now the very patient and kind senator blumenthal. [laughs] sen. blumenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you to the very kind and patient senator graham. ishink your nomination really unfortunate and in many ways indefensible, judge. it is not that i disagree with you -- i do, i many of the positions that you have taken. you have called marriage equality "a french idea," you have spoken out against women's reproductive rights, you supported positions that would involve voter suppression, but on this issue of the affordable care act, what is really unfortunate and indefensible is your nomination in the midst of a public health crisis, and the majority leader's apparent determination to bring this nomination to a vote involving a judge and public official who has again and again, with vitriol and vehemence, spoken out against the affordable care act, which is so necessary now -- it is a lifesaver to people in the middle of a public health crisis. obamacare, as you have "illegitimate," to say it should "fall of its own weight," as you did in your op-ed, is simply indefensibl

senator blumenthal: i voted for this package. i have urged strong oversight measures and other potential improvements going forward, but i think we are all hoping for a successful airline industry and i just want to thank you for being here. and thank you, mr. chairman. senator wicker: thank you, senator blumenthal. i count 14 senators that were able to participate today either in person or remotely and had a od hearing and i'm getting feedback here. the hearing record will remain open for two weeks. during this time, senators are asked to submit any questions for the record. the witnesses are required to submit written answers to the committee as soon as possible. so i thank the witnesses for appearing today and i thank each member. and the hearing is now adjourned. captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org >> limb now to the press secretary where the press secretary is briefing reporters. >> every single direct request that president tr

blumenthal: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: madam president, i want to thank my colleagues, senator cardin, senator shaheen, and senator schumer for their leadership on this issue in seeking better transparency and oversight with regard to a program that involves now almost a trillion taxpayer dollars. and i join senator schumer in the sentiment that our colleague from florida has been both sincere and bipartisan in his efforts on this program. but the fact of the matter is that this program, paycheck protection program, cries out for stronger oversight as does the entire cares package. we will be spending now an authorized $3 trillion, a federal budget, and then half again with little or no oversight. and we know that this program meets a need among small businesses that is absolutely critical. i have traveled my state via videoconference and telephone calls and communications of all kinds with small businesses around connecticut. and i have seen and heard firsthand how they are hanging by a thread struggling to ke

joining me now senator richard blumenth blumenthal, i want to ask you about your colleague richard burr you've served with and the warrant. what is your reaction to both what he is alleged to have done, the fact there is investigation and the context of this administration and this department of justice. >> what he's alleged to have done, chris, is pretty troubling. these allegations of insider trading go to the core of our integrity particularly using a close fi classified briefing to trade stocks and you're right a judge had to sign a warrant. the fact of the matter is that as important as those specifics is the question you're asking. it's a real question. the fact that you're asking it and that the department of justice's credibility and trust is so undermined and has been so perverted and sledded by this administration, by donald trump himself calls into question all of what the department of justice is doing when it makes these kinds of judgments. i was on the floor when adam schiff posed that question about what trump would do and it was chilling and it's more chilling now. >> i

here is cosponsor of the bill connecticut senator richard blumenthal who sits on the commerce sciencensportation committee, thank you so much for joining us and to be clear, but the airlines have done, my understanding to the most part is if they canceled the flight altogether, they will give you your money back. but otherwise it for example there is a stay home order and you decide not to get on the plane because it's been recommended that you don't do it in the plane still goes, they will not give your money back in the destination you're going to if that trip is canceled, all these other circumstances, they will not give you money back and if people got on united and they thought there was going to be empty seats in the middle, the remedy, they said you're not comfortable flying give you credit for the future are switching to a different flight, is that good enough? >> thank you for doing the story because passengers should be aware that they are entitled to cash refunds if the airline canceled the flight, what they have been doing is confusing and misleading those passengers into

joining me now senator richard blumenthal, democrat of connecticut. he sits on the judiciary committee whose chairman lindsey graham announced he is opening a wide ranging inquiry into the origins of the russia investigation. i want to ask you first about your colleague richard burr, who you have served with for some time and the warrant. do you think -- what is your reaction to both what he is alleged to have done, the fact that there is an investigation and the context of this administration and this department of justice? >> what he's alleged to have done, chris, is pretty troubling. these allegations of insider trading go to the core of our integrity particularly using a classified briefing to trade stocks. and you are absolutely right a judge had to sign a warrant. but the fact of the matter is that as important as those specifics is the question you're asking. it's a real question. the fact that you're asking it and that the department of justice's credibility and trust is so undermined and has been so perverted and shredded by this administrati

so, senators cardin, blumenthal and i went to the floor today because this bill is necessary, even marco rubio, who objected, admitted the bill was necessary in a good thing. and also, to point out what we should be doing here. focusing on our oversight responsibility. week, dr. fauci, dr. birx, and jay powell should be before the senate answering difficult questions. that is not happening. we moved it and this week, we help they will reconsider. i am ready for questions. of small the groups businesses is asking for more help, way more like stability. it's the restaurant and it -- industry. they want flexibility in the terms and a $120 million stabilization fund. the have spoken to lots of restaurant owners in new york. they need the money. a lot of them think the program will not fit. the problem they see is that, they are closed now. when they are allowed to open up, they will have very few customers, yet they will have to have their employees come back. if that is after june 30, will they be allowed to have money? we need to see who is getting it, why they are getting it, and to chang

so senators cardin, shaheen blumenthal and i went to the , floor today because this bill is necessary. even marco rubio, who objected, admitted the bill was necessary and a good thing. and also, to point out what we should be doing here. focusing on covid, focusing on our oversight responsibility. birx, mnuchin,i, the sba administrator and powell before the senate being asked very hard and tough questions. that is not happening. and wewe moved our u.c., hope maybe this week our republican friends will consider. -- reconsider. i am ready for questions. >> one of the groups of small business is asking for way more help and way more flex ability is the restaurant industry. they want flexibility in the terms and a stabilization fund. $120 billioncan you comment on that? sen. mcconnell: sen. schumer: i have spoken to lots of the restaurant owners in new york, and many of them are worried the program may not fit their needs. they need the money. don't get me wrong. they want the program, but the problem that they see, many of them, is that they are closed now, and when they are allowed to o

. >> this morning, senator mark warner, doug jones, richard blumenthal and bernie sanders introduced a paycheck security act. that is to create a paycheck guarantee. in part be retroactive for folks who have been laid off. someuld do what france and european countries have done, which is to keep workers whole and approach this from another direction, rather than through the business of the laid-off employee. do you support that kind of approach in addition to what you're doing with small businesses? i think we have to act in every direction. we are still in the middle of covid-19. that helps save people. they have the money. it really did help a great deal. i think we have to pay attention to all three sections. we did provide individual relief. that is what senator warner is talking about. refundided through irs checks. what they are suggesting is we target additional individual relief to those who need it the most. i strongly support that type of an approach. and local government don't have the resources to provide services to people. state and local government are seeing dramatic

. >> this morning senator mark warner and i think doug jones, richard blumenthal and bernie sanders introduced what is called a paycheck security act which is to create a paycheck guarantee and i don't know the exact figure but would be retroactive in part for those that have been laid off but my understanding is it would do what france and some european countries have done which is to keep workers whole and to approach this from another direction rather than through the business right to that laid-off employee. do you support that kind of approach in addition to what you're doing with small businesses? >> i think we got to act in every direction but we are still in the middle of the covid-19. what we have done so far under the cares act and the two bills before that really did help our economy and helped save people big ban money that they could buy their essentials for the family and it really did help a great deal but it was divided into three different sections and we have to pay attention to all three. we do provide individual relief and that is what i think senator warner is talking abou

blumenthal: thank you. one of our nursing homes run by provides living facilities for the nursing home employees on the premises, so they are protected, they have to live away from their families, but they are sealed away from possible infection. the result has been greatly reduced the incidence of infection. is that kind of innovation a possible promising about that others should follow? yes, certainly. i think nursing home workers should have the option of having a different place to stay, whether that is provided by the nursing home or, like many cities have done for hospital workers, perhaps providing them with hotel rooms so they have the choice of not risking infecting their families. a veterannthal: having served multiple toys and the afghanistan and iraq -- multiple tour of the afghanistan and iraq wars. i have introduced legislation called the quality care for nursing home residents and workers during covid-19 act, it would immediately address some of these same problems, not just more testing, in

blumenthal: these document what we are hearing from our constituents. they are receiving no cash refunds from canceled flights because they are given misleading and sometimes deceptive responses when they go to claim those cash refunds. instead, they are given vouchers of questionable value. they need that cash in their pockets to put food on the table and pay their rent and utilities. they feel betrayed. when you come to us and ask for more assistance, my mind goes back to the bailout we have just given you. more than $25 billion in taxpayer money, now, in effect, you are continuing to mislead and deceive those taxpayers who have given you that bailout, in effect, you are -- forgive me, screwing the taxpayers whose money is going into your pocket and you are giving basically no relief if those passengers on their own have to cancel flights out of the concern for public health. i think that you come to this committee -- i'm speaking not about you personally, please don't take it personally -- the industry comes to this committee with a history. it is a

and more must be done in those with the criminal justice system is especially senator blumenthal and i introduce the crisis stabilization and to support those who are part of the criminal justice system to provide stable treatment to those with mental illness. most the receiving treatment for mental health are released without k a plan this often leads to higher recidivism rates and that law enforcement is the first responders to suffer a mental health crisis that can escalateca those confrontations with the officer in the individual in thes crisis it creates grants to connect law enforcement l community resources to engage in the criminal justice system to make it possible for them to access the resources they need to have a successful reentry into civilized society. these grants connect to make sure people suffer from the acute episode connexus treatment from being reincarcerated. and the stress and the anxiety that come with it to make a tremendous toll on the american people is not just the virus and the threat of catching the virus taking the toll we need to look at this holisti

senate and i add a note that senator warner and senator doug jones and senator bernie sanders and blumenthal have introduced the paycheck security act which tries to keep hold and to guarantee paychecks for those workers who have been displayed by covid and it is much more direct than anything we've seen before but senator warr,

blumenthal. you know for sure. for us all the moment. we are collecting a lot of beat up daily 50. trying to analyze the information and try to train on our group to. improve. the lot of challenges for thomas cars for example multilane roads roundabouts traffic lights so we're honest most humans have problems here so it's going to be a tough challenge for a machine. if you develop a product which can go on but. it has to walk. in the wall autonomous driving is everywhere but the problem is not the only test cricket here in germany there are so many more. than just 180 kilometers long and include sections of the $39.00. and there's 6 response from germany to look for work to france so what are the benefits of all this testing. of the air quality in that cvo that's on the. traffic. the parking space. and that of the new services which can improve our lives. we have to make it complete one of the americans or the other. might be the biggest self driving test site in the world probably in chandler in the us state of. the spin off point mugu is running a fleet of drivers there what huma

room your in a far ball monger blumenthal. you can forestall couper. so little so far with us all the moment. we are collecting a lot of heat up daily. by the. trying to analyze the information to say no i agree with its. improved methods. well this urban $24.00 adds a lot of challenges for a ton of us cars for example multilane roads roundabouts traffic lights so we honest most humans have problems here so it's going to be a tough challenge for a machine. if you develop a product which can walk on but. it has to walk. in the wall autonomous driving is everywhere but roaming is not the only test here in germany there are so many more. the longest 180 kilometers long and include sections of a 39 year bust book. and this is the 1st. from germany's who looks work to france so what are the benefits of all this testing. of the air quality in that sea view that's on the rock that traffic. the parking space. and lots of the new services which can improve our lives. we have to make it complete just want to the americans that. might be the biggest self driving

earlier this year, senator blumenthal and i introduced the crisis stabilization and community reentry act. to support those who have been a part of the criminal justice system and to provide stable treatment to those with mental illness read most prisoners who are receiving treatment for mental health, or substance abuse disorder, are released without an plan. to keep them on their regimen. this often leads to - it also means that law enforcement is also left to be the first responders to those with suffering a mental health crisis. it could escalate those confrontations and for both the officer and the individual in that crisis at risk. this bill creates grants to connect law enforcement state and local and community resources to help individuals bring their engage in the ncriminal justice system or have been released from prison and made it possible for them to access the resources they need to have a successful reentry into civilized society. these grant connect those in services to make sure the people suffering from an acute episode, can access treatment without the risk of being

earlier this year senator blumenthal and i introduced the crisis stabilization and community reentry act to support those who have been a part of the criminal justice system and to provide stable treatment for those with mental illness. most prisoners who are receiving treatment for mental health or substance abuse disorder i released withoutho a plan, to kp them on the regimen. this often leads to high recidivism rates, unsurprisingly, which could be avoided. it also means that law enforcement is all too often left to be the first responders for those with suffering a mental healthng crisis which can escalate those confrontations and put both the officer in the individual in that crisis at risk. this bill creates grants to connect law-enforcement, state and local and committee resources to help individuals who are either engaged in the criminal justice system or have been released from prison, and made it possible for them to access the resources they need to have successful reentry into civilized society. these grants connect those services to make sure a people suffering from an a

senator richard blumenthal says the government should step in. do you think this is something that congress would take up? >> if the department of transportation fails to do its job, congress should do it for them. >> reporter: every major airline says if you don't feel comfortable, they will refund your flight. >> thank you. >>> when we come back, severe storms tonight and tomorrow. >>> and matt damon with news on his oldest daughter tonight. but. that's why we're a fiduciary, obligated to put clients first. so, what do you provide? cookie cutter portfolios? nope. we tailor portfolios to our client's needs. but you do sell investments that earn you high commissions, right? we don't have those. so, what's in it for you? our fees are structured so we do better when you do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. our fees are structured so we do better when you do better. here's the thing about managing for your business.s when you've got public clouds, and private clouds, and hybrid clouds- things can get a bit cloudy for you. but no

senate and i add a note that senator warner and senator doug jones and senator bernie sanders and blumenthal have introduced the paycheck security act which tries to keep hold and to guarantee paychecks for those workers who have been displayed by covid and it is much more direct than anything we've seen before but senator warner, thank you for joining us today. we will bring some other people [inaudible] great to see you. tell us first about what you've done and why it's so important. >> i think the federal government's response, which has been obviously a record size and peed, $2.7 trillion directly appropriated, federal reserve to another for chilean lending have helped make this crisis at least not worse but still, we now know we have 36 million americans who have lost their job in about 25 million of those have lost their health insurance. study statistics send the federal reserve's show that the folks who make 40000 or less, 0% of those fellow americans [inaudible] and those who think this will be some de- shape recovery are wishful thinking. obviously the house has had a very ambitiou

protective equipment and rapid testing massachusetts senator elizabeth warren and connecticut's richard blumenthal say that testing will give families vital information require weekly testing of every resident. and testing before every shift for health care workers residents and their families searching now whether or not their facilities are experiencing a coronavirus outbreak new york senator kirsten gillibrand says a nursing home workforce without paid leave puts the most vulnerable at risk if we had national paid leave in place would have been able to keep their job keep their health care and take up to 3 months leave us death toll from covid-19 has surpassed 90,000. >>with minority care facilities hit the hardest. >>nursing homes which traditionally underserved white populations are buried the worst outcomes is no such thing here is too much for seniors in the grip of this happening many in congress say they'll keep working to develop legislation that helps solve these problems reporting in washington, i'm morgan wright. >>still ahead on the kron 00:04am morning news health care workers at st

authenticity of his signature there do him self denies any involvement investigative journalist makes blumenthal explain to us why he thinks the us has been keen to disassociate itself from this failed incursion. venezuelan opposition one wydow the so-called interim president has his name on a subcontractor with the crew leader a silver core mercenary jorgen goudreau and at the very least the venezuelan opposition has turned to private means to carry out a military coup which is technically an act of war u.s. state department is very embarrassed by this they don't want anything to do with it whether or not they did have fingerprints on the operation and now it appears that jordan boudreau the ringleader who was contract to buy one wydow 'd will be prosecuted by the u.s. government for arms trafficking said they're clearly trying to establish legal distinction here with one white oh so it just look makes trump and his team look. like a bunch of buffoons on the world stage. british scientists revealed this last week of the coronavirus most spread around the world last year sometimes i think betwee

i recall some blumenthal advertising was illegal you know like soft drink companies would run an image so fast on the commercial of somebody you know in a desert you know dehydrated and this was one pint of it in your unconscious mind and this was deemed illegal and. were taboo but you know we live in an age where all all communication that is supplemental internet attacks the subconscious and the unconscious in the form of mean. good food descriptions sound appetising even for the owners so how to choose pet food industry is telling us. what to feed our pets really more based on what they want to sell us than was necessarily good for the pet turns out may not be as healthy as people believe we have animals that have you know diabetes in arthritis they have auto immune disorders these type allergies we are actually creating these problems it's a huge epidemic of problems all of them i believe can be linked to very simple problem of diet and some dog owners so heartbreaking stories about their pets less treats the larger corporations are not very interested in proving or disproving the

in the $1007.00 days i recall some blumenthal advertising was illegal you know like a soft drink companies would run an image so fast on the commercial of somebody you know in a desert you know dehydrated and this was one pint of it in your unconscious mind and this was deemed to be legal and some were taboo but you know we live in an age where all all communication that is supplemental matter to tax the subconscious and the unconscious in the form of mv. you are no fan speed you no longer a young woman in fact you are one of the last living survivors of the nazi else asked i'm aware of it. leverage it all you like. you can never forget the other guy now auschwitz was really like to be in hell because he would never believe it want to go to as a copy of a course for 30 some years of both and be perfect it all seems so a lot to offer i guess i might make it right when i get out on the farm saw you know what it's like ma song to her next the also you can listen in the hope for the bless my heart hurts. join me every thursday on the alec simon show and i'll be speaking to guests of the world

for more on this let's get the thoughts of dan blumenthal.ge w bush, and is now the director of asian studies at the american enterprise institute. thank you for your time. the trump administration seems to be pushing strongly a narrative that china is solely responsible for the outbreak. there are obvious political reasons but it is also understandable that the us would be pushing for recompense from china and china has questions to answer. it is not just the trump administration, bipartisan groups in congress, thejoe biden bipartisan groups in congress, the joe biden campaign, bipartisan groups in congress, thejoe biden campaign, a strong bipartisan anger and frustration at china, really.|j know from reading what you have been writing on this that there are practical reasons that the us should tread more carefully with china, particularly with this issue. despite the rhetoric, the us is treading quite carefully. it has not taken any action against china to counter, really, the spread of the virus and the irresponsibility, transparency and l

senator sanders, jones, blumenthal, it would create a paychecks security program for american workers. a very similar proposal has been put forth with my friend on the other side of the aisle. they both think this approach bears merit and we know the direct support approach works because it's been implemented successfully in a number of european companies in canada where the raids bumped up a couple of points, not to the level of what i believe will be over and what the fed and administration officials predicted may reach 25% within the next month. paychecks security means the federal government will help cover the payroll expenses for the rank-and-file workers who've been furloughed or laid off because of the virus. treasury department grantor cover up to 90,000 for each employee plus benefits and run for at least six months and they will also provide funds to help cover business operating costs such as rent and utilities. the program will be delivered through the employee tax credit. i was happy to work with my friend from oregon which is pretty set up and can be leveraged to delive

been introduced in a bill in the senate with doug jones, bernie sanders, mark warner and senator blumenthal. it has been introduced in the house by congresswoman paul. so it is a paycheck protection act that holds of the corporations accountable, but gives the money only to the workers on the front lines. we are hopeful we can put that in place for other people, people can be called back to work and get this money. and unemployment can be used for anyone else who does not fit into those categories, then we will not have the strain on the unemployment lines, and actually be able to provide help for people. oft: it is the future passenger travel, more expensive tickets? guest: if we allow the airlines to go into bankruptcy, that will happen. on the other side we will see less competition and we will see more hurt on the workers and consumers. we want to avoid that, it is not a good outcome. if we have relief mandated by congress, we can actually help the american people to have control. i should be clear, that money is going directly to people who are the taxpayers. i am a taxpayer and consum

richard blumenthal: we should make sure that a this program is adequately and effectively administered we need to make sure that there is transparency and disclosure about who is receiving these loans. they can be converted and forgiven. they can become grants rated so the real need of this businesses and employees are continued to be employed. those kinds of imperatives, mr. shore. we know the ripple effect of the closures of businesses is tragic and traumatic. that is why we need to continue this program but, do so with oversight that ensures the purposes are met. in businesses that have told me her example, any more flexibility. those needs need to be met. number have indicated they would like to extend the time, provided for them to hire back their employees. and half the time in which a state is likely to allow them to open. any more funding. basically many flexibility because every business is different. and oversight, and this bill will help the fda and the congress to those needs. finally, the oversight needed here, is simply one example of the accountability should be opposed

i'll be joined by richard blumenthal and david plouffe. >>> plus, america hears from the coronavirus whistle-blower that the white house tried to silence about speaking the truth of a lack of a plan and warns of america's darkest winter possibly ahead. the congresswoman who ran today's hearing, anna eshoo of cavil, will join me.

and senator rubio has an appointment so senator blumenthal agreed to speak after the unanimous consent request. so in legislative session i also unanimous consent to proceed to the immediate consideration of the bill that would require the administrator of the small business administration to report on covid-19 recovery programs. and i also ask that the bill be read three times and passed and motion to be reconsidered, to be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. >> is there objection? >> madam president. >> senator from florida. >> reserving the right to object. let me first begin by saying, the first had a chance to speak on the floor about the paycheck protection program since it passed. i want to say that unequivocally that despite everything you read out there, in my mind, i don't think there's any question by far this has been the most successful part of the cares act. to put it in perspective, this is something we worked on in a bipartisan way, in less than a week, it was crafted and then the agencies had less than six days to put together

but connecticut senator richard blumenthal says airlines have been anything but flexible.hey are forgetting the screen. the very taxpayers who provided a bailout to them telling them they should take down trees. he says a passenger's decide it's not safe to fly they still ought to get refunds to passengers shooting not be penalized tonight houses by law carriers must be truthful with all passengers and if they are not. they will face the enforcement action of the u.s. department of transportation but despite d ot guidance each airline still has its own refund or voucher policy you can look for it in the fine print on your ticket, reporting in washington, i'm trevor shirley. >>tonight, we know that tesla is expanding south the person briefed on the measure says that the electric carmaker picked austin texas and tulsa oklahoma as finalist for its new assembly plant here in the u.s., the source says the company officials visited tulsa in the past week and were shown to sites there tesla has said that the new facility will be larger than its current factory in fremont which em

the proposal which i put forward with senator sanders, senator jones, senator blumenthal would create a national paycheck security program for american workers. a very similar proposal has been put forward, my friend on the other side of the outcome senator hawley, from missouri. it uses a direct support model that has support on both left and right. the "new york times" and "wall street journal" have both commented on it. we know those news organizations never agree on anything. but people think this approach bears merit. and we know this direct support approach works because it has been implemented successfully in a number of european countries and in canada where the unemployment rate, yes, they are pumped up but a couple of points, not to the level of what i i believe will be over 20% unemployment and what the fed and even the administration officials have predicted may reach 25% within the next month. paycheck security means that the federal government will help cover the payroll expenses for rank-and-file workers who have been furloughed or laid off because of the coronavirus. t

the democratic side in the senate, we have mark warner, bernie sanders, doug jones and richard blumenthalt have released a similar idea. and in the house, i released the actual bill today, and we have 93 co-sponsors across the ideological caucuses. we have 100 economists, including a nobel prize winning economist mark zande, chief economist at moody's thinks this is the right way to go. janet yellen thinks this is the right way to go. so we've been able to get a lot of endorsement for my bill. >> at this point, the president's approach seems to be, all you have to do is tell businesses that they can reopen and government doesn't need to do anything other than just tell a business they can reopen and everything will be fine. >> well, this is the crazy thing. you know, the options before us are these -- number one, we could just reopen as the president is saying. and what will happen is, we will have tens of thousands more deaths. we will have a longer spread of the infection, which will actually be worse for our economy. businesses will have to open and close. that is not an acceptable opt

take a listen to blumenthal. >> you have to put a lot of pressure on xi jinping and his his people becausere's an internal backlash against him in the c.c.p. because of his various mishaps, not least least of which is covid 19 reaction and approach, so you have to create enough of a backlash that, inside china, the president tends to reverse course, and i think that's doable. >> reporter: and that, critics say, is ineffective and self-defeating. they say tariffs and sanctions don't work, would hurt those u.s. businesses in hong kong and any visa restrictions would actually hurt the pro democracy advocates who have been affecting for beijing to allow hong kong to maintain its freems, judy, so senior state department officials are hinting in a conference call just about an hour ago that their response and executive order by the president will be targeted, will try to support those democracy advocates but, also, at the same time, punishsenior chinese government officia, but the decision, judy, is on the president's desk rht now. >> woodruff: finally, just quickly, nick, today, meanwhile, on c

as for the pandemic, you heard senator blumenthal say there, i wish we were back to deal with covid-related relief. that's not what they're back to work on. and in fact, the white house told lawmakers today that members of the coronavirus task force will not be permitted to testify to congress this whole month unless directly cleared by the white house chief of staff which is a very weird thing. after a quick response from the democratic leader in the senate chuck schumer who said quote, president trump should learn that by muzz ling science and the truth, it will only prolong this health and economic crisis. joinings now for the interview tonight is the top democrat in the united states senate new york senior senator chuck schumer. thank you for taking the time to be here tonight. >> good evening, rachel. >> let me ask you first about what i just mentioned there. this white house notification today that members of the administration's coronavirus task force won't be allowed to testify at any time this entire month unless the white house chief of staff gives a permission slip. it's to me, i

i'll be joined by richard bloom blumenthal and pluf. >>> the white house tried to silence for speakingout the lack of a plan and who warns of america's darkest winter possibly ahead. congresswoman who ran today's hearing anna of california will join me. >>> back to school, what that will even mean. what it looks like,

. >> senator blumenthal. >> thanks. senator sullivan and thank you all for being here and thanks for your leadership. i want to pursue that line of questioning about lifeline and e-rate because i do think they are key to bridging and closing the digital divide in the homework app that is ongoing right now. it is urgent and pressing. we need to meet it. we need a bold plan and leadership and i am proud to have led a letter with 26 of my senate colleagues to congressional leadership calling for $1 billion right away for the lifeline program. lifeline and other emergency broadband benefits ought to be at the core of a comprehensive plan. and i think we've been sort of marching around it in normal it. in normal times lifeline is underfunded. during a pandemic and when schools are shut down and businesses are shuttered, it is more essential than ever. and we ought to remind ourselves that after hurricane katrina, the fcc took sweeping action to keep those whose lives have been upended by disaster connected through the intern