it's 4:00 in new york. i'm john heilemann in for nicolle wallace. as the number of coronavirus cases in the united states is exploding, more than 1,000 new cases reported across the country in the last 24 hours, the virus accelerating faster than we can keep up with it and the death toll now nearing 10. coping with the task of trying to play catchup with this fast-moving pandemic, state and local governments are ramping up the extraordinary containment measures being implemented from coast to coast. new york city mayor bill de blasio this afternoon raising the possibility of a shelter-in-place order. that decision expected in the next 48 hours, along with the specter of a full-blown depression in new york city. that comes as more than 7 million californians in the bay area of california are under shelter-in-place measures. in ohio, governor mike dewine overrode a judge's order and

postponed today's primary in ohio, while polls remain open in the other three states, florida, illinois and arizona, despite guidance from the white house limiting gatherings of ten or more people. the drastic actions across the country follow new warnings from top health officials. nbc news has confirmed that the u.s. does not have enough stockpiled medical equipment to deal with the coronavirus. there's new reporting from "the new york times" about a study out of the united kingdom that set off alarm bells within the white house, quote, it was a dire scientific report warning that, without action by the government and individuals to slow the spread of coronavirus and suppress new cases, 2.2 million people in the united states could die. from new york state, effectively the country's coronavirus epicenter with more than 1,300 cases reported as of this morning, the most of any state in the nation, governor andrew cuomo saying that at the

pandemic's peak which he estimates could be about 45 days away, the city will need thousands more intensive care units and hospital beds than it has. the tremendous gaping discrepancy you can see now on your screen, between the facilities that the state has available and those it will require. that has cuomo pleading for help from the federal government and appealing directly to president trump who attacked cuomo on twitter just yesterday. >> we cannot do this on our own. this government has done somersaults, performed better than ever before. i'm telling you this government cannot meet this crisis without the resources and capacity of the federal government. i spoke to the president this morning again. he is ready, willing and able to help. i've been speaking with members of his staff late last night,

early this morning. we need their help, especially on the hospital capacity issue. i said to the president who is a new yorker, who i've known for many, many years, i put my hand out in partnership. the president is doing the right thing in offering to step up with new york. and i appreciate it. and new york will do the right thing in return. >> president trump echoed those warm words in a press conference this morning, signaling a possible armistice at least for now with cuomo. also today trump again insisted that the federal government has ordered massive numbers of ventilators though he provided no specifics. while the president and his task force addressed the rising economic toll on millions of american workers by the extreme social distancing measures in place across the country, they're promising an immediate infusion of cash to americans

who need it most. >> we're looking at sending checks to americans immediately. what we've heard from hard working americans, many companies have shut down, whether it's bars or restaurants, americans need cash now, and i mean now in the next two weeks. >> we don't want people losing their jobs or not having money to live when they were doing very well just four weeks ago. we're going big and that's the way it will be. joining the conversation here, associated press white house reporter jonathan lemire, my friend, emergency physician and public health physician dr. lena nguyen and former rnc spokesperson tim miller in northern california where the lockdown we just talked about is taking place, plus "new york times" economic savant. dr. nguyen, let's stay focused on the most urgent elements of this story and those continue to be the concerns about whether or

not we have the capacity to handle what is about to come in terms of equipment, in terms of hospital beds, in terms of icu units, not just in places like new york and california, but particularly in those places. tell us what you're seeing right now in terms of that question and what you're hearing in the naked kind of alarm on the part of people like governor cuomo that we're not, in fact, ready. >> we are not ready. our projections have shown we were ready for a mild outbreak, but not a moderate outbreak. in looking at the numbers from china, from italy, it does look bleak. it looks like we're headed towards this rapid escalation phase where we'll be shortens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of icu beds and we're not going to have enough supply. we need to increase supply of these services rapidly through telemedicine, surge capacity in hospitals by building additional

field hospitals, but we also have to try to decrease the demand for these services. and that's why all these social distancing measures are so important. we don't know what the peak of this curve is going to be. but we actually have an opportunity now to try to flatten that curve and reduce demand. that's why every single person in america needs to adopt this wartime mentality because we are at war. >> dr. wen, i want to put up a headline from "the washington post" about italy, icu beds near full capacity in italy in the lombardy region. italy has more than 31,000 total cases, a decent size krunt but very small compared to the united states: it looks like we're following the path of italy, maybe only a few days

behind it. totally taking on board there are a bunch of things we're doing to flatten the curve. if you believe those stipulations, we're going to have a gigantic problem, the one governor cuomo was pointing to in terms of having the hospital system overwhelmed. i'm wondering what that will mean for how medicine is going to get practiced on the ground, not just for the treatment of this virus but all the other things that the hospital systems in these states are used for, emergency service, other surg y surgeries. what could it look like in terms of capacity questions i'm talking about now? >> depends on what we do to flatten the curve. let's say our interventions are not successful. we could be looking at needing 200,000 icu beds which is the projection for what happened in a moderate outbreak. the u.s. only has 100,000 icu

beds, most of them are occupied with patients with other conditions as you're mentioning. what's happened in italy is physicians, nurses have been put into the untenable situation of having to ration health care, having to decide who are the patients who can have the best chance of survival? who are the patients who may have to go without health care. you're right. it's not just the covid patients, but other patients coming in with trauma, strokes, who need these beds, too. that's what we could be facing. i do want to emphasize that we have a chance to flatten the curve and prevent them from happening. >> jonathan lemire, you're reporting on this white house all the time. i'll note the last couple days as president trump's tone has turned a little bit, his tone being a little more tethered to reality than it had been in the previous couple months, he's still talking in vagaries about things like the ventilator issue, the army corps of engineer, governor cuomo saying

you have to send them here to build the icu units. and the president says, the army corpse of engineers, that's something we can do. though his tone has gotten better on these tangible things like the ventilator orders, icu beds, army corps, it ooh es not like we're seeing tangible movement of resources and time is wasting. >> a quick update on something you said at the beginning. the governor of new york put out a statement saying blanket quarantine shelter-in-place policition consider state action. that's not under consideration. he's suggesting that it may not be in effect. those two do not always communicate particularly well. that at least appears to not be imminent. no question in the last 48 hours or so, the president's tone has changed. this is not something that should be applauded necessarily or frankly something that should be expected to continue. this is where he should have been all along.

he's more clear-eyed, more somber, realized what a threat this is to not just the american populous, the economy, but his own re-election chances. jared kushner has been telling people he believes it's going to require a world war ii-style national effort to get through this. concrete promises have been few and far between. the briefing today, yes, we'll get ventilators and the army corps of engineers will be involved. no concrete promises. they still want to seem to defer to the states on a lot of this. suggested a lot of the governors and states have existing relationships with these manufacturers and it would be easier for them to obtain ventilators, let's say, than the federal government stepping in. but it's going to require a lot. the action today, at least the rest of the day, seems to be shifting towards capitol hill. the senate will meet to try to pass this first relief bill, but also the early stages perhaps there could be up to $850 billion stimulus package for an economy that is going to need a lot of help, a lot of shoring

up. yesterday the white house basically unveiled social guidelines that will rewrite how americans behave for at least the next 15 days. >> tim miller, you're out in new york, transplanted californian, oakland, i believe. so you're covered by the shelter-in-place order for san francisco, the bay area, where it's now a live consideration here. there's some dispute between apparently -- discrepancy between where the state is on this versus where the city is and mayor de blasio has clearly put it on the table. a lot of discussion in new york city as you can imagine. give us a sense what it's like to be out there, what it looks like on the ground in the bay area as you guys are now about 16 hours into shelter-in-place. >> my main takeaway from this, and i've been sheltering in place besides a drive down here, but anecdotally hearing from friends, what i saw on the

drive, it takes a while for this to get socialized. if you listen to what dr. wen said about the urgency, the days are ticking and time is ticking. what i saw is not the normal bumper-to-bumper traffic in the bay area, but i also did not see a ghost town. there are still people going to stores, still people going to work here. we do not -- it's good that we do not, have the same levers that the chinese have to forcibly make people quarantine. what we need instead is the leadership and explanations from the leaders about why this sacrifice is necessary, something the president has been unable to do. what you need is the time to get people socialized and understanding that this is the new normal for a little while. so here we are 16 hours in, and obviously while there's some progress and while that's good and it was a good step, you haven't seen kind of the

dramatic measures that you may be imagining. >> dr. wen, i want to ask a little more about this. first of all, given the urgency of the situation and given, as you said, we have a chance to flatten the curve, but the chance is fleeting, the opportunity to do this. is it your view, number one, the shelter-in-place should be adopted in new york city, adopted in chicago, pretty much everywhere, number one? number two, given how big and diverse these cities are, where people don't do what they're told even on the best day when the kind of costs imposed are considerably smaller, how long does it take once those orders are issued for people to follow them in a way that would be meaningful in trying to achieve the goal that is ultimately all of our goals and the goal you're laying out in terms of how do we keep this from being a severe outbreak and keeping it from being something more moderate than that? >> it's extremely hard because

we haven't lived through something like this before. this sun press depthed for all of us. all these public health measures are a balance between doing what's right for the public's health and interest and balancing that with individual liberties. the idea that people will do this on their own with voluntary measures and we don't have to shut everything down, but we're seeing that's not actually happening. we're canceling schools, but instead people are going on play dates. we're canceling work, but people are going to bars. people need to step up, too. ideally we don't have the government crackdown and shutdown and imposing these draconian measures as they do in china. at some point we're going to get to the point that's really untenable. we have to safeguard people's lives at all costs. >> david, i want to switch over and talk about the economy and i want to play a little sound for you before we get into our discussion. let's listen to what donald trump said today about the word recession. >> i don't think in terms of

recession. i think in terms of getting it out because when we're finished with the virus, we will win, we will win. when that victory takes place, our economy is going go through the roof. it is so pent up, so built up, so ready to go in an upward direction, but we have to knock out this enemy. so i don't think in terms of recession, not recession. it's words. >> david, i'm sure he doesn't think in terms of recession, those are just words. in fact, it is a word, recession. it's also a word that signifies a bunch of really important things for the state of the macro economy and human beings and their lives, if they lose jobs, if we have a massive recession or something even worse than just a recession. tell me what you heard donald trump say right there. what do you think is going on in the president's head and how bad do you think the economic fallout is going to be on the basis of what we currently know? >> i mean the president's handling of this has been terrible. he spent weeks denying it,

calling it a hoax. there will be real consequences. people will suffer, people will die because he dismissed it as a hoax. as you're reporting and many ch the times" reporting, a lot of it -- having said all that -- the first thing to deal with here is the virus. in some ways, if we don't deal with the virus, the economy, we can't fix it because the reason we're all having to stay home is the virus. so job one is combating the virus. and at the same time we have to start thinking about pumping enormous amounts of money into the economy because it is not exaggeration to say we're at risk of something that looks like the financial crisis or even the 1930s. just think about all the normal ways we used to interact and spend money and employ people and pay them that have, poof, disappeared. >> david, let me ask you -- is it self-evident to you that the economy is going to be in recession? i have thought for a couple weeks now that it was obvious

that the economy was not in the most strong position to begin with, and there are people in private equity firms and hedge funds around this city who are saying they thought recession was around the corner and it would take a triggering event. once they saw coronavirus, they thought this was the triggering event. the question now is not if we'll be in recession but how deep it will be. does that strike you as the right assessment? >> yes, it does. you can never be fully confident when you're talking about economic projections because you're trying to predict the future. it certainly seems we're in recession right now. it is going to be very deep because if you think about this rationally and you think about all the forms of spending, restaurant eating, vacation, businesses, they're disappearing right now. and then you think about the knock-on effects, all the people who work as waiters, all the people who work in warehouse jobs where the commerce has dried up, and you think about the spiraling effect of that,

that's why we need stimulus. the idea of sending people checks seems right to me, but it also seems deeply insufficient because a lot of people may not spend that money. >> just on the stimulus thing, given what they're currently talking about, you said it seems insufficient just to send checks, i presume you mean just to send checks and just to send checks of the size they're talking about seems woefully inadequate to this task. >> yeah, and i think -- we need to think about ways -- first of all, the best stimulus we can do is stuff like ventilators. the best stimulus we could do is if the federal government said we're ramping up a program to build more ventilators and we'll pay way more than we normally pay. the best stimulus is anything for the crisis. we also need to do stuff not related to public health. we shouldn't just be sending people money. we should essentially be giving people an incentive to send money now. we should be rescuing people who

lost their income, giving businesses incentives not to fire people and helping businesses that will be in serious risk of going out of business starting very soon without help. >> all right. david leonhardt, thank you, dr. leana wen, thank you for helping us out. coming up, revisionist history. after weeks of relentlessly playing down the coronavirus crisis, today donald trump claimed that he knew it was coming all along. we'll look at the president's efforts to erase the inconvenient realities that we remember too well. voters in four states expected to go to the polls today, a late night emergency declaration from ohio's governor put that number at three. we'll look at how the outbreak is affecting those still voting today and what recautions people are taking. s people are taking is mealtime a struggle?

introducing ore-ida potato pay. where ore-ida golden crinkles are your crispy currency to pay for bites of this... ...with this. when kids won't eat dinner, potato pay them to. ore-ida. win at mealtime. kelly clarkson! what're you doing on our sofa? phey there!them to. what're you doing on your sofa? try wayfair. you got this! woah. yeah! let me try!

all alright, get it! blow it up! that's what i'm talking about. except that's my seat, so. all right, so maybe after the movie let's talk about that bedroom of yours! when was she in our bedroom?

a lot of people think that goes away in april with the heat. >> we're going to be pretty soon at only five people and we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. >> it's going to disappear. one day it's like a miracle, it will disappear. >> i've always known this is a real -- this is a pandemic. i felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic. all you had to do was look at other countries. >> wow, that's a whopping dose of revisionist history from the president today. that last clip is indicative of a larger change in tone that trump demonstrated after weeks of attacking political opponents, down playing the' threat of the virus, trump has at least become superficially a bit more tethered to reality.

jonathan lemire writing for the ap writes, quote, the shift was informed in part by the growing realization that the growing coronavirus crisis is an existential threat to trump's presidency eng dangering his re-election and his legacy. lemire, because we quoted from your piece, i'll start with you. there's no doubt that the last couple days have been a different trump than the trump who was just wantonly spouting -- down playing the threat of the virus and spouting happy talk for the past 2 1/2 months. whether it's coupled with action or not is another question. i ask you, do you think even this new trump which is a slightly more hinged, as opposed to unhinged trump, is that something we can count on to last the next 24 hours or is there a chance we'll be back with him doing happy talk tomorrow? >> i don't think we should count on it.

there's already cracks in the new facade. the last two press brief tinges he's struck a more clear tone, he's also taken to twitter going after governors of both new york and michigan. i don't think we have seen before -- there are moments when the president sort of changes his tone. his first state of the union was one people want to point to. within 48 hours it's gone again. this one, there's a realization in the west wing they need to treat this differently. just in the last few days they received a lot of startling briefings about the spread of this in italy and how we are, according to the surgeon general, we are now where italy was two weeks ago right before things got really, really bad there. the suspicion that could happen there, too. they're watching the stock market which was up a little bit today but has been dramatically down, a record in terms of how much it lost yesterday, biggest drop in 30 years i believe. they know a struggling economy,

it now seems a matter of when, not if we hit a recession, which is not good for any incouple bent in a re-election year. of course, there's a concern that lots and lots of americans will get very sick and some of them will die. there's a sense they need to step up their efforts and the president himself has told people around him that he recognizes what a threat this poses. >> yamiche, you have been attacked by the president more than once and relatively recently, i believe, just last week. i want to put up this one tweet here before i ask you this question, the cuomo tweet from today. the president has been in this kind of -- on one hand praising governor cuomo and on the other hand attacking him. just today, cuomo wants all states to be treated the same. but the states aren't the same. some are being hit hard by the chinese virus, some not at all. new york is a hot spot. west virginia has thus far zero cases. andrew, keep politics out of it.

the president said warm things about cuomo at the press briefing, at the same time attacking him on twitter. i want you interpretation for where trump's head is with respect to his attitude about continuing these attacks and what he's trying to pull off here, on one hand looking lying a magnanimous wartime leader and helping the states, on the other hand casting blame at some of the most important ones, praising them one second and attacking the next. how do you explain this behavior? >> i think president trump's approach to andrew cuomo is a classic example of the president we're seeing now, a double personality, on twitter angry and lashing out at political opponents and president trump at the white house briefing podium, someone who wants to look like a wartime president, focused on trying toing loo like he's non-partisan. you have president trump at the podium saying he had a wonderful

conversation with the governor of new york and then saying he's thinking about politics. president trump at the podium before was talking about there might be a miracle and the reaction to this by democrats was all a hoax. you had him then very, very somber tone, having been in the room. he felt very serious, saying americans, this is very bad here. the new guidelines you have, you should not be gathering. then you had the president take to twitter and talk about the chinese virus. you had white house officials calling it the kung flu virus, some calling it a racist term. in fact, of course, there are hundreds of americans now who have the virus. people are scared and the president is showing two sides of himself. most of the time, i should say, his head is where twitter trump is. that's where he really is, where you can see him spouting out without all the filters and

teleprompts. >> karin, it seems president trump has realized after the continued falls in the stock market and some of the briefings that suggest how severe the health impacts can be in the united states, he finally came to the realization that happy trump was not going to bear up to reality. so he shifted now and he's shifted to xenophobic wartime trump, where he thinks the only path now is to basically declare the virus public enemy number one, paint it in racist terms and say we must defeat this virus and try to take the mantle that i'm like the douglas macarthur, the dwight eisenhower or harry truman of virus warfare. trump is making that pivot. i'm curious whether you see the same thing, number one and whether you think that is a strategy that has any chance of working when we also see

schizophrenic trump behaving in different ways on twitter than he does in the white house briefing room. >> first of all, john, i wanted to say the xenophobia and racism is such a common thing. we've seen it in past health outbreaks we've seen. the problem is it's coming directly from the president of the united states. it's incredibly dangerous, problematic and squarely. i want to call that out. you have people in the asian-american community whose lives are at risk. for the president to call it a chinese virus or foreign virus, that's so dangerous and not a good thing to do. the other thing, too, john, in a public health crisis, you need the president, you need our leaders to be consistent. donald trump has not given us consistency. one week it's a hoax, one week it is a crisis, and then the

next week we have a somber, very focused donald trump. and five hours later he is like a wrecking ball on twitter. again, that is dangerous, that is scary and that is not helpful. donald trump has 72 million followers on his twitter account. imagine if he used that to share important guidelines from cdc or to give factual information to people who are incredibly worried about what's happening right now in our country. instead, he attacks democratic governors. instead, he tweets about hillary clinton, he talks about ratings on the tv show. yeah, you could say there's some sort of political trajectory here. he's throwing red meat at his base, but this is not the time for that. we need leadership and he needs to be consistent. >> tim miller, you are a republican still, i believe, even though not considered -- her rectal republican at this

point given your criticism of donald trump. i've noticed the various polling that suggests such a stark divide between how republicans and democrats see this virus. i'm going to put up one -- here is a few things from a mayors poll, do you trust the information you hear about the coronavirus from trump? republicans, 74% say a great deal or good amount, democrats 8% fall into the question of whether they agree they trust the information coming from trump. there's tons of other polling that suggests similar things in terms of not just the trust levels, but also how serious this virus actually is, what the threat level is, et cetera, et cetera. we know we live in two -- there are two americas out there. we know there are two information ecosystems out there. i wonder what you think of that reality as it's manifesting itself right now, the risks that are entailed in it and the degree to which the president doesn't seem to be in any way pushing against that, but

instead playing into it. >> this is where trump's change in tone, if you will, for the last two days is both important but also not enough and too little, too late. we cataloged the bulwark, his first estimates of the coronavirus over seven weeks ago and was minimizing it or downplaying it until three days ago. another poll from nbc looked at whether republicans or democrats think they're going to have to avoid large crowds a couple days ago. it was only like 26% of republicans who thought so. this is why that poll you showed showing three quarters of republicans trust the president, means it's incumbent upon him to go out there and not only change his tone, but be very clear about the fact that he has changed his tone, acknowledged his mistakes, something he's not willing or capable of doing so the voters and supporters of donald trump listen to him.

sheltering in place and social distancing does ut work if only democrats or independents do it. everyone has to do it. this is the president's responsibility first. i was interested in jonathan's reporting and comment that kushner said this was a world war ii-like situation. in world war ii, fdr had fireside chats where he called for sacrifice, called for empathy, where he was honest with people. we're not seeing this still from the president. for republicans to come around and come on board, he's really the only one that can do it. >> there's a much larger conversation to be had about this, particularly as it relates to the questions of conservative media. we do not have time for that conversation right now. i'm going to get to it this week. yamiche alcindor, thank you for spending time with us. after the break, three states voting today including illinois. what is it like to be casting a ballot in america's third largest city. we'll ask that question to a person right there in the middle of this global pandemic. that's coming up next. c. that's coming up next.

mr. peanut. he spent his life bringing people together.

i know he'd be happy that we are all together now. (crying) what is happening? [what is that?] (baby noises) is that a baby nut? (baby noises) (dolphin noises) just kidding, i'm back. where's my monocle? fidelity now has zero commissions for online u.s. equity trades and etfs. and fidelity also offers zero account fees for brokerage accounts, plus zero minimums to open an account. and only fidelity offers four zero expense ratio index funds directly to investors. with all of those zeros, there are zero reasons to invest anywhere else. fidelity. ♪ so maybe i'll win ♪ saved by zero

our goal is that everybody who wants to vote will be able to vote. our goal is no one will have to choose between their constitutional rights and risking their health. >> that was ohio governor mike dewine defending his position to postpone his state's primary today over coronavirus. the shutting down of polling locations came after a last-minute back and forth between the governor and the state courts, ultimately ending with ohio's health department

director ordering the polls to close as a health emergency. meanwhile, primaries in three other states are under way, voters in illinois, arizona and florida casting ballots, nearly 400 delegates up for grabs. joining us mike memoli and shaq brewster keeping a watch on the biden and sanders campaigns and msnbc correspondent garrett haake in illinois where voting is taking place. garrett, let's start with you. it's all happening in illinois. what's it like out there in the midst of a primary in the time of the coronavirus? >> it's happening eventually. things got off to a slow start this morning. record low in-person turnout as folks tried to figure out where to show up and vote. they had to close hundreds of precincts around the city because judges didn't show up. they bailed earlier in the week or this morning. some private businesses said they didn't want elections to be held on their property. some nursing homes, senior centers places and the like said

they certainly couldn't host because of the health concerns. after that slow start, things have been picking up a little bit today. i think the number one accessory in chicago this spring is gloves. i talked to a number of voters who told me they brought their own gloves to wear when they were voting so they didn't have to touch any equipment here. they're not entirely trusting of the health and safety measures that have been put in place in polling places like this one. those health and safety measures are spotty at best. this particular polling place that i'm at now, the judges here told me they were given one big bottle of hand sanitizer to let folks use and wipes to clean off the machines. folks are taking it upon themselves to keep distance from those in front of them or behind them in line. there's simply no time to train or equipped t the judges for hag a health crisis on top of an election that up until this crisis was going to have record turnout. all the early vote numbers were way up in chicago and cook county. i suspect when the votes are

tallied we'll see the day-of numbers way down. >> garrett, have you seen anything in the course of your day there that has alarmed you in terms of either crowds, people crowded together at polling places or in terms of the precautions being taken to try to make sure that equipment is clean? any horror stories you can tell or you think things are being handled relatively well within the context of plans that have been made up pretty much on the fly? >> from what i have personally seen, i would say relatively well within the context. i have seen more people than would be recommended to be in any other public space in closed spaces together for probably longer than is necessary. it's kind of a long ballot in illinois. you can see the signs behind me. this isn't the kind of thing you come in and mark one ballot for presidential preference and walk out. it's not ideal. i haven't seen anything yet that has me truly alarmed, if that's the standard we're operating under these days. >> mike memoli, let's start with

you, the biden campaign was looking forward to a very big day today, a day where had ohio still been voting, looking at potentially four victories in four very big states over senator sanders and bringing the race to an effective close. how are they thinking about the vote today now under these circumstances? >> reporter: well, john, we could use all sorts of sweeping language about how unprecedented this situation is, we're in uncharted territory. the fact is, it's just weird. we should be in a hotel ballroom in ohio tonight preparing to cover an election night whereas you indicate the biden campaign was hoping to effectively declare this race overment they did release a memo from kate benning field, the deputy campaign manager making two points. one is as garrett indicated in terms of early vote and vote by mail are strong enough that we should see these results today

as reflective of the will of the voters. the second point being, obviously they were expecting a good night, barring any unprecedented swing here in the late days, that joe biden was going to keep his delegate lead and potentially build an insurmountable lead over bernie sanders. so they feel as kate also points out, this country has voted during the civil war, it voted during the pandemic in 1918 and this is going to be something we continue to see going forward where we should have confidence in the results, also taking queues from bernie sanders who potentially may not be in the position to do what we might have expected, which is begin to wind down his campaign at this point. >> shaq, i have the same question for you. i want to read this tweet from bernie sanders today. he says while arizona, florida and illinois are still voting today, going to the polls amid the coronavirus outbreak is a personal decision and we respect whichever choice voters make. if you do go to the polls,

please see cdc guidance on keeping yourself safe. keeping that in mind, give us a sense of how they are looking at this primary day, again a day where they were almost certain to get pretty soundly thumped a week ago and we thought there was a reasonable chance the race could be coming to a conclusion if senator sanders would let it. what's their view about what's going to happen tonight and the implications of it for the race ahead? >> reporter: john, mike spoke to how weird this day is. that's the same feeling i'm having here, being in washington, d.c. where senator sanders is staying here to work on that coronavirus legislation. what you're hearing from this campaign is pretty much opposite of what you normally hear from this campaign, especially on an election day. you read that tweet from senator sanders, the same tone of what his communications director sent out to reporters earlier today, calling the vote a personal decision, saying the campaign respects whatever decision a voter decides to make. that's the opposite of what you

hear from this campaign who tries to drive and boost turnout as much as they can. as they see it, this was always a day this campaign was going to struggle with, especially because the states he's competing in are all states he lost in 2016. it's why when he didn't do as well as he should have or as he expected to on super tuesday or even march 10th, it's why that was such a disappointment for them because they always looked at this calendar and this day in particular as one that would be a struggle for him. senator sanders will remain in washington, d.c. we don't know when he'll get back to the campaign trail. his team has been doing the virtual events, online events. he says he'll be here until some legislation is worked on. that disruption you're seeing all across the country extends right here to the campaign trail. we don't know the implication of what that means and how it changes how he views the results of what happens tonight. >> mike, shaq and garrett, this is weird for everybody in america right now. the weirdness, huge questions coming out.

we'll talk about this later in the show. questions of what happens to this campaign now. stay safe out there and thank you for taking time to spend time with us here today. after the break, we'll talk a little more about all this, including bernie sanders' path forward, how joe biden proceeds and what happens if the expected happens with a big joe biden victory, a big bernie sanders loss in these elections. we'll talk about it. talk about .

hey america, i've got something to say. completing your 2020 census could mean smoother roads. or more emergency rooms. or more representation in our government. the census counts us all. and an accurate count helps inform where billions go every year. so, don't miss your chance to be counted. we're kind of depending on you here. complete the census, online, by phone, or by mail. shape your future. start here at 2020census.gov. wait... am i in one of those liberty mutual commercials- shape your future. where they stand in front of the statue of liberty and talk about how liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need?

uhhh... yes. huh... what happens in this one? seagulls. oh, i like it. how are you doing? (seagulls sounds) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

according to all the available public polling joe biden comes in with a

considerable lead in the three big states voting today. no matter who wins tonight, those close to senator bernie sanders say the senator is staying put in the race. let's careen. what happens now? we have a messed up situation here, a lot of primaries and caucuses that are left on the calendar, some delayed already, many more probably will be. what happens now in the course of these next few months as this thing is disrupted even though likely by the time we finish the voting -- count the votes we'll find that joe biden has something like a 200 or more pledge delegate lead over bernie sanders, how do we bring to a conclusion and move on to the general election? >> yeah, we are in, you know -- i know i'll use some swooping terms here. we are in an unpredictable time. we just do not know what is going to happen because we don't

have any historical context. look, i'll say this, everybody runs until they don't. bloomberg buought time on air right before he dropped out. and so it is unclear. we have to wait to see what happens tonight, what the results will be. what the narrative is tomorrow. look, here is the thing. biden has the advantage. he has the math on his side, the narrative on his side. every state since south carolina, he has had this really powerful coalition that he is putting together. black voters, suburban women, and older voters. and bernie sanders is going to have a tougher time of it. we know that. the math doesn't add up for him. and so he is going to have to make some tough decisions. i do not below what that decision will be, but he has put together a strong coalition, a movement if you will, and we are going to need those voters in november. so biden has the advantage here.

he has to kind of sit back and allow this to play out the way that it will. and give bernie an olive branch because it will be a long period of the unknown. >> and tim, you have worked for presidential candidates who have had to drop out of races. so i bowonder if you can put yourself position in the position of one trying to wind down the campaign, and the difficult choices, put yourself in a place of a seen are i don't vi adviser and what you would he be telling joe biden do to get what he wants out of this and what you would be telling to bernie sanders. >> well, i'll start with bernie. one thing that is all but

certain that bernie sanders is not going to be the nominee of the democratic party. and i think given what is happening in this country with the pandemic, given the fact that voters are being put at risk to go vote, signor sta orss need to be appealing to better angels. it might be different if super tuesday went a different way where biden had a narrow advantage. but he won every county in michigan, missouri. this race is over. and so bernie needs to step aside and those are hard conversations. luckily it has been an easy conversation with some of my losing candidates, but harder with others. as far as biden is concerned, he has to be gracious, he will need bernie's voters. but he also doesn't have to overpander to them. and if i'm an adviser to biden, i'm saying look presidential, he's been doing a good job of that. talk about where you agree with bernie voters, but you don't need to be getting pulled

further to the left in a race that is essentially over at this point. you need to be focusing on the general. and it is insane that republicans are holding a saddam hussein style election right now in three states given the pandemic going on. that has got to be called off going forward. >> this is a practical question. the reality is, there is a whole system by which the democratic party picks its nominee. and has a number of delegates that are involved. you got to have 1991 to have the majority. and at that level, once you get to 1991, you about him tbecome . and how does the party even get its arms around trying to resolve the situation? again, the writing is on the way for bernie sanders. we know what the delegate math is. but likely that joe biden will never get to 1991 and never fulfill the actual requirements, the process of the process that has been laid out.

so how does the party grapple with this problem? >> it remains to be seen. and not just to echo everybody else, but this is unprecedented. and the biden campaign is doing something smart. they is running like he is the president. like he has been the staging -- the speeches, the tone. i notic i know he had a hiccup, but he is being calm and the president even said that if that factored in to some of his own modulating his tone. but he doesn't need to overpromise the bernie campaign and his supporters. but he does need to support -- he need to say make peace with them. and there was a lot of concern in 2016 about how long it took sanders to bow out and endorse secretary clinton. the question now is does this pandemic change that equation, does sanders now realize that he

has a consistent message, a passionate vision, this is where he also believes that donald trump can't be pred anymosidente and so he says i need to bow out because of all that is going on around the world. >> political parties are weaker than they have ever xwaen, but t been, but the party has to figure out with its former and current leadership to figure this out because there is a reasonable chance that none of these primaries can take place in a reasonable time frame and the reason al chance that convention in july will never happen. so people have to start thinking about it and taking it seriously if democrats will get to a conclusion that works for them. thanks for you all for helping me out here today. be sure to tune back in later tonight, special election night coverage hosted by brian willia and rachel maddow. and of course we'll be following

the coronavirus and an exclusive conversation with mike bloomberg. all of that tonight right here starting at 7:00 p.m. that does it for us right now. "mtp daily" with chuck todd starts after this quick break. starts after this quick break. with red lobster to go, you can enjoy the seafood you love from the comfort of home... if it ever makes it there. spend $30 and get free delivery at red lobster dot com. >> tech: don't wait for a chip like this to crack your whole windshield. if it ever makes it there. with safelite's exclusive resin, you get a strong repair that you can trust. plus, with most insurance a safelite repair is no cost to you. >> customer: really?! >> singers: safelite repair, safelite replace. fidelity has zero commissions for online u.s. equity trades and etfs, plus zero minimums to open a brokerage account. with value like this, there are zero reasons to invest anywhere else. fidelity. there are zero reasons to invest anywhere else. stand up to moderate

to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some... rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. ready to take on ra? talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission.

♪ welcome to tuesday, it is "meet the press daily." i'm chuck todd here in washington. as the leaders and citizens are coming to grips with the reality

that the country has to shut down to fight this coronavirus, this afternoon the mayor of the largest city in america bill de blasio had this warnwarning. >> in my view, i think the right guidance to give all new yorkers is even though a decision has not yet been made by the city or by the state, i think new yorkers should be prepared right now for the possibility of a shelter in placed on. >> already a number of communities in california have been told to shelter in place. and virtually every community in america has been urged to adopt a wartime mentality in this fight. the number of reported cases which is likely undercounting the full extent of the virus' spread has doubled in roughly two days and will continue to climb as testing improves. at today's white house briefing, the administration seemed to be face being reality that shutting down the country will create a financial crisis for millions of

families. >> i'll tell you what we've heard from many people and the president said we can consider this, the payroll tax holiday would get people money over the next six to eight months, year looking look -- we're looking to sending checks to americans immediately. and americans need cash now and the president wants to get them now. and i mean now in the next two weeks. >> what is critical if you think about it is april bills. you assume maybe people got a lot of their march bills paid, but what about april. more details about the size and scope of that relief package is expected soon. and public health officials seem cautiously optimistic that the situation will improve if the public follows the drastic guidelines put out by the white house yesterday. >> our experts have told our task force if every american acts on the president's guide lines, we could see a substantial reduction in the

spread of the coronavirus. >> still the full extent and severity of what lies ahead is uncerta uncertain. >> we don't know because this is really unprecedented. i mean, of all the outbreaks that i've been involved with over the last at least 36 years and going historically back, we've never had a situation where the mobilization of all the different components, travel restriction, internal containment mitigation, financial assistance, public health assistance, testing. about yo but i do know if you look at the models, that when you have input into the kinds of mitigations and things that we're doing, we will see a hump instead of a peak. >> and new york state governor cuomo projected that the state wouldn't hit its peak for another 45 days and that

hospitals will likely be overwhelmed abo overwhelmed. and also it has extended to voting. 40i ohio ordered polls closed today and they hope do it in june. and illinois and florida are pressing ahead. but a number of other states are already postponing. let's me bring in hans nichols and also direct toor for booloo school of health. and we have a former adviser to president obama on health policy. hans, i'll start but. t the 48 hour turnaround is something a lot of people have noticed.but. the 48 hour turnaround is something a lot of people have noticed.ut. the 48 hour turnaround is something a lot of people have noticed.t. the 48 hour turnaround is something a lot of people have noticed.. the 48 hour turnaround is something a lot of people have noticed. but i got the idea that the first victiehiclictims are thos

work in bars and restaurants. >> and so that is why they said get the money out immediately. but the most striking thing is just how much the white house has changed. it was just in early march when the president was -- we had this debate whether or not the initial tranche would be $2 billion or $8 billion. and the president came out and said okay, fine, i'll do $8 billion. today we went from $850 billion to all the way to a trillion. sos speed and velocity with which this is moving is really stunning. and we should also take note of the fact that we've had a sober tone from the president, he quewent out of his way to compliment people like andrew we cou cuomo. >> and they are clear i getting information that they weren't

absorbing before. do you have a sense of what changed? >> it may be accumulative when they look at all the models. and you see where the u.s. is on track compared to say south korea and compared to italy. and when you look at those slopes, the u.s. is looking more like italy than it is looking like south korea. so as you get further away, the initial outbreak, it seems like what the worst case scenario could be. they are also getting real time economic data, they are getting it from all the cos, the commerce department, all of it is flooding in. the numbers from ohio today, initial job llsless claims, if you extrapolate it, you are talking about a million job last claims. that is something we didn't see during the financial crisis. so it seems like they are willing to throw whatever they

haved a it and any ideological debates, no he is are gone. those are gone and people will move past this. and i won't say fear, it is the imperative, but it doesn't seem like people are gawking at ideology. >> all right. lets f let's focus on what we're doing now. and mayor de blasio is talking about a shelter in place. we've already seen it in california communities. basically i felt like the president was sort of saying it yesterday when he said don't be in any groups of people of ten or more which is another way of saying hey, get out of any group settings. are we doing enough? >> i think there have been really important changes in the last week, few days.

we've seen social distancing measures being put in place around the country. from the white house, from governors across the country. so i think we're doing a lot and we're doing what we understand asia to have done to get control of their epidemic. >> you sound like you are nervous that it is certainly not even close to enough. >> i think that it is what we can do right now. i think it is the right thing to do. i think some of the measures around shelter in place and talk about mandatory confinement to moment, i'm worried about that. i'm worried about the negative consequences of that. i think that we need to have a very strong national message about -- i think the terms the white house used were good, avoiding discretionary travel, don't make trips that you don't need to. the whole idea of social

distancing is to minimize social interaction. the virus gets around from person to person. so if we diminish our contact, we'll affect the rise of the epidemic and that will have a good chance of working here. >> and zeke, i want you to respond to something dr. fauci said. take a listen. >> we don't want to get hung up on the difference between 10 and 25. i think you might agree with that. when we give guideline, they are only guidelines. we sit down, we look at the data as dr. birx said, if someone wants to do 25, we won't fault them, but if someone wants to ask us what we think is best, we stand by the numbers.

it is not precise math, plea assumpti pre-sumgtss a presumptions and data. >> i had mayadmire how he walks line. but i feel like i can hear -- read why he says i wouldn't do this and i wouldn't do that, so we know what he thinks. is the messaging clear enough from the task force or not? >> i think he is recognizing two things. you're right, one is that he is walking a fine line. and the other is that we really -- even ten is probably high, but it is an arbitrary number. i think what you heard is, look, social distancing is putting 3 feet between us and other people and that is the critical element.

now, i have to say the sheltering in place, that is probably necessary to get people's attention, but it is not necessary to fight the virus. and as i like to say, getting out of the house and i think you were getting at this, getting out of the house judiciary committee, walking around the block, as long as you are not getting close to other people, not stopping and being shoulder to shoulder and talking with them, that is probably an okay thing. and i do think tony is trying to walk the fine line in giving advice. but it is a problem with the federal government. they can make recommendations. i recognize when we had h1n1, we were good at making recommendation, but the states didn't always carry them out. and i would notice -- note for your viewers, there are a lot of states that have done almost nothing or very tepid things on this compared to states like ohio and new york and connecticut and new jersey and california and washington that have actually been very

aggressive about it. but you look at oklahoma or georgia, they haven't done much. >> and i was going to say, i noticed this this one map that we had the other day of school closures. and in the midwest, he have state that touched indiana was closing schools except indiana. so how much does it defeat the purpose of trying to create this sort of country wide isolation if not everybody participates? >> i think that it is a big problem if not everybody participates. i agree with what zeke just said. i think that we have states around the country closing schools if there are some states that either don't close or decide to take other measures that are more lax, when they have big problems in their health care system in the time

ahead because they allowed transmission to continue for too long, the problems will spill into all states. if there are too many critical care patients in state "a," then state "b" is doing the best it,state "a's" patients need to be cared for by state "b." so there needs to be a national strategy that we all get on the same page and it has to be explained in a that people in the midwest and west understand it, it is a mess a think for everybody. >> and go ahead, zeke.midwest a it is a mess a think for everybody. >> and go ahead, zeke. >> there is willing the reverse. say new york does a great job and reduces the number of cases but we don't do the same thing in north carolina or some other state. so new york gets down to maybe no new cases or a few new cases. and then travelers in north carolina will be going to new york unless we have this

national effort. so that is where leadership from washington really matters. that is why getting on the phone with every governor and calling out governors who haven't done it or urging all of them to really begin the social distancing in earnest is critical. a systemic effort is critical. >> anyway to predict when the peak is going to hit? we heard governor cuomo said that he thought they were 45 days away from their peak obviously that is based on a certain set of models that they are looking at. when we're preparing for a hurricane, we know within an hour or so when it is hill hit ashore. do we know within a couple weeks when the surge at hospitals will hit?do we know within a couple s when the surge at hospitals will hit?ashore. do we know within a couple weeks when the surge at hospitals will hit? >> no wi, but one example is wh

happened in wuhan. things were getting worse and worse in the first week of january and toward late january, they implemented very dramatic social distancing measures, some of which we would not be able to take here but many of which we can and are going to. and their peak was a few weeks later. that is optimistic. but i think that it is something that -- it is basically not the end of the year. on the other hand, china has not let up on many of its measures. so not to say this if they let up things won't come back with a fury. it is hard to see and i don't think that people can predict that. >> and i noticed that taiwan just had a jump again after they thought they had brought this under control. they saw a jump, so now there is concern that maybe they weren't as successful as they thought.

zeke, handle for me this final question. how blind are we for our lack of testing? >> yes, we're flying blind. and the media has been very good about emphasizings fa the fact we need better data and you can't get the better data without doing the testing and without having it widespread. so that is critical. i would say so your last point, we have an article in the "new york times" this is up right now which looks at the future. and i think if you look at when would yuhan started, it is real about eight weeks before it comes way down. so places that are saying that we are suspending school for two weeks, that is unrealistic. we have to begin thinking that we won't change things before may 15th or june 1. and as you pointed out, and we

say in this article, it is not flattening the curve. it is more like the roller coaster. we'll go down and then we'll ease up and it will go back up and we'll have social distancing and go down again. and that is what people have to begin thinking about. it is really not one and done. and i think that unfortunately not communicating the right message to everyone. >> you know, with every day that this goes by, i think that we hear grimmer and grimmer news. everything that we shahear is w you say, which is this is not going away anytime soon. hopefully they are humps and not peaks. thank you all very much. up ahead, the massive shutdowns, curfew. >> endeployh, curfew. >> endeployie >> endeployneven deploying the l

guard to get the attention of everybody. we'll talk to the governor of 345er land about his plans for his state next. and later, the white house plan to put cash in the pockets of americans as soon as possible. we'll talk to a top economist whether this trillion dollar plan is the right way to go. ionr plan is the right way to go. ♪ you should be mad they gave this guy a promotion. you should be mad at forced camaraderie. and you should be mad at tech that makes things worse.

but you're not mad, because you have e*trade, who's tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad. get e*trade's simplified technical analysis. everon april 1st counts.home my aunt and uncle who live with us, count. my mom's best friend whose been living with us? she counts. my new baby sister? she counts. shape your future. start here. complete the census at 2020census.gov

our retirement plan with voya gives us confidence... ...so we can spend a bit today, knowing we're prepared for tomorrow. wow, do you think you overdid it maybe? overdid what? well planned, well invested, well protected. voya. be confident to and through retirement.

quewelcome back. governor hogan announced a delay in his state's primary. this is the latest step to try to stop the spread of the virus in his state. maryland has already closed all bars and restaurants except for take outorders. but they are open in neighboring virginia. and governor hogan is joining me now. governor, forgive me if i'm overreading your tone, but i got

the impression that you are frustrated with the residents. i get it, because when i drove into the office and there is a lot of people that i feel like are tritie i treating this like sunday afternoon day off. >> well, actually, i was a little frustrated with things going on over the weekend with the st. patrick's day celebrations which is why we took unprecedented actions yesterday to shut down all the wars and restaurants and all the things that you just mentioned because we had put out a directive and recommendation statewide last week which almost everybody ignored and so we made it a direct difference undwith full force of law. and i think people are now taking it more seriously. diffe full force of law. and i think people are now taking it more seriously.differ full force of law. and i think people are now taking it more seriously. we clashed we declared a state of emergency

and took more actions and likely will be taking more actions tomorrow as this crisis continues to evolve as we have talked, not daily but hourly or minute by minute. and we're all trying to makes decisions as fast as we can to do whatever we can for flatten out that curve. >> and i bruought up -- nobody wants to back seat drive another state's decision. but do you feel like your order would be more effective if virginia followed suit? >> well, look, i think some of the things that we took action on people did follow right behind. so after we did close the schools, half the states i think closed their schools. yesterday when i decided to close all the bars and restaurants, just a few hours later the mayor of washington, d.c. followed our directive. and it certainly would be more helpful if 4-- i don't want t

second guess my friend, but it would be able easier if we were all on the same page. and it is not finger pointing, but i think that even is taking the actions they believe are necessary to protect the people in their states. and we all have to work together. >> and the state of north carolina today closed down access to the outer banks for nonresidents essentially. if you live there, you can get there. but again, a sort of another step in trying to discourage sort of public traveling. you fwoot t got the eastern shore. have you contemplated that? >> we haven't contemplated that, but today we made recommendations, we took pretty serious actions with respect to all of our -- the marc trance system and all of the trains and buses throughout maryland where we have cut service and restricted access and we made those recommendations to metro. the washington metropolitan area again talking about our leaders

together with washington, d.c. and virginia. and metro adopted those recommendations. and we'll be taking some pretty serious actions with tors limre limiting people on metro which is critically important. we're going everything that we can. these are very disruptive kinds of decisions. but they are absolutely necessary to save lives. >> you're having to make the decisions. congress will have the opportunity to deal with our economic fallout on this. you've heard the idea of direct cash payments as soon as possible. do you have anything specific that you hope they don't forget in these massive packages? >> look, i think that it is great that our leaders in washington on both sides of the aisle are coming together, that folks from the administration and democrats and republicans in congress, i think it is a great sign that even is working together to try to think about and fix these problems.

the governors, you know, on the charp of a chair of the gorsuchs association, we're working with our colleagues. we've had three meetings in a row with all the governors together on the phone talking with one another and sharing ideas. i think the steps on the economic stimulus are good. the states are doing similar kinds of things in their states. we're taking action that should be passed today in our legislature to address some of that, but pushing some of those dollars out to the states as quickly as possible because in addition to health risk and saving lives and keeping people safe, there will be some tremendous economic damage and people losing their damage and unemployment benefits and helping small businesses, these are things we're all working on. >> and you declared your primary is delayed. and i'm sure you won't be alone. and are you at all open to

implementing all mail voting? at least no the generfor the ge election. >> and our state board elections was not capable of getting that done in time for april, but we're open to all suggestions. we're trying to make sure that everybody has their most basic fundamental right of making sure that we count every vote which is critically important, but we also don't want thousands of people in the polling places when we've limited interaction. so we took action to figure it out rather than rush a primary when we didn't have participation and we were driving thoughts of people into senior centers and schools that we already ordered closed. so we have to figure it out in

the coming months. >> and having to do with preparations being overrun, do you want the military to be opening m.a.s.h. units to be starting that planning now for any needs that you might have in your state? >> so last week we talked about fact that yes, we do believe that -- the doctor you had on earlier was talking about some of these issues. she is on our state of maryland emergency response team and along with other really smart folks. they are giving us all the modeling. we are taking steps to ramp up 6,000 additional beds in maryland in our own and trying to talk about things like opening unclop closed hospitals. we need help from the federal government, but we are also pushing forward with the maryland plan and i want answers as quickly as possible with how with ramp up.

because we'll have serious demands on the system and if we don't flatten out the curve, it is somewhat catastrophic the numbers we're looking at. >> governor hogan, thank you sir for coming on and sharing this important information. stay healthy. a lot more on voting by mail coming up and the white house is planning to go big on economic stimulus. does the hill agree? but first an idea that the white house coronavirus task force hopes really takes off. >> i really want to applaud the private sector who are now creating senior only shopping times. i think that that is extraordinary. i think that shows what america brings. and i think other countries will learn from us about how to really protect seniors in this type of way. ok everyone! our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition... for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure.

with nine grams of protein and twenty-seven vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. i was drowning in credit card debt. sofi helped me pay off twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights

to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪ unlike ordinary memory wsupplements-neuriva? has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try neuriva for 30 days and see the difference. dad, i'm scared. ♪ it's only human to care for those we love. and also help light their way. it's why last year chevron invested over $10 billion to bring affordable, reliable, ever cleaner energy to america. ♪

we're going big. the expression we could do it two way, keep going back every day or every week, we're going big. and that is where mitch mcconnell, that is the way he wants to go, that is the way i want to go. we want to get it done and have big infusion as opposed to going new little meetings every couple of days. don't want to do that, want to go big. >> and go big is the new message from the white house as congress s considers another relief

package. steve mnuchin says that they are pushing a $1 trillion package. mitch mcconnell says his chamber will not leave town until the next phase is agreed upon. and this is on top of the built passed last night in the house. >> a number of my members think that there are considerable shortcomings in the house bill. my counsel to them is to gag and vote for it anyway even if they think it has some shortshortcom. >> and from 30,000 feet, i'm looking that i could see how they will get the trillion dollar package together fairly quickly. and then i saw a release from elizabeth warren about her list of, okay, this is what each company needs to pledge to do. and i'm thinking this is going to be a mess. what say you?

>> well, the bigger the package, the more complicated it is. and that has always been the man take of republicans. they seem to have changed their tune lately. now they are supporting out behind the idea of a trillion dollar package. i asked mitch mcconnell, at what point did republicans say that they could finally get on board with something so massive. and he said, well, when extraordinary -- we have to do extra ordinary things in extra ordinary times. but mcconnell is also not having any insight at this point with his democratic colleagues. i asked him if he would have a

task force and he said not at this point. and the dnls hademocrats have t ideas too. so it will be a bit of a mess. a trillion dollars is not -- you can't get done anything quickly with a trillion dollars. >> and even if they talk about bailouts for specific industries. but i did see a number $250 billion might be the hard number on cash payments maybe for the month of april. is that something that they would do quicker, you know? i know that the president said that he doesn't want go through a series of bills but you and i both know that we will. can they get money for april bui bills? that has to be the focus here. >> that is possible. nothing has been decided yet. but we know that secretary mnuchin and other administration officials spoke to senate republicans in a closed door lunch todaynd that was their message, they said if you act fast, then we can get checks out

by the end of april. that is still six from now, but things take time. and they still have to pass the house bill as well. >> and i get the sense that the leadership in both parties knows that they have to move quickly, but they don't have the rank and file there yet. >> i think that they are there, but they have their open ideas. so what is complicated is getting somebody on the same page. so while people want to make sure that help is out the door quickly, it is just, you know, devil is in the details as always. >> all right. i beg schumer and mcconnell

xra create your task force together. stop having party lunches. thank you very much. up next, we'll talk to an economist who helped guide the country out of the 2008 financial crisis. crisis ♪ gotcha... you're going down. ♪ introducing the all-new sonata with remote smart parking assist. ♪ have a good day. and hyundai digital key. a better way to stay one step ahead. a clear plan for retirement to help cover the essentials, as well as all the things you want to do. because when you have a retirement partner who gives you clarity at every step, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward.

doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. >> tech: don't wait for a chip like this to crack your whole windshield. with safelite's exclusive resin, you get a strong repair that you can trust. plus, with most insurance a safelite repair is no cost to you. >> customer: really?! >> singers: safelite repair, safelite replace.

that's ensure max protein, with high protein and 1 gram sugar. it's a sit-up, banana! bend at the waist! i'm tryin'! keep it up. you'll get there. whoa-hoa-hoa! 30 grams of protein, and one gram of sugar. ensure max protein.

is this nthis is a norm nor economic question. the president is determined to that you can think of this business interruption money. the president is determined that we will put money back into this economy to protect hard working americans and small businesses. >> welcome back. the markets did rebound today with the dow up more than 1,000 points on the heels of the white house plans for what will be a

massive estimate husbastimulus . now with a look at the lessons that he took away from previous plans, austan goolsbee. good to see you. the conversation that i planned to have with you became moot because you have been an advocate of this tax deal but now it is cash first, infuse with cash and then worry with stimulus later. so is everybody on the same page now? >> feels like that, but who knows. one day is forever in this business. so we got at least two forevers to figure out whether that is going to stick. i think some of this has given me hot flashes back, you know, to our time with the great recession and the financial delay sis.

and i think that there is two lessons maybe to remember from that. there are many lesson, but two that i think is that they will find out are relevance. number one is if you are going to go specific -- bailout specific industries which it sounds like $50 billion just to the airlines and some to casinos and something like that, if you don't have a framework to explain why these guys get money and these ones do not, and if you don't pay close attention to what is going to be demanded and what will be expected, that those companies will do with the money, so if you just hand them money and then they layoff a bunch of people after that or pay out bonuses to 24e78s themsr that kind thing, therele an huge backlash by the tax bayers.

and you can try to end is cash out as fast as possible. and i do think that we want to do everything we can to prevent a temporary shock from turning into something permanent. but the thing is, if you give out a whole bunch of money and it doesn't move the needle, which i think is a danger if you haven't gotten a handle on the public health part of the crisis, again, huge potential of backlash of people who say why are we talking about stimulus, we just spent x hundred billion dollars and nothing happened. so we need to think about the timing. >> and in fact you wouldn't be talking stimulus yet, right? you believe that number one it is sort of like fight the virus, number two, fight the economic panic that is coming with fighting the virus meaning sheltering in place. and you are out of work for six

weeks you can't get -- you can't do your job if let's say you work in a service industry. and then when we get back up and running, start the stimulus talk? >> yeah, kind of -- no, i would call what i'm for definitely i'm for stimulus. but when you get to tax cut version of stimulus, i think that you have to september settle down the virus economic time first. anything to spread the virus is the best thing to do for the health and the economy. >> elizabeth warren has already raised the issue and i think it is an issue that others will raise too, of if we're going to hand money to? some of these industry, we better make sure that they are

not just furloughing people and buying back shares.better make not just furloughing people and buying back shares.industry, we that they are not just furloughing people and buying back shares. would you tie the hands the industries and say you couldn't layoff for a year or furlough for six months? >> for sure you'd want to put in restrictions on share buybacks and paying out of dividends and what could you -- are they allowed to pay the coronaviruss b ceos with the money. and the federal government when it gave the money, i felt that they should have put in more conditions. but one good thing, the companies had to give them equity, so if the companies come back and are majorly profitable, it is not just like in our moment of need we took your money and now we're making a n ton. >> and i think that there was

some money at a ichlaig brought. >> and on financial rescue, they paid it back by the equity. so we should be thinking about the conditions if we'll be giving money to companies. and we should start with the workers and the people who are on the front lines. >> austus austin bools gi, tha. and i'll talk with one of the centers behind the bill to exand voting by mail right after this. d voting by mail right after this. . and i'll talk with one of the centers behind the bill to exand voting by mail right after this. . and i'll talk with one of the centers behind the bill to exand voting by mail right after this. . and i'll talk with one of the centers behind the bill to exand voting by mail right after this. . and i'll talk with one of the centers behind the bill to exand voting by mail right after this. voting by mail right after this. ♪ if you have moderate to severe psoriasis...

or psoriatic arthritis, little things, can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream... ...it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable... ...with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, ...otezla is proven.... to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an... increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts.... ...or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you.

i was drowning in credit card debt. sofi helped me pay off twenty-three thousand dollars of credit card debt. they helped me consolidate all of that into one low monthly payment. they make you feel like it's an honor for them to help you out. i went from sleepless nights to getting my money right. so thank you. ♪

no matter where we call home, how we worship, or who we love. and the 2020 census is how that great promise is kept. because this is the count that informs where hundreds of billions in funding will go each year for things like education, healthcare, and programs that touch us all. complete the census online, by phone, or by mail. shape your future. start here at 2020census.gov eh, not enough fiber- chocolate would be good- snacking should be sweet and simple. the delicious taste of glucerna gives you the sweetness you crave while helping you manage your blood sugar. glucerna. everyday progress

welcome back. you know what we like to say around here. if it's tuesday, somebody is voting somewhere. and while that might not be true in the coming days and week, it is still true today. it was supposed to be primary day in ohio where some places voters did show up. and they were at -- they showed up for closed polling stations after the state postponed its primary very late last night. georgia is delaying. louisiana, kentucky and maryland have pushed back their primaries as well. and kansas just issued this statement, confirming all that registered democrats in the state will be getting a ballot in the mail ahead of the state's primary, but they want to keep going on the same date.

moments ago the dnc urged states to use a variety of methods including the mail to conduct their primaries. and avoid delaying their primaries. two democratic senators are calling on congress to pass emergency voting measures because of the outbreak, including the ability to expand voting by mail. one of the senators is ron wyden of oregon. he joins me now slechltz the first senator to be elected totally by mail-in ballot. i remember covering that special election a couple decades ago. i don't think we're that old, senator wyden. let me start with this bill. could this be implemented this year? how quickly could you get all 50 states running an election by vote by mail if this bill passed? >> chuck, first of all, what this legislation really does is upscale the status quo. virtually every state already today has an absentee ballot arrangement. so what senator klobuchar and i are doing is making available

significant amount of federal funds for states to move to ensure that this fall in the middle of the pandemic, american voters are not going to be forced between choosing between their health or voting. and we think this country has a long history of moving quickly. >> yeah. >> when big matters are at stake. this is one of them. >> it seems as if it actually isn't that difficult now. i think we've tallied up. we only have about 15 states total i think that don't do -- they make it very difficult to vote by mail. so many other states are making it easier and easier. is there an appetite in the senate to do this now, or is this seen as lower on the priority list, because frankly, there are so many other things on the priority list? >> well, certainly the health care issues are front and center. as the ranking democrat on the finance committee, for example, i'm very much involved in what's

called fmap, making sure that the states get more federal help with medicaid. >> right. >> but i do think that citizens understand that this is essential because it's about our constitutional rights. i just saw a clipping that said donald trump is going to be able to vote this way absentee. if it's good enough for donald trump, it ought to be good enough for american voters. >> what is the biggest impediment to getting this done this year? is it simply will? or do you think there are some real impediments in some of the states couldn't handle the collection process? >> i think it really is a question of political will. we do make available a significant amount of federal money to ease into the transition, and we pay for the postage. we pay for a lot of the essentials in order to get this up and running, to make sure that there are machines in order to process the ballots. i think this is a question of

political will. i think some people have always said well, vote by mail might encourage some people to vote who won't vote for us. well, right now we're talking about the states flailing around. it's just common sense for people to have this right. >> senator wyden, it is something that i think is going to get a lot more attention. well did our research. ten states allow you to do it permanently already. five are mandatory permanent. five are -- 24 others allow it. a lot of other states already do it. now maybe people are going to realize it's the time to move to this direction. >> the alternative, chuck, the chaos that you just described. >> well, look at ohio today. that's all you need to see. senator ron wyden, thanks very much, and we'll be right back. who has time for wrinkles?

neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair®. we've got the retinol that gives you results in one week. not just any retinol. accelerated retinol sa. one week is all it takes. neutrogena®. that's ensure max protein, with high protein and 1 gram sugar. it's a sit-up, banana! bend at the waist! i'm tryin'! keep it up. you'll get there. whoa-hoa-hoa! 30 grams of protein, and one gram of sugar. ensure max protein. and one gram of sugar. adds to the legendary capability of the strongest, most advanced silverados ever. with best in class camera technology and larger, more functional beds than any competitor. the only truck that can compare to a silverado is another silverado.

truck month is the right time to get behind the wheel of the chevy silverado. now, get 0% financing for 72 months plus $500 dollars cash allowance on all silverado 1500 crew cab pickups. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. build a clear plan for retirement. one that covers health care costs, taxes, and any other uncertainties. because when you're with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. try eucerin advanced repair and switch. it doubles your skin's moisture and repairs dry skin over time. so tomorrow can be a different story. eucerin - recommended and used by dermatologists. it's more than just fast. it keeps all your devices running smoothly. with built-in security that protects your kids... ...no matter what they're up to. it protects your info... ...and gives you 24/7 peace of mind... ...that if it's connected, it's protected.

even that that pet-camera thingy. [ whines ] can your internet do that? xfinity xfi can because it's... ...simple, easy, awesome. [ barking ]

so with the coronavirus causing so much chaos, you may have questions about its potential impact on how government works, on primary, on the election, on what government power is there. we're not doctors. so we're not going the answer your health questions, but we think we can answer your political and government questions. look, we want to try to answer them the best we can. tweet at us today using the #primaryquestions. download and listen to tomorrow's chuck toddcast. we want to answer as many questions as possible. we even got a bunch in our email box from technicalities about how elections are called off or redone or maybe some larger questions about the long-term impact of certain things, or

who's got jurisdiction over what when it comes to quarantines and things like that. again, these are things that we and my team love to find the answers for. so let us know. shoot us with that hash tag primary questions and we'll answer as many as we can ask. that's all tonight. good evening, ari. >> thank you, chuck. and thanks to you for joining us as we report on this coronavirus pandemic. i am ari melber. as always, we begin tonight with the facts. the coronavirus continues its spread in the united states while local and federal measures are intensifying right now to try to contain it. there are now over 5,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus nationwide, and 97 deaths. and here is one set of measurements. these 5,000 cases contributing to the market zigs and zags throughout this week, yesterday was the stock market's worst day since the 198 crash. today the dow is back up about 5%. locally there are 35 states

operating under emergency orders. now on this tuesday night, just think about how much life has already changed in one week. last tuesday, many were watching the election results arrive in a set of primaries that was building on joe biden's lead that was topped by tonight key states like ohio might nail down a lead that might make biden a nominee. tonight the primary is formally rescheduled. elections and democracy itself are giving way to this public health crisis. maryland also delaying its primary. primaries did continue with voting in florida, arizona, and illinois. that is just one sign. many other activities, of course, are giving way as well. shelter in place orders impacting over 6 million people in northern california and areas around san francisco. those are slated to run three weeks, maybe more. new york city has a mayor who is now warning that metropolis may get a similar order.

nationwide over 32 million students have already seen school interrupted. vice president pence today asking construction companies to donate respirator masks to hospitals saying the federal government is considering also activating the army corps of engineers to said up mobile field hospitals. new york mayor andrew cuomo warning the peak of this crisis in new york could still be weeks away. >> the expected peak is around 45 days. that can be plus or minus, depending on what we do. they are expecting as many as 55,000 to 110,000 hospital beds will be needed at this point. >> 45 days is a long time from now. and that is a long time for the metropolis of new york to simply hunker down be. the outlook could be longer and worse to be sure, or it could be shorter and better. because a fundamental quality of

the health crisis we're living through is all of this will depend greatly on what people do, on what you do or don't do. this isn't a flash flood or a hurricane. this is a creeping pandemic that tests various aspects of our society from our core operations like the health care and emergency response system to our information utilities, as well as our own abilities to get the facts and science, to get right in our minds about what we can do and what we should do and shouldn't do so everyone can make their own informed decisions. and let's be clear. you've heard it from public health experts. you're going to hear it on the news. some of the decisionious make could literally help save lives. now all of this also clearly testing our leadership. you know, i work in the news, so i follow this day in and day out. and i can tell you during this period of time these last few years, we are, as you know, as you've heard, living through an infamously polarized petulant political era, and right now the people who lead our government, they are being called upon,

demanded to do far more than bicker, blame, or obstruct. no, i can tell you straight up obstructing is no solution right now. it just won't cut it. the news out of washington late today is that republican senator mitch mcconnell, of course the majority leader, is pledging a vote on this brand-new bill coming out of the house on coronavirus, all of this amidst new debates about what the government can and should do. as we reported over the past few day, some ideas that were once considered too extreme or liberal are suddenly being backed and embraced even as the kind of emergency measures the united states needs. today, for example, we witnessed a conservative banker appointed by president trump out the cash payments that echo proposals by liberal presidential candidate andrew yang. >> we're looking at sending checks to americans immediately. and what we've heard from hard-working americans, many companies have now shut down, whether it's bars or restaurants, americans need cash now, and the president wants to

get cash. now and i mean now in the next two weeks. >> how much? >> i will be previewing that with the republicans. there are some numbers out there. they may be a little bit bigger than what's in the process. >> in a moment, we'll be joined by a senator than very plan and the legislation the senate is getting ready to vote on. we're also going to be joined by restauranteur and chef marcus samuelson about the hit to the restaurant industry as well as all the people who work there. we're also going to look tonight about how people around the entire world are coping, including signs of light in our culture. people live-streaming concerts and engaging with their fans, trying to give everyone things they can do, and yes, enjoy as more and more people stay home for the long-term. i want to bring in our expert panel tonight. former vermont governor howard dean who is of course a physician. dr. vin gupta, a petroleumologist and professor at the university of washington and principle scientist for amazon care. and former labor secretary robert reich whose new book is "the system: who rigged it, how

we fix it." governor dean, i begin with you at the intersection of government and medicine and your view of what we're seeing out of washington. >> well, i think the real action has been at the local and state governments. the governors have performed pretty well, regardless of party and so have the mayors and so forth. i think the federal government is still flailing around. however, they're going to -- the federal government is going to have to step up in terms of economic relief. and the economic package should look like a big cash grant to individual workers, not cash grants to companies, but cash grants to individual workers. if we're going to relieve company, committee with relieve them of some of their responsibilities to their own worker, but we ought not be injecting cash sba companies. we did that with the last tax cut and it certainly didn't raise the standard of living for most people who work for those companies. >> that point brings us right to robert reich. your views on all of that. >> i agree completely.

the real issue here is how best to help individuals. is it another form of trickle-down economics in terms of giving bailouts to industries like the airlines or do you want to get cash in people's hands as fast as possible, including paid sick leave if they don't qualify for it? >> right. >> i think there is no question that what we need to do is understand that this is a national crisis. it's a crisis for families and for individuals, and we need to get money in people's hands and not bother with the trickle-down economics. it doesn't work even in the best of circumstances. it certainly won't work now. >> on that point, robert, also listen to senator mcconnell today. >> we're trying to reach an agreement among ourselves as to what senate republicans and the administration, they were doing next. with regard to the bill that came over from the house, there was some discussion about

whether to amend that, with a bigger proposal, because we all know a bigger proposal is necessary. but i've decide we're going to go on and vote as soon as the senate can. >> vote as soon as the senate can, robert. i wonder if you could unpack that for us, what it means to have the republicans in the senate. they're looking at urgency, wanting to do with the democratic proposal and expound a bit on what you said about helping regular americans at a time when it seems for many, and there is more than one angle here, we'll get to the doctor in a moment, but for many, it seems like a bit of reliving a nightmare where a bad thing happens and sometimes the rush is to help the corporations first. >> well, that's the big issue. mitch mcconnell last week before he left for a very long weekend said he was not interested in this democratic -- these democratic proposals coming from the house because it was doctrinair

doctrinaire, it was another way the democrats were using to get democratic ideas into enactment. but i think and i hope that the republicans in the senate have changed their tune. now i don't think anybody is dreaming of having permanent paid sick leave or permanent paid family leave or permanent cash assistance to anybody, but in this emergency, temporary relief is necessary and i think the entire congress should be able to come together over it. >> doctor, bring you into the conversation. a, what do you see as the practical link between the economic situation and whether people ask can literally afford to forgo work and stay home and how that affects people in different situations. and then b, especially given where you are in one of the epicenters of seattle, what are you seeing on the ground? what do people need to know? >> well, i think you're touching on a point that we haven't talked enough about which is the psychological toll on mental health that i'm seeing amongst

my patients. amongst health providers. the petroleumologists that i work with. the psychological impact because people aren't able to go to work, because we're social distancing, because we're taking agency away from patients. my patient with copd who has had 30-pack year history of smoking, let's empower you to care for yourself. here now we're saying help your neighbor. disempowering patients, saying we have to distance ourselves, this is all interconnected, the economics and its effects on public health. i will say in seattle one of the things that is now happening across the country is do we have enough icu bed capability? what is the role of the military, our national guard? i'm a former military reservist. i can say one of the unique capabilities of the medical corps in the military reserves is the ability to build up a

hospital -- a makeshift hospital anywhere in a hotel, in a college dormitory or a military base. well need to think about increasing icu surge capacity. because in places like seattle, we're filling up. and we don't have enough respirators. well don't have enough beds. >> you mentioned that there are examples from italy where that very discussion has played out. beds, icu, and changing normal policies to address this abnormal situation. take a listen to an interview on "the new york times" podcast. so it's audio about some of this with a doctor there. >> when you have few beds for many people, the age is absolute the opposite. if you're 85, i give the bed to another one who is 45. >> because 45-year-old is more likely to benefit from the icu bed than the 80-year-old. so you're saying all the normal

rules have to be thrown out the window? >> absolutely. all the country will have to deal with this. but it's difficult to tell people that if you are 80, you will never have the icu bed. >> doctor, how about that? >> you know, we struggle with counselling patients on end of life already. palliative care, end of life conversations are already so challenging. now we're saying we may have to ration ventilators potentially if it comes to pass here what's already happening in lombardi. we have no frame of reference as physicians, i can speak as an intensiveness on how to handle that situation, much less our patients and their families on how to receive that. it's incredibly complicated. there is no frame of reference, and i only hope that we can start preparedness efforts now to avoid that.

>> governor, you kicked us off tonight mentioning the fact that many local leaders and governors have done a decent job with the tough hand they've been dealt, but we're still at the front end of this, and obviously, different places will have to make different localized assessments based on the threat they have, but also the challenges they have. take a listen to mayor de blasio in new york today who like the new york governor was striking a tone that makes you think one of the biggest cities in the world is going to be effectively shut down for potentially a very long time. take a listen. >> when i hear you say months and use the terms april, may, june, what that you're thinking? >> oh, absolutely. even longer in fact. >> that's how long? >> my health commissioner said a week ago she believes it will go all the way to september. >> san francisco has last night ordered a shelter in place edict. for the whole bay area. would new york consider something like that?

>> we're absolutely considering that. we're going to look at all other option, and it could get to that for sure. >> governor, your thoughts about those approaches from a medical perspective. and is this a situation, i mentioned in the introduction a week ago people were following these primaries and still public officials, experts were not necessarily expecting we'd be where we ra today. is it your view that the best thing is to effectively react as much as possible now and you can all of the sudden scale back these measures? or how do you view it? >> well, there are three things. first, to get to the shelter in place, we've talked about flattening the curve. this is how the chinese did it. they just a were actually autocratic about it which we can't be as autocratic, and this is how they did it. and they did flatten the curve. they're now seeing a decrease in the number of cases reported. second, i'm interested in why we can't convert some of these very vacant cruise ships into floating hospitals instead of building temporary hospitals.

thirdly, there is a medical personnel issue. we have to figure out how we're going the staff these. let's say we did convert 40 or 30 cruise ships along the eastern and western seaboards of the united states coast to hospitals and committee we could somehow supply them with ventilators, we'd still have a medical personnel issue for taking care of these kind of folks. so what de blasio is talk about is essential. it's going to happen. it's very tough. but stopping the spread is what we have to do now pending the arrival of a vaccine which is at least 12, most optimistic and probably 18 months away. >> robert, what is the economic precedent for what we're talk about if there is this level of closures running this long across the country? what are you liken it to? >> well, there are very few analogs, ari. we don't really know the economics of the 1918 pandemic.

the 2008 great recession where this started in 2008 really is not an appropriate analog. it's not nearly like this. because that was a fairly classic case in which there was a demand side problem, a big, big demand side problem. we had basically a debt buckle burst. but now we have a world pandemic. we can see it coming. we know what that curve looks like that, exponential curve. we've seen what it can do in europe. well see that it's about 45 days away, and as a result, our economy is shutting down. it should shut down. that's the appropriate response. it's going to cause a lot of hardship. well need to deal with that hardship, but we also need to take all steps necessary to protect lives. lives come before the economy. >> you put it starkly, but with

humanity with regard to why the economy has to shut down. my special thanks to robert reich and dr. gupta. i should mention governor and dr. dean stays with the broadcast. we have a lot more in this show tonight, and a lot obviously of important aspects to get to. why one top health expert in the nation is actually worried about nurses and caregivers on our front lines. meanwhile, the growing concerns that some still are not being serious enough about what you can do, including staying home. we have senator jeff merkley on that, and of course the developments in washington. and later, we're going to do something special that which we think is important. we're joined by renowned restaurant worker about restaurant workers and staff need the same kind of help we're seeing big corporation get, and also tonight, this. ♪ tell the coronavirus decline, i'll stay home with you ♪

>> stay home with john legend. stay home with msnbc. stay home any where you can, if that is what experts are telling you in your communities. we're going dig in to how cultural leaders and artists are making staying home little bit better. i'm ari melber. you're watching "the beat" on msnbc. with red lobster to go, you can enjoy the seafood you love from the comfort of home... if it ever makes it there. spend $30 and get free delivery at red lobster dot com. if it ever makes it there.

♪ ♪ wherever we want to go, autosave your way there with chase. chase. make more of what's yours. sure, principal is a fibut think of us as a "protect your family as it grows" company. a "put enough away for college" company. and a "take care of your employees" company. we're a "help you ride the ups and downs of the market" company. and when it's time to retire, we're a "we've been guiding you toward this all along" company. think of us as all these companies, and more. principal. retirement. investments. insurance. when youyou spend lessfair, and get way more. so you can bring your vision to life and save in more ways than one.

for small prices, you can build big dreams, spend less, get way more. shop everything home at wayfair.com text on america's best 4g lte networks for $20? unlimited talk? i like that! because on sundays you know i gotta talk to mama, then on... this is your wake-up call, people. the new tracfone wireless. now you're in control. the new tracfone wireless. shouldn't you pay less when now you can. data? because xfinity mobile gives you more flexible data. you can choose to share data between lines, mix with unlimited, or switch it up at any time. all on the most reliable wireless network. which means you can save money

without compromising on coverage. get more flexible data, the most reliable network, and more savings. plus, get $300 off when you buy a new samsung galaxy s20 ultra. that's simple. easy. awesome. call, click or visit a store today. major developments as lawmakers on capitol hill are still trying to come to grips

with all the ways to deal with coronavirus. majority leader mitch mcconnell says the senate will vote as soon as possible on the house democrats' coronavirus bill and then work on a larger package. he also said he has a message for republicans who might not like what was in this democratic bill. >> the number of my members think there were considerable shortcomings in the health bill. my counsel to them is to gag and vote for it anyway, even if they think it has some shortcomings. >> i'm joined now by u.s. senator jeff merkley of oregon which has 47 confirmed cases of coronavirus. thanks for joining us. for americans who are watching and keeping track of a dizzying array of developments, let's focus in on what the congress is doing. what is in your view the important parts of this new bill? and what do you say to what robert reich and others had mentioned higher in the broadcast that there is concern about whether you all in congress are getting this right,

the emphasis on workers, on regular people versus the constant calls to help or bail out corporations? >> absolutely. if we turn the clock back a week and a half, the bill was about cranking up the medical infrastructures. that was 8.3 billion. some call that covid 1. and then 2 is directly looking at families, families first, unemployment insurance, sick leave, providing stronger food network and program to assist people. so that interestingly has been attacked by some republicans as saying it doesn't go far enough on the sick leave, and they're right. and we actually had to dial back some of what the house wanted to do at the request of the white house. so there may be democrats and republicans coming together to say we need to do a stronger bill on some of the fundamentals for families in the third bill, which is primarily in the framework of economic stimulus. but it's certainly also going to

part of that will be producing more medical supplies. part of it will be more help to families and then some serious investments that stimulate the economy. >> the president has been discussing all of this. here he was today. take a listen. >> by making shared sacrifices and temporary changes, we can protect the health of our people, and committee with protect our economy, because i think our economy will come back very rapidly. so it's 15 days from yesterday. we'll see what happens after that. if we do this right, our country and the world frankly, but our country can be rolling again pretty quickly. pretty quickly. circumstances that right? >> well, if he is trying to say after 15 days the economy is going to come surging back, no, that's not right. we're in for certainly a month, two months, a longer period of time, three months to hit the

peak of this. and we see companies going down left and right. my phone is inundated by small businesses that are going under as the customers disappear. so the rebound is going to be very hard. it is why we have to be here, and we cannot leave this building until we get both the second passage, the families package and the third package, the economic stimulus passed. >> so you mentioned those three waves. when you look at what's happening in oregon, you're right next to washington. >> we covered as one of the hard hit areas. snaffle to your south has shelter in place going on. what happens to people in small businesses, industries where they're being told to stay home from work? they're waiting on what you just mentioned, the bills. but they don't know whether there is going to be a job for them when they get back? >> no, that's right. and there is tremendous anxiety about this. and that's why the stimulus bill really has to focus on the

bottom up. if we turn the clock back to look at happen had after the crash of 2008-2009, it was top-down strategy. it was a wall street-driven strategy. this needs to be a families first and small business building up from there. so we're going have to give a lot of assistance in grants to small businesses, in loans to small businesses, to reimbursing them when they pay sick leave to employees, strengthening unemployment insurance so their workers are not going under while they're prepared to come back. and so that is the foundation there will -- there will be some conflict over this. we'll hear more top-down strategies coming from republicans, but we have to resist that and through the fundamentals we know the top-down doesn't work. let's go from the families and small business up. >> senator jeff merkley, thank you very much for joining us from capitol hill. we appreciate it.

>> you're very welcome, ari. >> appreciate it. when we come back in 30 seconds, we have an obama health official who has a very special new campaign launching. that's when we come back. ♪ ♪ welcome back. on our broadcast tonight, we covered all the big health care facts at the top of the show. we talked about the economy, and we just heard from washington. so that's many different aspects. but what about what you and any

individual person can do? well, as you know, if you've been watching the news, we hear a lot about flattening the curve. why? well, it's all about avoiding overwhelming our health care system. so social distancing, to use the term that we've heard so much about, avoiding large groups, avoiding socializing if you don't have to out in public is a way to protect yourself but also make choices that are likely to benefit the most vulnerable in our society so, we don't give the virus to others who are also at risk. now my next guest, andy slavid was a health official in the obama administration and he just started the campaign in the #stay home. join with leaders to stay home if you can. it's one of the best things people can do. by the way, for those resisting we've seen some people in brooklyn to use that phrase to push or shame some passerbys by shouting from their balconies. >> go home!

>> we bring bring in andy slavid, and back with news a moment will be dr. dean. andy, what is your campaign about? and why is it important to go beyond the requirements and the rules into what you're doing, which is trying to actually affect sort of the social culture? >> since when have we ever had the future of our country so much in our own hands where we each of us can literally, literally affect how many people will live or die? there is a factor today that if you get the coronavirus, and let's just remind ourselves, none of us have an immune system for it. so this is a novel virus. it passes invisibly. it stays on surface. we won't know when we had it for a long time. so the average person passes it to over two people per person. that's if we live our normal lives. but what if we didn't? what if we all said we're going

to adjust our lifestyle for a short period of time and not do that? what that would mean? and i recognize that it sounds challenging and for some, particularly the younger people who have never really been sick before, or it sounds like the flu, this is hard to believe, but it will literally make the difference of potentially hundreds of thousands and as anthony fauci put it, potentially millions of people surviving when we get through this. we will get through this. the only question at the end of it is how many people will survive. and the government has a role to play and medical workers and the front line have a huge role to play. but we all have an enormous opportunity if we just simply #stayhome. and i think the exciting thing is there will be a lot of positivity that will come from this and a lot of creativity that can come from this. this is not just about a banishment. this is going to be about a temporary adjustment. >> yeah, you just referred to

how we think about it, andy. you know, when we say stay home, save live, you're implying that something relatively simple can be a public service. how important is it to help people think about this as an opportunity or something good? i think we can all be motivated by the idea we can do something good for each other during this tough time even if it sounds so simple or basic, which is different than the language and rhetoric and thus the mood around you can't go anywhere, you have to stay home and make it feel like detention. >> it's really important. i've talked to some of the leading artists in this country, musician otherwise, they're going to be putting on concerts for people in their hoechlts i think we're going have cooks and chefs that are going to teach cooking lass. i think we have the opportunity to go outdoors and walk around

and walk through the park. what we can't do is hang out and congregate in the bars and restaurants we're used to. >> yeah. >> but we built all of these slack capabilities and all of the video capabilities for some period of time, and we don't know how long, we should snuggle in and get comfortable. >> will you raise -- >> go ahead. >> one, and this predates coronavirus, this is the dividing line between people of whether you like cooking shows at a distance or not. i always find it trust rate. there is going to be a lot of emphasize on watching the food get prepared. i tend to want to eat it. i know there are huge top chef fans throughout who disagree. you've outed yourself on that. two, the more serious part is how this is getting through. this really depends on where you live and what your life is like. we've shown so many places where life is fundamentally changed, but not every place, which i

know is exactly why you're doing this work. so i want to get your response and then dr. dean's to this local report we saw out of clearwater beach. take a look. >> oh, wow. >> a lot of people. think that the beaches are being impacted here by coronavirus, by covid-19 and by the new cases that are emerging here in florida, this is clearwater beach here. >> that looks like clearwater. >> clearwater beach, florida, andy has not gotten your memo. >> yeah. so we have a 21-year-old, an 18-year-old, and they're home. they've invented indoor golfing games and all kinds of things. but we're going to need people who are gamers and other kinds of people to really get the message to these people. as i got to the studio my wife sent me a text. she drove by two parks. they were filled with kids and parents. now the kids, 90% of kids, we know this isn't dangerous for kids, but what's important to emphasize is 90% of them are asymptomatic. which means they're little

carriers. imagine what happens if some of those kids are playing with kids whose parents are doctors and nurses? if we lose 10% of our medical workforce, which has happened in some areas in northern italy, that means that there are another 10% of the population of a health care system that already will not be able to handle what hits it that will not be able to care for people. literally stop that. just stop that. just stop going to that park for a month and do something else. >> dr. dean? >> he's right. there is two big failings that we've had so far. one is not testing. because the truth is we don't know how about how sick this makes you, morbidity and mortality. we don't know what the death rate really is because we don't know how many asymptomatic people there are out there. the south koreans have done a really good job on it. this is what i said in the last segment. this is how the chinese brought their considerable epidemic

under some control, and that is by keeping people at home. now we're not going to do that in an authoritarian way, the way the chinese can, but it has to happen. one of the things you saw in the clearwater, this is spring break. there are a lot of kids who go down. and when kids are young, and they maybe have a lot to drink, they don't really care about anybody else but themselves. i think i was probably one of those kids when i was that age. but the fact is somebody is -- >> you want to talk more than? your party period? >> i do not. >> governor dean? >> as george w. bush said, my irresponsible youth is my irresponsible youth. but some of those kids are going to go home and go visit their grandmother and their grandmother will be dead in two weeks. this is a very dangerous disease with a fairly high mortality rate. with edon't know exactly what it is, but we know it's maybe a thousand times what the mortality rate is for a 20-year-old. so that's why this is so important. we have to make it -- we have to make it cool to do the right

thing for the rest of the country. >> i think both of you definitely make such an important point about that. and we're also talking about the difference which goes to all medicine and science, the difference between experience and knowledge, which is to say young people may have the experience of oh, i don't think this really affects me or my friends, and i can live my life. and that is true as far as it goes. it doesn't go far enough. to andy's point, the knowledge tells us than wider risk rate and our societal obligations. i want you both to stay with me. we've hit the serious stuff. i want to share something else that is science related but sweepsta somewhat more hopeful. yesterday on this show we spoke to the very first volunteer to receive the test shot of a potential, potential coronavirus vaccine. >> all of us, i know we feel so helpless, like what can we do? and i am so excited that there was actually something i could do, and i did it. and i'm doing it.

and i am so proud of myself and so thankful for the privilege that i have that allows me to do this. >> and some of you have been weighing in, responding thank you for the bravery of the people participating in these type of vaccine tests, another writing thank you for considerable courage and praising that selfless act. andy, we obviously want to be clear. we reported last night and i'll reiterate today when i talk about the research for vaccines and cures, we're talk about something far away. we're not talking about something you can bet on and be less vigilant this month. having said that, what is your view of these ongoing tests? because we're seeing them as part of the long-term process. >> sure. look, i think giving people things to be hopeful about is important. i think giving things people can act on is also important. i will say we've made a huge step towards making it cool to stay home with dr. dean, governor dean and myself, which i think really represent cool to

many americans i'm sure. but i think you have a situation where the way this virus dies down is two factors. one is what's called herd immunity, which how many of us get the disease and are immune from it. and second is how many people does a sick person infect. and you have to reduce the number that sick people infect while you grow the herd immunity. we will probably in many parts of the country, because it's going the wave through the country in different times, many parts of the country could receive enough herd immunity to start seeing cases reduce well before we have a vaccine. does that mean the vaccine is not important? absolutely not, because there will still be people who can get -- who can get it, just like they get the flu. and long-term, we hope this becomes another thing you can get a vaccine for this. is going to be a year that is going to be very hard, very challenging, largely because we've never seerexperienced anyg

like it before. medicine and science will catch up to this big boy. mean time, it's on us. it's on us. >> yeah, all great points and that intersection between what we can do now and thinking about the future. andy slavitt and dr. dean, thanks to both of you. up ahead, we're going to look at the potential devastation on such an important industry in american life, the bars and restaurants. states shutting them down completely. we're going to be joined by the owner of an iconic establishment up in harlem, when we come back. . you should be mad your neighbor always wants to hang out. and you should be mad your smart fridge is unnecessarily complicated. make ice. making ice. but you're not mad because you have e*trade which isn't complicated. their tools make trading quicker and simpler so you can take on the markets with confidence. don't get mad get e*trade and start trading commission free today.

don't get mad get e*trade and start trading if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, little things can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated... ...with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression... ...or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection

and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. that liberty mutual customizes your insurance, i just love hitting the open road and telling people so you only pay for what you need! [squawks] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ th time, comes change. that's for sure. and when those changes might help more people especially those in retirement i think it's worth talking about san francisco and bay area home values are up an average of 269% that appreciation could help pay for your retirement. if you've had your home for a while it's probably worth a lot more today. so... why not use that appreciation for anything you need? maybe it's some home repairs or updates to make it more comfortable so you can stay in the place you love. bay area homeowners

learn how your neighbors are accessing hundreds of thousands of dollars with a reverse mortgage loan from the bay area's number one lender. the good news is many of us are living much longer but you know what that means our retirement savings are being stretched over more time that's where your home's equity can help. call now aag is working to make your retirement better. just today the white house unveiled an economic stimulus plan that would provide roughly $60 billion for the airline and cruise industry, although many have been arguing it doesn't do enough for regular workers, for people battling health care-related bankruptcy or student debt. plus, the restaurant industry as a whole gets no bailout under this plan. one restaurant tear in new york saying the entire crisis for the industry is actually, quote, worse than after 9/11.

quarantine policies and closures forcing restaurants and bars all over the nation to close. this is an incredible stress on the owners, on the waiters, on the cooks and on the bartenders. >> it will be harder for our servers, our hosts, our back of the house because they're not going have any income for the next three weeks. >> one, it's going to hurt the economy so much. and two, we're going to have tons of people filing for unemployment. >> it's devastating on so many level. >> most people live paycheck to paycheck, right? we're mom and pops. we're small business. we count on every day, every week. >> we're talking about small and local businesses all around the country. so to get into this and not just do the national news that we've been doing for much of the hour, i want to talk to one person who really knows this world. marcus samuelsson joins me by phone. see the owner and head chef of the popular red rooster restaurant in harlem, new york. in fact, we happened to speak to voter there's at the democratic primary. well were at that flagship location just last month. he is an entrepreneur and an expert on this industry and

knows a lot of people affected. thanks for hopping on the line. >> thank you so much, ari, for having me. and, you know, it's unbelievable that just a month ago, we were here, you were here with your team at red rooster. and so much as changed just in a couple of weeks. >> yes. it's something that has affected so many people. but when you look at outside of the initial folks who are dealing with, of course, the actual health crisis, patience, health care workers, et cetera. >> yes. >> when you see who is affected most in business, there is a lot of people who could lose their jobs over this, which is a significant disruption that they did no -- they did nothing to cause, obviously. >> no. >> walk us through what you're seeing on the front lines in terms of the problem. >> absolutely. well, first of all, our community is in a huge crisis. this is the toughest thing that we've ever dealt with.

and this bailout has to reach the restaurant community, the worker, the small businesses and not just big businesses. every time there is a bailout, it reaches huge businesses, big businesses, and that's important too. but the restaurant industry employees over 15 million people. and just as much people live paycheck to paycheck so, does small businesses. so does restaurants. and we need the bailout to really reach the cooks, the dishwasher, the server, the bartenders. this is a huge crisis. i don't see -- in harlem through red rooster, we employ over 180 people. there are so many different communities are impacted on this, right? the people supplies of vegetables. the people supplies of fish and meat and so on, and everyone. when a restaurant shurkts when a neighborhood restaurant shuts, they affect so many more people

can imagine. >> let me ask you, marcus, from your expertise, as i imagine you're a restauranteur involved in several restaurants. >> yeah. >> what is the amount of time that a typical restaurant in a typical part of the united states can stay closed before they have to look at layoffs or even other more drastic measures? >> traditionally, it is a low margin business to begin with, right? and restaurants don't save up a lot of cash. they put it straight back in. and, you know, spring is a big, big, big moment for these restaurants. we came out of winter. we've changed o ed -- our busin have changed so much. so to have this hit us now, it's devastating. and, you know, every restaurant employees enormous amount of people. and i just feel like when people discuss around politics that we going to get a thousand dollars to workers in a couple of months, that's not fast enough.

the restaurant workers needs it now. the small businesses needs help now. the bailout needs to reach us. and you know, i can compare this. i grew up in sweden, for example. this is when you need government. when you have a crisis like this, this is what you need government for, right? this is a crisis that has no one's fault, it just happened. and here we want the companies to take care of all this. but in sweden, for example, if a restaurant -- if an employee gets unemployed, he can file for unemployment and the government takes care of that. health care, sick pay, the government takes care of that. that's why you pay tax for. here it's up to the companies. and the companies here, the small business just doesn't have enough money to take care of that. and we need it now. we need the government to step in and help the workers, the small businesses right now. this is a crisis like never before. >> marcus samuelsson, we wanted to devote some time here to look at this local aspect different

from some of the federal proposals we've heard about. >> yeah. >> i appreciate you jumping on the line, calling in from home. we'll be checking back with you. yes, final thought? >> just one thing. there is also a community like in urban america, there is a lot of food insecurity. and you know, red rooster would love to become community kitchens, but, you know, it's also about safety. so we have to make sure that before we do that, we need to know what is the safest way to serve people. how can we link with meals on wheels, city harvest and groups like that. imagine all the food insecure people in harlem right now, next week. where they're going get their food from. we have to think through it on so many different levels. it's not just about big businesses. this is about people. this is about neighborhood, this is about the hospitality community as a whole. >> marcus samuelsson giving us food for thought to be sure. we'll be checking in with you as the story evolves. thank you. i'm going fit in a break, as

mentioned. still ahead, how are people helping during the crisis? and how are cultural leaders and artists trying to give everyone reasons to stay home. butter poached, creamy and roasted. or try lobster sautéed with crab, shrimp and more. so hurry in and let's lobsterfest. or get it to go at red lobster dot com

i wanted more from my copd medicine that's why i've got the power of 1, 2, 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved once-daily 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy ♪ the power of 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy ♪ 1,2,3 ♪ trelegy man: with trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works three ways to open airways, keep them open and reduce inflammation, for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed.

trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3. ♪ trelegy, 1,2,3 man: save at trelegy.com. ♪saturpain happens. aleve it. aleve is proven stronger and longer on pain than tylenol. when pain happens, aleve it. all day strong.

and i...was...shocked. i'm from cameroon, congo, and... the bantu people. greater details. richer stories. and now with health insights. get your dna kit at ancestry.com. doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. it's more than just fast. it keeps all your devices running smoothly. with built-in security that protects your kids... ...no matter what they're up to. it protects your info... ...and gives you 24/7 peace of mind... ...that if it's connected, it's protected. even that that pet-camera thingy. [ whines ] can your internet do that? xfinity xfi can because it's...

...simple, easy, awesome. [ barking ] as we covered this public health care crisis we will continue to look at how the pandemic is changing not only realities but lives. how are people living through this?

take ireland where people are keeping social distance while celebrating st. patrick's day. ♪ ♪ >> in spain a fitness instructor leading an apartment complex in a workout routine. people struggling with how to keep fit while contained, of course, at home. back here in america actress jennifer garner and amy kennedy. yo-yo ma dedicating a concert to workers on the front line of the crisis. ♪ ♪ >> a simple thought here is there are many things we can share together even while we are

physically apart. also, as we were getting ready for the broadcast tonight we saw this new video we've been previewing for you. john legend previewing you a new performance that he encouraged everyone to watch from home. ♪ ♪ and fidelity also offers zero account fees for brokerage accounts, plus zero minimums to open an account. and only fidelity offers four zero expense ratio index funds directly to investors. with all of those zeros, there are zero reasons to invest anywhere else. fidelity.

♪ so maybe i'll win ♪ saved by zero doprevagen is the number oneild mempharmacist-recommendeding? memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some... rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach

or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. ready to take on ra? talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. no no no no no, there's no space there! maybe over here? hot! hot! oven mitts! oven mitts! everything's stuck in the drawers! i'm sorry! oh, jeez. hi. kelly clarkson. try wayfair! oh, ok. it's going to help you, with all of... this! yeah, here you go. thank you! oh, i like that one! [ laugh ] that's a lot of storage! perfect. you're welcome! i love it. how did you do all this? wayfair! speaking of dinner, what're we eating, guys? to feel exhilaration. it all starts with an invitation. the invitation to lexus sales event now through march 31st. get 0.9% apr for 60 months on all 2020 models.

experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

our grandmothers did not have an equal right to vote. we do. find their stories. make them count. at ancestry.

that does it for us. we'll be back here at 6 p.m. eastern tomorrow night. up next our special coverage of tonight's presidential primaries. a primary day in america unlike anything we have seen before. as americans in three states go to the polls in the midst of a national emergency. nothing short of a global pandemic. voting is underway in arizona, illinois and florida as coronavirus shortcuts everything -- every aspect of american life. in florida today reports of polling locations with no poll workers on the job and chicago reports of extremely low turnout in some places, chaos