Stay-At-Home Orders In Seven States Expiring Tonight; Fauci: U.S. Goal To Manufacture By Vaccine; U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Nearing 62,000; Los Angeles Offers Free Testing To All Residents; 30 Million Filed New Jobless Claims Since Mid-March; Trump: I've Done A "Spectacular Job" As U.S. Deaths Near 62,000
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The visit should be brief, but nonetheless permitted and are even beneficial for the mental well-being of grandparents. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks for watching.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room" and we're following new developments in the coronavirus pandemic. Even as the number of cases and deaths across the United States continues to climb as seven states are not letting their stay-at-home orders expire tonight. Also, CNN has obtained a draft of new CDC guidelines of how businesses schools other organizations should handle reopening. They include disposable menus and restaurants and desks six feet apart in schools. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, says the U.S. goal is to have a coronavirus vaccine by January. And he says the Food and Drug Administration is moving quickly to approve the drug Remdesivir as a treatment. Also, as of this hour, the U.S. death toll is nearing 62,000 people with more than 1 million confirmed cases. Worldwide, there are now more than 3.2 million cases and more than 230,000 deaths. Let's begin this hour out in California where the governor, Gavin Newsom has just ordered beaches closed in Orange County after large crowds turned out over the weekend. CNN's Nick Watt is in Pasadena forest near Los Angeles. So you're at a testing site Nick, what are you seeing? What are you hearing?</s>NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, Los Angeles has we think become the first major city in this country to offer free coronavirus testing to anybody whether you have symptoms or not. Now, there's a little bit of confusion between the state and the county but that's understandable, and we've come to expect it during the coverage of this crisis. Here in Pasadena, what I can tell you is if you make an appointment, you don't have to have symptoms you show up here, they will give you a test for free. Now, first responders and frontline workers do get priority and Uber drivers are included in that category. But anybody can sign up and get a test for free. Wolf, this is how California is going to keep tabs on this virus when it eventually begins to reopen.</s>WATT (voice-over): More than 30 million Americans have now lost their jobs during this unprecedented national shutdown, pain and frustration rising.</s>UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER (in unison): All protects us all, all protects us all.</s>WATT (voice-over): By this weekend, more than half of our states will have started to reopen with restrictions. In Texas, the COVID case count isn't falling still, restaurants and retail can reopen tomorrow at 25% capacity.</s>JULIAN RODARTE, CO-OWNER, BETO AND SON: We're not going to make anything here. It's just for the staff to be able to keep providing the families on the day to day.</s>WATT (voice-over): Tomorrow you'll be able to get a legal haircut again in Wyoming, in Utah from midnight Friday, bars and restaurants can open. In Oklahoma bars will stay closed, but gyms and movie theaters can open. Now, the federal social distancing guidelines were issued, 45 days ago.</s>MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: This is advice on behalf of the President of the United States to every American.</s>WATT (voice-over): Advice that expires today. And now it's up to each governor to figure out the reopening.</s>PENCE: And the new guidance that we've issued his guidance for how they can do that safely and responsibly.</s>WATT (voice-over): A dropped off possible new CDC guidelines for businesses and institutions, calls for stationary collection boxes in church and restaurants, disposable menus, plenty sneeze guards, no salad bars, and in schools desks, six feet apart. College systems in various states by the way, now confirming they will be back in the fall. Hard hit New Jersey is taking it slow. First to open among other things, golf courses but one per cart and stay apart.</s>GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): We said you know what, let's open them up this weekend. But let's make sure everybody plays ball. So this is a real test case for us.</s>WATT (voice-over): Here in California Orange County beaches opened last weekend but the crowds pack to tight. So?</s>GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We're going to do a hard close in that part of the stage just in the Orange County area.</s>WATT (voice-over): This Vacaville barber plans to defy the state's continued stay home order.</s>JUAN DESMARAIS, PRIMO'S BARBERSHOP: I'm going to fight all the way to the end up with 20 tickets and slot accounts for your court, you know, six months from now. That's a risk I'm willing to take.</s>WATT (voice-over): In Iowa a gradual reopening but only in counties with low case growth and a nod to our grim new reality.</s>GOV. KIM REYNOLDS (R-IA): COVID-19 isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The virus will continue to be in our communities and unfortunately, people will still get sick until a vaccine is available.</s>WATT (voice-over): Now we're told one might be ready in January, the White House now calling this Operation Warp Speed.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: You know, is a judge of it, honestly, I am. I'll tell you, I'm really in charge of it.</s>WATT (voice-over): They'll start manufacturing, while it's still in trials.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Assuming it's going to work. And if it does, then you could scale up and hopefully get to that timeline.</s>WATT (voice-over): And a therapeutic Remdesivir that anti-viral showing some promise still needs FDA emergency approval.</s>FAUCI: They have not made a final decision yet. They have not announced it. But I would project that we're going to be seeing that reasonably soon.</s>WATT: Now, here's a situation that is going to arise over and over your work reopens, but your kids school does not. So here in California, they're going to open more than 400 pop up childcare centers for that eventuality. Listen, this is clearly not the beginning of the end of COVID-19. This is the beginning of a new phase that will last some time. Take Georgia, their shelter home order is going to be lifted tonight, 11:59 p.m. but in a statement, the governor tells Georgians this however moving forward, I'm urging Georgians to continue to stay home whenever possible. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Clearly, Nick the new normal will be very different than the old normal that new normal should be around, presumably for a long time. Nick Watt in California, from California. Let's head over the White House right now. Our Chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us. Jim grim, new economic numbers tonight affecting millions of Americans.</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right Wolf, the White House is grappling with devastating news on the economy, as some advisors to the President are warning of unemployment numbers straight out of the Great Depression. We asked the President about that earlier today, he said it is what it is. And then Mr. Trump went on to claim his administration has done a quote spectacular job on the pandemic, even though more than 60,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus and that number is climbing.</s>TRUMP: OK, thank you very much.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Staring at what is shaping up to be the worst U.S. economy since the Great Depression. President Trump said he has a feel for what Americans are going through.</s>TRUMP: I feel it. I think sometimes what I feel is better than what I think. I view what we have now is obviously a period of here we are, it is what it is. It's just a very tough situation for the people of our country. All the loss the debt.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Nearly 4 million Americans filed Unemployment Claims last week making for a staggering 30 million over the last six weeks. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the numbers haven't been this bad since the Great Depression.</s>KEVIN HASSETT, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: The fact is that right now, you know, 30 million people have filed for unemployment insurance. The unemployment rate is probably around 19%. And those numbers are startling because anything we've seen since the Great Depression.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): President has been lashing out at aides in recent days over poll showing voters may punish him in the fall for his handling of the coronavirus is offering only rosy assessments of his team. (on-camera): Is it fair for the voters to take into consideration your handling of the pandemic when they assess whether to reelect you in the fall?</s>TRUMP: Sure, I think they do. I think they have to do a number of things. I think we've done a really great job. I think we did a spectacular job.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): Mr. Trump is also trying to rewrite history, insisting that he inherited what he calls broken tests for the coronavirus from the Obama administration. But that's not true. COVID- 19 didn't exist until just months ago.</s>TRUMP: We started off with bad broken tests and obsolete tests.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): You say broken tests. It's a new virus. So how could the test be broken when you needed a new test?</s>TRUMP: It went broken tests. We had tests that were obsolete, we had test that didn't take care of people.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): The Centers for Disease Control as drafted new guidelines for reopening the U.S. with recommendations that school space desk six feet apart, houses of worship limit large gatherings and restaurants which to disposable menus and plates. The President said he'll be overseeing a new effort to fast track millions of doses of a vaccine for the virus.</s>TRUMP: We have, you know, as a judge of it, honestly, I am. I'll tell you, I'm really in charge of it.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): The administration is hoping to have that vaccine ready by the end of the year, a timeline Dr. Anthony Fauci said maybe possible.</s>FAUCI: We want to go quickly, but we want to make sure it's safe and it's effective. I think that is doable.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a big thing -- yes.</s>FAUCI: A things for the right place.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): With a pandemic still raging, President Trump is looking to punish China for its handling of the virus, including the possibility of imposing sanctions on Beijing. President who has praised China's transparency on the pandemic has changed his tune, as critics say he's trying to shift the blame.</s>TRUMP: We just got hit by a vicious virus that should have never been allowed to escape China. They should have stopped it at the source. They didn't do that.</s>ACOSTA: There's an update to the controversy over Vice President Mike Pence his decision to forego wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic earlier this week. Pence was touring a factory in Indiana earlier today. This time he wore a mask and there was a sign outside the facility asking visitors to wear a mask before coming onto the factory floor. So today Wolf, he did wear a mask. Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, good for him. Glad he did. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Joining us now the New Jersey governor, Phil Murphy. Governor, thank you so much for joining us, as I always say, I know you have a lot going on in New Jersey right now. You were in Washington here today. You met with the President in the Oval Office. How did that meeting, Governor go?</s>MURPHY: Wolf, good to be with you. It went well, it went well, I mean, we have found common ground. From the early days of this health care crisis on things like ventilators, personal protective equipment, building out hospital capacity with the Army Corps, FEMA, testing sites and then we just announced today that we got over a half a million test kits, 750,000 swabs, a lot of PPE being shipped directly to nursing homes. We also raised the financial crisis that has resulted from this healthcare crisis and that states need direct help. All in all, it was a very good meeting, including thanking the President and his team for their partnership.</s>BLITZER: So do you agree with the President's assessment that he and his administration have done what the President calls a spectacular job throughout the pandemic?</s>MURPHY: Listen, Wolf, I think that's above my pay grade in terms of outside of the four walls of New Jersey, but I know what that partnership has looked like in terms of our state. And again, it's not as though every time we asked, we got all that we asked for. But the fact of the matter is, we were -- were we found common ground and have continued to it every step of the way. And I've got a I've got a call it as I see it. And I think, the next, you know, other than testing and contact tracing partnerships that we're going to continue to need our back next big mountain decline will be the financial help for states and that's something that we talked about today. And that's something where we're going to need help. Now, let's talk about that right now. Governor, you're saying New Jersey desperately needs financial assistance to keep its public sector afloat and pay all sorts of employees. Many conservatives, as you know, have derided that as a blue state bailout. Did the President in your conversation with him today, over at the White House make a firm commitment that New Jersey will get the money it's so desperately needs right now, despite whatever political differences you may have with the President?</s>MURPHY: Yes, listen, I don't want to put words in the President's mouth. But I will say this, we had a very constructive discussion about this, including the history of how New Jersey got to where it is, in some of its structural deficits, the progress that we had made in our first two years in office, and I remind folks, including the President, this isn't about helping us out with our legacy items. We've got a plan for that. This is about keeping firefighters, police, men and women, first responders, EMS educators, keeping them employed, keeping them at the point of attack, keeping them in service of our residents who are going through the biggest healthcare crisis in the history of our state in our country. And we had a very good discussion through that lens. And this is not a blue state reality. This is both blue and red. It's an American reality. Let's keep those folks employed. Let's keep them at the point of attack serving our residents. That to me is what's good for not just the health of our country, but the economic health of our country.</s>BLITZER: Right, it's very encouraging to hear that. The CDC, Governor, has drafted new guidelines for businesses, institutions, churches, synagogues, mosques, that are beginning to reopen. For example, restaurants should use disposable menus. A disposable cutlery, schools should keep desks six feet apart, religious groups should avoid large gatherings all sorts of other recommendations. Will New Jersey be adopting those guidelines? Or will you develop your own?</s>MURPHY: Well, listen, we've been I think at every step of the way we have been very, I think I'd even use the word faithful to CDC guidance. We put out a six-point plan on Monday this week, Wolf, in terms of the road to recovery, four of those steps are healthcare, the fifth is economic, the sixth is resiliency. But based on what you've just said, those are those are all within the realm of what we've been discussing. I also established a commission a couple of days ago to advise us on how we can responsibly reopen, and I'm sure that what you've just gone through, will be tabled for discussion. Again, the notion of social distancing, keeping limits on capacity, certain hygiene standards, certain masking and glove standards. Those are all items and steps that we've been considering already in New Jersey will look very closely at what the CDC has put out.</s>BLITZER: Yes, they seem to make a lot of sense right now given what we've gone through over these past few weeks. Governor Phil Murphy, thanks so much for joining us.</s>MURPHY: Thanks for having me Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And good luck to everyone in New Jersey. And to our viewers, be sure to tune in later tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern for a live CNN Global Townhall: Coronavirus, Facts and Fears, Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They will be joined by special guests including Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force along with Microsoft founder Bill Gates. That's later tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. Coming up more on the new guidelines under consideration for reopening schools, churches, restaurants, will they be approved by the White House? Will they be followed by the American public? Also, will the FDA live up to Dr. Anthony Fauci's prediction that it will act really quickly to approve an experimental drug that's showing signs, serious signs of helping coronavirus victims?