Trump Disputes Nurse's Account Of "Sporadic" Access To PPE; Lawmakers Sue To End Washington State Governor's Stay-At-Home Order
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It's incredible. He volunteered to come to New York to be nurse. He wasn't working as a nurse anymore. He had nurse training. But he decided, you know what, I'm going to do this. The news continues right now. I want to hand it over to Chris for "CUOMO PRIME TIME". Chris?</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Not just a beautiful moment to capture but there are a lot of healthcare workers that have literally been sacrificing their own private times in contact with families, even if they live locally, for fear of spreading it to their own families. That's a lot of sacrifice. It's important to remember it especially today on National Nurse Appreciation Day. Thank you for that story and all the good work my brother, Big Daddy Anderson. I wait for the laugh. I won't leave until it. I am Chris Cuomo, welcome to "Prime Time". So look, the facts are not in dispute, not on this show. No state has met the relatively relaxed standard of 14 days of fewer cases to reopen. The question has become, is the goal still to save lives in this country? It seems the measure has changed. And America is deciding what to do now on the basis of how much death is OK? As the price of getting back to work and play. Increasingly, life seems to be getting pretty cheap in America. Are you OK with that? The governor of the state where much of this first hit is not OK with it. In fact, he says he's infuriated with the state of play, and he will tell you why. The need is great, we know that. And the fact is seen plainly in the fight for food. So let's find solutions. We have a man with the plan to stop hunger in this pandemic. You know Chef Andres, he is literally feeding the country and he has food for thought as well about what the fix is for hunger all across America. Remember, what affects one eventually affects all especially now. So together as ever, as one, let's get after it. All right, here are the numbers. Forty-three states will have eased isolation restrictions by the end of this week. Is that progress? Again, not one has met the lacks federal standard for doing so. And remember, the virus hasn't changed, hospitals still being flooded, people still being killed in increasing numbers and in weird ways that are confounding science. There's no cure, there's no vaccine, and neither is coming anytime soon. New hotspots are emerging. In fact, many states are expecting spikes after they reopen. Here are the facts in your face. You see the bright spots on the map. Those 19 states are now seeing an upward trend and confirmed COVID cases over the last 14 days. The 18 states shaded orange, they stand at about the same levels, which were what we're calling a plateau right now. Only 13 states so far appear to be going down in cases but, again, even though down, none has met the White House marker for two straight weeks of declines to trigger reopening. And many places still don't have what they need to test, trace or treat the cases. Literally, not even enough PPE gear. So, today, a prominent nurse, remember it's a National Nurses Day, pointed that out, the reality right next to the President. And look what he said.</s>SOPHIA THOMAS, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS: I think it's sporadic -- I've talked to my colleagues around the country. Certainly, there are pockets of areas where PPE is not ideal. But this is an unprecedented time. I've been reusing my N95 mask for a few weeks now.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Sporadic for you, but not sporadic for a lot of other people.</s>THOMAS: Oh, no, I agree, Mr. President.</s>TRUMP: Because I've heard the opposite.</s>THOMAS: Yes.</s>TRUMP: I've hear that they are loaded up with gowns now.</s>CUOMO: He better cross his arms in a defensive posture. First of all, how dare he do that to that nurse and put her on the spot. What have she's supposed to say, disagree with them? She's reusing her N95 mask. One should be enough. But it is not just sporadic for her. That's not even what the word means. In pockets all over this country, they don't have what they need. And for a guy who believes his fate is tied to making this pandemic end, let me ask you, why does he keep denying what it will take to make it go away? Why does he hide from the needs instead of providing them? What is it to unite this country behind that desperation of fact instead of dividing? We need the reality and you will get it from Governor Jay Inslee of Washington. He just extended stay home orders in his state until the end of the month, invoking the wrath of GOP lawmakers there. They're actually suing him claiming there is no longer an emergency. He says there is and it's a battle of life and death.</s>CUOMO: Governor, thank you for joining us.</s>GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WA): You bet. Thank you.</s>CUOMO: So your state is a very interesting examination of the current state of play of the tension between safety and reopening, you're actually being sued by the Republicans in your state. What is your perspective on what this lawsuit is about?</s>INSLEE: Well, it's about biological ignorance and kind of human heartlessness. And I think that's the best way I can describe it. It's just trying to ignore the clear science of biology, which from an epidemiological standpoint is very clear that if we abandon our efforts that have been significantly successful today, this is a curve is going to go shoot and right back up, this beast is going to get off the floor and bite us back. And this is just a biological certainty. And we have some legislators, you know, who have the art name after them that are paying more attention to that than the biology of this thing. And the thing that's maddening is that there's no dispute about that. This is just a biological fact.</s>CUOMO: How did it get to be so partisan, Gov.?</s>INSLEE: You know, it's very disappointing to me because when this started out, we had a very unified, very bipartisan approach in my state. I appreciated some Republicans speaking up in favor of it. But frankly, look, when the President asked Americans to conduct illegal activity and ignore the clear orders of governors that were the law of their respective states, that was just kind of a signal to his colleagues thinking this is how they're going to do battle politically. And it's very, very unfortunate, because I can tell you, majorities of Republicans in my state support what we're doing. They get it, they care about their loved ones as much as we do. They understand science. And this is just a bunch of elected folks, you know, trying to make a political statement rather than a rational unified approach. And our team has functioned very well. You know, beating viruses is the only ultimate team sport and our team in Washington has been very effective. Both ours, indeed, as citizens, pulling together honoring our -- we've had massive compliance with my order. And that's why we have been successful because Washington has have been committed. So it's a lot of things, we're not letting this distract us. We're moving forward both in a way to protect our health and our economy because we all know --</s>CUOMO: Right.</s>INSLEE: -- the way to protect economy is to restore our health. They go hand in hand. They're not enemies. They are partners. And we're making good decisions in that direction.</s>CUOMO: And to be fair, you guys were ground zero. you had to come at this, you know, with fresh eyes. The country was asleep on it, when you started dealing with it. And a lot of the learning curve was through your experiences in that state. You've opened up parks. You have an order that you're going to phase in, have some businesses open up. So it's not like you're completely closed. You have not met the CDC guidelines for 14 days of down cases, which means, technically, you're being more aggressive than the federal standard. You know, what more do they want at this point?</s>INSLEE: Sort of a political statement, and I think it is being driven by a political interests. That's all I can figure out. The biology is clear. The interest in human life is clear. The only motivation that I can figure out is trying to follow this siren song from the President who somehow believes that's in his political interest. And as I've said, it's most unfortunate.</s>CUOMO: Now here's what you're dealing with that it doesn't make sense to me. There's this urgency for COVID to go away. Everybody shares that. But we don't see the desperation to make it go away. And, in fact, what your state is experiencing is a perfect example of how the federal government has not motivated what needs to happen to create the circumstances to have COVID go away. You still don't have the personal protective equipment that you need for the capacity in your hospitals. The testing and tracing that they want you to do, it's on the state, to reopen the way they want. You don't have the money to fund it and you don't have the testing resources to do it and get it processed and turned around. So how can you do what they want you to do when they don't give you the money or the equipment to do it?</s>INSLEE: That's an excellent question for which there's no answer. Look, we have to stand up a domestic manufacturing mobilization of our industrial base in the United States in order to solve this problem. I just literally walked out of a meeting where we're trying to figure out if we can stand up a domestic manufacturing base. We do have several companies that are making mass and visors and gloves right now, but we're now starting to look, can we get a domestic manufacturer of swabs for goodness sakes. And as you know, we have not been able to do the tests we need. And the thing that is interesting, and it's a little counterintuitive, the need for testing and the need for PPE is going to go up as we reopen the economy, not down. And I think people are just really, including the administration to some degree, has not realized that the demand for these products as we reopen the company, as people -- country, as people come back to work, they're going to need more tests even as the infection rate might go down. They're going to be more PPE in construction, in manufacturing, in restaurants to be able to have the mass we need. So we're in a full-scale alert in our state to try to potentially grow our own industrial capacity. But we know that there's only one person in the whole country that has the ability to actually order this to be done and that's the President of the United States.</s>CUOMO: You said the President's response has been infuriating to you. Why?</s>INSLEE: Well, because there is only one person that can save us from the lack of this material, and that's the President of the United States, by using the Defense Production Act. I urged him weeks and weeks ago to do that. He refused to do so because he thought that that was not his responsibility. He described that he didn't want to be a supply clerk, as if that's a diminished role. Look, I think providing PPE and testing material is an exalted responsibility right now. So, I was very disappointed he did not do that for weeks. Now, one good sign, because we're always looking for good news, there has been some movement in the administration to bring in some of the Defense Department's supply chain, to use the Defense Production Act in at least small ways. And we have been told by Admiral Giroir that we'll be receiving a half million swabs in the next several weeks. This will be tremendous if this happens. And so we want to continue that effort. We want to encourage that effort by the administration. We have a number of voices in the administration, I think, in good faith, to try to encourage that mobilization. And if it's successful, it'll be a bright day. But until then, our states are on their own, as you know, including your brothers great work. So we got to keep the pedal to the metal in our states.</s>CUOMO: I mean, even if they give you everything that's been talked to at this point, obviously, you have the right criticism that it hasn't happened already. But you still wouldn't have what you need to test your population where you want to reopen on an ongoing basis. And, you know, there are two different signals coming out of the White House. There is maybe we'll give you these things, as you just mentioned, but you also have the attorney general who says he's considering legal action against governors if they do what he deems too stringent of a restriction. And it happens to be language that's echoed in lawsuit against you by Republicans right now. Are you worried that you may have your federal government doing more to hurt you than to help you?</s>INSLEE: Not as much as maybe you might think because we beat the federal government. We've defeated Donald Trump 26 times in a row. Our excellent Attorney General Bob Ferguson is 26 and 0 against Donald Trump's ignoring the law and the constitution frequently. No, it is clear that our states do have authority to protect our people in the U.S. constitution. There's no question about that. Donald Trump sort of had to beat a hasty retreat on that subject when he said he was in total control. And then he said he was going to authorize us. We're authorized by the U.S. constitution to act and by the vote of our people in our states, both Republicans and Democrats. So I think we're going to be at firm ground. I think we'll prevail in these lawsuits that are more political statements than anything so that we can protect our people. And this is about life. And I have to tell you, I had a meeting with nurses today who are heroes, of course, this --</s>CUOMO: And today is National Nurse Appreciation Day.</s>INSLEE: National Nurse -- and I had a meeting with them today. And I was -- they were comparing some of the rhetoric, we're hearing out from some Republican politicians that, you know, these are just kind of old folks. And that is so offensive to me, to think that people over the age of 60 are sort of disposable humans. Being 69, I certainly don't appreciate that. There was a nurse who was about 65 who didn't appreciate it. And look, the people -- these are losses of living people. When we lose a brother or a parent or a grandparent, it's a loss to the living. That's what's at stake here. And I just really -- it boils my blood when I hear comments from some of these Republican legislators that this is just a problem with folks of some age, so we shouldn't just worry about it. I can't stand that. That will not stand. We need to speak against it. Call it out for what it is, which is inhumane selfishness. And make sure that we continue on this course, that the vast majority of people, at least in my state, believe is the right one.</s>CUOMO: It is scary how quickly life got cheap in America. Well, Governor, we know this from the polls, your leadership has never been more praised than it is right now. So politically, you're in your prime. Governor Inslee, good luck going forward. We remain a platform for you to make your case to the American people.</s>INSLEE: Thank you very much. We're glad you're looking good and keep washing your hands.</s>CUOMO: Well, thank you, Governor. Be well.