on this passover night of 2020. that is our broadcast for this wednesday evening. on behalf of all of my colleagues at the networks of nbc news, good night from our temporary field headquarters. good morning. it's tuesday, april 9th, everybody. we have a lot to cover this morning. the u.s. suffering another record day of deaths from the coronavirus yesterday. the second day in a row. it claimed more than 1900 lives as the total number of deaths now closes in on 15,000. the nation's epicenter, new york state, recorded its highest number of deaths in a single day, 779. and in 151,000 confirmed cases, new york state alone now has more cases than any other country except, of course, the united states. there is, however, a glimmer of

home amid all of this. the number of hospitalizations in the state continues to decline. governor cuomo says it is a sign that the soshl distancing measures are working. >> we are flattening the curve by what we are doing. if we stop what we are doing, you will see that curve change. that curve is purely a function of what we do day in and day out. it is not a time to get complacent. it is not a time to do anything different than we have been doing. >> and a leading forecast model, the white house uses to chart the progression of the coronavirus has adjusted its projections downward in dramatic fashion. "the washington post" reported wednesday the institute for health metrics and evaluation at the university of washington puts the peak of the u.s. covid-19 he resource use at just two days away on april 11th, after which the need for

hospital beds and ventilators will be on the decline. the ihme now says the icu bed shortage nationwide is just over 9,000 and the projected number of deaths by august 4th is just over 60,400. a drop of more than 20,000 from the institute's previous estimates over the weekend. some jurisdictions the post reports are too optimistic. local officials in washington, d.c., for example, prefer the university of pennsylvania's alternate model of c.h.i.m.e. governors across the country, though, fear the more optimistic outlook could dampen the sense of urgency to send needed protective gear and beds and ventilators to their states. so after two weeks of record unemployment claims, economists are predicting yet another week of record highs.

jpmorgan predicts 7 million americans applied for unemployment just last week. this was up from last week's 6.65 million claims and the previous week's 3.28 million claims, both records. economists say that up to 50 million jobs, a third of the u.s. economy, are at stake due to coronavirus related reasons. the latest jobless claims report will be out later this morning. so we'll be watching for that, as well. joining me now to talk about this, peggy collins. good morning to you. thank you so much for joining us this morning. really appreciate it. we're expected to see another record high in unemployment claims this week. it seems every week that passes, those numbers go up-and-up and up. give us an overall look as to how this is going to impact the future of the u.s. economy. >> one of the things we've been looking at, and today we have a story out about how states are

struggling to keep up with literally the millions of people that have been filing for jobless claims in the last few weeks. we're expecting at 8:30 this morning eastern time for the numbers to come out again and be in the millions yet again. so we're seeing people file for claims in a surge in terms of states seeing dozens of calls per second and trying to keep up with that, trying to update their technology. but as we've said, the economy was so strong coming into this that in a lot of places, state unemployment offices were just not prepared for this surge. >> let's talk about the sort of changing in numbers and the surges in various states throughout the country. you have a number of coronavirus cases in some states but officials are warning that new hot spots could be popping up around the country. how is this going to impact the trump administration's attempts to reopen this country?

>> it's been a patchwork of where the fires have hit first. but we've talked to people across the country in places like texas, indiana, oklahoma, where states are also seeing impact. and, of course, the battleground states like pennsylvania, we saw the first wave of jobless claims in the services second sector, people in the restaurant business, for example. but we've seen it go into the manufacturing industry and that's one of the places where the president has had his base. so the job losses have been across the board and they're continuing. >> do you have any sense as to how the president could begin to open up this country once again from an economic standpoint, which jobs would be able to go back to work first? >> well, i think that is one of the things that economists are really looking at now in terms of if we could open the economy at some point, how do you intentionally do it?

i think studies are showing about 30% or so, a third of the country is able to work from home. so that is something that could actually help us. but the question of how you bring service jobs back into the economy, hotels, restaurants, places where consumers were spending at the peak of this economy before the virus hit is still an open question mark. >> peggy collins, thank you, as always. let's move on here. british prime minister boris johnson is reportedly, quote, improving after spending a third night in intensive care for coronavirus complications. the country's prime minister says johnson is now sitting up in bed, engaging positively with the team at london's state hospital. as the death toll there continues to rise past 7,000 in the uk, the government is expected to discuss the ongoing lockdown measures that are going on there.

cal, let's start with an update on the prime minister's condition. we're hearing he's able to sit up and have conversations. that's good news. give us what you're hearing from your end. >> very good news that he's actually conversing there with some of those medical personnel. this is his third night in the icu, as you said, his fifth night in the hospital. he was diagnosed with covid two weeks ago. i think there was a lot of trepidation and a lot of concern when he went to the icu. this morning, we heard from the ministry. i think certainly when you look at what happens here yesterday, we had the deadliest day since this outbreak. almost a thousand people died across the united kingdom. there has been relation sitting

in that although the curve may be flattening on new cases, certainly the death toll is still rising. >> so i mentioned uk officials will be meeting to discuss the future of the guidelines with regard to lockdowns across the uk. talk us through exactly what you expect to hear from them and what they're going to implement going forward from your understanding. >> so here, it's called a cobra meeting and that's basically like a national security-type meeting. all of the top ministers. every three weeks, by law now, it's a new coronavirus law here, they have to look at what they're going to do with the lockdown. the discussion here happening in london and around the uk is that the weather is going to be 75 degrees, it is going to be sunny this weekend. so what we're going to see here is a campaign from government officials and from celebrities who are going to put commercials

out on the air telling people they need to stay home. there was a flattening of the curve when it comes to new cases, but yesterday was a horrific day when it comes to people dieing. the lockdown is not going to be lifted. when you look at who is paying the heaviest price, it is transit workers. it is people bringing food to other people's houses. delivery drivers. for those people, i think it's really important that the uk government get the word out that people need to stay home. the welsh in wales have said they're going to lockdown for another few weeks. that, i think, is what you're going to see here, not only in london, but across the united kingdom. >> yeah. i think the fear is im lar here in the united states with regard to the easter holiday over the

weekend. in new york state, they're issuing fines for those nos netly following the guidelines. still ahead, a republican congressman wants to bring a case against china for the damages caused by the coronavirus. danny will join us to break that down. and bernie sanders has dropped out of the presidential race, clearing joe biden's path to the democratic nomination. what the senator is saying about his decision, those stories and, of course, a check on your weather when we come back. checr weather when we come back.

who has time for wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair®. we've got the retinol that gives you results in one week. not just any retinol. accelerated retinol sa. for not only smoother skin in one day, but younger-looking skin in just one week. and that's clinically proven. results that fast or your money back. unless you're attached to your wrinkles.

one week is all it takes. neutrogena®. subut when we realized she wasn hebattling sensitive skin, one week is all it takes. we switched to new tide plus downy free. it's gentle on her skin, and dermatologist recommended. new tide pods plus downy free. safe for sensitive skin with eczema and psoriasis.

boib. the federal stockpile of personal protective equipment is nearly empty. amid desperate pleas for front line workers treating coronavirus patients that are asking for more. the department of health and human services telling the associated press they're in the

process of distributing the remaining n95 respirators, surgical masks, gowns and other supplies to state and local govern government. the statement confirming documents released wednesday showing that 90% of the stockpile has already been distributed. after two months of squandering the crisis while watching front line workers posted photos of themselves wearing home made cloth masks to social media, the trump administration placed two orders of n95 masks in mid march. those orders are not expected to arrive until after the end of april, after the white house predicts the peak of the pandemic happens here in the united states. jim banks, congressman of indiana, is calling for the state to launch an international case against china for the damages caused by the coronavirus pandemic. banks, a member of the house armed services committee, said

china's initial efforts to conceal the deadly virus in wuhan prevented other countries from taking the necessary precaution toes contain its spread. they argue that beijing's actions warrant legal action here. banks wrote in part this, china shoulders most of that blame rather than succumb to the propaganda and spin of chinese officials, the world must hold them accountable for mishandling this outbreak. banks is circulating a note among hesitate colleagues to gain support for this call. the letter is said to be sent to barr and secretary of state mike pompeo in the coming weeks. joining me now, danny sovalas. great to see you today. i want to start off first by taking about this international court of justice. take us through first. is this, in fact, a criminal

court or is it one where countries can actually bring civil suits for damages? >> the international court of justice or icj is the court agency, so to speak, for the united nations where states and parties to the united nations only can bring disputes. and the court can hear disputes or what are called advisory opinions, something that our courts are not allowed to do. so this is something that if the states great, if china and the united states agree to have the court hear this dispute, then the court can hear it and apply general principles of international law, whatever those are, among all of its judges which are from all over the world and issue a decision that is binding only so far as the defendant country wants to follow it. >> so does this case have legs if it reaches there, if it reaches the international court?

>> well, first, china has to agree to be involved. and even if it doesn't, the law allows for sanctions to be brought against china, such as restricting trade or travel to china. but when you look at the history of the international court of justice, specifically the united states history with the court, what you see is that the challenge of international law is that for each country, what is good for the goose isn't always good for the gander. and by that, i mean look at 1986 where the international court of justice found that the united states wrongfully supported the contras in nicaragua. and the united states said, no, we don't like the court any more when we're the defendant because you can't tell us what to do. and the united states withdrew from the court. so a fundamental challenge of an international court of any kind is one country telling another country that it somehow violated international standards, whatever they may be, and problem two is enforcing that

against a country that says, no, we decline to follow the court's decision. >> danny cevallos for us breaking it all down. great to see you this morning. still ahead, the director general of the world health organization is hitting back after president trump attacked the world health organization's response to the coronavirus pandemic. his new warning to world leaders, coming up next. to keep your body healthy for the future. shouldn't your toothpaste do the same for your mouth? now with crest pro/active defense, future proof your whole mouth. its active defense technology neutralizes bacteria to shield against potential issues. crest.

you should be mad they gave this guy a promotion.

you should be mad at forced camaraderie. and you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not mad, because you have e*trade, who's tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad. get e*trade's simplified technical analysis. the focus of all political parties should be to save their people. please don't politicize this virus. if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. if you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it. >> so that was the director

general of the world health organization warning world leaders not to politicize the coronavirus outbreak. those remarks came a day after the president attacked the world health organization for its response to the pandemic. new polls are showing that americans are divided on the president's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. however, a majority remain hopeful that the united states will be able to limit the virus's impact. according to the newest qui quinnipiac university poll, 46% say they approve of the president's handling. 51% disapproved. the latest monmouth poll show americans are split. 49% say the president is doing a bad job, while 46% say he's doing a good job handling this outbreak. and 53% of americans are confident that the united states

will be able to limit the impact of the coronavirus, down 9 points since last month. 45% saying they're not confident. meanwhile, according to that quinnipiac poll, 8 in 10 americans say they support a national stay at home order to fight the coronavirus. let's switch gears now and bring in nbc meteorologist bill karins who has been tracking that curve for us, bill. it seems as if here in new york, despite the fact that we had the highest number of deaths sadly yesterday, we are hitting that apex. because of the hospital admissions. >> yeah. those are kind of the three metrics. we have the fatalities, the new cases that come in and then the hospitalizations, the icu beds. obviously, the fatality curve is the last one that is going to come. we haven't quite reached that plateau yet.

yesterday approximately 2,000, which was about the same as we saw on tuesday. so we didn't have any big growth in the fatalities. it's consistent. yesterday, more than half of the fatalities from the country came from new york and new jersey combined. michigan had another big number, illinois, massachusetts, louisiana. this has been recurring. these same states are on this list with the most fatalities that come in over a 24-hour period. as far as new cases go, we have not topped that 34,000 number that we had on saturday. so from friday until about now, almost for a week straight, we've been in this plateau where we haven't gone down, we haven't gone up. what we're going to wait for next is if we can get that decrease. as far as new cases went yesterday, a bunch of states including pennsylvania, massachusetts, illinois and michigan. let's get to the weather. we had a lot of severe storms yesterday. they died off a bit. same for areas around birmingham, early morning rain as we go throughout the day today.

we have two areas of severe weather. one in texas with 39 million people at risk combining texas and as we slide up into philadelphia, new york, baltimore, we could see some hail, gusty winds with these storms as they come through during the middle of the afternoons. keep that in mind. and yasmin, we mentioned this yesterday. how cruel is this? we're heading into the second week of april. our friends in northern maine and even central maine could get 6 to 12 inches of snow today and tonight. so the kids will be out there playing in their yards and in their driveways, but for the adults, you don't want that in april. >> we just need sunny days, bill. we just need sunny days. >> a lot of sunny days. >> for the rest of time until this thing is over. bill karins, my friend, great to see you this morning. still ahead, what senator bernie sanders is saying about his decision to drop out of the 2020 approximateliat race. plus, the lockdown has been listed in wuha inspect, the original epicenter of the coronavirus virus. we're going to get a live report from china on what authorities

there are doing to prevent another wave of cases. we are back in just a moment. pe. pepto® diarrhea is proven effective to treat symptoms, and it also targets the cause of diarrhea. the 3 times concentrated liquid formula coats and kills bacteria to relieve diarrhea. while the leading competitor does nothing to kill the bacteria, pepto® diarrhea gets to the source, killing the bad bacteria. so, try pepto® diarrhea, and remember to have it on hand every time you travel. also try pepto®-bismol liquicaps for on-the-go relief. (burke) atthat can happen to your wehome...or car.t everything and we covered it all. ah, memory lane sure has a lot of accidents. we know a thing or two about bundling and saving. so get a quote today.

♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

like rock, reggaeton, alland techno.. get ready for the drop. wait for it. wait for it. -come on man hit me! wait for it. just do it already! ♪ one more time yeah. welcome back, everybody. we have a lot to cover this morning. we begin this half hour with the latest on 2020. neither bernie sanders announcing the end to his 2020 campaign yesterday, leaving former vice president joe biden as the apparent democratic presidential nominee. the self-described democratic

socialist addressed his supporters yesterday via live stream. watch this. >> as i see the crisis gripping the nation, exacerbated by a president unwilling or unable to provide any kind of credible leadership, and the work that needs to be done to protect people in this most desperate hour, i cannot in good conscious continue to mount a campaign that cannot win and which would interfere with the important work required of all of us in this difficult hour. on a practical note, let me also say this. i will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates. while vice president biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the democratic convention where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other

functions. stay in this fight with me. let us go forward together. the struggle continues. also overseas in china yesterday, lifting its lockdown in wuhan. the city of 11 million where the coronavirus first emerged. but after a 76-day quarantine of the city, there are some concerns of resurgence in infections as thousands are leaving wuhan. china yesterday announced new measures to contain asymptomatic carriers of the virus. hospitals must report these patients within two hours of discovering their case and local authorities must identify all known contacts within 24 hours. these a symptomatic carriers will be quarantined together for 14 days as well as their close contacts. according to local media, around 65,000 people have left wuhan on planes and trains within hours

of the lockdown ending. let's get into this a bit. janice, good morning to you. great do you see today. let's talk first about what chinese authorities are saying about these new measures to contain a possible second wave. >> well, this is the big concern here, especially with the lockdown on wuhan. finally ending. we're seeing thousands of people, tens of thousands in the first hours of that lockdown being lifted trying to leave the city. 55,000 people booked trains. there have been over 10,000 people who have flown out on flights. the concern is some of these people could test positive for carrying the virus, but never show any clinical signs of it. so the government is trying to enact these new measures to have

a better tracking system for these cases. so far, they say they have 657 asymptomatic cases on record and 57 of them have shown signs of the virus and been confirmed to confirmed cases. so these are the numbers that the authorities are working with here. the other front they have is to try to reduce the number of cases here is to try to curb the number of travelers coming into china. they've already cut international flights, they've already all but banned foreigners. chinese citizens who are returning from overseas are expected to go through testing, to go through quarantine, so that the government can properly monitor them. the concern, of course, is that as these restrictions are being released to try to get the economy back on track, it's going to perhaps open up new transmission routes for the virus and trigger this second wave of infections.

>> so let's go on that last point that you just made. what is the government saying with regard to steps to get this economy -- their economy, excuse me, back on track? >> well, it has been a slowly, slowly approach. some businesses have been reopening. factories are now working at maybe 70%. but there are still limitations on travel between cities within china, for example, you can't travel from shanghai to beijing without doing a 14-day quarantine here. so there are still a lot of hurdles. a lot of businesses have not reopened. there are concerns about job losses, the way that we're seeing in the u.s. and at this point, not yet a lot of details from chinese authorities on how they expect to remedy the problems. >> a completely different

government and economy, many of the concerns the same as here in the united states. still ahead, a live report from richard engle about how europe is fairing in this coronavirus pandemic. s fairing coronavirus pandemic new tide power pods one up the cleaning power of liquid. 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.

welcome back, everybody. let's head overseas once again. richard engle is joining us. richard, good morning to you. talk to us about the latest on how europe is fairing during this pandemic, specifically some of those hard-hit areas like italy and spain. >> so when we talk about europe, we're really talking about the big four. it used to be the big three. now it's the big four.

that would be spain, italy, france, and now the uk because the numbers in the uk are going up quite significantly. we're talking now in the range daily about 8 and recently 900 plus deaths per day from the covid-19. and i've been watching these numbers quite closely for several weeks now and they do fluctuate. it's a bit like a heart rate monitor. it's clear the patient is still sick, but is he on the road to recovery or are things getting worse? and it really depends where you are. geography is time travel when it comes to covid-19. so where you are on the curve depends on where you are physically located and what steps your society is taking. spain has taken a little bit of a turn for worse. as has france. things are getting significantly worse in the uk. but they all believe that they are on the road to recovery,

even here in the uk. there is some debate about whether they are at the crust of the hill or getting over it, but they do believe that things are on the road to improvement. in italy, they are start to go now even talk about, dream about with when they're going to start opening up their economy again. solo there are tough days and it looks like the uk is going to have particularly a very tough days to come and officials are very worried about this easter weekend because the wh is beautiful and a lot of people are going to be tempted in the uk which has that additionally terrible weather to go out, to go to the parks, to have barbecues and the government is saying we're in a very dangerous place right now. don't do that. >> let's talk, richard, about the economic impact of the pandemic. we are seeing it front and center here in the united states. as we well know, italy is a couple of weeks ahead of us, right? so talk us through exactly the type of economic impact you're seeing from this pandemic and

some of these european countries and specifically about italy if and when they are at a point that they can start rolling back some of these guidelines and starting to open up businesses again. do we have any idea as to whether authorities believe that time may come for that country? >> so to watch europe opening up is probably better not to watch italy or the uk or some of the hardest hit countries. it is the countries on the periphery that are starting to say we're going to put our toe back in the water. and czech republic has announced some dates of when it's going to start opening up. denmark also wants to do more. germany, which some of these countries which didn't close down entirely, but which put restrictions on are talking about listing them and lifting them quite soon. austria, another example. so the countries that got hit by the virus, but didn't take the full brunt of it are now

actively considering and actively trying to take steps to open things up. and italy and in the uk, it's still more in a we're still looking at it, we're still waiting and seeing. we're contemplating it. we want to do it, but they're still in the analytics phase. >> seems further off in the future for countries like that. richard engle, my friend, great to see you, as always. stay healthy. now to bill karins tracking that curve for us and those numbers across the country and, of course, the weekend weather, bill. >> yeah. i have a new map for you. i'm going to start tracking testing. we need to know who has the virus, right? so let's take a look first at the national number. we're done about 2.12 million tests nationwide with a population in our country around 330 million. we've tested .7% of our total

population so far. and some of those people were tested more than once, so it may be a little skewed, a little high. new york, louisiana, almost getting up to 2% of testing in their total populations. then massachusetts, vermont and washington. all of the gray states that you see on this map have tested less than .5% of their population and the lowest in the country, texas, .3%, oklahoma .3%. kansas .3% of their populations. that is it. that's how many tests have been reported by their health departments. so we'll continue to track this. these numbers will grow, obviously, as we go and hopefully as the testing gets quicker and faster and they can do more mass bulk, hopefully those numbers will jump up. also, the plateau, we're not climbing the steps any more. the last thing i want to do is update everyone on their easter

forecast. no problems on friday. saturday, we begin to see some severe storms in areas of texas and as far as easter sunday goes, we could have a major severe weather and tornado outbreak in areas of the south. so louisiana, alabama, georgia, a big heads up. this is going to be a huge storm yet and we'll get some nasty snow on the north side of this up through the midwest. but we'll keep an eye on that. we'll talk more about that tomorrow. >> all right. thank you, bill. still ahead, what congress is doing to help small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. and by the way, as we go to break, we would like to take a moment to highlight some of the good news out there in these troubling times. check this out. entertainer tyler perry picked up the tab for senior shoppers yesterday at 73 grocery stores around the atlanta area and in his home state of louisiana, which has emerged as a coronavirus hot spot in the united states. wow. we are back in a moment. we are . ♪

here's a razor that works differently. the gillette skinguard it has a guard between the blades that helps protect skin. the gillette skinguard. 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. 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®. 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. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is expected to ask r unanimous consent. the move is seen as a dare to senate democrats unless their own interests are met. meanwhile, pelosi is refuse to go buckle to the trump administration's demands. she urged republicans to, quote, come to the table and to continue negotiations for more relief on minority-owned companies. she's calling for an additional $250 billion that would benefit hospitals and states as they seek to increase testing and also to buy supplies. joining me once again, u.s. economy managing editor for bloomberg, peggy collins. let's talk first about congressional democrats here that are pushing for another phase four stimulus package to

help small businesses hit hardest by the coronavirus. how soon could we actually see this happen? >> mitch mcconnell said he wants a vote in the senate as soon as today. we saw the democrats and republicans go back and fourth on the third phase of the stimulus bill, that $2 trillion package that ultimately passed by unanimous vote. so this is part of their negotiating back and forth. some of the touch points are that $250 billion in addition to aid to small businesses, but also how to get money to states and local towns and cities that are struggling from a loss of tax revenue, but that are also on the front lines of trying to help fight this crisis. >> it's been reported that the money that was allotted in phase three for small businesses is not any with all of the loans that are coming in and the inquiries being fielded from

small businesses. let's talk about the federal government's involvement in all of this. is there a way or is there a possibility for the federal government to step in here to soften the blow of the economics been trying, in coordination with the federal reserve, to get money out to small businesses. one of the things that's a problem is the fact that some businesses don't already have strong, existing relationships with banks. also, the banks want assurance that they're going to be able to get the money back and they'll be able to speed up the process of paperwork without potentially getting caught in the cross hairs. so there's a lot of administr e administratadministrat administrative hurdles. we've heard from some small businesses that they're getting up in the middle of the night to file forms online. they're trying for hours to get access to small business administration sites. we saw the small business administration website have issues earlier this week. it's a massive infrastructure

issue, as well as a human one. >> have you heard of anybody at this point, any small business owners, that have received any checks from banks with regards to these loans they've filed for? >> we have heard from some small businesses they've had success. in a number of cases, it has been businesses that already had a strong, existing relationship with the community bank or a big bank as a business. that meant their paperwork was already there. they were a known customer to the bank and that facilitated or accelerated the process. >> let's hope more people begin to see some of this money. peggy kocollins, thank you, as much. coming up, axios' one big thing. coming up on "morning joe," another grim milestone for new york, as the state records its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic yet. senator kiersten gillibrand will be our guest, as well as the governor of neighboring new jersey, phil murphy.

plus, she's raised $35 million, and she's not finished. we speak to lady gaga about her efforts in the fight against the coronavirus. "morning joe" is moments away. hey allergy muddlers... achoo! ...do your sneezes turn heads? try zyrtec... ...it starts working hard at hour one... and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec muddle no more.

welcome back, everybody. joining us from washington with a look at axios am, national political reporter for axios, jonathan swan. good morning to you. talk to us about axios' one big thing today. >> president trump's aides encouraged by data, showing fewer projected deaths than originally projected. working behind the scenes on plans, pleural, and different scenarios to reopen the economy. there is a ton of internal energy pushing for may 1st as the date. that's the end of the white house's 30 days to slow the spread. that energy is especially coming from some of the more economic and politically-minded aides. there's not one plan people are rallying around. there are different scenarios

being batted around, and it is early conversations. public health officials in the government are weary about optimistic talk coming from some of the economic and political aides. this is a quote that a senior hhs official gave to me last night. quote, talk of reopening the american economy, when we don't fully under the virus and can't even crank our own domestic assembly lines to make diagnostic tests, respirators, is flat out ridiculous. but officials defending the president, saying he is listening to data. they're casting skepticism over the idea of a single date, pointing to his comments yesterday, where he said we're going to need to see the curve going down. look, it's a pretty hot conversation right now behind the scenes. >> let's hope the trump administration is listening mostly to dr. fauci and dr. birx on this one, as to when to start

to even think about reopening the economy. i want to talk about another plan. we'd heard at one point the trump administration was planning to offer millions of free masks. haven't heard of that since. what happened to those plans? >> this is reporting from my colleague, kaitlin owens, and i. this emerged in the situation room, i'm told, a few weekends ago. this was an idea, mostly pushed by robert cadillac, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the department of health and human services. the idea was the federal government to partner with hanes and fruit of the loom. it'd be the u.s. postal service delivering cotton masks to every single person in america. that was one version of the idea. the other one was to send it to hot zones, the areas worst affected by the virus. huge-scale idea. cadillac was very keen on it,

but there was a lot of skepticism at the senior level. a number of the officials just didn't think it was the role of the federal government to be doing that. given the cdc was recommending facial coverings, it was thought the government ought to provide it for their citizens. >> so what happened? where did it land? >> it died. at least it has been tabled. >> okay. >> it doesn't look very healthy at the moment, i'll tell you that. >> not necessarily promising, especially when you have the president, a coronavirus task force press briefing, basically saying, you know, i know it's a recommendation, but i'm not wearing one. nobody else up here is wearing one. i guess we can see how that all ended up. let's talk about the big political news from yesterday. bernie sanders out with regards to run-up to the white house. is he dlab racollaborating? is he throwing his support behind biden? what conversations have they had? >> my colleagues, alexa and

margaret, are reporting that the biden and sanders camps are going to be having a number of conversations. their policy teams getting together and discussing whether they can announce common goals, joint goals on a number of issues. they're told that there's no way biden is going to be supporting medicare for all, so there are limits to how far biden will adopt the sanders agenda. issues like student loans, making college free, climate change is another one, labor, corporate responsibility. biden knows that he needs to show sanders supporters that he is listening and, obviously, bernie sanders still has not endorsed him and is shahanging to his delegates. he wants to have annish flu inf over biden and the policies he takes to the election. biden signalled he is open to that. >> jonathan swan, thank you, as always, my friend. i'll be reading axios am in a little bit. you can sign up at

signup.axios.com. that does it for me on this thursday morning. i'm yasmin vossoughian. "morning joe" starts right now. you said a handful of staffers tested positive. are they going to get the hydroxychloroquine treatment? is that going to be made available to personnel overseas? >> i don't know the answer to that. >> secretary mike pompeo on whether the state department will practice what the president preaches. >> yeah, no. >> good morning. welcome to "morning joe." it is thursday, april 9th. with joe, willie, and me, we have white house reporter for the "associated press," jonathan lemire. nbc news capitol hill correspondent and host of kaskasi kasie d.c. on msnbc sunday nights, kasie hunt. the u.s. suffered another record day of deaths from coronavirus yesterday. more than 1,900 lives, as the total number of deaths now