospitals in the last legislation, the cares act, the $100 billion, none of that has gone out to the hospitals yet. the first round of 30 billion is going to hospitals tomorrow but some democrats say they're not going it approve more money for this program until other money is approved for other things. >> leader mcconnell was right on funding but didn't give the, didn't put in the right pot. reporter: republicans on capitol hill are basically trying to push democrats to work out some type of deal, connell. chairman marco rubio of the small business committee on the senate side says that they're

actually burning through money in the payment protection program, $3.5 billion every hour. so they are in a matter of days going to run out of money for this program, not a matter of weeks. so there is a sense of urgency here. connell? connell: no doubt should be. thanks, hillary vaughn live from washington for us. melissa? melissa: let's go to blake burman with the latest from the white house. blake. reporter: hi, there, melissa. the white house earlier today used its statement on the jobless claims report to point the finger right at senate democrats for holding up that additional $251 billion up on capitol hill you just heard hillary talking about. this was part of the statement from the white house after that happened. they said, quote, on a day when we saw another report with a significant increase in inememployment insurance claims it is beyond disappointing that senate democrats would choose to block efforts for more urgent

relief for small businesses. speaking with charles payne, larry kudlow brought up the possibility that down the line the administration would support full expensing for companies to move out of china to come back to the u.s., essentially endorsing subsidizing companies to come back home. watch. >> 100% immediate expensing across the board. plant, equipment, intellectual property structure, renovations. in other words, if we had 100% immediate expensing, we would literally pay the moving costs of american companies from china back to the u.s. reporter: elsewhere this morning the treasury secretary steve mnuchin said he would be meeting with president trump this afternoon to talk about the airline industry. mnuchin saying that finalizing the details for helping out the airlines is the next big rollout that he is working on. of course there is still a

pretty big question how much equity the government could take in those companies in exchange for a deal. the trade association representing the major airliners saying today in a statement, quote, u.s. carriers remain hopeful that the treasury department will move quickly to insure airlines are able to utilize funds to meet payroll and protect the industry's 750,000 jobs. melissa, connell, mnuchin, suggested talks with the airlines could extend as well into the weekend. back to you. melissa: we'll see. they better remember how to treat customers during all of that, blake. connell, over to you. connell: let's expand this, melissa with edward lawrence who has more on the help for small business. he has been following the money. edward, what's the latest there? reporter: connell, there has been some frustration from small business owners to the big banks. they're accepting applications. citibank announced it would accept application. big banks are accepting

applications but not processing applications through. this has been led by the community banks up to now. white house economic advisor larry kudlow earlier today saying everyone, every small business owner who want as loan will end up getting one. listen. >> there are always start-up glitches. but hat's off to secretary steve mnuchin and the sba. they have done a great job in a very short period of time. reporter: just look at current numbers here. we're talking about huge numbers, actually. $128 billion worth of loans processed. 500,000 loans from almost four thousand lending institutions. tomorrow another milestone for the program as self-employed and independent contractors can file for the forgivable loans. there will be more paperwork involved to verify the amounts they will get. looking out treasury secretary steve mnuchin sees the program running out of money. that debate how to add that 250 program is going on now as you heard. new york governor andrew cuomo saying today that congress needs

to help pass for help from small businesses to hospitals right now. >> this is no time for politics. this is a time to enact the legislation that actually addresses the need. and i was in washington for eight years. i get how the political process works in washington, not here and not now, my friends. reporter: now on those direct payments the direct assistance to eligible americans the irs moving faster than scheduled. senior administration official telling me monday or tuesday the first direct deposits will be made. the paper checks mailed out next week following after that. that is april 20th. back to you. connell: all right, edward, as we say following the money from various different angles. thank you, my friend, edward lawrence there. melissa. melissa: more than 1.5 million cases worldwide and 439,000

cases right here in the u.s. coronavirus deaths tripling from 5000 to now almost 16,000 in just one week. we have the latest on the pandemic this hour and industries that are fighting back. plus new york under pressure. hospitals facing a shortage of supplies as fema and cbp are working to prevent medical supplies from being diverted overseas. we're live from mount sinai hospital next. millions of americans are trying to stay afloat. we'll talk to one unemployed worker who is fighting to get the help she needs. stick around. tums versus mozzarella stick (bell rings) when heartburn hits

fight back fast... ...with tums chewy bites... beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites ♪ ♪ ♪ but when i started seeing things, i didn't know what was happening... so i kept it in. he started believing things that weren't true. i knew something was wrong... but i didn't say a word. during the course of their disease around 50% of people with parkinson's may experience hallucinations or delusions. but now, doctors are prescribing nuplazid.

the only fda approved medicine... proven to significantly reduce hallucinations and delusions related to parkinson's. don't take nuplazid if you are allergic to its ingredients. nuplazid can increase the risk of death in elderly people with dementia-related psychosis and is not for treating symptoms unrelated to parkinson's disease. nuplazid can cause changes in heart rhythm and should not be taken if you have certain abnormal heart rhythms or take other drugs that are known to cause changes in heart rhythm. tell your doctor about any changes in medicines you're taking. the most common side effects are swelling of the arms and legs and confusion. we spoke up and it made all the difference. ask your parkinson's specialist about nuplazid.

and now for their service to the community, ask your parkinson's specialist we present limu emu & doug with this key to the city. [ applause ]

it's an honor to tell you that liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. and now we need to get back to work. [ applause and band playing ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ♪. connell: let's talk about new york now. over the last few days we've been reporting on what appear to be some signs that things are improving and today the governor an grew -- andrew cuomo said the number of new hospitalizations grew but by smallest rate of growth in weeks. david lee miller outside mount sinai hospital with that and more for us. david. reporter: mixed message from governor cuomo. he did have some grim news today. at the same time as you point out he was cautiously optimistic that things are improving.

nevertheless for the third straight day now a record number of new yorkers have succumbed to the virus, a total of 799 in a single day. the devastating death toll since the crisis began more than doubled 9/11. reinforcement are now needed to cope with the number of dead. >> it has gotten to the point frankly, we're going to go bring in additional funeral directors to deal with the number of people who have passed. if you ever told me that as governor i would have to take these actions, i couldn't even contemplate where we are now. reporter: on the positive side the number of hospitalizations continues to flatten. there are also fewer admissions to icus. mount sinai hospital today canceled plans to build a field hospital at st. john cathedral of the divine on manhattan's

west side. in new jersey which has more cases of the virus than any other state in new york there were 198 new deaths in just the last day. governor fill murphy says he expects a increase in number of fatalities and hospitalizations over the next few days. the state requires all store employees and customers to use some kind of a face covering when shopping. some new yorkers who suspected they had the virus months ago might be right. multiple studies including one from icon school of medicine at mount sinai hospital, the virus was in new york city earlier than previously thought. initial cases came from travelers arriving from europe, although origins of the virus can still be traced back to china. in the words of one of the researchers, the virus was likely circulating as early as january 2020 in the new york city area. what is noteworthy, connell, u.s. restrictions from most of

travel on europe did not go into effect until mid-march. back to you. connell: wow, as early as january. david lee miller, live once again for us from the streets of new york city. melissa? melissa: a new option for people looking to be tested for the coronavirus. the department of health and human services is now authorizing licensed pharmacists to administer the covid-19 test. here now is steve anderson, the national association of chain drugstore ceo. thank you so much for joining us. how soon could we see this? and how would it work? how does the pharmacist, do they get to decide who gets a test and who doesn't? >> well, the cdc guidelines basically determines who can be tested and who can't. we do have some members of our association who are testing now but others will be ramping up. our members consist of traditional retail drugstores, food and grocery stores and mass merchants, any retailer with a

pharmacy. there are 40,000 locations that our members operate with 155,000 pharmacists and 91% of the american people live within five mills of our member companies stores. pharmacists are the health carry professional that is most accessible to the american people. this is a real game changer in terms of number of people that can get tested for covid. melissa: totally but i just, i haven't seen anybody go into a pharmacy and have this swab shoved down their nose. you know, hard to imagine going into duane reade, it is invasive test. is that what is going to happen? >> it won't happen that way. it will probably not happen in the store. each store, each chain company will take this, have a different approach in how they're going to test but they will not be doing the test in the store where you might have people with the virus coming in to the store. so they generally will be held in a separate location, many

times they're being held outside in parking lots. chains are doing them in school parking lots i understand it, since the schools are closed. they will not be coming into the store. melissa: okay. that makes a lot more sense to me. so how soon could we see this? >> well some are testing already. it is being ramped up now. not all our member companies will be participating in this, but i think you will see it relatively soon. we would ask for patience in terms of, when this will be coming up, but you know it is a real game-changer for -- my perspective how we're really, covid and coming waves as well. melissa: yeah. your shot is breaking up real quick. before we let you go, you see this expanding to other things. could they dot anti-body test? could they do, i don't know, diabetes tests or what are some other implications tests?

>> you come out of pharmacy cool with a doctorate of pharmacy. you want to do more than dispense products. you want to practice at the top of your license, top of your education. that is what this consists of. we can do a series of test. the big issue for our members being able to vaccinate when the vaccine becomes available in our member stores. many members of our society get flu shots in member stores. we hope they can get their covid vaccination when it becomes available. melissa: steve, that's wonderful. it is all about access to health care and this is a big piece of it so that's great. thank you so much for coming on, connell? connell: melissa, thank you. we'll have a report mo coming up here. we have the post office under pressure. we'll talk about that in a moment as the impact of the pandemic could have on delivery services, really starting to add up. we'll have details on that coming up next. you mentioned antibodies. we'll check with a one lab

rolled out blood based tests they have rolled them out. that is really important. this could be a key getting people back to work. that is still ahead. there are times when our need to connect really matters.

to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving. comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together. that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. so w>>i'm searching for info on options trading, and look, it feels like i'm just wasting time. wasted time is wasted opportunity. >>exactly. that's why td ameritrade designed a first-of-its-kind, personalized education center. see, you just >>oh, this is easy. yeah, and that's >>oh, just what i need. courses on options trading, webcasts, tutorials. yeah. their award-winning content is tailored to fit your investing goals and interests. and it learns with you, so as you become smarter, so do its recommendations. >>so it's like my streaming service. well exactly. well except now, you're binge learning.

>>oh, i like that. thank you, i just came up with that. >>you're funny. learn fast with the td ameritrade education center. call 866-285-1934 or visit tdameritrade.com/learn. get started today, and for a limited time, get up to $800 when you open and fund an account. that's 866-285-1934, or tdameritrade.com/learn. ♪

and i like to question your i'm yoevery move.n law. like this left turn. it's the next one. you always drive this slow? how did you make someone i love? that must be why you're always so late. i do not speed. and that's saving me cash with drivewise. my son, he did say that you were the safe option. and that's the nicest thing you ever said to me. so get allstate. stop bossing. where good drivers save 40% for avoiding mayhem, like me. this is my son's favorite color, you should try it. [mayhem] you always drive like an old lady? [tina] you're an old lady.

♪. melissa: the coronavirus pandemic throwing fault turf the u.s. postal service into question. fox news east doug mckelway is here with the details. doug? reporter: hi, melissa. this is not an easy time to be a postal worker. not only do 75,000 letter carriers across the country continue on their appointed rounds through rain, snow, gloom of night as the motto goes but also through the contagion of the coronavirus. usps spokeswoman told "boston globe" 427 postal employees tested positive for covid-19. the service also confirms some deaths but has no definitive number.

but in the midst of that, democratic congressman gerry connelly is sounding dire warnings because of the future of the post because of the pandemic. a lot of businesses ceased to do advertising through the mail. a lot of mail volume collapsed. he says the insolvency of the next rescue bill to have $25 billion to forgive post office debts. he blamed congressional republicans and president of the united states to yank rescue funds from the bill. whether the president bears personal responsibility on the back of the postal service the president had this to say -- >> this is new one. i'm the demise of the postal service. i'll tell you who the demise of the postal service, these internet companies that give their stuff to the postal service. reporter: he is referring of course to amazon and the other private shipping companies which pay the postal service undisclosed fees for delivering

to home and businesses. fact-checkers who looked into this the post office actually makes money from the deliveries, perhaps not as much the president would like them to make. "politifact" deals with private shippers like amazon accounted for $7 billion of the postal service $19.5 billion in revenue. including in the 2 trillion-dollar rescue plan the president signed last week was 10 billion-dollar line of credit for the postal service but the board of directors of the postal service says that is simply not enough. just how much more the postal service needs and how much more the postal service will get depends what happens when congress and senate in particular reconvenes on april 20th. melissa, back to you. melissa: doug, thank thank you k we need to teach "politifact" difference between revenue and earnings, connell. over to you. >> i'm sure a lot of people need that distinction. we'll talk about the hunt for a cure coming up or at least the

being on the lookout for some of the best treatments out there. we have some of those options with the master virus hunt are rejoining us. doing so as one lab launched a new anti-body test. that is very important. we'll check in with that lab. we're awaiting update from the task force. we'll bring you any headlines that come out of the white house at this hour as we await for them to begin there. we have an update from overseas. good news for british prime minister boris johnson, he has been moved out of intensive care. he will stay in the hospital. they will continue to closely monitor him as he battles the coronavirus but boris johnson out of the icu. we'll be back. heading in a new direction. but when you're with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward.

♪. connell: the coronavirus ravaging parts of this country still. one of the keys the experts told us to getting some sense of normal would be wide scale antibody testing. it could help identify people who have been exposed to the virus and maybe develop some of the antibodies, some immunity without actually having shown symptoms. so we're joined by david morgan now. eurofins head of u.s. infectious disease. they launched anti-body testing this week. i want to go through this with you, where you launched and how that launch is going. give us an update. >> thank you for having me. as you mentioned we were i think certainly one of the first in

the united states to launch anti-body testing. we launched out of our first lab in boston and launched very well. we have had a lot of positive feedback on it thus far. primarily focused on the future -- patients in hospitals and those that work in hospital that are possibly infected or exposed. connell: makes a lot of sense. i'm sure you want to talk to us how we eventually scale that i want to be careful so everybody knows exactly what we're talking about. keep it simple for a moment. explain this test. >> sure. connell: what it tells us, also what it doesn't tell us and who should get it once we do get to that scale. >> i think the latter part of your question is important because there is a lot of things it doesn't tell us yet right now but in simple terms we're using a method that we'll be moving

next to another meddology as well called eliza testing. we're looking for three types of different antibodies and they're related when you're exposed to the virus there is idea immediately after the potential infection or exposure to the virus and igm, which is a few days after exposure to the virus and then an i xp, which would be the enduring anti-body one would have if there is long term immunity, it would be associated with the i.g. g antibody. there are typical examples how the antibody relates to viruses that you alluded to. we don't know how at this point this coronavirus will act. will it act like other coronaviruses or like other viruses in particular? right now we're focused identifying who has the antibodies to make sure patients in acute care space, make sure

doctors treating those patients have the data. that is valuable talking about other treatments and vaccine development is understanding the relationship between antibodies, who has them and whether it is going to create long term immunity. connell: right. very important you make. we don't know all of that yet in terms of how long those antibodies might last. i wanted to talk about scalability. i was watching some of the comments dr. fauci made on that subject. he said talking to people that have done these tests, people like you obviously, he has been told that we could get the scale very soon, maybe days to weeks, that they would be able to get a large number of these tests available. is that right and if so how does that look in terms of, you know, the general population getting beyond health care workers especially if companies and others want to use this at least part of their criteria or part of their plan for getting people

back to work? >> right. so it is important just to state i think probably the obvious that the pcr testing, that is the testing to see if someone has an active infection or exposed to the virus, asymptomatic, that will continue to be important in conjunction with the antibody testing. the antibody testing we're able to do about 1400 a day. i think that will increase significantly as we add more instrumentation and more methodology. other places around the state and around the world are able to do that. we have company in euro fins that is a gold standard to bring that other meddology, eliza to increase the capacity -- connell: like a month or so? >> i would say, i mean the ability to ramp this antibody testing will be better and faster than the pcr testing because of the methodology that you're using.

it's fairly serial and there is a lot of steps and reagents to what we're doing with the pcr testing. yes the antibody testing will ramp much more quickly. we'll be able to tripi or quadruple or capacity in course of 30 days. connell: okay, triple or quadruple. very good information and well-explained. david morgan, we thank you, eurofins with the antibody testing. melissa. melissa: here is dr. ian lipkin, known as the virus hunter. sir, you were one of the very first people talking about the antibody testing and the use of plasma as a way to help in this particular situation. what do you think, do you agree with everything you just heard in that interview before if you were able to hear it? >> yes, antibody testing is going to compliment what we have now with pcr testing. so you will be able to identify people who have been exposed,

infected or theoretically now immune. these are people who presumably could go back to work and not have to be concerned about becoming infected. we don't know how large of a segment of the population that is going to represent. it will also be very important to make sure that the tests are reliable. that they're specific, because many coronavirus and you want to make sure that you have immunity to this one. as dr. morgan said, we don't know how long immunity will last but we presume it will last for at least several months. so it's, it is -- melissa: you say theoretically immune. is there any doubt that if you have the around at this bodies that are -- antibodies that you are immune to getting it again? >> we don't know for certain. we don't have a lot of information because this is a new virus. we do know in some viral infections, the majority of viral infections, once you have antibodies to the virus you will not likely become infected again

but people get influenza every year despite the fact it is a influenza virus that you've previous seen. this virus is not evolving to suggest that it is going this is going to be problem but something i think it is very important to say what we know and what we think is true. so we think that if you have antibodies you're immune. the only data we have from monkey experiments and they're very, very small. so over the next coming weeks we should find out whether or not people are immune, can be reinfected. but right now we think it is unlikely but we don't know it for certain. melissa: if you have been exposed and haven't had symptoms but you have the antibodies, can you infect someone else? are you contagious to other people you come in contact with? >> you shouldn't be because the idea you don't really develop igg antibodies what he is mostly looking at, until you've been

infected for a couple weeks. at that point you should have cleared the virus from your respiratory track. it will be at least two weeks from the time that you are infected before you begin to see those igg antibodies. even if you do have carriage it will be very minimal. but again this is all something we're just beginning to explore. we don't have a lot of data. we only now have antibody tests so -- melissa: how confident -- >> i think it will take two weeks before we really know -- melissa: what about the timeline? >> which timeline are you referring to? melissa: the 14 days, that you think that you are still contagious for about 14 days and when you develop the antibodies and when have them in your system, how confident do you feel about that timeline? >> i'm fairly confident. this is the advice we're giving to people. if you the virus, wake two week, integrate you back into your family or community, whatever

its, we're not concerned at that point you will be shedding virus. if we have an antibody test we can prove unequivocally that people with the antibodies are not contagious and we do that by measuring virus in their nose using the pcr test we will know for certain how to advice people. i think this kind of information will be coming online very quickly, certainly within a month we'll know much, much more. so all i can really say -- melissa: you have been at he have forefront. >> i'm sorry. melissa: you have been at the forefront of this whole thing. what would you say the is safest way back to work? how do we get those people who are immune and have the antibodies back out the door into work? how should we do that? >> if somebody has antibodies we presume they cannot be reinfected. if we then measure their nose, nasal swab, they have no virus present, that person should be clean. he or she is not infectious and he or she is immune. that is the ideal situation. that is going to look like

somebody who has been vaccinated. essentially that is what it is, you've been vaccinated but we don't have that information yet on most people. we can obtain it. and i'm very interested in trying to do that sort of work myself because i think this is the way we'll get people back to work until we have a vaccine. we're going to have to get immune. yeah. melissa: dr. ian lipkin, finish your thought. the delay is so tough. >> i'm just saying that the, that with the advent of testing, testing become much more broad, we're going to be able to identify and contain this contagion and this is going to be extremely helpful getting people back to work as well. so be optimistic. things are moving ahead rapidly, much more rapidly than they have in any previous outbreak. melissa: sir, thank you so much for your time today and i hope you will come back soon. we really appreciate all the insight you've given us. >> my pleasure, thanks.

bye-bye. connell: all right. really important information from both of our last two guests. we'll go back to the economic side of all of this in a moment where we're seeing a mounting crisis with millions of americans applying for unemployment. the problem is not enough of them are receiving the relief that they need. so the details on that are next. plus we're awaiting a task force update live from the white house. once that begins we will take you there. we'll be right back. 300 miles an hour, thats where i feel normal. having an annuity tells me my retirement is protected. protected lifetime income from an annuity can help your retirement plan ride out turbulent times. learn more at protectedincome.org. from anyone else. so why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms which most pills don't. get all-in-one allergy relief for 24 hours, with flonase.

edward jones is whit'swell aware of that.et. which is why we're ready to listen. and ready to help you find opportunity. so. let's talk. edward jones. it's time for investing to feel individual.

♪. melissa: a call for help but no one is answering. americans laid off in the face of this pandemic are having massive issues trying to file their unemployment claims. that is the especially the case in new york. here now is monica montanez. she is one of those very new yorkers, we talked to so many but she is one facing the crisis, and sending out the call for help. thank you very much for joining us. how many times have you called, what's happened, tell us your story. >> thank you so much for having me. i was laid off on march 15th, right before the mandated order to cause all restaurants and bars. for that point the next two days

i was constantly trying to apply on line. the website kept own crashing. when i was able to submit my online application i was told to call a representative to confirm my application. from that point the last two weeks, i can't even count how many times i've called, probably hundreds of times each day. 24 week alone i would say offer 600 times in total. melissa: that is so unbelievable. you're not alone. we talked to so many other people who had the exact same situation where they keep calling an calling and they can't get through and it is so frustrating they direct people to go to the website. like you say you get all the way through the process. now you must talk to a representative. what has this meant to you? do you have other money to get by? >> it has been incredibly

frustrating. it is definitely made me feel really helpless, with no income coming in, it is hard for me to plan. so even like reaching out to my landlord, probably my biggest financial concern to pay rent because i'm renting an apartment. so, a lot of people are, or companies have been asking me, like for example, my phone bill, my utilities, when i can have the money. with such little, with my savings running out there is so much uncertainty, that is most stressful, when this will be rectified or access to some kind of income. melissa: so sorry about that. this was the latest been put out as of today. new york is launching a new

unemployment site tonight at 7:00 p.m. applicants will be required to phone the department of labor after applying. instead 1000 call center staff will call the applicant back within 72 hours. as one of the people on our show staff said, god bless. that would be great if that really happens. they say they will call you but this new unemployment site is supposed to launch at 7:00 tonight, i imagine, i don't know, i don't want to be pessimistic but i feel like what is to stop that crashing the same way the other site did? monica, i don't know what is your final thought on that? what will you do if you don't get through? >> so that gave me a little bit of hope, however i'm a little bit concerned because there is not many options for people like me who have applied and are just looking to contact the representative to confirm their claim. that has been the difficult part. so they're coming up with like

new techniques for people that are new applicants but what about people like me that have already, you know, started the process? we're kind of at a wall. if we can't talk to a representative, we can't, we have no access to our money. so i'm just a little bit, i'm feeling a little bit -- yeah. melissa: no, no. go ahead, finish your thought, sorry. >> that's okay. i was just saying i feel a little bet skeptical about this new technique as well. so we'll see. melissa: thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story. we want to help people like you. that is why we keep featuring these stories. we did reach out to the new york state department of labor for a comment. big surprise, we did not receive a response. they're otherwise busy, but we're trying to get through on everyone's behalf. maybe this segment will help

bring more attention to it. please keep us updated, and tell us what happens. thank you so much. connell? connell: she is a little skeptical. who could blame her. we'll continue here, keeping up with the surge in demand we, have a story about how one online food delivery company is empowering local restaurants, also feeding people on the front lines of this crisis. that's a great story. that's coming up. we're also waiting for an update from the white house task force on the pandemic. that update should be beginning just moments from now. among the headlines today, one of the keyed models is predicting significantly fewer american deaths than it had been predict. that and other topics sure to come up live from the white house. we'll go there once it starts. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

connell: we've seen the shut down of many of our favorite places to eat, our next guest

found a way to bring your restaurant cravings to your door, while giving back to people on the frontline of the pandemic. joe ariel is joining us, founder, ceo of company gold belly. you are the guys, i want my new york pizza or southern barbecue, you bring it. how does your company work. but also how it working now. >> sure. so we empower about 500 of country most iconic foodmakers, chefs and restaurants. to be able to ship nationwide, we call it foody commerce. the essence of what we do, we're trying to bring comfort through food in a box nationwide, wherever you dream of, wherever you are. you could be in texas' new york

bagels or in california and want texas barbecue. connell: how is business now? >> we have seen a surge in demand in the last month or two. between 150 and 200% overnight. we have seen it on both sides of the market, for people stuck at home to be able to get a cherished food memory in a box oat their doorstep is superric ceasing. and equally meaningful for restaurants that are struggling to stay afloat to give them a meaningful revenue stream to be able to ship to people, and open country as a potential customer base. we have many restaurants are just relying on gold belly revenue stream for sailing -- sales right now. connell: your business model, as

you define it like a god send to many companies and restaurants, tell us what you are doing specifispecifically for people t lines. >> we always been asked to have a subscription offers for foods from certain cities like new orleans, new york, l.a., we rolled out a subscription you can get a different box every month from a restaurant in city, but we donate 100% of proceeds to people on the front line, truck drivers, delivery folks, health care workers, police officers to get them a gold belly care package as well, a meal or two they don't are to think about while they are out saving lives and keeping the economy afloat, we thought that is the least we could go, give belly city subscriptions. connell: i don't know if that is least you could do that is great work. we have seen so many examples of

people doing great work in tough times, keep it up, joe. gold belly, good stuff, quick note, the briefing has been delayed. it will start in an hour, here is lou dobbs. lou: good evening, number of deaths as a result of wuhan virus contagion crossing a grave threshold today, world wide more than 1.5 million cases, 94,000 people killed. by the virus. and united states more than 16,000 people killed by the disease, at least 452,000 more infected. the rising death toll a reminder that even as united states begins to show signs of a turn around in the the fight against the disease, the