them today. they were so thrilled yesterday on a call that they thought was a close call. they were at the same as they were yesterday because that's the business. they want to try and win on november 3rd. we are doing a job the likes of which no one is ever done. i'm talking about people in the army corps of engineers where we build hospitals, where we built thousands and thousands of beds all over the country. new york, what we did was incredible. 2,900 beds in a matter of days. what they've done is so incredible. and fema and the doctors and the professionals in all of the people that you see me with all the time. these are great people. and they've really done a great job. and now our country is opening up again. i think it's going to be very, very successful. larry is here. we talked about it and we talk about it all the time. i think that third quarter, it's obviously a transition quarter. i think it's going to be okay.

maybe better than okay. i think even more so than i do. i think fourth quarter will be great. and i think next year's going to be a tremendous year for this country. jennifer. [indistinct] >> we have to be responsible. they have a team of people. they will bring in additional people. and again, i want to assure the american public and the american taxpayers, we will be sure. there will be liability. [indistinct] >> president trump: i think mitch is looking at it as i do to an extent as the infrastructure -- he likes

infrastructure. we all do. we have to rebuild our country. $8 trillion has been spent. i wasn't in favor of it. i can tell you that in the middle east, $8 trillion. think of it. he wanted to fix a pothole in a roadway or highway in this country and you didn't do it, because they didn't have the money because so much money was spent in the middle east. that is as you know a whole different story now. we're going to do infrastructure. a lot of people -- a lot of the republicans would like to keep that as a separate bill. we will see how that works out, jennifer. [indistinct] >> president trump: i think like other things, we are going to hopefully, we are going to come up with a vaccine. tremendous progress has been made, johnson & johnson and oxford. lots of good things. you can hearing the same things as i do.

tremendous progress has been made on the vaccine. you have to test it. that takes a period of time. a lot of movement in a lot of progress has been made on the vaccine. but i think what happens is, it's going to go away. this is going to go away and whether it comes back in a modified form in the fall will be able to handle it. we will be able to put out spurts. we are very prepared to handle it. we've learned a lot about the invisible enemy. it's a bad, but we've learned a lot. it's in 184 countries as you hear me say often. it's inconceivable. it should have been stopped at the source which was china. it should've been stopped pretty much at the source, but it wasn't. and now we have 184 countries going through. but i think that a lot of good things are going to happen. and i really believe that fourth-quarter is going to be may be tremendous. in the next year i think as a chance to really be getting

close to record-setting. we hope so. we hope we can be back where we were. we have the strongest economy of any in the world and i hope we will be back there again. >> you've spoken about your friend who passed away. i wonder if you spoken to the families of anyone else who has lost loved ones of covid-19 or any stories that affected you. >> president trump: i have many people i know many stories. i've spoken with three or four families unrelated to me. i lost a very good friend. also lost three other friends, two of whom i didn't know as well but they were friends and people i did business with. and it's a bad death. it's a bad thing. a group sent to some people. we found out that young people do extraordinarily well. that's why i think we can start thinking about schools. of course, we are ending the school season. it would be probably -- you would be back for too long.

i noticed purdue university is a great school at a great state wants to open and have students come in. i think that's correct some colleges -- i think i saw harvard wants to have students come back in the fall. i would hope that they have students. i think the whole concept of computer learning is wonderful. it is not a tele- learning. it's not the same thing as being in a classroom and a great college or a college of any kind. college/university, you can't replace that. and people do very well. they do very well. so i'm going to see you tomorrow. we will have other things to talk about. you have a lot of interesting things. i don't think we should have a news conference today, because this is a news conference. in addition, it's a celebration of these people that have done such an incredible job. i think we found a couple of stars in his room. this guy right here is the

biggest star in the room. [applause] we will all agree. i vote for you, okay? great job you've done. and i really appreciate you being here. you could have done better. [indistinct] >> president trump: be careful, that could happen. that could happen. be careful. maybe we could do something like that. you're very good. he has stolen the show, right? do we agree? come on with me if you want to do a quick loan. we need time. we are opening up the country. we need a little time. i don't want to spend 2.5 hours at an eye doctor. okay. we will think about that. i want to thank everybody and in particular, i want to thank you

very much. and steve, i can call steve at any time. i can call him at 2:00 in the morning or 6:00 in the morning. i say, do i wake you? the answer is always no. we are proud of them. everybody is. we have to be proud of our government and we have to be proud of our country. these are really terrific people. we are going through a period of time the likes of which we've never seen in this country certainly even if we go back into 1917, that was the worst of all time, but it was also not as bad here. it was very bad. it was very rough, but it wasn't quite like what we are going through right now. it's because of the amazing -- when you look at how contagious this is, people literally just being in the same area with other people, it catches. i'm very proud of this country.

i have to say. i'm very proud to be a president, and i'm very proud of this country. thank you very much, everybody. [applause] >> neil: you've been listening to president trump at the small business forum where he was saying that progress is being made. there are bumps in the personal paycheck protection program. they will be ironed out. the secretary is going to lead an effort to weed out anyone that might be misrepresenting themselves in a quest for all the extra money. if you combine the packages, better than $700 billion. a little bit of news when he talked about what might be coming next down the stimulus spike. he's eager to look at infrastructure down the road even though there are reports and a ton of majority, mitch mcconnell does not share that enthusiasm. he thinks mitch mcconnell and a separate package with. we will be talking to the senate majority leader a little later in this broadcast on a busy day where the total cases in this

country now have topped 1 million. that represents about one-third of the 3 million coronavirus cases around the world. we will be keeping track of the latest numbers here and what they portend. also on a day the president was indicating that testing is going to ramp up dramatically. he hopes to have 5 million coronavirus tests going on daily in the not-too-distant future. we will see exactly how that pans out and how they can obviously change the landscape. a lot of governors that they really can't continue or think about reopening their states unless we have for testing. there would certainly be a step in that direction. the president holding that out there on the day we are looking at more states opening and busy states at that. welcome everybody, i am neil cavuto and this is "your world." more next week, and it could be well, a lot more to come. right now we've got the latest from jonathan in atlanta. >> multiple states will be

opening in just the next few days. here's a sampling. stay at home orders expire in alabama and texas on thursday. starting thursday, alabama will allow retail stores to reopen with occupancy limited to 50% starting friday, texas will allow stores to reopen at 25% occupancy. also friday, ohio will allow outpatient medical procedures including dental visits to resume may 4th. resume following by businesses on may 12th. friday, wisconsin will open 34 state parks and on may 5th, washington state will allow some outdoor recreation including hunting, fishing, golf, and day use of state parks. as economies open up, experts are urging people to practice social distancing. so the nation doesn't lose the

gains its already achieved against this virus. >> if we are unsuccessful or prematurely try to open up, and we have additional outbreaks that are out of control, it could be much more than that. it could be a rebound. speak to different parts of his state will reopen at different times and different speeds. laces with higher case counts such as miami will have a very different plan and locations with lower numbers such as jacksonville and the tampa bay area. this is afternoon, governor gavin newsom of california announced that students in that state they return to brick and mortar classrooms early. they may start the school year in july to make up for lost time. the governor says there will likely be staggered schedules so that you won't have all of the kids in the same building at the same time. >> neil: thank you my friend very, very much. the president of purdue university is among those say we

are going to try next fall to have a regular start of the college season with people physically in the classes and not doing it virtually. that is the hope at least of purdue university. in the meantime, we have been telling you of how states have been working around these provisions where they are going to ease up on sheltering at home orders in effect. alabama you might recall has pushed its order to around may 15th. that does not mean that some parts of that state can't reopen on a staggered basis. alabama governor with us right now. governor, first of all, how is your stay holding up right now? what are your plans? speak to the states feels a whole lot better now that we've announced we're going to begin art reopening in our great states beginning at 5:00 p.m. april 30th. >> neil: and hello that girl, governor?

>> well, we are allowing all retail stores to be opened at 50% occupancy and social distancing. we are opening up our beaches to gatherings of less than ten, social distancing as well. we are allowing elective surgeries and procedures, medical procedures to again occur. so we are taking maybe baby steps. we are doing it slowly and methodical. we are letting their data drive our decisions. >> neil: governor, are you among -- some of your colleagues are saying they need more help from the federal government, particularly the deal with all the costs associated to the tax revenue lost because of the coronavirus and people staying at home and that sort of thing. do you want more help from the federal government?

>> right now we are doing fine but we are probably going to suffer a billion dollars in lost revenue. alabama is a state whose constitution for a from going into bankruptcy. we have to pay our way as we go. we can use a more testing equipment and supplies for testing, but other than that, we are doing pretty good. >> neil: governor, the president outlined a plan to get up to 5 million coronavirus tests going per day. i don't know how soon that would be, but that would probably be welcome news to you. >> it certainly would be helpf helpful. we are making it fine now as far as we know and we continue to keep this study that ship as she goes. >> neil: all right, governor. i want to thank you very much. the beautiful state of alabama opening up earlier than a lot of people have thought.

a great deal of attention to the strategy some states are taking, doing it in stages or in one fell swoop. we will keep an eye on the state and many other states. the battle back and forth of face mask and out flights, do you need them? how do you monitor flights? the former cdc director joins us right now. the one thing that has come up with this push to eventually get people flying again is whether they should all be wearing masks, and b, should other precautions be taken? the reason why i mention, we are getting inconsistent measures. requiring mass of all his passengers, southwest not. i know that union is saying they would like the government to demand that. where do you stand on that mask debate? >> let me put up bigger picture. we have one blunt instrument, everyone stays home. that makes the virus go down to lower spreads.

it's terrible for the economy. we want to get back into the open. we have to do it carefully because the virus is still there. it will explode again if we are not careful and send this back in. we have to use every other instrument we have as well as we can. that means face mask when we are in enclosed spaces. you could be spreading it and not knowing it. that is something we've learned over the last couple of months. that's why when other people wear a mask, they are protecting you. it also means competing to ramp up testing, isolation, quarantine so that we can box them in a not have them explode from cases and outbreaks and epidemics. that's the only way we are going to be able to move forward. through all that, we have to protect the vulnerable. if you are older and have heart disease or kidney disease or lung disease, you really need to stay away from other people and you can get this infection and it could kill you. >> neil: how worried abou are yu

about a spike in cases? they see that it's inevitable. you want to balance that. what are you looking for one state after another, slowly unwind the stay-at-home provisions? >> there are lots of reasonable things to do like open outdoor spaces. what we are worried about is that the virus is still circulating. it does take a little bit for it to explode again. we don't know how it's going to behave in warmer weather. we hope the weather will be our friend and we will see less of slow spread. we are not certain of that. we know this virus can be deadly. anyone who underestimates this virus may be making a fatal error. york city alone, we've seen more than 20,000 excess deaths in less than two months. that's worse than any two months of the 1918-1919 influence dependent. it can happen anywhere.

it doesn't quickly physically distance when it began spreadi spreading. >> neil: how a lot of details from that spanish flu epidemic to your point, dr. a. the st. louis example versus philadelphia is famous. a major city at the time. where they did take precautions. i don't know the equivalent of all the kind of things we argue for today. very, very conservative in its approach. philadelphia cases spiked dramatically. st. louis, not so much. is there a lesson to be learned for our country state-by-state as we try to get back to business? >> there is. there is a false conflict between economy and public health. the best thing we can do for our economy is to control the virus. the best thing we can do for the virus is to reopen carefully,

gradually, protecting the most vulnerable so people over 60 or have underlying health conditions, you want to stay back for logic. it may take three, four, five, six weeks until we see that resurgence of cases if it occu occurs. we want to be safe rather than sorry not because lives are at stake, but also a huge hit to our economy. >> neil: doctor, i want to thank you very, very much for all your hard work in helping americans get through that. thank you sir. the former secretary under george bush joins me right now. always good to have you. the president outlined something that seemed very, very dramatic where he talked about doing upwards of 5 million covid-19 tests a day. how doable is that to you? how much of a difference to think that's going to make?

i imagine it's a substantial difference. help me out with him. >> the numbers are hard for me to reconcile, candidly. i don't know what 5 million would mean other than the fact that it would be a big boost for where we are now. there are a lot of states that are feeling the need for substantially more tests. if we have that kind of production, i think he could be nothing but good. >> neil: all right. where do you think that we are in this? as you look at this and the former health and human services secretary, 50 governors in 50 different points of view of what is the ideal time for them to unwind restrictions, both have restrictions in effect. it is a state-by-state event. is there anywhere you have about how this all coordinates in the weeks and months ahead? >> yes. i think there's lots of reasons to be worried. the truth is, there's a lot we

don't know. i think the best analogy might be, we are stepping out on a freshly frozen lake. and we don't really know how thick the ice is. the only way you can do that is to take a few careful steps and stop, pause, and listening for cracking sounds. if you don't hear anymore, you can begin to move forward. that is happening all over the country. we are going to learn a lot over the next couple of weeks or three or four weeks. i think what dr. friedman said about the potential for this beginning to spike again is very clearly they are. that's what happened in the pandemic of 1918. we have lots to be concerned about but we clearly need to move forward. it's a risk we are likely going to need to manage for a time. it is not one we are going to solve immediately. >> neil: thank you very much. we are also following other developments as airlines begin to comment and announce their policy on the mask issue.

as to whether we start screening international flyers or allowing them back into this country especially coming from points of europe and asia where the cases were particularly pronounced. a lot of debates on that, but the president said he was considering a lot of options but didn't detail the one that he is considering. we're also going to be hearing from a senate leader mitch mcconnell. his views on what's next on the stimulus frowns, but he likes to see and what he doesn't like to see in explaining the so-called bankruptcy option for states after this. don't do it. don't you dare. i don't think so! [ sighs ] it's okay, big fella. we're gonna get through this together. [ baseball bat cracks ] nice rip, robbie. ♪ raaah! when you bundle home and auto insurance through progressive, you get more than just a big discount. i'm gonna need you to leave. you get relentless protection. [ baseball bat cracks ]

however, there is one thing you can be certain of. the men and women of the united states postal service. we're here to deliver cards and packages from loved ones and also deliver the peace of mind of knowing that essentials like prescriptions are on their way. every day, all across america, we deliver for you. and we always will.

>> neil: all right, the president demanding that meat processing plants stay open. this is because a lot of coronavirus workers who got sick and had to shout the plants down has affected better than half a

dozen facilities spread across the midwest or south dakota or iowa. a couple of places in between. what does this directive from the president mean? >> we haven't heard from the president a little while ago saying that this could be coming down from the white house potentially within the next hour. here's what i'm told from the white house that the president will be using the defense production act to compel these meat processing facilities to stay open. i'm told he will do so by deeming these facilities as critical infrastructure and additionally the federal government will be providing these workers with protective gear and will be providing these companies with guidance as well. as you probably know any recent weeks, the major processors have had to go some other facilities due to the coronavirus. they had of tyson food over the weekend saying the food supply chain is breaking. the president said this afternoon that he is not concerned about the food supply chain. >> president trump: we were going to sign an executive order

today i believe that will solve any liability problems where they had certain liability problems, we will be in very good shape. we are working with tyson which is one of the big companies in that world. we always work with the farmers. there's plenty of supply. >> interesting question that was put to the president a little while ago when talking about liabilities for countries when you talk about reopening, the president was asked about liability for any other industry, liability waivers being, he didn't necessarily say in that press conference with his answer there though the administration has talked up the possibility of extending the liability waivers down the line as it relates to other measures they are looking at. >> neil: thank you, my friend, very, very much. some of you might know peter elliott. one of those nonessential businesses that was supposed to close with everyone else. the main proprietor there had

tried to get money from the small business loan. that didn't pan out, so he reopened on his own. he is next.

>> neil: you think mitch mcconnell want states to go bankrupt? he says no. he said there is a catch. a great catch. nancy pelosi is not impressed. hear from mitch mcconnell himself in just a few minutes.

that's why, at cancer treatment centers of america, we aren't waiting. we're right here, still focused on the only thing we do, providing world-class cancer care, all under one roof. because cancer isn't just what we do, it's all we do. cancer treatment centers of america. call now for an appointment. hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today.

>> neil: well he tried. the owner of the peter elliott was trying very hard to get some help through this small business loan program. they didn't pan out. he tried to open up the shop. the technicality with that is he can't do that in new york. nonessential businesses can do that. i don't know if he has been served with any citations or had his license threatened, but these here right now. good to have you. what is the reaction been from local officials, state officials of any to open up? >> good to see you sir. so far it has been 95% positive. frankly, across the world. i am emotionally pleased and almost in tears at the incredible support that i've gotten from our country,

england, australia, china, et cetera. yesterday, the gentleman, the police came in around 12:30. we were open and they basically said, are you open? yes, my door is open. his head are you serving? i said yes, we have posted every rule every regulation. we give out free gloves, masks, hand sanitation stuff. the whole thing. so i haven't had any pushback from any officials at all. the gentlemen that were here from the police force yesterday, the officers as they walked up gave me a nice smile and thumbs up and they walked away. >> neil: so no one threatened to take your license away or slap you with a fine? they just left. >> yes, no one has threatened at all. >> neil: okay.

you know, a lot of other businesses might look at what you're doing and say, i'll try that too. what do you think? >> i'm sorry. >> neil: other businesses might want to copy what you do. that is breaking this rule that has been in place right now that businesses can do it you are doing. what do you think? >> okay. this is what i did and this is my reasoning. when you tell me that a liquor store is an essential business, i find that a little bit absurd. i find it, frankly, dangerous. they asked me, what do i provide? i frankly provide emotional support for people who have been cooped up for years. obviously for weeks. it almost seems like years. i said i need to save my business. i've been in business 43 years. we decided to go on go find me.

i'm getting phone calls from across our country. people shopping over the phone of people walking in and people actually walking here today just to give me money. they didn't want to buy back anything, i just wanted to support us. it has been amazing. the most pleasant surprise i think i've had a 43 years. >> neil: all right. well, we will be watching you very closely. you're either out a brave man are rolling the dice, but so far, so good. we will keep a close eye if anyone decides to visit his shop. finish that thought. i'm sorry. >> hello? >> neil: yeah, finish that thought. >> i can tell you now that a lot of the local businesses i walked in here and said how are you doing? i said fine. they all said, we are opening on monday. >> neil: all right. and so wave here. the best of luck to you.

i wish i had more time, my friend. we don't. thank you very, very much. other big developments here to tell you about. it was a science fair that almost didn't happen until they've decided to make it go virtual and what was supposed to start with one school in that i'm getting than two dozen. not bad, because these are teenagers orchestrating all of this after this. ♪ in nearly 100 years serving the military community, we've seen you go through tough times and every time, you've shown us, you're much tougher your heart, courage and commitment has always inspired us and now it's no different so, we're here with financial strength, stability and experience you can depend on and the online tools you need because you have always set the highest standard and reaching that standard is what we're made for

♪

in these challenging times, we need each other more than ever. we may be apart, but we're not alone. use aarp community connections to find or create a mutual aid group near you. stay connected and help those in need. >> neil: all right, it is one thing to tell kids across the country no school but to tell them there is no science fair as well, a lot of regions and in new jersey. and the school in new jersey as well. they were planning a big science fair. all of a sudden they look like

it was in doubt are not going to happen until willey got involved. he's president of the research and science club. i should tell you that my son goes to the school as well. not part of this club. will joins me right now. good to see you, will. >> thank you very much for having me. it's an honor to be here. i would be on tv and probably would've gotten a better quarantine haircut. thanks for having me. >> neil: [laughs] a looks fine. what is interesting about this it looks like the science fair wasn't going to happen. you are able to say, there's got to be away and you got a lot of other schools involved. you did it all virtually. and it went pretty well. explain. >> i want to start off by saying it wasn't all me. there's no way i could've pulled us off by myself. i collaborated with a lot of teachers from other schools who were very, very helpful in helping me get this whole thing

together. of course my club moderators, advisors, and my team who i promised a shout out to. without them, it would have been impossible. so, originally, we wanted to do our science fair as usual. in february, there were rumblings of coronavirus. we tried to plan for a virtual alternative. and in march. in march, actually got friends from other schools. their science fairs were getting canceled. as a person who participates in science fairs who does high school science research, i know the amount of work and effort and time kids put into this. they are all very, very passionate about the work they do. we thought it would be a shame if all of that would've gone without exhibition. we decided to rebrand our school science fair and kind of be a

platform for these high school researchers that do tremendous work to show their work to the world. >> neil: and it was all done virtually along with the judges. there are little snafus that come along the way. the students are there and whether that judges come to do the judging. >> getting the whole website out was really very hectic. we had to scramble a little last minute because no one saw this coming. i was reaching out to kids just a couple of days ago to get their projects in. it was really hard for a lot of people. it was really interesting. we had a couple of kids who weren't getting judges and judges who weren't getting kids. that whole day, we were trying to send out emails to make sure everything gets smoothly. as a whole, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and very, very happy that we have this opportunity to help kids show out there are really amazing work.

>> neil: whole lot of the prize money went towards covid-19 relief. paying it back and forward at the same time. if you found this virtual experience so successful, maybe this is the way to go in the future. a lot of eyeballs on a lot of attention. he got a lot of people recruited who otherwise might not have ever gotten involved. everywhere we go from here. what do you think? >> not just for science fairs but other industries as well. honestly, i hope we won't have to do this again. it's nice to have some sort of physical science fair. having this virtual aspect gave us the flexibility to retouch us of the schools and a physical science fair is incredibly hard to pull off. and having all this happened live is very challenging for a lot of traditional science fairies.

using a platform that we had, allowing kids to prerecord and have questions. and for them, that makes things run a lot more smoothly for a lot more people. while i like to have a physical science fair, i think that having a virtual science fair in tandem with that wouldn't be a bad idea. >> neil: is science in your future? is this what you like to do? >> i'm 17, so i don't really know where life is going to take me or what society is going to need from me. but science has been something that has always been close to my heart ever since kindergarten when i tried to light up a light bulb with the potato. and something that i love that something that i hope to be in my future. >> neil: all right. a junior going into your senior year. he is not high class for the better part of five or six weeks now. you look forward to next year? >> oh, yeah. i'm going to sit back and relax.

yeah. i have a lot of plans to go to new york city, watching shows. i will put that offer next year for sure. >> neil: well, it's amazing what you and your friends did. and it shows a lot of people probably said you are crazy to try this. and this is a big success. it went from a limited audience how that one physical location to something that was much, much bigger. i think you and your friends have a great future ahead of you. be well. >> thank you very much. we're very proud of what we've accomplished. >> neil: and now you should be. i'm going to get my son involved in science. the president of the research and science club. it's a good story. the kids have taken control of things when adults sometimes do not. in the meantime hearing from mitch mcconnell, the senate majority leader on how he was to keep this recovery going, and where he might offer an olive branch to chuck schumer. after this.

it's tough to quit smoking cold turkey. so chantix can help you quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life-threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the most common side effect is nausea. talk to your doctor about chantix.

speech to the aide is not going to governments. it's going to police officers, firefighters, bus drivers who help safety inspectors. these are the people who need help. there will be massive layoffs at the state and local level unless we get some money to them quickly. >> neil: that was chuck schumer respond to comments made by mitch mcconnell. states could always apply for bankruptcy. the senator joins us right now on the phone. mitch mcconnell, very good to have you. this is going to those directly impacted by the coronavirus.

>> weird certainly open to considering additional assistance to state and local governments on top of what we've already done in the cares act. it is important to understand that many states have stemmed tc long challenges. pension fund, many of them from overspending. what we're saying here is, we are not interested in rescuing badly run states from the mistakes they've made completely unrelated to the coronavirus. so let me make it perfectly clear. we are open to considering another bill. my redline going forward on this bill is to provide protection, litigation protection for those who have been on the frontline.

hospitals, doctors, nurses. imagine you are a businessman thinking about reopening. and you've heard that the trial lawyers all over the country are sharpening their pencils getting ready to sue you, claiming that you didn't engage in proper distancing or other issues related to health and safety. look, we can't pass another bill unless we have liability protections. that's the only way we're going to be able to get past this. that's to begin to open up the economy again. we have to have business is brave enough to open up again and employees brave enough to go back to work. and i'm glad to see that some of the states are beginning to move in the direction of reopening. >> neil: all right, but you are already, your idea maybe it was something you throughout there, the reform could be part of more aid to the states. nancy pelosi responded the democrats are not interested in

covid-19 reform. the house has no interest in diminishing protections for employees and customers. what do you say to that? >> let me make it perfectly clear, the senator is not interesting in passing a bill that does not have liability protection. that is an integral part of our economy getting back to normal. so we are going back to work. this and is coming back monday. we are perfectly willing to discuss the way forward. the way that you make a law is passed the house and the senate. what i'm saying is, we have a redline on liability. it won't pass the senate without it. >> neil: so what would happen, senator, about business feeling emboldened by liability protection that it doesn't do some basic things like masks and other protection for workers because it might feel that it is legally bulletproof and doesn't

have to? >> that's a good question. after carefully craft the liability protection to deal with the money that would be supplied to state and local government, conditioned upon them and acting at the state level, that kind of legislation that would provide liability protection for those who are seeking to go forward and to get the economy back up to work. look, neil, i've been talking to business people all over the country. there is a good deal of fear about getting back to normal. knowing full well the losses that are waiting unless we address this issue. this is an integral part of getting the economy back up and running and getting the country back up and running. and that will be a condition for providing additional assistance to state and local government. >> neil: let me ask you, senator. he made some news in this report.

i'm sure you've heard about where you said we need to get the white house democrats in a box. both need to get the message. you are referring to infrastructure. at the president intimated today in a small business conference that he was still open to that. the notion that may be that you are in disagreement. maybe i could get some clarity from you. are you open and would you agree to infrastructure spending as part of a future stimulus relief plan? >> we have an equal interest in doing an infrastructure bill. we don't have an equal interest in borrowing money for future generations to pay for it. it is unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic which is the reason why we have run up the national debt to $.8 trillion. i agree with the president, infrastructure is important. i just don't believe that we should be borrowing adding to

the national debt. we've added $2.8 trillion to the national debt in the last month. i just don't think that is the path to getting an infrastructure bill. i do agree that with him that we need to do that. we are going to pass a more modest infrastructure bill in the senate in the near future since we are coming back to work next monday. >> neil: just to be clear, as far as the next round of stimulus, you do not wanted to be infrastructure. am i getting that right? >> yeah, infrastructure is unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic that we are all experiencing and trying to figure out how to go forward. we've borrowed an incredible amount of money here over the last month. and we need to make sure that whatever additional explanation we do is directly related to this pandemic and to try to get it in their rearview mirror and get the country back up and

running again. >> neil: senator, while i have you here, you made an interesting comment when you are talking to fox news radio in which you are describing may be some of the problems around the president health care task force briefings in which he said american people are most interested in the advice from the help professionals of how to conduct their lives safely. are you saying that the president shouldn't talk as mu much? >> now, i wasn't saying that. but i think the american people are interested in what our health experts have to say about this pandemic. we've never had this particular disease before. they are anxious to get information about how to conduct their lives consistently with the recommendation. so we can safely go about our business. one of the reasons we put

$25 billion in the additional bill over and above that cares bill that we passed last week for testing is, we are not there yet on testing. not only what kind of test but how many of them actually will tell you something other than you don't have it at the moment. and we don't yet have treatment. and we don't yet have a vaccine. we've allocated $25 billion at that whole area of testing and treatment and vaccine in the bill that we just passed last week. that's all part of reassuring everyone that they can safely go back to work. >> neil: i guess what i'm asking is whether you wanted to restructure their briefings as they are now. to the extent of the white house decides to re-craft these briefings to reflect that goal, the medical information from the

experts, that's probably good idea. what specifically >> yeah, i don't have any advice to give the white house about how to handle the briefing. i don't have any advice to give them at all. >> neil: so you are not meaning to imply that these, any comments apart from the medical experts were not necessary? >> no, i wasn't. i did think that the medical experts are the ones that the public is most interested in for obvious reasons, because they are interested in how they can go about their business safely. >> neil: finally, senator, the president talked about a v-shaped recovery, going to be

tough given the staggering nature of opening up, are you worried that that is going to be tough. there will be an economic pickup as people get back, but if it might take a while to get going. are you in the camp that it will be a sharp increase or a slow one? >> honestly, neil, i don't know. we are in a place that we have never been before where we are all hoping for a rapid recovery. i think that we getting more rapid recovery if we have liability reform. if we have testing that reassures people, because the economy will not truly be open unless everyone will participate in the economy again. i'm not an expert on these things. this is an experience we have not had before. it is hard to figure out what will happen. we do know that we need to move ahead. and i am pleased that the number of states are beginning to move in the direction of opening up

the economy consistent with the phase 1 recommendations of the white house. the coronavirus task force. >> neil: we shall see, all right, mitch mcconnell, thank you very much. that will do it for us. here comes "the five." ♪ >> greg: i'm greg -- greg gutfeld along with jesse watters, dana perino, juan williams, and emily compagno. "the five." and today's new york post, the new york city e.r. doctor calls the coronavirus wow virus the worse health care is he has ever seen. yet he says it is time to open up. his reasons, he believes that the wave has crusted, which is good news. the second point, out of fear, people are avoiding hospitals for treatment of other stuff. ers have seen a big drop-off, people have canceled test. 911 calls have declined. if people are avoiding hospitals, how many others