there has never been to have a favorite food. with new grubhub plus you get unlimited free delivery and cashback rewards for ordering noodles, and noodles... and noodles... and noodles. grubhub plus. free delivery, cash back, and noodles. and good day. i'm andrea mitchell in washington, where we expect to get an update at any moment from senate majority leader mitch mcconnell on those stalled coronavirus aid package, the bill that's been on the hill all

weekend after democrats and republicans failed to reach agreement over the weekend, despite promises that they would. the urgency becoming more critical after republican senator rand paul tested positive on sunday, only hours after he had been in the capitol gym and also meeting as well over the weekend with senate leaders for days without disclosing that. senator mcconnell is up on the floor. and we go to the senate chamber. >> possibly expand unemployment insurance in this crisis. it would stabilize industries to prevent mass -- [ inaudible ] and crucially, it would deliver historic relief to small businesses to help main street employees from being totally crushed, crushed by this pandemic. but yesterday, when the time came to vote on these urgent measures, our democratic leagues chose to block it. so, why are the american people

still waiting? it's a good question to ask. i hear the markets are not doing well today. they'd like to ask the question of us, "why not move?" why are democrats filibustering the bipartisan bill they helped write? an appropriate question to ask this morning as the country waits on us. so let me give the american people a taste of the outstanding issues we woke up to this morning. here are some of the items on the democratic wish list over which they choose -- over which they choose to block this legislation last night. tax credits for solar energy and wind energy. provisions to force employers to give special, new treatment to big labor. and listen to this.

new admissions standards for the airlines. are you kidding me? this is the moment to debate new regulations that have nothing whatsoever to do with this crisis? that's what they're up to over there. the american people need to know it! democrats won't let us fund hospitals or save small businesses unless they get the dust off the green new deal. i'd like to see senate democrats tell new york city doctors and nurses who are literally overrun as we speak that they're filibustering hospital funding and more masks because they want to argue with the airlines over their carbon footprint? i'd like to see senate democrats tell small business employees in their states who are literally

being laid off every day that they're filibustering relief that will keep people on the payroll because democrats' special interest friends want to squeeze employers while they're vulnerable. squeeze these employers while they're vulnerable. i'd like to see senate democrats tell all american seniors who have seen their hard-earned retirement savings literally melt away, as the markets track toward their worst month since 1931, that they're continuing to hold up emergency measures over tax credits for solar panels. tax credits for solar panels. even with the federal reserve announcing even further extraordinary steps today, the markets are tanking once again, as i said, because this body can't get its act together. and the only reason it can't get its act together is right over here on the other side of the

aisle. so, these are just a few of the completely non germane wish list items that they're rallying behind, preventing us from getting this emergency relief to the american people right now. 11th-hour demands that democrats have decided are more important than americans' paychecks and the personal safety of doctors and nurses. so remember what one of speaker pelosi's top lieutenants in the house said just a few days ago -- and this is a direct quote -- "this is a tremendous opportunity to restrict things to fit our vision." "to fit our vision." that was the democratic whip in the house, just laying it out there. reminds me of the definition of washington gaffe, when a politician in washington tells you what he really means.

and we heard something similar here on the senate floor last night, just last night. here was one of our democratic colleagues -- "how many times are we going to get a shot at a $1 trillion-plus program?" right here on the floor last night. i don't know how many trillion-plus packages we're going to have. in other words, let's don't waste this opportunity to take full advantage and get our whole wish list done. they ought to be embarrassed, mr. president! in fact, i've heard from some of them who are embarrassed. talking like this is some juicy political opportunity. this is not a juicy political opportunity. this is a national emergency. we had days of productive bipartisan talks to get to this point. senate democrats sat down with senate republicans and negotiated furiously to get to this point.

the bill now contains a huge number of changes that our democratic colleagues requested, including major changes. we were this close. this close. then yesterday morning, the speaker of the house flew back from san francisco. and suddenly, the senate's serious bipartisan process turned into this left-wing episode of supermarket sweep. unrelated issues left and right. i'll tell you what will really lower our carbon footprint, mr. president, if the entire economy continues to crumble with hundreds of thousands more americans laid off because senate democrats won't let us act. that will lower our carbon footprint, all right. every single american outside of washington knows this is no time for this nonsense.

a surgeon in fresno, california, says, "we're at war with no ammo." "we are at war with no ammo." that's a surgeon in fresno. an intensive care nurse in new york city says, "if we don't get the proper equipment soon, we are going to get sick." democrats are filibustering more masks and aid for hospitals? every day, more americans wake up to the news that their jobs are gone! their jobs are gone! democrats are filibustering programs to keep people on the payroll? and they're filibustering a huge expansion of unemployment insurance, which they, themselves, negotiated and put into the bill.

hundreds of dollars extra per week for laid-off workers on top of existing unemployment benefits, and democrats are blocking it? this has got to stop! and today's the day it has to stop. the country's out of time. out of time. when the democratic house passed their phase two bill, even though senate republicans would have written it very differently, we sped it through the senate and passed it quickly, without even amending it. i literally told my colleagues to gag and vote for it, for the sake of building bipartisan momentum. because republicans understand that a national crisis calls for urgency and it calls for bipartisanship. it's time for that good faith to

be reciprocated. it's time for democrats to stop playing politics and step up to the plate. the small businesses in their own states deserve it. their own states' emergency room doctors deserve it. their own constituents, who have lost their jobs, deserve it. in my home state of kentucky, the governor's effectively paused commerce across the state, and our unemployment system crashed due to demand. kentuckyans need help now, and we aren't alone. i've heard the pleas from health care workers in new york and seattle. i've listened to the small business owners crying out in brooklyn and chicago.

why does only one side understand that this is urgent? why are these hard-hit cities -- our own senators are happy, really, to keep this slow-walking going on indefinitely? is that really something these folks on the other side are comfortable with? indefinitely slow-walking all of this? how can half the senate not rise to the occasion? at a time when everybody else in the country's pulling together, they're pulling us apart. the examples are all over the country, that we ought to look to. health care heroes to neighborhood volunteers to national industries, everybody is unifying and pitching in.

what about here in the senate? it's time to get with the program. it's time to pass historic relief that we have built togeth together. the country doesn't have time for these political games. they need progress. so, we're going to vote in just a few minutes, and i assure you, mr. president, the american people will be watching. >> we're expecting to hear after that blast at the democrats,

we're expecting to hear from senator chuck schumer shortly. they are now calling the roll. it's a quorum call, which is basically to delay until schumer or someone is ready to respond. >> the assistant democratic leader objects. objection is heard. joining us now is massachusetts senator ed markey. senator markey, if you want to -- excuse me, senator markey. here is senator schumer. >> is there objection? without objection. >> to respond to the president's criticism, sharp criticism from the senate majority leader. >> -- come out as a partisan scream, while i'm in my office with the president and secretary of treasury, the president's congressional liaison, getting things done. we democrats are trying to get things done, not making partisan speech after partisan speech.

now, in the past 24 hours, we got word that a member of this chamber, senator paul, has tested positive for coronavirus. and the husband of another member, senator klobuchar, also tested positive. he's in the hospital. i want them to know, both of them, that the senate's thinking of them, praying for their speedy recovery. as we are for tens of thousands of american families who are confronting the same situation right now. whether you're afraid for a sick family member, an older relative in the hospital, or are struggling without work, income, or the knowledge of when your isolation might end, our thoughts are with you right now.

these are trying times for all of us, but the scourge of this disease will pass. the american people, as always, will prevail. as the number of confirmed covid-19 cases in the united states eclipses 39,000, the senate continues to negotiate what will likely be the largest emergency funding bill in american history. as i've mentioned, we've had almost continuous discussions with secretary mnuchin. he left my office at about 12:15 last night and was there at about 9:00 this morning. the white house congressional liaison, eric ueland, has been in and out of the office as well. we're very close to reaching a deal, very close, and our goal is to reach a deal today, and we're hope fful, even confident that we will meet that goal. we've been working on a few outstanding issues that are no

surprise to everyone. from the very beginning, democrats have insisted on a martial plan for our medical system -- more money for hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes, and urgent medical supplies like gloves and masks, icu beds, testing kits, ventilators and ppe. since our negotiations, the numbers have gone up dramatically. because the hospitals, our health care workers, need the help. we're fighting hard and making progress for funding for state and local governments. they're propping up local health care networks virtually on their own. their revenues are dramatically declining. many towns and villages across america, the smaller ones in particular, might be going broke pretty soon if we do nothing. if we can help the big corporations, we can help our local towns and villages and the taxpayers they represent.

on unemployment insurance, the bill has moved in the direction we've outlined. the original bill had the unexpanded employment benefits last only three months. we need to make it longer. because the dislocation caused by this crisis will not be over in 90 days, and people who lose their jobs need help. but it says to every american who loses his or her job, the democratic plan that is now in the bill, that you will get your full pay from the federal government, you can be furloughed by your employer. that means you'll keep your benefits, health and otherwise, and it means that you'll be able to come back, and the business you have had to leave can reassemble itself quickly after, god-willing, this crisis ends. the bill still includes something that most americans don't want to see -- large corporate bailouts with almost no strings attached. maybe the majority leader thinks

it's unfair to ask protections for workers in labor to companies that are getting hundreds of billions of dollars. we think it's very fair to ask for those. those are not extraneous issues. that is a wish list for workers, nobody else. and so, we are looking for protection. we are looking for oversight. if this federal government's making a big loan to someone, to a big company, we ought to know it and know the details immediately. the bill that was put on the floor by the republican leader said no one would know a thing about those loans for six months, at least. and in those so-called bailouts, we need to protect workers. the workers those industries employ. we've been guided by one plan -- workers first. that's the name of our proposal. the bill needs to reflect that

priority. now, we're working on all these items in good faith, as we speak. and we hope and expect to conclude negotiations today. this vote in the senate, it's no surprise, it's to take a new repeed of the vote that failed last night. leader mcconnell continues to set arbitrary vote deadlines when the matter of real importance is the status of the bipartisan negotiations. so, let me be clear, the upcoming procedural votes are essentially irrelevant. the negotiations continue no more than 30 feet away from the floor of this senate in our offices, where the real progress is taking place. once we have an agreement that everyone can get behind, we're prepared to speed up the consideration of that agreement on the floor, so i'm going to get back to negotiations. we all know time is of the essence. the country is facing the twin

crises in our health care system and in our economy. we have an obligation to get the details right, get them done quickly. that doesn't mean blindly accepting a republican-only bill. that was the bill we were given. lots of things we didn't even know about, saturday. that means working to make this bill better, better for our small businesses, better for our working families, better for our health care system. democrats -- democrats will not stop working with our republican counterparts until we get the job done. i'll continue to update the senate on the progress of our negotiations. and i note the absence of a quorum. >> the clerk will call the roll. >> mr. alexander -- >> mr. president -- >> the senator from maine. >> mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that

proceedings under the quorum be dispensed with. >> is there objection? >> thank you, mr. president. >> i object. i object. >> the democratic leader -- >> well, what we are just seeing is the beginning of a debate where senator collins just got up, the democratic leader objected, and we're going to wait to see whether or not mitch mcconnell is going to force this vote, a vote that failed last night, 47-47. it was a procedural vote, not a vote on the substance of the bill. the bill was still being negotiated between secretary mnuchin and the democratic leaders in the house. nancy pelosi was cut out of the initial talks, and that was one of the problems. you heard a fiery talk -- a fiery speech from senator mcconnell, a calm but very annoyed and angry response from chuck schumer. joining us is massachusetts senator ed markey, on the commerce science and transportation committee. joining us now on capitol hill. let's get to the bottom line

here, senator. both sides probably have some substantive arguments to make, and probably also right on both sides. there are partisan divides over a lot of these issues. but this is a crisis, a crisis that we have not seen since 9/11 or world war ii. this requires, as you have said and others have said, the defense production act, an emergency act from the president, who has not yet triggered it. so there are a lot of issues here. hospitals, doctors all crying for materials. for the american people to see this kind of bickering on the floor of the senate is not going to improve the standing of capitol hill or of congress with the voters. >> look, we have to come together. a pandemic should not have any partisanship that is part of it. but unfortunately, the proposal, which we received from the republicans, just a day ago, was partisan. what we're looking for is a

dramatic increase in the amount of money that goes to hospitals, that goes to nursing homes, that goes to health care facilities all across the country. they could collapse. they could go bankrupt, especially the hospitals that are in small cities and towns all across this country. we need a dramatic increase in the amount of money for protective gear, for testing. that money has to begin. we have to have an increase in the unemployment benefits. that was not in. we need guard rails around this $500 billion that steve mnuchin wants but he doesn't want to disclose where that money is going to be spent. we want to make sure that it has worke workers' protections in it. we want to make sure that it just isn't a room where the president and mnuchin just sit there and start handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to corporations and the whole country has to wait six months to find out who they gave it to. if they want to give the money to oil companies, gas companies, coal companies, but not to wind and solar companies, we should

know that right up front. we should see the biases which this administration is bringing to who they decide to bail out. and if, in fact, there are going to be real protections for workers as well. so, all of this still was not included in the bill that the republicans brought out on the senate floor. that's the negotiation that senator schumer is in the midst of with steve mnuchin right now, and we're not going to stop until we get these questions answered correctly for the american people. >> one of the issues, of course, is how many of you are going to be able to be there. the 100 senators can be spaced out, and we saw the longer voting periods where only two or three people were on the large floor of the senate at the same time. the house has a much bigger problem with more than 400 members. and you've now had a number of people ill. in particular, i want to ask you about senator paul, and we all hope for his speedy recovery. but was it appropriate for senator paul of all things, a medical doctor, to have been in

the senate gym within the small community of senators, six-some republican senators negotiated all weekend, when he already been tested and was waiting for the result, which he did get yesterday? >> yeah, senator paul and his situation is a warning to all of us, not just senators, but everyone in the country. we have to engage in social distancing. if there are any symptoms or any exposure to the coronavirus, we should take heed immediately and take the proper precautions. but it also raised the question of why the senate can't right now move to remote voting. this is what we should be doing. we already have a number of senators who are self-quarantining. we have at least one member with coronavirus right now, senator paul. we shouldn't jeopardize whether or not we can even have a quorum here in the senate. we should move to -- >> but don't you have to -- >> -- a remote voting right now. >> but don't you have to pass a law for that? if there is a constitutional

issue, wouldn't it require you all agreeing, 100 of you, on doing that? >> let's do it by unanimous consent. let's not endanger the health and safety of the members of the senate or for the house, for that matter, so that we have enough members to be able to do the job. we're the legislative first responders. we have to be here in order to provide the resources so that the hospitals, the cities, the towns, everyone can do their job. and so, we have to be healthy, and we need to have remote voting in the senate and to do it now. >> thank you so much, senator ed markey. thank you. and peter alexander is at the white house. peter, there was one rather startling midnight tweet from the president, which caught all of our eyes, which was his suggesting that 15 days -- that the cure might be worse than the disease, that the 15 days and the impact on the economy might be hurting the economy more than it's helping curb the pandemic.

have you any understanding of what he means by that and whether he's going against the advice of all of the medical doctors? >> reporter: yeah, andrea, we are detecting really a new tension right now between the president and his advisers, frankly, and some public health officials. given the fact that in my conversations with multiple administration officials right now, they are expressing real concerns about the sort of draconian restrictions, that these restrictions are too tight, have gone too far, and are in effect, taking the economy right now. they've expressed concerns, perhaps that public health experts were given too much leash in the early days of this to sort of set those restrictions. these officials basically say they're the doctors who are the ones who are supposed to be extra cautious here, but they obviously, administration officials are eager, even anxious to try to restart the economy right now. we have witnessed that by the president's tweets, not just the ones last night, but retweets over the course of this morning as well. and it appears they are eyeing that 15-day expiration of the

stop the spread cdc guidelines as a possible pivot point here. the president retweeting tweets that say among other things, after 15 days are over, the world can begin to heal. when he was asked by kelly objection donnell in the preefg yesterd -- briefing yesterday, he said after 15 days, they would have to see. but it is clear we are not the only ones noticing this right now. lindsey graham, one of the president's allies, tweeting just this morning, saying the president's best decision was stopping travel from china early on. he adds, "i hope we will not undercut that decision by suggesting we back off aggressive containment policies within the united states. one of the things that i'm hearing right now is this real consideration about how after 15 days they can try to restart the economy, perhaps not in all 50 states, but certainly in some of those less affected states. that they may have to keep tough restrictions in places like california, washington state, and in new york, but that elsewhere they'll try to loosen some of those restrictions.

but as one former official described to me, that would create a very challenging cognitive dissidence for americans, if the rules apply some places and they don't else were. andrea? >> and doesn't it fly in the face of what dr. fauci and other health experts within the administration, within its own task force, are saying? you're saying that we're just at the beginning of this. >> reporter: yeah, no, that's exactly right. we're hearing from some officials saying it may be 22 to 32 days before we get a sense of the peak in new york alone. obviously, this is something that i think by all accounts, by every public health official or medical officer that you speak to right now, that they think is going to go on well past 15 days. and mind you, we are on day eight, according to the white house right now. so, day 15 would be next monday. and on top of that, recognize that they've been making decisions based on data that is several days old. you know, a lot of people who got tested a week ago are only finding out now. so the tally that you see on the screen really reflects where we were, minus the death toll,

which we can obviously know right now, but the tally of cases reflects the number that correlates to where we were almost a week ago. so although the white house is eager to make more decisions on this, to ease off the brakes, so to speak, this is producing some real tension between those public health experts and some of the president's aides and the president himself. >> peter alexander, i know you're going to be there for the briefing and we will hear what the president has to say today. and here in the u.s., new york city is now the epicenter of the pandemic. i'm joined now by dr. sima magdod who helps 11 hospitals in the city prepare for pandemics. i'm wondering, doctor, how do you respond to the president saying that maybe 15 days is enough, when governor cuomo has been telling us that we might have to wait months and months before we are out of the woods here? >> 15 days is absolutely not enough. this is not a light switch where you can just turn on and off and think that the outbreak is going to be over in two weeks. what's going to happen is we're going to continue to reassess in

two weeks to see how much longer we can continue these social distancing measures. and in fact, we're going to have to continue these measures for months, because this is a very significant infectious disease outbreak, not just at the state of new york, but across the nation and across the world. and so, we need to continue these long-term social distancing measures so we don't continue to see cases rise as we're seeing right now. we're very early on in this epidemic right now and we need to continue these measures to make sure we're not overwhelming hospitals. >> governor cuomo has been passionate about the fact that the president should be triggering the defense production act and ordering companies to start tooling up. it's going to take a while for them to get into gear. rather than waiting for them to volunteer and having, frankly, price gouging and a price war for some of the respirators and other equipment, the ventilators, other things that are desperately needed by the hospitals, especially in new york. what is the situation in the hospitals, the 11 acute care hospitals you're aware of? >> well, i can't speak for

obviously the health system, but across the state of new york, as you know, hospitals are getting bombarded with the number of cases, and it's only going to get worse. what we're seeing here is obviously the same thing that we're seeing across a number of different states across the region where the bottom line is we need to make sure that we're protecting our frontline health care workers and getting them the resources they need. this includes not just personal protective equipment, but equipment and supplies, as you mentioned, ventilators and other types of disposal supplies that are needed in this outbreak. so, this is something that we're all in together. we're all in the same boat. and the time to act is right now. >> in terms of the price gouging that the governor claimed that initially some of the masks were 75 cents, then they were $4, then another state would pay $6, so he was paying more than $7. we've heard stories of doctors out of their own pocket buying the n-95 masks for their hospitals. >> right.

and i mean, we're in a very desperate situation, you know, where we have to make sure that you can get whatever you can get. and if this means, obviously, trying to figure out, you know, and paying extra, that's essentially what's going to happen. and it's why we need to get these supplies to the frontline staff right now, before, obviously, we're in a more dire situation. >> thank you very much, dr dr. madad. thank you for helping us today. we know that the situation in new york is critical and all of the physicians who are helping trying to ameliorate that situation. and coming up, time to act. why is president trump refusing to use the defense production act that he signed a week ago to get critical supplies to the front lines in this battle against the coronavirus? former homeland security secretary michael chertoff joining me next. stay with us. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. atching "andrl rertpos" on msnbc. life isn't a straight line.

and sometimes, you can find yourself heading in a new direction. but when you're with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. a partner who makes sure every step is clear, are you currently using a whitening toothpaste, but not seeing results? try crest 3d whitestrips. its enamel-safe formula lifts and removes stains to provide 100% noticeably whiter teeth or your money back.

try crest 3d whitestrips.

(aurelia) i was just frustrated i almost gave up. company. with miracle-ear, it's all about service. they're personable, they're friendly. i'm very happy with them. (vo) we provide you with a free lifetime of aftercare, meaning free check-ups, cleanings and adjustments. (wiley) i see someone new. someone happy. it's really made a difference. (vo) call 1-800-miracle to start your 30-day risk-free trial and schedule your free hearing evaluation at your locally owned miracle ear today. they get that no two people are alike and customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. what do you think? i don't see it. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ city and state emergency services around the country are

pleading with the white house for more protective gear amidst the coronavirus pandemic. on sunday, president trump again resisted invoking the defense production act wartime authority to mobilize industries. >> we're a country not based on nationalizing our business. call a person over in venezuela. ask them, how did nationalization of their businesses work out? not too well. the concept of nationalizing our business is not a good concept. >> joining me now is michael chertoff, former homeland security secretary for president george w. bush. thank you very much, michael. i know you're an expert of crisis management around the world. with all due respect to the president, the defense production act created in the korean war after all of the wartime production, the b-17s that all the rosie the riveters produced is not socialism, it's not marxism, it's not venezuela. it's very much american to have this act and have it ready for a

crisis such as this. >> yeah, that's correct, andrea. and we actually have used it in the past. the defense department has used it. they used it in the korean war. i believe some years back it was used to require the telecommunications industry to share information about foreign sources of some of the equipment. so it's not brand-new. frankly, we should have invoked it some time ago, weeks ago. the challenge is actually coordinating the use of the act to make sure you're allocating your resources in the way that is most efficient. and that requires planning and it also requires having a central coordinating agency, probably in the commerce department, that can see what the requirements are, what the supplies are, how quickly supplies can be increased, and then allocating the supplies among the people who need it. >> all good ideas. for that to happen, doesn't the president have to indicate that he's willing to invoke it, not

just sign it and have it ready? because he keeps saying we don't need it yet. it's there if we need it. and he's saying that people are volunteering, but what we don't have is the coordination among industries of these volunteers and the retooling. i mean, doesn't it take a while to retool a factory to stop producing cars and start producing ventilators? >> exactly. and it takes -- you know, there are two agencies that principally have responsibility for dealing with this issue under the law. one is the defense department, which largely deals with defense matters, and the other is the commerce department. what should happen is one of these two should have been designated -- and maybe they have been -- to actually take charge of essentially doing a census of requirements, figuring out what is currently being produced, what can be increased very significantly over a short period of time, and then deciding what the priorities are. and that process, it's not going to be instantaneous, but that should be under way as we speak.

>> are you satisfied with what has been done in terms of the borders, the northern and southern borders? terrible impact on asylum-seekers, but the judgment is that we have to at least contain what is already here or mitigate what is already here, rather than let more cases come in. >> i think every country in the world is now putting restrictions on travel and crossing the border, and that's simple common sense. now, what's important is we haven't cut off all trade, because there are essential cross-border flows that are important, frankly, for our safety and our health, but in terms of individual travel, this is not the time to have border crossing, as you can see. now there are stories in china about potential reinfection because people are returning from overseas with the virus. so, i think here we'd better be safe than sorry. >> there is, of course, a great need. the farmers in america, the agricultural sector needs

seasonal workers, their regular legal immigration, and can those people be properly screened at the southern border, mostly at the southern border? >> again, you've got to plan that in advance. as we get into the season where these workers are needed, it's absolutely necessary to have testing available and some kind of monitoring process. as they have rules in place about how they live and work when they get to their destination, precisely because we don't want to have a problem with food, but we need to make sure, again, we're not importing more virus. >> what about the disparities amongst states? some states being able to pay $6, $7, new york and california, for these test kits -- or rather, for the respirators, but also being able to buy test kits, other states not having those resources. should -- shouldn't it be homeland security, fema, someone in charge of allocating where supplies need to go?

>> sure, and that goes back to the defense production act point i made earlier. you have a lot of requirements. you need to be able to adjudicate them in a way that is intelligent and efficient. so, whether it be fema or whether it be department of defense or some team involving both, they need to understand what are the requirements, what are the resources. they need to be monitoring who is currently in need and who is currently okay, and then they have to begin to direct the flow to where the requirements are the gravest. that is exactly why we have this flow. >> you're a former judge, a former prosecutor. how do you feel about some jurisdictions deciding that nonviolent people -- people arrested on nonviolent offenses should not be imprisoned because that will only subject them and others to more close quarters on the virus? >> right. i think, like every other part, the justice system, including for example the jury trial system, which is currently on

pause in many places -- you've got to be realistic and triage in terms of making sure the most dangerous people do not leave prison. but if others have to be released on bail for a period of time in order to decrowd the jail setting, that is necessary, again, for the public health. >> former secretary of homeland security, michael chertoff, thank you for your expertise today. >> stay safe. coming up, the leadership crisis. how this country's state officials are grappling with the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic. we'll talk to rahm emanuel, former chief of staff at the white house and chicago mayor. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. mitchell porerts" only on msnbc your mission: 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.

and sometimes, you can find yourself heading in a new direction. but when you're with fidelity, a partner who makes sure every step is clear, there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. a partner who makes sure every step is clear, wayfair has way more ways to renovate your home, from inspiration to installation. like way more vanities perfect for you. nice. way more unique fixtures and tiles. pairing. ♪ nice. way more top brands in sinks and faucets. way more ways to rule your renovation. nice! on any budget, with free shipping. wayfair. way more than furniture. 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.

my hands are everything to me. but i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture. and it got to the point where things i took for granted got tougher to do. thought surgery was my only option. turns out i was wrong. so when a hand specialist told me about nonsurgical treatments, it was a total game changer. like you, my hands have a lot more to do. learn more at factsonhand.com today. frustrations are boiling over in states across the country as governors struggle too get the medical supplies they need to combat the coronavirus. illinois governor j.b. pritzker told savannah guthrie on "today" his state is in a bidding war with the federal government. >> i was on the phone yesterday talking to companies, and here's what i ran into. in one case, we're competing for ventilators with fema and the

federal government. so, illinois is bidding for ventilators against the federal government. in another case, we were bidding against foreign countries and other states. >> this after president trump lashed out on twitter against pritzker, the illinois governor, and the media sunday, tweeting, "a small group of governors and the media, quote, shouldn't be blaming the federal government for their own shortcomings." joining me now is rahm emanuel, former white house chief of staff for president obama and former mayor of chicago and member of congress. his book is "the nation city: why mayors are now running the world." talk about timing is everything. mayors and governors are running the world, at least running this country, it seems, at times. thank you very much. it's good to see you, rahm. >> thank you. thank you, andrea. >> tell me, what is your take on this push-pull between at least some of the governors and the president over whether or not the federal government is taking charge enough? the president says it's up to mayors and governors to take care of themselves and he's not

the -- what does he call himself, the supply -- >> the supplier in chief. >> supplier in chief? >> yeah. >> supply clerk in chief? >> here's the thing. the country is begging for his leadership, and he is being very passive aggressive in that leadership. i wish he'd spend less time lashing out either at a governor or a reporter who's doing their job and more time lashing out and making sure that we have a focus on how to bring the country together and bring the resources to bear on this problem. i don't think any nurse or any doctor should risk their health because they lack adequate masks, adequate protective gear or the ability to provide a patient with a ventilator. i do think governors and mayors, university presidents, religious leaders, not-for-profits, citizens are stepping up because there is a void. and the unfortunate part is, you cannot solve this problem state by state, city by city jurisdiction. this is a national crisis that requires national leadership. and i actually think as a student, amateur student of

presidential history and having worked for two presidents, crises reveal character. and this is a make-or-break moment for the country and this is a make-or-break moment for president trump. now, i think every mayor and every governor has a role to play, but every one of them would want the national leadership that allows them to become effective administrators of their jurisdiction. nobody wants to step into this void. they do it because there's a void of leadership that requires for public health and economic reasons that they step into that void. but we need a national government on a national crisis. it's that simple. >> we also need a congress that's effective. and mitch mcconnell took the floor -- >> that is true, too. >> -- and lashed out against democrats. let me play just one of the things that he had to say today. >> we were this close. this close. then yesterday morning, speaker of the house flew back from san francisco. and suddenly, the senate's

serious bipartisan process turned into this left-wing episode of supermarket sweep. this is no time for this nonsense. >> i know that was a very direct attack on nancy pelosi, obviously, and both sides have their issues, but isn't this the time for congress to stand up together and figure this thing out, when people do need leadership? >> first of all, let me say two things. this is actually having worked on both sides of pennsylvania avenue. when you have a moment hike this, this is why you have have a strong executive leadership to resolve issues. democrats have a legitimate concern. you had a couple years ago a major tax bill that was passed on the notion that companies were going to repatriate money, invest in things, and a lot of it was used for stock buybacks and the money that was supposed to be repatriated never came due. those were the reasons given. the result did not match up. there should be conditions to ensure that the money does what it needs to do.

and i actually believe, and you know, i worked with president bush's administration, at speaker pelosi's direction, to work out the first financial bailout and making sure that we put a floor under the financial industry. so, the democrats in a moment of crisis two months before an election always stood up on national interests. i actually believe the problems can be resolved, should be resolved. now, that's one piece of it, which is how to make sure we have a transfer payment so that people at this moment don't lose their livelihood and be able to -- go to waste. this will not be our last epidemic. we had h1n1. we had sars. what we have to ensure -- and this is where presidential leadership counts -- that this will not be the last pandemic, but it must be the last economic depression because of a pandemic. and then start setting out how to use this crisis to invest in

public health, how to use this pandemic to start to make the logistics and back economic industrial policy so we actually with the resources, are not dependent on foreign industry. and then third, how we start investing in our infrastructure, both transportation, broadband, et cetera, so that every child can have the education online, not just those that are in haves versus the have-nots. and that would be that we actually invest forward. take a lesson out of this. when korea -- the reason south korea's doing so well now is because in 2015, they screwed up the sars situation and they learned from it. every meddle supply that we're doing on an emergency basis today came from 1999 when president clinton set up that system, and both administrations afterwards invest in it. we also knew the reason banks have resources on their account now is because after the 2008 financial crisis, we required them to do a greater piece of cash reserves. how are we going to make sure

that this public health crisis -- as the current went out, we saw who wasn't wearing their swimsuit. we have not invested in our public health. we actually are like the emperor without clothes. great health care system. our public health, our doctors, our nurses, our emergency icu units need to be invested in so this crisis never, ever happens again. and that will be the challenge for all of us. >> rahm emanuel, we're going to have to leave it there. thank you so much for being with us today. >> thank you, andrea. meanwhile, the senate could start voting within the next hour. we are expecting debate on a stimulus package to be topic one. the latest from capitol hill, next, right here on msnbc. c. ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy.

ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over half of patients. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs that can lead to death. tell your doctor right away if you have new or worsening symptoms, including trouble breathing, shortness of breath, cough, or chest pain. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant. common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance.

let's go to the pentagon where defense secretary mark esper is speaking. >> state and local authorities in their response efforts. in new york, washington, and california, the president has approved mobilizing national guard troops under title 32 status, which provides them full access to federal resources but still allows them to be managed by the state government. to be clear, this is not a move toward martial law, as some have erroneously claimed. our great national guard troops are performing tasks such as supporting drive-thru testing sites, conducting food delivery to protect vulnerable populations, and helping states plan and coordinate their local responses. allowing states to maintain control over their national guard forces is the most effective way to manage their efforts, as it permits each governor to tailor the guard's activities to best support the

needs of their state. also, as the president announced yesterday, the hospital ship "mercy" will deploy this week to los angeles. we are working closely with fema to set the conditions for the ship's arrival later this week so that she can start receiving non-covid-19 medical patients to free up bed space in some of l.a.'s most heavily stressed hospitals. i spoke with the captain of the "mercy" last week as he was making final preparations to set sail. the men and women of the "mercy" are highly trained professionals and are eager to join this fight to start helping their fellow americans. in the next couple of weeks, our other hospital ship, the "comfort," will head to new york city for the same purpose. the crew and staff are already making the necessary preparations for the upcoming mission. i had the chance to speak to that ship's captain as well. concurrently, we have a number of military field hospitals and expeditionary medical units on prepare to deploy orders that will be moving out this week. the army corps of engineers is also set to begin work to convert hotels, dormitories and other buildings into temporary