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Cuomo Prime Time
Trump Warns Governors To Be "Appreciative" Of Help; Trump Invokes Defense Production Act Ordering GM To Make Ventilators; Insurance Companies Avoid Payouts With "Virus" Fine Print. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired March 27, 2020 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Hey everybody, I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME.
Governors all over the country are echoing the cries of the sick and the scared, the desperate on the front-lines. And the President's response to their calls for help? "Ask nicely."
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All I want them to do, very simple, I want them to be appreciative.
I say, "Mike, don't call the Governor of Washington. You're wasting your time with him. Don't call the woman in Michigan." It doesn't make any difference what happens.
If they don't treat you right, I don't call.
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CUOMO: I know she's a woman. But she's also a Governor. Women can be governors now.
Listen, we are approaching a moment of crisis. Cases will overwhelm certain areas. But, right now, tonight, we've already arrived at a moment of truth. I know States are trying to stay on Trump's good side, and I get the practicality. They don't want to be cut off.
But we, in the media, don't answer to him. We answer to you.
Mr. President, this is not about you and how you feel. It is about us. Lead for all, follow the better minds around you, or get out of the way. This is not about Left and Right. It's not about your feelings. It's about being ready. We have no more time.
It is time for us to demand actions and act ourselves. Together, as ever as one, let's get after it.
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CUOMO: I should have a big headline for you. I should be telling you right now the federal government is finally addressing our greatest need with its biggest weapon, calling on businesses to make the PPE that the people on the front-line needs, the protective wear, to make the ventilators.
This is a war, and that's how we got ahead of the enemy in World War II. So, what do we know?
The President calls on GM to partner with a tech company to make 100,000 ventilators. Great!
But then, GM and Ventech, the other company, say they haven't been told anything. Well they need clarity. The White House is saying one thing. Reporters are saying another thing.
What does the President have to say? Can he clarify it? Are we going to get the moment of truth we need? Here's what we got.
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TRUMP: We thought that we had a deal with, as an example, General Motors. And I guess they thought otherwise. They didn't agree. And now they do. They do agree. And I think we might be able to pull it, but we let them know the way we felt, and they can't be doing that.
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CUOMO: What does that even mean? Why can't this President build up our defenses with the urgency he showed in building his wall?
His response? "We're doing great. We're good on the PPE. Another perfect play. I don't think States like New York really need what they say they need." Really? Those are his feelings.
Let's get to the facts. Let's bring in New York State Health Department Commissioner, Howard Zucker.
It's good to have you on the show, Doc.
DR. HOWARD ZUCKER, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT: Good to be here.
CUOMO: "You don't need the ventilators. And the ones you were given, you put in a warehouse, which proves you didn't need them in the first place." Do you accept that?
ZUCKER: I don't accept that. We need the ventilators. We need more ventilators.
We are very concerned about patients who are becoming critically ill, and are critically ill, and we're worried about those who are going to become critically ill. It's all about the ventilators when it comes to hospital care. CUOMO: "Yes. But you don't need them now. And some people have fewer than you. So, let's do it this way. When your people get really sick, and you have no more ventilators, come to me, and I'll give you the ventilators."
ZUCKER: Well our people are sick. New Yorkers are sick. They're in every hospital. I hear about it every single day. We are working night and day to get the supplies that they need.
And, as you know, when someone is critically ill, and they're in the hospital, and they're in an intensive care unit, the ventilator will save - help save their life. So, we need the ventilators. We're looking far and wide for as many as we can find.
CUOMO: What happens if you were to delay the "Ask" until the need was imminent?
ZUCKER: Well that - that would not be a wise approach. The Governor has taken the approach. We need to be proactive, address these issues up-front, get the supplies we need.
What's the worst that happens, we have some extra ventilators? We'll give them to the next State who would need them. But, right now, the last thing you want to do is, get caught behind the Eight Ball in many ways.
CUOMO: Now, just so the audience understands, I am telling you right now, in this conversation, what the President has been saying. Here are his own words.
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TRUMP: Don't forget, we sent thousands of ventilators to New York and they didn't know they got them.
So we sent thousands of ventilators to New York and they didn't know about it at the time they were complaining. Thousands. We had 2,000 and then 2,000 and then 4,000.
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CUOMO: Is any of that true?
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ZUCKER: Not true. We knew the ventilators arrived and we need more ventilators. This is it's - it's just the beginning of addressing the problem that we - we have.
We have patients and hospitals all across the lower part of New York State and, I suspect, as this progresses to other parts of the State, and we are behind on the ventilators. That's why we're looking for as many as we can get both from the federal government and from elsewhere.
CUOMO: So, you knew that the ventilators had come, and you had them in a warehouse because you're being ready to deploy them. You are not unaware?
ZUCKER: No.
CUOMO: Is it true that he gave you that many? He's made it sound like it was about 8,000. How many have they given you?
ZUCKER: No. There are 4,000 ventilators that were given to us. And we are distributing those - or deploying those ventilators to those who need.
And I have received many calls from hospital Presidents, including today, saying "We need more ventilators." We hear about the patients who show up in the emergency room. We hear about these stories.
We see the numbers as they have been rising. We need to address this, and we need to address it now, and we're doing that. But we need to provide the ventilators for those patients.
CUOMO: Now, another story that hasn't been really well-told, and I kind of blame myself for that because I don't know how many reporters know this truth as well as I do.
What is it like for you to go on the open market and get PPE, the protective equipment that people like? What kinds of things are you encountering in trying to source, purchase, and take delivery of masks, gowns, gloves, protective footwear, visors, et cetera?
ZUCKER: So, we are working with all different vendors that are out there.
There are many creative solutions that have been put forth. There are ways to - to sort of spray masks to use them. We are looking at what other supply - other supply chains we can get for some of these protective equipment.
I recognize the doctors, the nurses, all the health professionals on the front-line. We need to protect them, and make sure they are healthy and able to take care of the patients who are lying in those beds.
And that's the only way we're going to get them better, and it's the only way that's the most important approach that we have.
CUOMO: But isn't it true that because the federal government hasn't triggered the Manufacturing Act, and we're not making these things for ourselves, that you guys are constantly in bidding wars against other countries and states, and prices are jumping up like it's the last bottle of water in a drought?
ZUCKER: Right. So, Governor Cuomo called upon the President in every press conference, dating back days now, probably weeks, to - to implement the Defense Production Act, look at this as if it were a war, which it is, it's a war against the virus, and to move, take the approach that was used in other wars that America had to - to fight back in World War II, and to activate the Defense Production Act, get those supplies made, get them out there, help the people in New York, help the people across the country.
CUOMO: Right. I mean I just want people to know. You've got States competing against one another right now, and they're getting bid up. Prices are going up a 1,000 percent for masks, and gowns, because the need is so heavy.
And, you know, literally it's state versus state, and you are often losing things, if you don't have tens of millions of dollars to spend in the next 30 minutes. Is that not the reality?
ZUCKER: Well I think that we are trying to work together. We're - in this area, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, the Governor has called the - the Tri-State Area together to work together to address this - this challenge.
And we need - we need more supplies. We need more supplies, whether it's the protective equipment, whether it's the ventilators, whether it's also specific medications. We need the supplies. That's how you tackle a problem up-front and be proactive on addressing things.
CUOMO: So, Commissioner, last night on the show, as you know, we had Marya Sherron on, who was the sister of Kious Kelly.
We believe he is the first or one of the few nurses who have succumbed, at least in part to this virus, raised concerns about the level of PPE, but specifically to his family, it raised concerns about him, and bringing him home.
I just want to remind people about what his sister said.
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MARYA SHERRON, SISTER OF NY NURSE WHO DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: Even now, I don't - I don't know where he is. I don't know where his body is. I don't know - we don't know what's happening entirely.
CUOMO: And I also promise you that anything that I can do to help your family get closure, with locating your brother, and figuring out how you bring him home, and whatever your family wants to do, I will do whatever I can.
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CUOMO: Good news is I didn't have to do anything. You guys were monitoring what was being said last night. You learned about the situation. What is the status of Kious Kelly now and his family's wishes?
ZUCKER: So, we - we heard about that. I spoke with his parents. It's a very sad.
It's a - when I heard that just the fact that anyone who passes away from this, but a nurse, someone who's been out there, taking care of others who are sick, really hits home. As a - as a health professional, as a doctor, I know what nurses do.
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I spoke to his - I spoke to his parents this morning, and again, this afternoon, and they are - we are working to have his body brought back home to the State of Michigan.
And - and I think the way that we could pay tribute to Mr. Kelly, and all that he did, and all that he gave, and - and to give the ultimate sacrifices of his own life, is to stay home, to make sure that we are staying home, preventing this virus from spreading, and flattening that curve, the - the community mitigation strategies that we've spoken about, that the Governor has raised on every single press conference that he's had. I think that's how we - we pay tribute to him.
CUOMO: Well it was good of you to give the dignity to his family to be able to bring him home.
The people who fall on the front-lines deserve that kind of deference, just like we do with our warriors, when they're abroad. We make sure they get brought home, so people can bury them, and get some closure.
So, thank you for doing that on behalf of the family. I know it means a lot for them, Commissioner Howard Zucker. Thank you very much for being with us on the show. I know you're busy. Let us know what you need, so we can get the word out.
ZUCKER: New York is testing - New Yorkers have very generous of heart. And - and they've been very creative in finding solutions to things that, and it makes me very proud to be a New Yorkan.
And this generosity and this creativity really does start right from the top, from the Governor, from your brother, and I appreciate to be on your show, Chris.
CUOMO: We'll see how he does over time. Doctor, thank you for being with us tonight. I appreciate it.
ZUCKER: Thank you very much.
CUOMO: All right, the battle is ramping up. It's not just about New York. New York has always been the future for everywhere else. You're seeing it on the West Coast. You're seeing it in Louisiana.
Now, in California, a big dose of help arrived today, while a new rule just went out after people were ignoring the warnings about risky behavior. So, we're going to check in with the Mayor of Los Angeles. He's got an update about a big surge in cases and what they believe is behind it, next.
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CUOMO: All right, eyes are now shifting from the State of New York, which is currently the national epicenter, and why?
Big population, it's a travel hub. There's a lot of density. OK? So, it has a lot of things going against it. But it's not unique, OK? And we know that because we're watching the spread in real time.
Started in Washington, bounced over here, but now it's back in California, cases and deaths are surging there. Los Angeles' Mayor says California is the next New York, and he's also our next guest.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, it's great to see you as always. I'm sorry it's for this reason. I really wish, brother, that you are coming--
MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: No, me too.
CUOMO: --on to say, "We got a handle. We learned something, you know, we got a trick." But it's the opposite. How is it going for you and what do you blame?
GARCETTI: Well we're strong, we're steeled, and we're scared. I think that we look at the numbers. We do the calculations, and whether it's a week or two away. And today, we had a smaller increase than yesterday, which was a 50-plus percent increase in a single day.
We know that those numbers line up per capita where New York was. And I should say it isn't just New York, and Los Angeles, and Seattle. Per capita, Wyoming is where Los Angeles is, North Dakota is where Los Angeles is.
You can go almost any place, and these numbers aren't an "If." It's a "When" for all of us. So, I'm just glad that we enacted measures early. But it will take 10 or 12 days before we see that impact.
And I am just impressing on everybody, "Stay home this weekend." We closed the beaches, we closed the hiking trails, those things that are L.A., but it's so L.A. can rise once again one day in the future.
CUOMO: Mr. Mayor, is it just the lag or are people being a little lapse in terms of following the directives?
GARCETTI: No, I think it's the lag, and the tests on average in this country are sometimes five to seven days. So, what you're seeing is only the diagnosed cases, and you're seeing a week ago. If we want to know where we are today, we'll know in a few days.
I've ramped up testing just paid for by the city, drive-through centers, four, we'll open up a fifth. I just announced a historic partnership with UPS that will maybe double that capacity, where they will drop off, pick up kits, pay for them, and process them.
We need faster results and we need to know them "Now" so we can chase down the cases we have while there's still time. But this has really been marvelously embraced by 99.9 percent of people.
We see it in the traffic data. We see it in the cellphone data. But we're going to hunt down that last 0.1 percent, and say, "You got to get inside. You got to cut it out. And you got to distance."
CUOMO: You have the U.S. Navy Ship, Mercy, coming. It's a very impressive vessel, obviously. It's going to be taking non-COVID patients to clear space for COVID patients. Actually, that's not obvious. It's obvious to you and me. But, you know, that is the reality.
GARCETTI: Yes.
CUOMO: In terms of federal help, what happened tonight that it looked like they had to deal with GM, but the President doesn't sound like he has a deal. The White House says they have a deal. GM says they don't know.
How important to a State like yours, a city like yours, is it for the federal government to get into the PPE/ventilator-making business?
GARCETTI: We need leadership across the country. It's not just a federal issue. But the Feds should be the one coordinating this. It's like a dog-eat-dog zero-sum game out there.
Your brother has talked about it. We have a contract that cut that - the check is cut. We've got it done. And then, somebody says, "Sorry, those 100,000 masks are going to FEMA." There's no order to the chaos that's there.
That said the federal government came through big. I'm wearing my Navy pin, served 12.5 years as an Officer in the Navy, and I had boarded the Mercy years ago. It is a marvelous ship. It is increasing by two- thirds the empty bed capacity for our hospital system in a city as big as L.A. County with 10 million people. So, it's a huge help.
We keep thanking the President, the Vice President, and others, when they come through that Congress finally got the package done, though I agree with Leader Pelosi, we've got to think about the fourth one, and economic recovery now. But where they're falling short, we're not going to mince words either.
And we need more ventilators. We need more equipment. We need more help. But, so far, when now the calls that we're putting out there, at least on the big items, are starting to get answered, and that is great for America.
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CUOMO: Well, you know, what's your speculation that if you guys have to keep doing it on the open market, do you think you're going to get where you need to be, or do you think the federal government has to get more involved, and have factories start making this stuff?
GARCETTI: We're going to all be so overwhelmed that it should be in all-the-above strategy.
I don't care if you're a rampant capitalist, and you just want everything to come from the private sector, good, let's ramp that up. I don't care if you're a rampant socialist, and you want government to take care of it, ramp that up too.
If we're doing all-of-the-above, we're still going to fall short, and lives depend on how well we do. We know we're not going to get to a 100 percent. But the closer we get to 100 percent could be your husband, your wife, your father, your mother. This is what this is about.
And the human cost of this, I don't think has started to hit people. In New York, it has. But we're all going to know somebody who falls victim to this. It could be somebody very close to us.
We're going to look back at this moment, and our kids and grandkids are going to say, "What did you do specifically?" But also "What did America do? And who was this country?"
And this is the moment to define that by throwing aside the things that would divide us, and say everybody's got to do whatever they can. Feds got to do better, private sector better, the local and state level better, we all have to continue pushing.
CUOMO: And, just to be clear, you're not just worried about how long or how much money. You're worried about how many people are going to lose their lives to this virus.
GARCETTI: No question. That's the worst part of my day when I sit down with my data team, talking with doctors, and professionals, and we start trying to plan for low, medium, high, and worst case scenarios.
And each one of them has a number on how many Angelenos will die as a result of COVID-19. It's a fact of this disease. Anybody who doesn't want to confront those numbers isn't looking at what's happening around the world.
And I know what those numbers are and want to look, one day, and say, "Look, we did something to make sure it was at the lower end of that rather than the higher."
CUOMO: Americans have to learn we are not special when it comes to being vulnerable to this virus. We are special though in our ability to come together to fight it.
Mayor Eric Garcetti, you will always have a forum here to tell people what they need to know about the situation, where you are.
GARCETTI: Thank you. God bless you, strength and love.
CUOMO: God bless. Be well. Strength and love, well said.
All right, White House health experts are concerned that Chicago may be the nation's next Los Angeles. Why?
We're going to talk with a member of a family that's been devastated by this tragedy in Illinois. These stories are hard to hear but you must because loved ones like this are coming forward, so you don't have to live their pain. Next.
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CUOMO: Each of the numbers that you see spiking in places like Chicago, they can become overwhelming.
But just remember this. Every one of them is a person, a person who has people who love them, who maybe they're responsible for, family, meaning the pain extends beyond the cold counts that are getting too familiar for us now.
It's a pain that Richard Frieson is feeling twofold. His sister was the first to die in Illinois from Coronavirus. And then, just days later, he lost another sister to the disease.
Richard, I am so sorry to meet you under these circumstances. But I can't tell you how much I appreciate you coming forward in a time of pain, so that people realize what we're dealing with. How is the family coping?
RICHARD FRIESON, TWO SISTERS DIED OF CORONAVIRUS: Thank you, Chris. We're getting by. We're doing what we can. We're just doing the best we can do.
CUOMO: How do you make sense of having two of your own taken from something that we're supposed to be able to deal with, you know, it's not supposed to happen like this? I mean were they compromised in a way, were they vulnerable?
FRIESON: Well the first sister, Patricia, she was compromised and vulnerable.
And when she called and told us that she had some breathing issues, it's not something we hadn't heard before, so we didn't really think too much of it, especially not COVID-19, especially since it hadn't been widespread in Illinois at the time. But she was vulnerable. And her death, while tragic, is just devastating for us. On the same day we learned of her death though, my other sister was
checking herself into the ER for a cough that she had, and that one took us by surprise. That's - she was a lot healthier, and just didn't expect her to go.
CUOMO: Oh, we're showing pictures of them right now. They're beautiful, in the prime of life. What do you want us to know about why your sisters have to be remembered for more than just what took them?
FRIESON: Well I think everybody who knew them will remember for more than just what took them. They were absolutely beautiful women.
And it's strange because I come from a huge family. They were nine of us originally, eight living, well six now, and we were all extremely close. And although we fought, we got along great as adults. And their presence is just going to be missed so much.
Wanda was the party planner. She had so many friends that she just loved to give parties and invite people over to her house. And Patricia loved to go to parties. So, it was - it was - were just wonderful people who just did the best they could in life.
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CUOMO: You know one of the things that we all crave when we suffer a loss like this is to come together, and to mourn, and to remember, and appreciate their lives. You're not going to get that chance the way you want it right now. How is that playing on your heart?
FRIESON: That stuff, I think that's the toughest part. The toughest part about my sisters' deaths is that they had to die alone in the hospital. And I've heard this from other people.
It's just devastating to us that we couldn't go in to see them in their last moments. They weren't afraid - afraid of death. But I think just dying alone is the worst thing that could happen.
But not being able to have a funeral for them, we'll have a memorial service when we can all get back together again that will bring some - some bit of closure. But, right now, all we can do is just FaceTime each other, yes.
CUOMO: How you keep--
FRIESON: Give hugs over the phone.
CUOMO: How are you keeping that smile on your face?
FRIESON: Because I know that they are in a better place. That's what they believed. And that's what I'm going to choose to believe.
I know that they lived a wonderful life. I had some great memories with them. And I'll always remember them. And I just - there's nothing else we can do but smile right now. I just remember them as wonderful, wonderful people. CUOMO: They went to church together. Now, hopefully, they're together as well, seeing the fruit of their faith. But what a price to pay for one family and made so much harder by your - what you see is an inability to be with them.
But you know they weren't alone. They had their faith and they know they had the love of their family every step of the way. And now, you've got them in spirit to help you get through this. And hopefully, this will pass soon.
Richard, I'm so sorry to have to have you tell this story. I wish there were any other reason--
FRIESON: Thank you, Chris.
CUOMO: --to be talking to you. But it's important that people hear, so they take this seriously, and know that life can change in an instant more than once.
FRIESON: Definitely. One of the best things I can think of right now is that I got a chance to say "I love you" to both of them before I - that's my last words to them, so. And I didn't know, at the time, it was going to be my last words, but yes.
CUOMO: We can't say it enough that we love each other, we need each other, care about each other. And, even now, as you said, you may not be able to get together with family, but you can tell them that. You can hug them with your heart, as we're saying now. And, right now--
FRIESON: That's right.
CUOMO: --I'm giving you a hug every as - as hard as I can. And if there's anything that we can do, we're a call away. You know how to get us.
FRIESON: OK. Thank you.
CUOMO: All right, Richard, I'm so sorry for your family. Please extend our regards to all the rest of your siblings, all right?
FRIESON: I will do that. Thank you very much.
CUOMO: Be well.
Listen, I mean I don't know. I don't know how people do it. I really don't know. I don't know what I would do if I lost anybody in my family, let alone two. I guess you have to cope. The question is does any of this have to happen.
So, we're tracking it from Chicago, to New Jersey, another tight-knit family that we introduced you to here. They lost four family members to this. It's big Italian family, the Fuscos, remind me of so many where I grew up.
And then, Elizabeth who came to tell us the stories, the family story, gets her test back. She's positive. Her daughter's positive. They have other family members who are in the ICU. So, we came back to her for an update, and we'll give you that, next.
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CUOMO: Over the past couple of weeks, we've spoken to a lot of amazing Americans, who in their time of heartache and loss have been brave enough to share their memories of their lost loved ones with you because they want you to know this is real, and they want you to know that there but for the grace go you.
And I have to tell you one story that just hit us so hard so early was of the Fusco family. Remember, I introduced you to Elizabeth and her cousin Roseanne.
Four of their family members died, including her mother and three siblings. She had two other siblings in the hospital on ventilators. They're waiting on tests. They all came back positive, including her own and her daughter.
So obviously, we've been monitoring them, and finally, she had the strength to check in. So, here's Elizabeth Fusco.
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CUOMO: Elizabeth, I have to say, I am very happy to see you looking well. After I heard about you testing positive, I was so worried for you, and it's been a few days. How are you doing?
ELIZABETH FUSCO, LOST FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS TO CORONAVIRUS, LOST HER MOTHER AND THREE SIBLINGS TO CORONAVIRUS: I'm doing well. I'm still not showing any symptoms. My daughter's not showing any symptoms. And it's a miracle all in itself.
CUOMO: All right, thank God for that. And we do hear the numbers that a lot of people are asymptomatic. But with what's going on in your family, we can't take anything for granted.
And, as I remember, you said you had a particular worry about your daughter, right?
FUSCO: Yes. My daughter was born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, so she has a very compromised lungs. Her lung - one lung is like half the size. The other one is maybe three-quarters of the size by now. Her - all of her organs were moved around inside.
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It's a very rare thing that happens to children. But I mean she only had a 3 percent chance of life, coming out of my womb. So, it's surreal that she tested positive, and her body has fought it.
CUOMO: Thank God. Thank God. Sometimes God has to be good. With everything he's put the Fusco family through, everything your family has endured, it's good that somebody's getting a break.
Now, how does it stand in the wider family? How many people are still fighting this? What's the situation? What can you tell us?
FUSCO: I can tell you that my sister, Antonia, is home, and looking very well. She made it home on Friday.
I do still have a sister and brother on a vent, fighting very hard for us. And I'm sure the ones who have gone to heaven are watching over them and helping them immensely because they are fighting hard.
CUOMO: Are those the only two who are still sick because I know that a lot of people had tests and a lot of them had come back positive?
FUSCO: Those are the only two still sick, and - and they are still both exactly where they were when this whole nightmare started. They are both still at CentraState and both still on ventilators. One came home, two are still on ventilators, and four are in heaven.
CUOMO: We're all so painfully aware of the four. And I know that's still sinking in about your mom and your siblings. I know this still doesn't make a lot of sense. But thank God, for now, the virus is leaving the rest of the family alone.
And the help that you needed in getting tests, after the first time we spoke, and attention from the State, how does that all stand now? Are you getting the attention in the family that you need?
FUSCO: Again, anytime I message Chris Meth (ph) or his assistant, Jill, they're always there for me, and anything we need or and just calling to check up.
They - they knew Toni was home before we made it public, and Jill would call, and check on her, and honestly like sincerely check on her, not just, "Hey, how's your sister doing?" like really care.
Do I still say that - that the hospitals need help? They are so short- staffed. And it's - it's rough on them like they need help because without them our loved ones do not - no one's loved ones have a prayer. And they are still understaffed. And they still don't have the - the right things they need. For this being America this is not right.
CUOMO: What are you hearing about how it is for your family members who are still in a hard way in the hospital? What's it like? What kind of scene is it like in there? FUSCO: We - we can't see them.
CUOMO: Right.
FUSCO: We don't know. Remember, they are on ventilators, so they are sedated.
And you don't know how your loved ones are in that sense. You truly have to trust and believe, and we do, in the doctors, and the nurses, and right down to the respiratory therapist, to everyone.
I mean I can tell you from my - what my sister Toni told me because she - she came out of there, everyone is just trying their hardest, and working around the clock, and just being so loving and caring. But they're tired and short-staffed.
CUOMO: They're doing the hardest of jobs in the worst of circumstances with the biggest unknown. And they don't know how long they'll have the equipment. And they don't know how long the staff will last. I mean there are a lot of horrible issues.
And it's meant so much that your family when you spoke out, with all the pain that you've suffered, you still were talking about the needs of the people in the hospitals that you were still bigger than yourselves in a way that your family, the Fuscos, is known for. You've always been about the community.
Well listen, I don't want to take up a lot of your time. I know, you know, you still need your rest, and your daughter needs your rest.
I just wanted to check in and let people see that you're doing OK, and that, for now, the family is not having to deal with any more trauma. We'll keep checking in about your siblings that are in the hospital.
FUSCO: I appreciate that.
CUOMO: And you let me know anything you need.
FUSCO: Absolutely. Thank you so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Can you imagine losing anyone to a virus, two of your own siblings, four of your family members, including your mother, finding out you have it, your kid, who's got an issue with her lungs, and surviving?
[21:45:00]
And then you look around at what's being done, and it seems like everybody doesn't seem to get it. How frustrating! We all have to do more to fight this. There but for the grace, your mother, my mother, our families, the people we love, we can all do more.
But it has come time to call out what is happening on high. I have an argument tonight that a lot of people aren't able to make, but I am and I will, next.
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TEXT: CUOMO PRIME TIME.
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TEXT: CLOSING ARGUMENT.
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CUOMO: In a world of doubt, here is a sure thing. If the federal government and the states don't get it together better, you will see sickness and death in this country like you never have before.
[21:50:00]
And while there are a growing number of mayors and governors in need, there is one persistent problem at the top. Trump! His two defining flaws are on flagrant display. They are literally making us sick.
First, his ignorance.
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TRUMP: I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they're going to be. I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.
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CUOMO: "He doesn't feel. He doesn't believe."
What about this? When you go to war, do you give troops what they need before they come under fire? Yes, right? Same with healthcare workers, they need the PPE now. They need the ventilators in their localities now, so when they run out of either, there are more at the ready.
Either he doesn't get that, which speaks to a degree of ignorance that is more threatening than anything COVID can do, or it is just his second defining flaw on display, his arrogance.
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TRUMP: All I want them to do, very simple, I want them to be appreciative.
I say, "Mike, don't call the Governor of Washington. You're wasting your time with him. Don't call the woman in Michigan." It doesn't make any difference what happens.
If they don't treat you right, I don't call. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: No, you treat them right. Our money, our government, our power, we gave it to you. We don't serve you. You serve us.
We have the most cases in the world, why? Because we have a big population, there's a lots of density in places, and we have major foreign travel hubs, but also because we've done the least to stop the spread and, in large part, that's on Trump. He slept on this. He lied about it. And now, he is not doing enough.
Reopen by Easter? That's not aspirational. It's asinine. No expert anywhere says anything like it.
"Reassess the life limitations we're under now, maybe Monday, Tuesday, I'll think about it," every state is extending. Every world expert says we have to do more, not less. He needs time.
The President should say himself what his fringe friends are saying. Have you heard it?
They're OK with a certain number of the frail and the greatest generation dying off to make the economy come back sooner. Just say it because they're saying it for you and your actions show the same inclination.
Today, he uses his power with just one company. But then, he says maybe he'll back out. Then he says I'm not sure.
States are competing with one another for PPE. Prices are popping at a 1,000 percent, why? Because this President won't order companies to do what a real wartime President did in World War II.
Now he tells one company, GE, to start, after over a week of people begging him to do it. Then he walks it back. What the hell is going on?
Repeating the words of great leaders does not make you one. Doing great things, when it matters, that does, and that time is now. We are asking everyone to act now. Act for others. Take this seriously.
How can we be surprised that so many, especially in Red states, seem slow to the cause when the man they look to for guidance has lied about it, slow-walked it, exaggerated his success, and consistently increased the risk to all of us?
Together, as ever as one, is reliant on an acceptance of our interconnectedness and interdependence. We get through, in other words, keeping it simple. Suck it up. Do the right thing. Do it now. Don't make it all about yourself. No one needs that message more than this President.
Listen, we're fighting this battle not just with the military but with an army of Ameri-CANs. To win, we must expose the Ameri-CAN'Ts as well. I got a new batch, next.
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[21:55:00]
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TEXT: LET'S GET AFTER IT.
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CUOMO: Insurance companies weaseling out of claims by devastated small business owners, who thought they were covered with business interruption insurance. What's getting them? Fine print.
"We will not pay for loss or damage caused by or resulting from any virus, bacterium or other microorganism that induces or is capable of inducing physical distress, illness or disease."
Looks like someone prepared for this pandemic after all, doesn't it? The question is, is this fair? It's got Ameri-CAN'T written all over it. Remember, the $2 billion relief package isn't going to pay all the bills. So, we'll see what can be done here. We have to expose the need.
Another Ameri-CAN'T, and this is disgusting, Zoombombing, these people jumping uninvited into video chats, posting lewd images. On Tuesday, a group of racists crashed USC's online classes. So, you're going to have ugly people do ugly things. So, here's how you reduce your risk.
Disable the "Join Before Host" option. Enable "Co-Host," so you can have more moderators. Disable "File transfer" to avoid digital virus sharing. And disable "Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin," so the trolls can't come back in.
You know what? We'll have - I'll post all that stuff online for you, OK?
How about some Ameri-CANs? It's Friday, right? Let's get a little good news take us through the weekend.
You see all those flashing emergency lights coming from cars in a Georgia hospital's parking lot? You know why. Show a support for all the brave healthcare workers inside, and the car-owners stayed in their cars to pray for the workers.
In Michigan, a school Principal wanted to let one of her students, Kaitlyn Watson, know that she was this year's Valedictorian. School's closed. So, what do you do? Phone call didn't seem special enough. Watson still works at a local drive-through, which gave the Principal a beautiful idea.
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MICHELLE FLOERING, JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, GRAND TRAVERSE ACADEMY: You are GTA's 2020 Class Valedictorian.
KAITLYN WATSON, SENIOR AT GRAND TRAVERSE ACADEMY, GRAND TRAVERSE ACADEMY'S 2020 CLASS VALEDICTORIAN: I am?
FLOERING: You are.
WATSON: Oh my Gosh! Thank you so much.
FLOERING: You are.
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CUOMO: Isn't that amazing? What an achievement!
