richard besser. dr.esser, some states have begun to ease restrictions already, including florida, for example, reopening some of the beaches in the jacksonville area, for example. what sort of risk, potentially, does this pose to public health? >> well, you know, wolf, i think it's way too soon to be taking these steps. we need to be able to do testing in a wholly different way than it's currently done. right now, the people who are being tested are people who have severe illness, people who may be admitted to the hospital. if we're switching from the lockdown strategy we're in now, which has slowed the spread of this disease, we need the ability to test people who have even mild symptoms. and the reason for that is that with the new strategy, public health has to be able to do their work. we need to increase the public health workforce so that every single case of covid-19 can be investigated, people who are sick can be isolated, and everyone they've had contact with can be put in quarantine so that the

besser: it is great to be talking with you. i think you have to be careful.ne of the best approaches to that is let's science be discussed by scientists. put forth your best public health scientists. behave dr. fauci, it would great to have a leader from the cdc there as well, and let them talk about what is being learned scientifically. it is so easy to fall into the trap of false hope putting forward ideas for miracle cures when the science has not been done to know whether or not any of these things could work. readry so much of what we is driven by press releases that are geared towards stock prices rather than science fact, which is geared toward trying to improve health. david: you never want to give false hope, but here the consequences might be more serious than that. if people believe this they might change their behavior and try to move away from social distancing too soon. dr. besser: one of the challenging by not hearing from public health scientists is it makes it hard for the public to decide what to do in a fact-based way. change thee, the cdc

besser. cnn has been reporting this evening that contamination at a cdc lab was likely behind those critical early delays in rolling out the testing for the coronavirus. as the former acting director of the cdc, what's your reaction to this. >> well you know, i ran emergency preparedness at the cdc for four years. and there was never a response that i was involved in where mistakes didn't happen where things didn't go the way we wanted them to go. but we have the opportunity every day to talk to the public and explain what we were doing, to answer hard questions from the media. and i think one of the big issues right now is that we're not hearing from the cdc. we're not understanding what they are learning. how they are thinking about us reopening society, what they are seeing from other countries that have tried different strategies. so that we can get a national will for a way forward. at the foundation i am now our big concern is that everyone in america should have the opportunity to prot

thanks to consider richard besser and dr. zeke emanuel.will be back next friday night for a special, life in the time of coronavirus. going to focus on the science and medicine. >>> coming up, donald trump wasn't just failing governors on testing but egging on protesters to violate his own administration's guidelines on social distancing, putting everyone at risk. that's next. try pantene daily moisture renewal conditioner. its color-safe formula uses smart conditioners to micro-target damage helping to repair hair without weighing it down. try pantene. that liberty mutual customizes your insurance, i just love hitting the open road and telling people so you only pay for what you need! [squawks] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ yoat nature's way, that startsn with quality ingredients. like our sambucus - made from elderberries grown and picked at their prime. choose the way to quality immune support, choose nature's way sambucus. 450-degree oven, to box, to you, know that from our it's our policy that you

besser said, it's going to be a process. so you are seeing businesses take steps now to separate workers more. to give them protection against spreading the virus. and with more testing in place, i wouldn't be surprised if we see people who are starting shifts at nursing homes or going into healthcare facilities being tested before their actual shifts. that, along with getting texts o tests out into the community. and, again, we have a lot more tests available now. it's a question of matching those tests up with where they're most needed, understanding how much infection has existed and does exist in different communities. and mashing that up with the ability to trace people who are positive, trace their contacts, and contain the outbreak. those are the steps that we can be working on, right now, to get to a point where people can start going back to work, under modified conditions. and where we can start thinking about new ways of getting kids back in school with accounting for the fact that we're in a new normal for a whil

besser, thank you for your time.ere acting cdc director during the h1n1 swine flu outbreak and held those daily briefings at the white house. as georgia is dipping their toes in the water. you're coming at this from a medical point of view, but how do you find that balance? there are an awful lot of people saying, this isn't worth putting my business, my livelihood, putting food on the table to stay inside? how do you view that dilemma? >> it is a dilemma. everyone wants to get back to work but from a public health perspective, you want to do it slowly. you want to make sure your cases have been going down for a couple of weeks. you want to make sure you're able to test people adequately and know who's infected so you can get them isolated and get the people who have been in contact with them isolated. and overall you want to make sure you have enough room in your hospitals. when you reopen, there will be more cases. if you're barely holding on treating covid-19, think of all those with cancer, heart disease, diabete

richard besser, as always, thank you very much for sharing your expertise with us. good to have you here. >> pleasure. >>> unemployment is soaring, but many people are struggling to get unemployment benefits. it's so bad in one state that people are protesting in the streets. we'll explain the problem and what might be done to fix it, ahead in the "cnn newsroom." there will be parties again soon, and family gatherings. there will be parades and sporting events and concerts. to help our communities when they come back together, respond to the 2020 census now. spend a few minutes online today to impact the next 10 years of healthcare, infrastructure and education. go to 2020census.gov and respond today to make america's tomorrow brighter. it's time to shape our future. >>> more than 26 million americans have filed for unemployment in the last few weeks. and to put that into perspective, that is more than the population of australia. nearly 2 million of those filings are in florida, where a majority of people are yet to see a single dollar. here's cnn's rosa flores. >>

i spoke to richard besser, a former medical editor and former acting head of the cdc and now part ofhe robert wood johnson foundation. >> good to be here. approaches from different countries, some more extreme than others. where does the u.s. stack up globally in its efforts to flatten the curve? >> i think one of the things you can see is efforts to learn from what's been done in different countries. not every country's been hit at the same time. for instance, the new guidance around wearing masks in public is some learning that was done looking at what was being done in many asian countries, so in china, singapore, hong kong and the practice there of wearing masks. if we can learn what others have done and not repeat some of the errors that take place wthat wil help everybody. >> to that point, every country is following its own procedures. is there a way for all to be on the same page in how they're tackling covid-19? >> i don't think so. one thing i found through emergency response is that you learn. it's an ongoing learning process. at the beginning, what you don't know far outs

i spoke to richard besser, the former acting director for the cdc and medical editor and now president of the robert wood johnson foundation. good to see you. >> good to see you, byron. >> back in 2014, you interviewed a doctor who recovered from ebola and went on to help others by donating his plasma. how effective has plasma therapy been in the past and how hopeful are you that it will work now? >> well, you know, there are a number of viral infections where plasma therapy has been very useful, hepatitis, chickenpox and ebola. it's too soon to know for sure, but it's something worth testing. it's undergoing trials. >> most experts say we really need to ramp up testing exponentially to reopen. we've only conducted 5.6 million tests in the u.s. but they want around 6 million americans to be tested each month. a, is that possible, and b, is it enough? >> i think it's possible if we say it's a priority. that means getting manufacturing up to get the degree of testing we need. you really want to be able to test anyone who has symptoms that could be covid so you can identify them, identify

richard besser, dr. besser, thanks for joining us. this career official, dr.ight, i don't know if you know him or don't know him, he was certainly leading the administration's push for a coronavirus vaccine. he was pushed out for limiting use of the hydroxychloroquine drug, the drug the president has promoted at least until recently as a potential miracle cure. how concerning is all of this to you? >> well, wolf, it's very important that the decisions that are made on what drugs to move forward on are based on the best available science. for four years, when i was at the cdc, i was responsible for the strategic national stockpile. and one of the things that the development process is designed to do is to create products for the stockpile. and it's important that the decisions on what goes into that stockpile be based not on politics or connections but on what the nation needs most. >> so what do you think of this decision to remove him from his position? he was highly respected, still is. >> i don't know enough about that decision i know in the past cdc had a

besser, thank you so much as always. let's go to you. >> whit, thank you very much. >>> we'll turn now to an initiative by retail outlets. many of which have had to close their doors. they are now offering deep discounts online and abc's becky worley has more on how you can get great deals while supporting struggling companies. >> reporter: good morning, deals for health care workers. deals for all of us and one for one deals that benefit good causes. so first up, walgreens, today only is what they call their frontline heroes discount day. 30% off regularly priced walgreens house brands and 20% off regularly priced national brand products. that's a good discount. all do you is show your medical or employment badge at any one of their almost 10,000 walgreens stores. starbucks, similar salute to medical workers. free coffee when you show your i.d. from the hospital or whatever medical facility you work at. that one lasts until may 31st. next deals for all of us, adidas, 30% off the whole site and a $50 gift card for $40, g

besser, s are dr. rich former acting director of the centers for disease control. he joins us to talk about the federal response to the covid-19 pandemic. hen michael strain, director of economic policies, he discusses how the virus has affected the american work force. and illinois republican gressman la hood on the covid-19 response in his state and the next steps lawmakers are likely to take in response to the pandemic. join the conversation tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> sign up today for c-span's newsletter word for word, providing new updates daily to the coronavirus pandemic response from state governors, the white house task force briefings and important updates from congress. sign up today. it's easy. to span.org/connect and enter your e-mail in the word for word sign up box. >> senate leader mitch mcconnell announced that the senate will return for legislative work this monday. they will vote on an executive nomination and later in the week could work on coronavirus related legislation addressing lawsuits. house majority leader stemmy hoyer sa

well for some important besser said sir very important because at the end of the day if you have this debt relief someone has to pay for it by the end of the day and we're not just talking about investors we're also talking about pension funds insurances for instance but the whole topic debt relief will not just be a topic for emerging countries for example or developing countries but also look and do into the industrialized countries a lot of governments especially here in the united states there's throwing trillions of dollars at the crisis and the big question is how will you ever come up with those amounts so the whole topic of debt relief is a big topic but there will be quite some fighting from some of those investors to actually a void to debt relief because as i said at the end of the day someone has to pay for it. yes scott in new york thanks for your insights. to russian where the number of coronavirus cases has been rising sharply over the past few days most regions of the country are now in lockdown as authorities warn people not to leave their homes unless absolutely nece

besser leading these briefings. be truthful and upfront with the american people about what we're facing and giving us hope that there is a real plan, confidence that there is a real plan because there is one. right now they don't feel that confidence because they don't see that plan. >> kurt bardella, are there key areas that need oversight in these packages more than others and what would they be? >> i think that when you look at how many is being distributed d businesses, small businesses and large businesses, there's a lot of concern right now that money isn't getting to where it's supposed to go. that the money promised to small businesses and people who are relying on that to keep their payroll and their employees isn't really getting there. when you have a president who fires inspector generals, who replaces them with cronies who work in the white house counsel's office during impeachment, when you have a president who every single time congress erects some sort of oversight, some sort of independent verifica

besser, thank you for taking the time this morning. we wish you and the state of new jersey the best of luck >> thanks, jim. nice talking to you. >>> still to come this hour, this was the scene as some beaches in florida reopened over the weekend. listening to doctors like dr. richard besser, is it too soon for all those people there? we're going to be live. >>> plus with several states preparing to lift some of those restrictions imposed during the pandemic, not just florida, local leaders are wondering how they will keep their community safe. >>> also, on those small business loans, burger chain shake shack will return thes do 10 million it received in lending from the government. will other corporations follow suit and what led them to this decision? we'll talk to the ceo this hour. but one thing hasn't: breakfast. and, if that feels like a little bit of comfort, it's thanks to... the farmers, the line workers and truckers, the grocery stockers and cashiers, and the food bank workers, because right now breakfast as usual is more ess

besser, let me start with you. when you hear dr.irx, especially out of the reporting we just heard from elizabeth cohen that, there is a northeastern model that says there were hundreds of cases well before anybody thought there was community spread or a significant number of cases, why is it so critical now as we try to get people back to work to have wider, broader, deeper, better testing of asymptomatic people? >> i think this makes it really clear. one of the real challenges with this virus is that it doesn't spread just from people who have symptoms. so right now in america, most health care facilities are testing people with severe symptoms. so they're testing them to see do they need to be hospitalized, are we concerned that they could be an individual who is going to need specialized care? in america right now, about 20% of all tests are positive. the world health organization says you really need to be doing testing to the level where that percentage is below 10%. which means having the capability to test people with even m

besser, good to hear from you, dr. richard besser.dustry is helping to fight the covid-19 pandemic. wait till you hear what's going on in the garment center in new york. beyond the routine checkups. beyond the not-so-routine cases. comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. all working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gig-speed network. because beyond technology... there is human ingenuity. every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. to do the extraordinary. take your business beyond. >> national council of textile organizations. as we speak what's going to be a million yards of fabric is being delivered courtesy of ups from a factory in north carolina that will go to cutters and sowers in block line, new york that will be making gowns for doctors and nurses. maria: i love that. peter navarro joining me on sunday morning futures how america is pulling together in this time of need. the u.s. textile industry joining forces with the trump administration to manufa

richard besser, president and ceo of the robert wood johnson foundation, and former acting director of the centers for disease control. he joins us to talk about the federal response to the covid-19 pandemic. then michael straight, director of i can out -- director discusses how the virus has affected the american workforce. an illinois republican congressman darren lahood on the covid-19 response in his state, and the next steps lawmakers are likely to take in response to the pandemic. join the conversation tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. on the other site. guest is the johns hopkins university bloomberg school of public health senior research associate post up he also served as a former director general of the national public health institute of liberia from 2017-2019. we thank you for joining us today. guest: thank you, good morning.

besser, president and ceo of the robert wood johnson foundation, and former acting director of the centers for disease control. he joins us to talk about the federal response to the covid-19 pandemic. then michael straight, director of i can out -- director discusses how the virus has affected the american workforce. an illinois republican congressman darren lahood on the covid-19 response in his state, and the next steps lawmakers are likely to take in response to the pandemic. join the conversation tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. on the other site. guest is the johns hopkins university bloomberg school of public health senior research associate post up he also served as a former director general of the national public health institute of liberia from 2017-2019. we thank you for joining us today. guest: thank you, good morning. host: what are your specialties during that time -- one of your specialties during that time was looking at the ebola outbreak. guest: at the time, the ebola unprecedentedas in history and i was the incident manager that led the entire outbreak to respond t

besser,ts are dr. rich president and ceo of the robert wood johnson foundation and former acting director of the centers for disease control. he joins us to talk about the federal response to the covid-19 pandemic. then michael, director of economic policy studies at the american enterprise institute discusses how the virus has affected the american workforce. illinois republican congressman darren lahood on the covid-19 response in his state, in the next steps lawmakers are likely to take in response to the pandemic. join the conversation tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. c-span has round-the-clock coverage of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic and it is all available on demand at c-span.org/coronavirus. briefings, house updates from governors and state track the spread throughout the u.s. in the world with interactive maps. watch on demand anytime, unfiltered, at c-span.org/coronavirus. british ambassador karen pierce was interviewed by politico about the coronavirus pandemic. her

coverage is available on our website at c-span.org and besser will rich join us, former acting director c.d.c. and michael strain from the american enterprise institute to about the economic impact this is having on americans. evening.morrow c-span.org/coronavirus is the website for coverage, daily briefings, this program. we're back tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. senior -- eastern time with another edition of "washington journal." thanks for joining us on this monday. keep healthy. enjoy the rest of your evening. [captions performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national 2020]satellite corp. announcer: c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. morning, we'llay discuss how contact tracing can combat the covid-19 pandemic with senior research associate at johns hopkins school of health. then we'll talk about china's role in the coronavirus pandemic the wilson center's robert bailey. a discussion of georgia economyg parts of its amid the coronavirus pandemic, first with georgia's 10th district republican congressman an

coverage is available on our website at c-span.org and besser will rich join us, former acting director c.d.c. and michael strain from the american enterprise institute to about the economic impact this is having on americans. evening.morrow c-span.org/coronavirus is the website for coverage, daily briefings, this program. we're back tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. senior -- eastern time with another edition of "washington journal." thanks for joining us on this monday. keep healthy. enjoy the rest of your liveashington journal" every day with news and policy issues that impact you. we will discuss how contact tracing can combat the covid-19 pandemic with a senior research associate at johns hopkins. also, a discussion of georgia reopening parts of its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. first with the republican congressman jody heise. and then with congressman sanford bishop. live at 7:00 eastern this morning. eastern for at 9:00 a look back at the antiwar student protest at kent state that erupted into a deadly confrontation between students and the ohio national guard. join the dis

richard besser would -- who was then the acting director of the cdc was up in front of the cameras everyho became director of the cdc. the cdc did take the lead on communications. in fact, we saw them following the rule book. the rules worked out over 100 years about how to talk to people during a crisis. and one of those rules being try not to put politicians in front of the camera. obama only spoke about h1n1 a handful of times because they didn't want to politicize the response. the first time he talked about it, he complimented the bush administration. as soon as the pandemic landed on american shores, that's when the white house began stepping in, and i think as a result you've seen a dinli idiminishme the communications and people understanding what they ought to be doing and how to make sense of what's going on. >> a lot of people like to see doctors fauci and birx out front and center but it's been the president by and large. we'll be reading that new piece in "the new yorker." charles duhigg, thank you. >>> attorney general william barr directed federal prosecutors nationwide to