monday night as we start a new week together on behalf of all of our colleagues here at the networks of nbc news. good night once again from our temporary field headquarters. good morning, everybody. it's tuesday, march 31st. we begin with the u.s. suffering its deadliest day yet of the coronavirus outbreak. with more than 500 deaths. more than half of those were from the new york area. the u.s. is now 3,000 deaths total. we recorded 2,000 just two days ago and a thousand just five days ago. there are now nearly 163,000 confirmed cases in the united states with more than 60,000 coming in just the last three days. now, roughly three out of four americans are being asked to stay at home as states across the country try to contain the

spread of the coronavirus. governors and officials from arizona, maryland, virginia, and the district of columbia all issued stay at home orders just yesterday. arizona's governor announced that he signed an executive order that will require arizonans to limit time outside their homes at the end of business today. maryland virginia and washington, d.c. stay at home orders went in effect just yet with virginians expected to stay in place until june 10th. in d.c., those charged with the order could be charged with a misdemeanor and fines up to $5,000. and in the san francisco bay area, health officers in six counties are expected to announce today that they will extend their shelter in place order until at least may 1st. now, hospitals in new york, they're on the edge of a breaking point. as more patients swarm waiting rooms, fill intensive care beds

and snag already numbered ventilators. that strain multiplied by understaffing issues, sheer exhaustion and health care workers falling sick themselves has forced governor andrew cuomo to call for help for medical staff nationwide. watch this. >> i am asking health care professionals across the country, if you don't have a health care crisis in your community, please come help us in new york now. we need relief. we need relief for nurses who are working 12-hour shifts, one after the other after the other. we need relief for doctors. we need relief for attendants. so if you're not busy, come help us, please.

some governors seem to suggest the lack of testing kits is a problem. the montana governor explained that officials were attempting to do start contract tracing, tracking down people who have come in contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus but were facing difficulties because they do not have adequate testing. nbc news has not obtained a recording of that call. washington governor jay inslee said there was a desperate need for kits. after the call, the whougs released a statement saying the president told the governors he would make sure that whatever they may need, he would direct his team to provide. let's talk about some of this.

joining me now, daniel lippman. good to see you. president trump facing a lot of criticism to say the least over the lack of testing kits that the governors are praising him in many of these phone calls. how is this tension overall with the leaders of states throughout the nation impacting the white house response? >> well, i think it's indicating the shortfall and the response given that trump is just not seeing realistic things about how there is no problem with testing here any more. just because he has not heard about problems does not mean that they don't exist. so there is still a lack of test kits and this has doubled the administration's response for months. it's from that early case in washington state and the cdc not having the proper -- you know,

the tests did not work initially. and if you can't -- then you can't see where the greatest problems are. so until they fix that, then the response will be a step behind. >> let's talk about a possible turning point here, right? because a lot of the conversation, daniel, yesterday was basically about the fact that maybe the president is finally listening to some of the scientists that are on the coronavirus task force alongside him and making a pivot here, especially when you see new york and extending the federal guidelines across the country until the end of the month, i believe april 30th. what do you think here has been the turning point for the president? >> i think one turning point has been the models of death, potential deaths that he was presented by dr. tony fauci and deborah birx on that task force. he did not want that to be on his hands, to have helped cause

a million deaths if he relaxed the social distancing guidelines too early. i mean, we did a big piece on kind of the 15 days in the white house to slow the spread of coronavirus. and i talked to one white house official who said he knew that it was a big problem in mid march, i think it was march 11th. that's when trump had his oval office address and within a span of a few minutes, did nba canceled their games, tom hajs and rita wilson tested positive for coronavirus so it all kind of hit home then. >> talking about those numbers and deaths, though, it is still astounding to think about the fact that the optimistic outlook with regarder to possible deaths from covid-19 is possibly 100,000 to 200,000 americans. just incredible to think about that number. daniel lippman, stay close, my

friend. so the coronavirus death toll in the uk has shot up nearly 200 even as they announced the social distancing measures are actually working. meanwhile, the nhs nightingale is preparing to open soon. joining me now live from london, chapman bell. we're seeing some of these hospitals, as well, popping up here in the united states, specifically here in new york city, in central park, as well. talk to us about this most recent pop-up field hospital and who is going to be staffing it? >> well, the nhs nightingale, named after florence nightingale, perhaps the most famous field nurse ever in this massive field hospital is being set up in what is a convention and exhibition center normally.

it is set to be open tomorrow initially and will be providing oxygens and ventilators for beds for those suffering from covid-19. the military has been working hard trying to get this building ready. they expect it could increase in size to treat people in london and perhaps other parts of the country. although other field hospitals are set to open around the country. they're going to be using airline workers. the nhs has appealed to those airline workers to see if they would like to work in a lot of these centers. they say a lot of these people are trained in first aid. they have security clearance. they could work in support roles in helping nurses and, doctors through these tesch ewe lent times. also military medics. the ns has called on retired

nurses and, doctors to come out and help this fight against the coronavirus. the chief scientific adviser to the government here has said so far it seems social distancing measures are working, that there are early signs that things like working from home are helping slow the number of cases and flatten this curve. there are fewer cases now than predicted. although a senior medical adviser to the government has warned it could be up to six months before things return to normal here. first, does the uk believe they have enough personal protective equipment to handle this crisis and secondly, talk to us about prince charles endsing his own coronavirus self-isolation. any ideas to how symptomatic he was and how exactly he's doing? >> first, they have put out pleas to have different areas of

industry work to maybe manufacture ventilators and equipment and companies are coming together to offer government. prince charles looks like he's on the road to recovery. clarence house announcing that he is out of his quarantine and he seems to be feeling better. he only had mild symptoms, we understand. however, camilla, the duchess, his wife, is still in her self-imposed quarantine because she has been advised to stay in for up to 14 days of isolation. this, of course, as boris johnson has been trying to rally the country with videos from his mobile phone after he has been isolated after having tested positive for covid-19. >> and do we know how boris johnson is doing? >> the last video we saw, it

seems that he is doing pretty well. it seems that he is, like prince charles, suffering a minor case of this. >> thank you, chapman. coming up, everybody, the justice department investigating at least one lawmakers stock trades ahead of the coronavirus pandemic. we're going to talk about that with danny and coming up on "morning joe," speaker nancy pelosi will join joe, mika and willie to talk about a fourth coronavirus package. much more ahead. stay with us. s package. much more ahead. stay with us ♪all strength,

♪we ain't stoppin' believe me♪ ♪go straight till the morning look like we♪ ♪won't wait,♪ ♪we're taking everything we wanted♪ ♪we can do it ♪all strength, no sweat my name is jonatan and i work for verizon. i totally get how important it is to stay connected. we're connecting with people, we're offering them solutions. customers can do what they need to do, whenever they need to do it online. because it gives customers the ability to not come in to the store, they can simply tap and swipe. something that they can use wherever they are. we care about keeping you safe. at verizon, we are here, and we are ready. we are open 24/7 online, so you can keep managing all you need from home and through the verizon apps and verizon.com. from anyone else. so why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase relieves your worst symptoms

which most pills don't. get all-in-one allergy relief for 24 hours, with flonase. you can't always stop for a fingerstick.betes which most pills don't. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you don't have to. with a painless, one-second scan you can check your glucose with a smart phone or reader so you can stay in the moment. no matter where you are or what you're doing. ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us. there are times when our need to connect really matters. to keep customers and employees in the know. to keep business moving. comcast business is prepared for times like these. powered by the nation's largest gig-speed network. to help give you the speed, reliability, and security you need. tools to manage your business from any device, anywhere. and a team of experts - here for you 24/7. we've always believed in the power of working together.

that's why, when every connection counts... you can count on us. welcome back. so amid the coronavirus outbreak, the doj is escalating the investigation into an insider trading scandal on capitol hill. according to multiple reports, the chairman of the senate intel committee richard burr is being

investigated by the justice department and the s.e.c. for stock trades ahead of shark market down turn due to the outbreak. as head of the powerful committee, burr received frequent briefings and reports on the threat of the virus and that between mid february he sold between 628,000 and $1.7 million worth of stock. the stock market took a sharp nose dive about a week after the senator sold off the stocks. in a statement, burr's lawyer emphasizes the senator asked for the review and believes it will establish that his actions were appropriate. while other senators from both parties sold and bought stock ahead of the market downturn, it is not clear who else the justice department is looking into. several lawmakers are calling for burr to step down over this investigation. danny, it is great to see you. >> thank you.

same to you. >> let's talk about this. when this revelation came forth, i think a lot of people were surprised and astounded considering how people have been seeing their 401(k)s go down with the market downturn over the last couple of weeks. talk about the rules that are in place for senators as to whether or not they can actually sell stocks in awful. and danny, do you know if there is ever a directive from intel agencies or from the adm administration or intel agencies like burr that would say you cannot sell stocks? >> there is a 2012 federal law that is supposed to tell senators and congress folks that they need to report any of these covered trades or transactions. but those are ethics requirements and the reality is this. it is very difficult to prosecute insider trading and

even more difficult to prosecute it against members of congress. after all, the entire reason to get into the stock market is because you think you know something that the other person doesn't know. it's all a form of insider trading, arguably. it's all based on a sympathy industry of information. so that is why in the country you have such a split among federal courts as to what the applicable standards are. so in this case, the question is did a congress person acquire material nonpublic information? in the case of a company, for example, a president or a member of a board may acquire material and nonpublic information and then either trade on it or tip smen. and so you can see how that information is misappropriated. but it is more difficult with members of congress because arguably, information they gain in public hearings or even among other congress folks is arguably

not nonpublic. in other words, almost all of the business of congress is arguably public. but then you get into areas where you have committees and hearings that are held in secret and then you have a strorngnger case. so it becomes difficult to sue members of congress for their trading activity. >> can you expand on that with regard to difficulties? say burr received intelligence, he then issued this trade, could that not be seen as a direct connection to the information that he contained in that intelligence briefing? >> even if there is a correlation between those two dates, the next step is what was the nature of the information? was it material?

probably. was it nonpublic? and that is an important question. how did he acquire that information? and because these laws have been so rarely applied to members of congress, the question becomes is information given to the people and the people's house and the legislature, is that truly nonpublic or is everything given to congress arguably for the people and argue bably for public? >> i know a lot of folks wants to see a solution to this. as always, thank you, my friend, and please stay healthy. still ahead, manufacturing companies across the country are stepping up to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. we will talk about those efforts. back in a moment. mentat 3m.

about that one 'a-ha' moment. science is a process. it takes time, dedication. it's a journey. we're constantly asking ourselves, 'how can we do things better and better?' what we make has to work. we strive to protect you. at 3m, we're in pursuit of solutions that make people's lives better. for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease, stelara® works differently. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection or flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions

and lung inflammation can occur. talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. remission can start with stelara®. (past them because she didn't. sknow they were talking to her.g and she would just walk right (deborah) i just could not hear. i was hesitant to get the hearing aids because of my short hair, but nobody even sees them. (avo) our nearly invisible hearing aids are just one reason we've been the brand leader for over 70 years. (deborah) when i finally could hear for the first time, i started crying. i could hear everything. (avo) call 1-800-miracle to start your 30 day risk-free trial and schedule your free hearing evaluation today. i often see them have teeth sensitivity as well as gum issues. does it worry me? absolutely. they are both very much hand in hand.

so you should really be focusing on both and definitely at the same time. the new sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. by brushing with sensodyne sensitivity & gum at home it's giving you the relief that you need and the control that you need to take care of your oral health. and it creates a healthier environment. there's no question it's something that i would recommend.

welcome back. so ford motor has teamed up with ge health care to produce over 50,000 ventilators over the next hundred days and 30,000 per month after july. reuters reports production will take place at a ford plant in michigan with 500 united autoworkers working the line at a safe distance apart. production starts the week of april 20th with 1500 of the life supporting machines to be completed by the end of the month. the partnership will produce a simpler version of the machine which relies on air pressure without the need for electricity. also, johnson & johnson developing a vaccine for the coronavirus and hopes to make it available starting early next year. the drug manufacturer says trials will begin in september,

several months earlier than expected. that is some good news. the company believes it could receive approval and sell the vaccine affordably on a not for profit basis. if successful, johnson and johnson intends to produce 1 billion doses by the end of 2021 for a worldwide distribution. so we will be watching for the development for that, that is for sure. let's bridge in meteorologist bill karins. hi, bill. >> good morning. >> glad you're well. >> let's talk about this curve that you've been watching over the last couple of weeks. these guidelines, while gradual, while minimal, they are working. there is definitely good news and bad news.

yesterday was the most deaths and most cases we've had, but the growth rate continues to come down. yesterday was the first time that we had over 20,000 new cases in the country and you can see as the bars go up there, you can see how fast we've been increasing. in the northeast, that has dropped a bit. that's now down to about 15% so it's not quite as high as it was. we're seeing the strongest growth in areas of the midwest. and what those percentages mean to everyone out there, that is how fast is growth rate is. we were doubling this number every two to three last last week and now we're down to doubling every four to five days. some of the numbers, though, are mind boggling. four weeks ago, we had nine deaths.

three weeks ago we had 30. two weeks ago we had 110. last week we had 780. today by the time it's over with, we're getting close to 4,000 fatalities. solo the incomes have come down in some areas, we have overwhelmed the health care system. other areas we haven't as of yet. i'll leave you with this. the "l.a. times" was saying that in california, they've been testing roughly about 85,000 people. as of yesterday, they were still waiting on the results of 65,000 of those tests. so, you know, a lot of these numbers are skewed, depending on how fast they're getting the results back. >> thank you, bill. and that goes to show you why the entire country needs to follow those guidelines. still ahead, everybody, with new york city hospitals overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, there was a bit of hope as the u.s. comfort reached new york city. we'll talk about that and other efforts to take control of the virus. plus, new signs that tight

social distancing restrictions may be working to reduce hospital overcrowding. we'll look at the new data, next. rowding. we'll look at e thnew data, next the american red cross urgently needs blood and platelet donations and asks all healthy donors to schedule an appointment to give. now, with the corona virus outbreak, it is important to maintain a sufficient blood supply. your blood donation is critical and can help save lives. please schedule an appointment today. download the blood donor app. visit redcrossblood.org

or call 1 800 red cross today. you can make a difference. new tide power pods one up the can it one up spaghetti night? it sure can. really? can it one up breakfast in bed? yeah, for sure. thanks, boys. what about that? uhh, yep! it can? yeah, even that! i would very much like to see that. me too. introducing new tide power pods. one up the toughest stains with 50% more cleaning power than liquid detergent. any further questions? uh uh! nope! one up the power of liquid with new tide power pods. has you covered withe fast, reliable internet.finity with advanced security to help keep you secure online. and with the most tv shows, movies and streaming apps all in one place. with simple digital tools you can get the help you need or even trouble shoot your services on your own. download the xfinity my account app or just say help into your xfinity voice remote. we are working to make things a little easier on everyone. download the xfinity my account app today.

on april 10th... poppysomething big... is coming. [ screaming ] ♪ tiny diamond is my name ♪ my whole body's made of glitter ♪ ♪ and i'll throw it in your face ♪ ah, what a troll. tiny and daddy out. welcome back, everybody. the empire state has surpassed yet another grim milestone, announcing the deaths of more than 1200 new yorkers from the coronavirus. that number is up about 250 just from sunday morning, two days. just over half of the latest fatalities reported in new york city alone, about 75% of the state's death toll. that includes the first death of a minor who tested positive for

coronavirus in the city. as emergency 911 lines continue to be floweded, the coronavirus outbreak in new york city has taken a toll on the medical professionals on the front lines of this crisis. a nurse at the jacby medical center in the bronx who has contracted the virus telling the "new york times" this, i feel like we're all being sent to slaughter. "the wall street journal" reports that langone health says they have sole discretion on every who gets to use ventilators and that they should, quote, think critically about it. one told the general as a doctor, i don't know how to make

the call. it seems way too close to playing god. >> and there was a sign of hope yesterday as the uss comfort arrived in new york harbor. the 1,000 patient bed is expected to start treating patients today. they're doing everything they can to keep the ship virus free. according to the new york post, the site will most likely be used to treat patients who do not have the coronavirus and in central park, another area is expected to be up and running, as well. daniel lippman, let's talk about some of these new york

hospitals. they're fatesing a crisis as we have been covering due to the spread of covid-19. what has been the response so far with regard to the trump administration, the federal assistance that they are lending, specifically to new york state and governor andrew cuomo and how soon could we see that arrive in the states that are hardest hit? that $2 trillion effort includes billions of dollars for hospitals around the country, including new york. so some hospitals have complained about medicaid cuts from cuomo's office. but in terms of federal response, it's been kind of grim. we've reported how they've had to send emergency morgue

assistance. >> thank you, as always, my friend. please stay healthy. talk to you soon. i want to go now to europe. italy specifically. there are some signs that the country's strict measures could be having an effect finally. as italy recorded its lowest number of new cases in one day and as the country's lockdown enters its fourth week. the strain is start to go kick in, especially in the southern part of italy. police have been deployed to sicily's capital amid reports that gangs are plotting attacks on stores there. italy has extended its lockdown which is set to end this friday to april 12th. that is easter sunday. let's go now to rome. so some good news amid all of this. it seems as if the numbers are giving some reprieve to italians

there. does that suggest now that the country has turned a corner in fighting this virus? >> yeah. i don't want to be too optimistic because the death rate is still sky high, especially compared to many of the countries in the world. we're still talking about well over 800 new deaths and that actually increased after two days of decreasing. but those numbers, the positive sign that you're talking about were something to see some of the smallest percentage increased in new transmissions. so for epidemiologists, that means that we're flattening the curve, that terms that you keep hearing. it means basically we're still seeing thousands and thousands and thousands of new cases every so there are still people getting infected and many of those people will die. but the percentage of that is actually slowing. which means that we're starting to see that curve flattening. but i wanted to talk about what you just mentioned about the south of the cutting.

there has been been an meshble move. but there are concerns because, remember, just like the president and his administration are worried about how the treatment or the medicine could be worse than the disease efforts, that's what officials are worried about because they don't have a massive number of cases in sicily and other places in the south. but they are afflicted by poverty and gang violence in the past. and they're worried that because they're not actually suffering that much from the disease, they're going to be carrying a massive burden economically and socially. and they're especially worried that once this is all said and done, once the dust settles and the shrockdown is lifted, that if the italian state isn't strong enough to pick up the pieces and to come in and help people, then the mafia could step back in and stay up its

traditional role, that families could turn into the violent families and the large organized crime groups and that could reverse decades of progress in pushing back the mafia. >> looking for leadership elsewhere, the consequences of the possible economic impact of all of this. matt bradley reporting live from roam, thank you, my friend. still ahead, while new data suggests social distancing is helping to stem the spread of the coronavirus, project jobs indicate the u.s. is still more than two weeks away from the peak of the outbreak. your first look at "morning joe" is back in a moment. morning joe" is back in a moment.

you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose 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. 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®. we don't blame them efor that. what matters is how they handle it. donald trump didn't create the corona virus. but he is the o who eliminated the pandemic response team. and who let the virus spread unchecked across america. crisis comes to every president. this one failed. unite the country is responsible for the content of this advertising.

but when allergies and congestion strike, take allegra-d... a non-drowsy antihistamine plus a powerful decongestant. so you can always say "yes" to putting your true colors on display. say "yes" to allegra-d. to putting your true colors on display. ♪ ♪all strength ♪we ain't stoppin' believe me♪ ♪go straight till the morning look like we♪ ♪won't wait♪ ♪we're taking everything we wanted we can do it♪ ♪all strength ♪no sweat welcome back. new health data suggesting stay at home orders and social distancing could be helping to spre slow the spread of the coronavirus in the united

states. a realtime national map of fever levels shows favors holding steady or dropping across the country. that's good news. by monday, at least three quarters of the country which saw favors peak back on march 17th, has seen the number of favors reported decrease. according to this company, closing restaurants and asking people to stay home contributed to this decline. the map shows favors in every county in the united states on a downward trend, dropping spshlg in the west where the number of people reporting high fevers fell by almost 20%. however, the company spokesperson cautioned the dropping fever trend does not mean the number of cases or hospitalizations will drop immediately. news data shows we could be two weeks away from the worst of the outbreak. the institute for health metrics and independent research center at the university of washington projects the need for hospital resources will peak on april 15th if current social distancing measures do stay in

place. according to the research center, more than 224,000 hospital beds will be needed on the 15th, including nearly 33,000 icu beds and more than 26,000 ventilators. if the numbers hold, there will be a shortage of about a 4,000 beds and 40,000 icu beds. the number of deaths per day will peak on april 15th at about 2200 with a total of just under 84,000 deaths by august 4th. what researchers are calling the epidemic's first wave, yesterday dr. fauci was asked about the possibility of a second wave in the fall. >> i would anticipate that that would actually happen. however, if you come back in the fall, it will be a totally different ball game. there will be several things that would be different. our ability to be able to go out, test, identify, isolate and

contract trace will be orders of magnitude better than what it was just a couple of months ago. in addition, we have a number of clinical trials that are looking at a number of therapeutic interventions. and importantly, as i mentioned to you many times at these briefings is that we have a vaccine that is on track and multiple other candidates. so i would anticipate that a year, to a year and a half, we would be able to do it under an emergency use. if we start seeing an efficacy sample, we may be able to use a vaccine at the next level. what we're doing now is going to be things that we have available to us that we did not have before. let's get a check on your weather again and some of the things we're seeing with regard to covid-19 and some more good

news from dr. fauci. a lot of people have been talking about this returning in the fall, but dr. fauci indicating it's a different game at that point because we will be better prepared. >> and the doctors have been flying blind on how to treat this. they don't know the best practices. by then, there will be more research and more development. so everyone right now is waiting for the apex. when are we going to get to the worst of this and start heading for better days. the number of fatalities has skyrocketed. over 3,000 yesterday. it was only six days ago that we passed 1,000. so we're not even close to the apex of this. and as far as the total cases go, it was march 27th, not that long ago, that we hit 100,000. by the end of today, we'll probably be somewhere close to 190,000. and by the time we get to the weekend, we'll probably be close to 250,000. we're doubling this number every four to five days. so if we're at 164, by the time

we get to sunday, we're going to be close to 300,000 and we are seeing the growth rate go a little slower, but not slow enough. and as far as the new cases go by state, yesterday in new york, over 6,000. new jersey had a big number, over 3,000 new cases. california, 1,000. but i mentioned it last half hour. they still have 65,000 outstanding cases, tests, that they're waiting to get back. so expect that california number to jump significantly over the next couple of weeks. michigan over a thousand cases, too. and the only severe weather thing i need to tell everyone about, if you're heading out later this afternoon to try to get fresh air, areas of alabama, florida, georgia, we could have a few severe thunderstorms and maybe even isolated tornados. that is the area of greatest concern. the weather has been kind of crummy, but it won't be as

rainy. >> i think of you often, bill, because at this point, the weather is everything considering the fact that you want to get outside and have a bit of a walk. so if there's sunshine, it makes your day a little lighter amid all this. still ahead, the coronavirus outbreak continues to take a toll on american jobs with many more retail workers set to join the ranks of the unemployed as major u.s. companies move to furlough tens of thousands of their staff members. the stories driving your business today, coming up next. r business today, coming up next with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you don't have to. with a painless, one-second scan you can check your glucose with a smart phone or reader so you can stay in the moment. no matter where you are or what you're doing. ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us.

welcome back. china, the country where the coronavirus all started is finally starting to see signs of some economic relief amid the outbreak. juliana is joining us live for this. talk to us about -- >> good morning. >> talk to us about the outlook here with regard to china. how are things looking? >> well, the chinese economy is

just begin to go open up again. and we got a fresh data point overnight. this is the official purchasing manager's index for the month of march. and it came in critically above the 50 mark. 50 is the mark that from contraction. we are seeing some signs of expansion in the factory part of the economy there. but analysts caution against reading too much into this number. it's coming off of a very low base. we saw factory activity contract very sharply in the month of february as the economy came to a halt, to contain the outbreak. nevertheless, it is an encouraging signal. we need some more evidence, data points to confirm this is an improving trend. meanwhile, in the u.s., we have heard from a number of retailers now that they are going to be furloughing thousands of employees to try to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on their businesses. we've heard from the likes of macy's, gap, and kohl's. they're putting thousands of employees on leave without pay. just in terms of the numbers,

kohl's said that 85,000 of its 122,000 employees would be affected. gap said it would pause pay for most of its 129,000 work force in the u.s. and canada. macy's is going to be furloughing most of its 125,000 staff. while eligibility rules differ by state, most of these workers will be able to claim unemployment benefits. some massive layoffs happening in the retail sector. one other sector i want to shed light on this morning is airlines. the airline sector in the united states, obviously, taking a huge hit amid these travel bans. the treasury department came out last night with details around how the airlines will be awarded grants and loans. part of the government assistance agreed last weekureiy for grants this friday. they want them to agree to conditions including not cutting pay or laying off workers through september 30th. we'll see what the airlines come

out with over the course of the week. back to you. >> julianna tattatelbaum, live m london. thank you. next, axios' one big thing. coming up on "morning joe," as congress mauls a fourth bill for americans affected by covid-19, nancy pelosi will be our guest. plus, rock skp rand roll ha fame er jon bon jovi will share his message to america amidst this outbreak. "morning joe" is moments away. they are both very much hand in hand. so you should really be focusing on both and definitely at the same time. the new sensodyne sensitivity & gum gives us the dual action effect that really takes care of both our teeth sensitivity as well as our gum issues. by brushing with sensodyne sensitivity & gum at home it's giving you the relief that you need and the control that you need to take care of your oral health. and it creates a healthier environment. there's no question it's something that i would recommend.

but when allergies attack,f any the excitement fades. allegra helps you say yes with the fastest non-drowsy allergy relief and turning a half hearted yes, into an all in yes. allegra. live your life, not your allergies. (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. 450-degree oven, to box, to you, know that from our it's our policy that your pizza is never touched once it comes out of the oven. and we're taking extra steps, like no contact delivery, to ensure it.

i'm part of a community of problem solvers. we make ideas grow. from an everyday solution... to one that can take on a bigger challenge. from packaging tape... to tape that can bond materials to buildings... and planes. eaan unlock from packaging tape... to tape a breadth of solutions. at 3m, we are solving problems that improve lives. eaan unlock from packaging tape... to tape a breadth of solutions. my name is jonatan and i work for verizon. i totally get how important it is to stay connected. we're connecting with people, we're offering them solutions. customers can do what they need to do, whenever they need to do it online. because it gives customers the ability to not come in to the store, they can simply tap and swipe. something that they can use wherever they are. we care about keeping you safe. at verizon, we are here, and we are ready. we are open 24/7 online, so you can keep managing all you need from home and through the verizon apps and verizon.com.

on april 10th... poppysomething big... is coming. [ screaming ] ♪ tiny diamond is my name ♪ my whole body's made of glitter ♪ ♪ and i'll throw it in your face ♪ ah, what a troll. tiny and daddy out. welcome back. joining us now with a look at axios am, political reporter for axios, alexi . great to see you. >> thank god for technology. >> right? talk to us about axios one big thing today. >> it is the general election coming in november. chipping away at age-old

barriers of voting rights to vote in mail. our ability to vote in the general election in november, eight months away, is looking more and more uncertain. of course, because of coronavirus. we've seen the way in which this global pandemic has already forced several states to postpone their primaries. they've also changed the way in which candidates can campaign for president. now, the question is, of course, what does this mean for our ability to vote in the general election? what really matters here, yasmin, is political cal collusi calculations are moving to be critical in expanding the vote by mail programs. the other challenge is estimates show it can cost more than 2 billion fdollars for states to make the changes to make that a possibility come november. >> let's talk about the campaign trail for a moment amidst all of this. i actually spoke to former vice president biden yesterday in the 2:00 p.m. hour on msnbc.

he said the president needs to listen to his experts and lead with truth. i asked him if he wanted to reconsider his position on health care, seeming as the sis testimony eseem system is crumbling because of coronavirus. he said single-payer, he doesn't think is the solution. what are you seeing from biden at this moment? >> that was a really great interview you did, by the way. it is interesting to see the way in which he is doing more and more tv hits. he knows it is one of the other ways to reach voters where they are, given that everyone is stuck at home and watching tv more because of that. i thought his answer about single-payer health care was interesting. we've seen exit polling from various primaries in states he's won that show he's winning a majority of voters who support something like medicare for all. it is an interesting dynamic that's been playing out that, obviously, plays into his answer on that. the other thing we saw yesterday with joe biden's presidential campaign is two major outside

democratic groups are forming this general election partnership to really pool their resources. opposition research, tv ads, everything they're working on to consolidate power for biden, rather than it coming from different places. they're coming together to give him a boost at this time, again, when people are at home watching more tv. he needs help getting his message out there more. now, he's getting a nine-figure campaign from the democratic groups to help him at a crucial point in the campaign when he can't be out on the campaign trail. >> let's go back to the president's response with regards to coronavirus. now, he's tackling it. he ce recently extending social distancing guidelines to the end of april, after his goal of easter. axios has who he is listening to these days and why he changed his mind. >> senior administration officials told my colleague, jonathan swan, the president has been watching fox news and seeing some of the really

horrific scenes play out from his home state of new york. that really, according to his officials, pulled on his heart strings and made him consider the deadline and timeline he'd otherwise imposed on himself. others were saying easter wasn't a deadline that needed to be met. he was listening to someone like treasury secretary steven mnuchin, who was telling him the payments the government was giving, $1200, as well as the stock market settling down, would work out in the end and offset the blow americans are feeling now. president trump, he was arguing, didn't have to make hasty decisions to reopen the economy by april 12th, as he previously said. those are sort of some of the behind the scenes things that led to president trump changing his decision, which he otherwise was steadfast about reopening things by easter. >> alalexi, stay well. we'll read axios am in a little bit. signup.axios.com. that does it for me on this

tuesday morning. i'm yasmin vossoughian. "morning joe" starts right now. >> we're very worried about every city in the united states and the potential for this virus to get out of control. if we do things together well, almost perfectly, we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities. >> so if we do things almost perfectly, 200,000 americans could still die from the coronavirus. already, the death toll stands at 3,003, more than the number of lives lost on 9/11. >> so we keep getting to these grim milestones, willie. yesterday, more americans had died by the coronavirus than died in the afghanistan war. american troops over, gosh, the past two decades. by the end of