one? >> having trained my entire life to recognize theseut and gniz . virology. i knew that all of the signs for pandemic were present. novel virus infecting people, causing significant mortality, and spreading. so all the signs were there. it was just a matter of time before that virus then jumped and left china and appeared in other countries. >> reporter: in early january when you were concerned about this virus, were other government officials on alert? >> i believe my concerns were shared by other scientists in the government, and i believe the n.i.h. was also moving very quickly to start some research and developing a vaccine and starting a clinical trial for an antiviral drug. what struck me, though, was my sense of urgency didn't seem to pevail across all of h.h.s.

>> reporter: bright says that lack of urgency started with the boss of his department, health and human services secretary alex azar. he recalls a meeting azar chaired on january 23rd that discussed the coronavirus. >> i was the only person in the room, however, that said we're going to need vaccines and diagnostics and drugs. it's going to take awhile and we need to get started. >> reporter: you were the only one to raise that? >> yes. >> reporter: in your complaint you said that secretary azar was intent on downplaying this catastrophic threat. why would he do that? >> i don't know why he would do that. >> reporter: president trump was also downplaying the threat. he said this at an event in michigan on january 30th. >> we think we have it very well under control. w have very little problem in this country at this moment, five. >> remember, the entire leadership was focused on containment. there was a belief that we could contain this virus and keep it

out of the united states. containment doesn't work. containment does buy time. it can slow, it very well can slow the spread, but while you're slowing the spread, you better be doing something in parallel to be prepared for when that virus breaks out. and that was my job. >> reporter: bright says he was well equipped to do that job because just five months before the new virus emerged, his and other key agencies had concluded an exercise titled crimson contagion, premised on the exact idea of a fast-spreading virus originating in china. what did crimson contagion teach you about fighting pandemics? what were the lessons? >> there were lessons about shortages, on critical supplies such as personal protective equipment, such as masks, n95 masks, gowns, goggles. and there are lessons about the

need for funding. >> reporter: you had practiced this. >> we had drilled, we practiced. we had been through ebola, we had been through zika, we had bey t do>>eporter: bright says g lesson from crimson contagion was the entire u.s. medical supply chain would be under stocked and under stress for vaccines, testing and personal protective equipment. >> i had industry manufacturers -- industry reps sending me emails almost every day, raising alarm bells that the supply chain was running dry. america and the world was in trouble. >> reporter: mike bowen was one of those people. he had been warning rick bright and barta for years. the small texas company, amerit few that makes surgical n95 masks in the u.s. over the last 15 years he says,

90% of the manufacturing has shifted abroad. the masks are cheaper to make. how long have you been telling anyone who would listen that once a pandemic hits, that america would face a big problem? >> since 2007. and for 13 years, we told the story that a pandemic was going to come, the mask supply was going to collapse, and foreign health officials were going to cut off masks to the united states. and that's exactly what happened. >> reporter: bowen's factory near fort worth had several mask production lines sitting idle and on january 22nd, he sent rick bright an email offering to activate thoseeshich coul produ month. but said he could only do it with government help. mike bowen was offering to ramp up production. i have the factory, i can make more masks. did have the authority to say let's do it? >> i did not, not in barta.

i had the authority to push the right need up to h.h.s. in our department, and i did so almost daily for a period of time. >> reporter: in fact, on january 25th, you wrote your colleagues that the mask situation seems to be of concern, and we have been receiving warnings for over a week. how did they respond? >> passively. they responded with a "thank you for notification. we'll talk to the manufacturers ourselves and take appropriate action when it's needed." >> reporter: a day later, on january 26, mike bowen was even more blunt in an email to you saying this. the u.s. mask supply is at imminent risk. rick, i think we're in deep -- >> he was exactly right. mike bowen saw this coming and was doing everything he could do to get the attention of the u.s. government to get us to act. >> reporter: though it took nearly two months, the u.s. government finally did

ordering 500 million masks. a push for that came from peter na vara owe, president trump's director of trade and manufacturing policy. who has long been concerned about american industrial production shifting abroad, especially to china. president bush didn't fix the problem. manufacturing like this going overseas, president obama didn't. and neither has president trump. why is this so hard? >> it's actually not hard. it does take a strategy. it does take a commitment. it does take some investment as well. and again, it's not just about masks. >> reporter: you're telling me we've completely offshored our ability to respond to a pandemic? >> we have offshored our industry for critical supplies, critical health care supplies and critical medicines to save money. >> reporter: in march, as hospitals were beginning to swell with critically ill covid-19 patients, the search

was on for any and all possible treatments. >> hydroxychloroquine, and i don't know, it's looking like it's having some good results. i hope that would be a phenomenal thing. >> reporter: the president began to tout the potential of a drug combination that he said in a tweet on march 21st had a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. did you ever think that hydroxychloroquine would be a game changer? >> no. never. and the limited data available told us that it could be dangerous. it could have negative side effects, and it could even lead to death. >> reporter: according to bright's whistleblower complaint, on march 23rd, dr. bright received an urgent directive passed down from the white house to drop everything and make the drug widely available to the american public. what was the reaction of your lead coronavirus scientist when you got this directive?

you've got to drop everything? >> i believe his expression was at the time that, you know, we've been hit by a bus. >> reporter: bright says his team tried to limit access to the drugs to hospital patients only, and he shared his concerns with a reporter. on april 21st, he was reassigned to what he considered a lesser role at the national institutes of health. you believe you were retaliated against because you raised concerns about hydroxychloroquine? >> yes. i do. i believe my last-ditch effort to protect americans from that drug was the final straw that they used and believed was essential to push me out. >> and you can see the full "60 >> and you can see the full "60 minutes" report on ourebsite $9.95? that's impossible.

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recommend cascade platinum... ...with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. for sparkling-clean dishes, the first time. cascade platinum. if you're trying to sell a home these days, well, you noi the real estate market is also not immune to the coronavirus. naomi reports on how some realtors are trying to adapt. >> this three-bedroom two bath new built home is for you. >> reporter: joe claw son is a realtor in indianapolis and like many, saw his business shift overnight. >> for us it was we could see the drop off in showings and

such, i mea immediately. this is fully renovated. >> reporter: but claw son said serious buyers are still in the market. >> take a look at the dining room. >> reporter: so he's been getting footage for virtual home tours. >> just to show off what's inside the house. someone can virtually see the home from their living room and not get out and be exposed to anything. >> hi. >> hi. >> reporter: they resource the robot realtors. they've seen a big boost in business since the pandemic started. >> perfect. >> reporter: but realtors are facing hurdles. >> like home inspection, that's part of the home-buying process. >> reporter: lawrence is with the national association of realtors which is pushing the government for a virtual option with homeowners using their phones to show inspectors the n interior. he said it's not clear where home sales are headed. >> we don't know how everything will play out, but if it's only two to four months, we'll see an immediate bounce back in the housing home sales activity.

>> reporter: but if the coronavirus shutdowns are more extensive, he believes the real esta

europe is slowly reopening from its coronavirus lock downs and travel bans, but that doesn't mean that you should start booking a summer vacation on the continent. chris lifesay has the latest from rome. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: it's been 70 days and 70 nights. but today churches in italy can reopen to the general public. and so can st. peter's where pope francis celebrated mass. but not before being sanitized inside and out. and in some cases, with the help of the military, like the church of st. peter and paul in rome. priests must wear gloves and masks to give union. parishioners must receive it in their hands, not directly in their mouths. even with added safety measures there's risk. there is more opportunity for the disease to spread.

people are still getting sick and dying every day. is now really a good time to reopen the country? >> i mean, the number decreasing every day. i mean, we have more people that are coming out from this disease and -- >> reporter: including pierre, the deputy health minister and a coronavirus survivor. now that italians are recovering from the disease faster than they're contracting it, he says italy should leave its sick bed. it's like you're discharging the country. >> it's like we are discharging italy that has been sick a few months, yeah. >> reporter: today not only churches, but hair dressers, museums and shops can reopen. one sobering estimate, one-third can't afford to, many bankrupted by the pandemic. in nearby germany, the bundes liga resumed albeit without fans in the seats. protest against social

restrictions was across the country. they opened the mecropolis to the public. russia will ease some measures, this despite a continued rise of infections and deaths there. but hopes are high in britain. the government said the university of oxford is progressing well in its race for a vaccine and has reached a deal to make 30 million doses available to the u.k. by september if trials are successful. now, here at the vatican, st. peter's may be reopen, but you'll probably only see alians around for now dueo international tational travel b. italy wants to reopen its borders on june 3rd, but starting first only with other european union countries, just in time for summer vacation. >> and that is the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs this morning." and you can always follow us online any time at cbsnews.com.

reporting from washington, i'm jeff pegues. ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: breaking news tonight, president trump says he is taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent covid-19. despite warnings, the president has been on the unproven drug for the last week and a half. >> i'm taking two, the zinc and the hydroxy. all i can tell you is so far i seem to be okay. >> o'donnell: promising vaccine news. early results in a small human trial leads the stock market to surge. how it works and who gets it first. open for business: as the nationwide death toll tops 90,000. oages of bustling block parties. plus tens of thousands of autoworkers are back on the assembly line. multimillion dollar scam.