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New Day Sunday

U.S. Death Toll Is Now The World's Highest; "New York Times" Coronavirus Report Shows How Trump "Could Have Seen What Was Coming"; Trump Plans To Watch Pastor Jeffress' Service On Easter; Pope Delivers Easter Mass From Near-Empty St. Peter's Basilica; NY Governor: Curve Of New Cases "Continuing To Flatten"; Report: China Cracking Down On Coronavirus Research; SNL Returns With Cast In Remote Locations Due To COVID-19. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired April 12, 2020 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[07:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Today, Lord, during holy week, the whole world is ravaged by a pandemic that is wreaking death and immobilizing us.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: The IRS says the first wave of stimulus payments have now gone out to American taxpayers who qualify for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, stay safe. We are in this for the duration, and we will get through this together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday and happy Easter to you. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Happy holiday weekend! I'm Amara Walker in today for Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: All right. President Trump says that a decision is coming fairly soon. Last night, the president again said that he will rely on what he calls facts and his own instinct to decide when he will recommend opening up parts of the country, but that will set up a clash, potentially, with state and local officials, because they may believe that it's too soon to get back to business safely.

WALKER: Yes, and the staggering number this morning, more than 20,000 Americans killed by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. is now number one worldwide in coronavirus deaths. All 50 states are under a federal disaster declaration for the first time in history, and it comes as the IRS announces it's beginning to send out or deposit, we should say, the first wave of stimulus checks.

BLACKWELL: And this Easter morning, most of the country is being asked to follow the advice to continue to stay socially distant, or practice social distancing, I should say, and worship and celebrate the holiday from home. There are some churches in the U.S., and those leaders have said they're not going to listen to local officials. Instead, they're going to go on with services as usual. WALKER: And just moments ago, Pope Francis leading Easter Sunday mass

from a pretty empty St. Peter's Basilica, telling followers not to yield to fear in these challenging times, really an extraordinary scene there.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joining us now from the White House.

And, Kristen, President Trump says he'll be celebrating Easter from home, streaming live a service from a Dallas church. And the pastor there he's tuning into has quite a controversial past.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Amara, he certainly does. So, President Trump says because of social distancing, he will be joining virtually, of course, a controversial Pastor Robert Jeffress.

Now, I want to pull up a tweet here. This is his message to the people yesterday. The president saying: Wishing all a safe and blessed Easter Sunday. I will be tuning in to Pastor Robert Jeffress at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, tomorrow morning.

Of course, we know Jeffress is a longtime supporter of President Trump. He campaigned for him back in 2016. And he's known for his inflammatory remarks about Catholics, gays, Muslims, and Mormons, among others.

Now, tuning into this sermon is not the only thing President Trump will be doing. He'll also be mulling over the decision to reopen the economy amid a global pandemic, all of this while CNN is confirming new details in an explosive "The New York Times" report over the early days of this outbreak.

Now, according to a senior administration official, while President Trump and his allies were out on TV offering messaging that essentially downplayed this virus, behind the scenes, medical experts were sounding an alarm.

Here's what we have learned. In mid-February, these medical experts and public health officials met together to convene what they call a tabletop exercise, essentially, this is mapping out the virus, seeing if it could become a pandemic and how that would happen. And the results of this exercise were alarming.

Essentially, they learned during this that they needed to move the country from one position to another. That meant they wanted to move it from containment, which was keeping it out of the U.S., to mitigation, which is what we are seeing now, that social distancing.

So, why did it still take President Trump three weeks to move to mitigation? Well, we've learned that these experts wanted to meet with President Trump to give them their findings. However, on a flight back from India, one of the public health officials without permission, without the blessing of the president or the administration, started warning the public.

That caused President Trump to go into a rage. And so, this plan was scrapped. We know the rest. We know that Vice President Pence was then named head of the task force and then that messaging was really toned down. They were telling Americans not to be alarmed.

So, really interesting background here on the days leading up to and really already happening, that pandemic here in the U.S.

BLACKWELL: Yes, some remarkable details in the new reporting.

Let me go back to this decision the president says that will come fairly soon about when to open up the economy. Before we go too far into that narrative, Kristen, it's important that we remind people that this is not a decision that the president himself or solely will make.

[07:05:02]

HOLMES: Well, that's right, Victor. We have to kind of go back in history here. The last several weeks, almost every day for the last several weeks, in which people were asking President Trump, why are you not issuing a national lockdown? He said, that's up to the government.

So, if you think about it, there is nothing for President Trump to actually open up. This was all done by those state governors.

Now, I want to play a clip for you for a constitutional legal scholar who was actually on your show yesterday, because I think he can break it down better than I ever can. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAGE PATE, CONSTITUTIONAL ATTORNEY: The United States, each governor will have authority to determine what happens in that particular state as far as the restrictions that have been put in place. The president being in charge of the federal government certainly does have some responsibilities. He can enact a travel ban as he's done. He can control the borders as he's done.

But as far as specific state restrictions, if one governor wants to be more restrictive than another, the president cannot come in and override. It is a local decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And you really heard this yesterday with New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo. The president's name never even came up when he talked about reopening.

But I want to offer one caveat here, which is, there is a chance that some of the states, particularly the Republican-run states, will feel pressure if President Trump goes out there and starts talking about loosening those restrictions. They want to seem as though they are in line with President Trump. They have done so since the beginning of this pandemic, and they don't want to stop doing that now.

BLACKWELL: Yes. He will certainly have a lot of influence, but the decision will be up to the governors there.

Kristen Holmes for us at the White House. Kristen, thank you so much.

Let's talk now about this pastor, who President Trump says he'll tune in to for Easter service today. He's made some insensitive, let's call them, at least, comments about Catholics, Mormons, Jews, even gone as far as to linking President Obama's actions in the past to those of the antichrist, many others.

Let's go to Sarah Westwood now. She has a deeper look at Pastor Jeffress' comments. And he's really become an ally of the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president has chosen to tune in this morning to Easter services to a pastor who's a longtime supporter, but who's also controversial.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Pastor Robert Jeffress, and he's a terrific guy, a terrific man. I've gotten to know him very well.

He's a man of great compassion. He loves our country. And I'm going to be with him on Easter, meaning I'm going to be with him watching on a laptop.

WESTWOOD: Jeffress is someone who has long backed Trump and who campaigned for him in 2016. He now serves as an adviser to the president and sits on his evangelical advisory board. But the Southern Baptist pastor also has a history of making inflammatory statements, particularly about other religions. He's gone after Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, and gay people in the past. And as he told CNN in 2011, he's even labeled some other religions like Mormonism, as cults.

REV. ROBERT JEFFRESS, SENIOR PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS: The southern Baptist convention, which is the largest protestant denomination in the world, has officially labeled Mormonism as a cult.

WESTWOOD: Jeffress has received pushback for some of his commentary, including from former GOP nominee Mitt Romney, who called the pastor a, quote, "religious bigot" when he was invited to pray at the opening ceremony of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Jeffress has also accused former President Obama of paving the way for the antichrist, suggested the Catholic Church was led astray by Satan, and has claimed gay people lead miserable, filthy lifestyles.

But Trump has elevated Jeffress since start of his presidency, when he invited Jeffress to pray at a church service before his inauguration. Jeffress has defended Trump on nearly every front, including against allegations of infidelity, because he says Trump has done the most for Christians.

JEFFRESS: It is true. I believe President Trump is the most pro-faith president in history.

TRUMP: Pastor Robert Jeffress, a great friend of mine. He'd say, our president may not be the best at the Bible. He may not have read it 2,000 times, but he's the best for us. And that's good.

(CHEERS)

WESTWOOD: Jeffress' beliefs about other faiths that they will not result in salvation are shared by some evangelicals, and he has characterized his views as coming from a place of deep conviction in his Baptist faith.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, Sarah Westwood, many thanks.

Churches holding services with ten or more people will be breaking the law in Kansas. The state Supreme Court sided with the Democratic governor yesterday by ruling that Republican lawmakers could not override her temporary ban on mass gatherings. This came after a morning session in which the court's justices heard oral arguments via video conference in order to comply with social distancing guidelines.

Now, health officials say three of the state's 12 clusters of cases have stemmed from church gatherings.

BLACKWELL: With us now is Laura Curran, county executive for Nassau County in New York.

Ms. Curran, good morning to you.

[07:l0:01]

LAURA CURRAN, COUNTY EXECUTIVE, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: So, you were early, ahead of most in New York, urging congregants to teleworship, to stay home, and not go to these large gatherings.

I wonder how you watch or how you receive what's happening in Kansas, this political back-and-forth, being in a place that's lost so many people. And what you'd tell those worshippers who will go to large gatherings this Easter morning.

CURRAN: I understand that people are frustrated. They're looking for comfort, especially on Easter. They're looking for their culture, all of the traditions to kind of comfort and support them at this difficult time. As they rely on their faith at all times.

But you know, people feel that they need it even more now. But I would say, if you want to protect your vulnerable in your family, in your congregation, in your community, the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, the best thing to do now is worship at home, worship in your heart, worship in your soul. You can use technology like the way I'm coming to you now to connect with others.

We in New York, in Nassau County, we're just to the east on long island of New York City. We had a serious surge of cases. We actually had to have our fire marshals go and break up those few religious services that were still happening. By and large, our people really did the right thing. They stayed home

and they used social distancing in a way that we could really flatten the curve.

So, I would just urge those others who want to get together -- I get the urge, but right now we have to practice differently. We have to pray differently, and we have to do it on our own or using technology to connect with others.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the trends. You talked about flattening the curve. Seven hundred ninety-two Nassau County residents, according to the latest numbers, who have died as a result of COVID-19. More than any other state, with the exception of New Jersey, Michigan, and Louisiana, it's been a horrific week.

What are the trends of the deaths and the new cases there in Nassau County?

CURRAN: So, for about six days in a row now, we have seen more hospital discharges, COVID patients discharged, than we've seen new patients coming in. So, that tells me we are really in a plateau, which is good news. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, you know, the number of fatalities is sort of a lagging indicator, people who have been on ventilators for a couple of weeks who just didn't make it. So, we will see those death numbers continue to go up, unfortunately.

But the good news is, the light at the end of the tunnel is we have more being discharged than new patients coming in. And that proves that flattening the curve really is reliant on social distancing. So, you know, I feel like we're in a position here, New York, here in Nassau County, to tell the rest of the country that hasn't seen a surge, you can make your curve so much lower if you do right thing now and practice social distancing.

And remember, it's about your most vulnerable -- your parents, your grandparents, people who are diabetic, people with hypertension.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about this back-and-forth. I'm not asking you to get into the middle of a political fight, but I want to understand the coalition. We've heard from the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, that schools in New York will reopen next academic year. They'll be closed for the rest of this year.

Then we heard from Governor Cuomo that the mayor cannot make that decision because he didn't close them. He can't reopen them. Then the mayor said that we will keep these schools closed.

I understand that you support a regional decision-making body to work with the mayors, to work with the governors of Connecticut and New Jersey, but how cohesive is this coalition if we're seeing this back- and-forth publicly?

CURRAN: Well, as we know, there has been a rivalry for quite some time between the mayor and the governor.

BLACKWELL: Yes. CURRAN: However, my opinion is, in Nassau County, we are part of a

thriving metropolitan region, a very important economic region. We are not an island unto ourselves. We have to, when we begin to reopen society, reopening schools is part of getting business up and running again. We have to do it looking at the numbers, and we have to do it together.

I support Governor Cuomo's regional approach.

BLACKWELL: Now, you announced back on March 15th the shutdown of schools in Nassau County. Will that decision be up to you when to reopen them or is that something that you will allow the governor to decide?

CURRAN: That is something I will do in coordination with the governor. I know he's speaking with the governors of Connecticut and New Jersey, with whom we are very, very connected in this region. And doing it together, doing it right, and I'll tell you, something that keeps my health commissioner, Larry Eisenstein -- an infectious disease specialist -- something that keeps him up at night is making sure we do this properly, because so many of us have not been exposed and the last thing we want now is when we begin to reopen is a spike in cases. So we have to do is methodically and we have to do it together as a region.

BLACKWELL: And based on the data, Laura Curran, county executive there for Nassau County, New York -- thanks so much for your time and the best to you and everyone there.

[07:15:00]

CURRAN: Stay strong. Thank you.

WALKER: This morning, Pope Francis led Easter Sunday mass from a near- empty St. Peter's Basilica.

BLACKWELL: Yes, social distancing has forced people to rethink how they celebrate, everyone this year.

CNN's Delia Gallagher is with us now from Rome.

So, what was in this new environment, the pope's message today?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the pope said, Victor, that his first thought went to those who have died, their families, those who are still in the hospital, and of course, health care workers, the doctors and nurses that are continuing to care for those patients.

But he also took the opportunity to talk about some global issues. He called for a global cease-fire in countries that are in conflict, like Syria. The pope said, you know, we shouldn't be spending money on manufacturing weapons when that money can go to health care and helping to save lives. He also called on wealthy countries to reduce or even forgive the debt in poor countries. These are themes that we've heard before from Pope Francis, but perhaps his words are given a kind of new impetus now that we are in this global pandemic -- Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Everything in context here.

Delia Gallagher for us there in Rome -- thank you so much.

Well, the IRS sent out the first wave of the stimulus payments. So, how should you spend it? We have some dos and donts from a financial expert, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:40]

WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. You can check your bank account and you may see that relief, the cash relief, from the government. The IRS sent out or deposited, we should say, the first wave of stimulus payments yesterday.

BLACKWELL: Deposits will continue in the next few days, starting with those who filed tax returns for 2018 or 2019 and authorized direct deposit. Now, for people who have not filed it may be a couple of weeks, maybe months, before they get any money.

WALKER: So, how much can you expect to get? Well, individuals could receive up to $1,200. Couples get up to $2,400, plus $500 per child. Payments start phasing out for individuals that make more than $75,000 a year.

BLACKWELL: With us now is personal finance columnist for the "Washington Post," Michelle Singletary.

Michelle, we need you now. Good morning. We need that expertise right now. Let me start here.

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: You've always needed me! You know that. Always needed me.

BLACKWELL: We've always needed you, but especially now.

SINGLETARY: That's right.

BLACKWELL: Let me start here by when people can get the money. So, we've talked about those who filed electronically and authorized the direct payments, direct deposit, for '18 and '19. How soon or how can people accelerate getting the money, if they didn't do that?

SINGLETARY: Well, if you haven't filed and you don't normally have to file, the IRS just launched a new non-filer tool for people who are low income who haven't filed. And it's a great way for you to get that information to the IRS so you can get your check as soon as possible. Direct deposit is the quickest way to get your money.

And especially for, I think this is important for people who don't normally have a bank account. So, if you can, you know, open up a bank account. There are a lot of places where you can get free checking and savings, credit unions, so that you can give the IRS your direct deposit information through this new tool. And go to irs.gov to do this.

WALKER: So, tell us about who is eligible to receive the stimulus checks. We were just showing a graphic on the screen that for an individual making $99,000 or more a year, you won't be receiving a check. Talk about who, and also, what about people who are receiving social security benefits. Will they receive a check?

SINGLETARY: Right. Well, if you're an individual, you would get a check if you make -- if your adjusted gross income -- that's important to note, your adjusted gross income. So, $75,000 or less, filing as an individual, you get money. If you are head of household, however, that amount is $112,000, because that's typically single parents. Once you get to $150,000 for a couple, after that, up until another limit, the money starts to be deducted.

So, for example, if you are a couple earning between $150,000 and $198,000, you'll get less money. And way to figure that out is, actually, the "Washington Post" has a great stimulus calculator. So, if you're over those limits, go in, put in your information, and you'll get an estimate of what your check is going to exactly be.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about dependents, because what if I have a 19-year-old who doesn't have a job, but he lives with me and I take care of, you know, paying his cell phone bill and buying him food or I've got an elderly uncle who stays with me who I take care of. Do I get the $500 for each of them?

SINGLETARY: So, the $500 is for qualifying children 17 or younger. So, basically they're 16. So, no. If you've got a teenager -- and look, I've got one in my house, she keeps bouncing in. Am I going to get my $500?

First of all, if you got it, it would be my money. So, no. And if you have a disabled adult, they would get it. If you claim them on your taxes as a dependent and they're over 16, you will not get that extra $500.

Now, you asked me about Social Security recipients. They will get a check if they meet those income limits, and it's automatic. They don't have to do anything.

There is a caveat, however. If you get Social Security and you have a qualifying child, like say you have a grandparent taking care of your grandchildren, which many people are because of the opiate crisis. So then you have to use that non-filer tool to get that extra $500.

So, go to irs.gov. It's a simple tool.

[07:25:00]

You put in some information, including information about the child, their Social Security number, to get that extra $500. That's only if you receive Social Security and you have a qualifying child. Otherwise, you get the payment automatically.

WALKER: Can I just mention something really quick? Because I saw this in your write-up in "The Post" about saving your stimulus check, if you can, and not paying rent, because landlords are being quite understanding right now.

SINGLETARY: So, what -- so, I did a column about how you triage your bills. And so, what I said is, there's some bills that have high priority and some bills that have low priority. Actually, your mortgage and rent is high priority.

So you want to definitely try to keep a roof over your head. And if you can afford your rent and mortgage, go ahead and pay it. Some people are holding back money, thinking, well, down the road I might need that. No, you're going to need that grace down the road.

So, pay people when you can, the high priority -- child support, rent, food. Low priority, your credit card debt. Now, you know, you know, Victor --

BLACKWELL: I do.

SINGLETARY: -- you know how I am. But this is a different time. And when I say triage, like, you have an emergency room. They have to triage patients. They take the critical people first.

So you do the same thing with your bills. Take the critical bills first. And unfortunately, things like credit card debt and aggressive debt payment, you need to put a stop to that.

BLACKWELL: That will have to wait, yes.

SINGLETARY: That's right. They're going to have to wait.

BLACKWELL: We got it. Michelle Singletary, thank you very much.

I just want to also tell everybody, search #realmoneyrealtalk, and the conversation about turning off the lights is one worth watching. Michelle Singletary, always good to have you.

SINGLETARY: Yes, same here. (INAUDIBLE) time for everybody.

WALKER: Thank you, Michelle.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thank you.

WALKER: Well, China is cracking down. The government reportedly is censoring coronavirus academic research. We're going to go live to Hong Kong, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:05]

BLACKWELL: Now, there is some good news this morning coming out of New York, but the situation there is still grim. A growing number of cases, growing number of deaths. But Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of deaths is stabilizing, but it is at a horrific rate. WALKER: Those numbers are weighing on the debate of when will be the

right time to open not just businesses in New York but also public schools, and it's Easter Sunday. But most church doors are closed.

CNN's Jason Carroll live outside a very quiet St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRSPONDENT: Good morning.

That's right, quiet, because as you know, services are closed to the public. Instead, Cardinal Dolan will be holding mass online.

Governor Cuomo, though, says all of this seems to be working, keeping churches closed, social distancing. The number of intubations in the state are down. The number of hospitalizations in the state, in the city, are down. That apex you heard him talk so much about appears to be a plateau.

What is disturbing is that the number of deaths appears to have plateaued at an alarming, alarming rate. If you look at some of the numbers, more than 181,000 people in the state have been infected with COVID-19, 8,650 people have lost their lives. But again, the social distancing appears to be working, keeping nonessential businesses closed, keeping churches closed, schools closed.

But there is a bit of controversy about the school closures between the mayor and the governor, who, as you know, have been at odds at times. Yesterday, the mayor came out and said after speaking with health officials, speaking with Dr. Fauci, his decision was to close the schools for the rest of the year.

Then shortly thereafter, the governor came out and said, look, he needed to consult with state officials. He said it needed to be a coordinated effort, not just between New York state, but with New Jersey and Connecticut as well. He says that that was the mayor's opinion and that, ultimately, it was his decision as to whether or not to close the schools -- Amara, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Jason Carroll for us there -- Jason, thanks so much.

WALKER: This morning, new reporting from "The Guardian" about the Chinese government cracking down on coronavirus research inside the country.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Ivan Watson is with us now from Hong Kong.

Ivan, the new report says that the Chinese government is clamping down on academic research. Why?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know why exactly. What we've been able to figure out is that new regulations have been issued, victor, targeting Chinese universities, saying that the research and publication of research papers about the coronavirus and its origin, that they are being strictly regulated.

And this is how we found out about it. One of China's most elite universities, the University of Fudan in Shanghai, we saw on its web page last week this document, these new guidelines, which included, quote, any paper that traces the origin of the virus should be strictly managed. And that guideline had the name and email address and phone number of an official from the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Now, one of our reporters called that individual's phone number. Somebody answered, confirmed that these new guidelines had been issued but said they were not for public consumption. And shortly after that phone call, the guidelines removed from the university's web page.

Now, we have since found other similar guidelines from at least two other Chinese universities, one of them a university in Wuhan that had its guidelines removed after that.

Now, why is that important? The first cases of coronavirus were detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December of last year.

[07:35:00]

As the epidemic, the outbreak started to grow, the Chinese government cracked down on voices trying to sound the alarm, including a doctor named Li Wenliang who was reprimanded by Chinese police and then got coronavirus and died of it. And he's become a bit of a here in China. There's also been a crackdown on a laboratory that tried to publish information, the genome of the coronavirus.

That was shut down by Shanghai authorities and other academic institutions had their samples destroyed when they tried to publish information about this. There has been an effort on the part of Beijing to very much control the narrative of the coronavirus epidemic that is now a pandemic, and that extends to universities in the country that probably has the most research about this deadly disease -- Victor, Amara.

WALKER: Raises a lot of eyebrows there. Ivan Watson, appreciate you reporting for us live there in Hong Kong.

And don't forget to watch "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning. Jake Tapper will be joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci along with three governors, Arkansas's Asa Hutchinson, New Jersey's Phil Murphy, and New Mexico's Michelle Lujan Grisham.

"STATE OF THE UNION" airs 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Well, "Saturday Night Live" is back with a special remote edition of the show. Even Tom Hanks was there for the show. We're going to show you the best moments, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:07]

BLACKWELL: Hey, you've got to do what you've got to do sometimes. "Saturday Night Live" returned with the first ever remote edition of the show. They were off for a month. This time, the entire cast back, look at this, from inside their homes.

WALKER: I love that. Actor Tom Hanks, who recently recovered from COVID-19, was the host. And the show wasn't complete without an appearance from the president. Alec Baldwin's reprisal of President Trump called into the show remotely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are you getting most of your advice for this?

ALEC BALDWIN AS PRESIDENT TRUMP: We have to listen to the experts on this one -- me, Hannity, Jared Kushner, and Mike Lindell from MyPillow.

(LAUGHTER)

All the experts agree, we need to wear masks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, right. So, are you wearing a mask?

BALDWIN: That's a nasty question, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: No, I am not. Last time I wore a mask, I hot-boxed myself and passed out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, let's bring in CNN chief media correspondent, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter. So, I get why you couldn't have Alec Baldwin on camera, because someone who have had to do the makeup and the hair, so the call-in worked. Did it work? Was it funny?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Right, right. I think it worked and I think it was important. More than funny it was important.

Television is a lifeline for people right now, and it's wonderful to see all these late-night shows now being produced from home, from "Jimmy Fallon" and "Stephen Colbert" to now "SNL."

Now, it was not live. It was not "Saturday Night Live." It was pretaped, because it's hard to produce these shows from home, but it is worth doing.

People need to see celebrities like Tom Hanks, who, by the way, called himself a celebrity canary in the coal mine. He was! When everybody found out tom hanks had coronavirus, it got a lot of people's attention. So now you see he's recovered, is doing well. He says we're all going to get through this.

It was also great to see stars like Kate McKinnon, who played Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Here's that clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KATE MCKINNON AS RUTH BADER GINSBURG: I work out. Don't want to get into a quarantine 15 ounces. You have to eat healthy to stay healthy. Every day, I eat half a chicken -- sorry, pea. Half a chick pea.

You're going to pee a little bit every time you move. That's normal. That's good. That's the burn.

Social distancing is important. Take it from me. I've been social distancing from Justice Alito since I was 3, and that's a gins-burn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: The problem sometimes when you're producing comedy at home is you don't have people laughing. The strange thing about these shows these days is you don't hear a lot of laughter. But "SNL" did try a few different ways to pipe in some canned laughter or have people in the room laugh.

And there were also some really bittersweet and touching moments. For example, Hal Willner, the producer, died earlier this week due to covid-19. He composed many of "SNL's" musical sketches, so they paid tribute to him.

And Michael Che, the co-host of "Weekend Update," his grandmother died earlier this week from COVID. He signed off not with his name, but saying "I'm Martha's grandbaby."

Another reason why these shows are important and why they're a lifeline is they remind us that everybody is touched in one way or another by this disease. Tom Hanks signed off by saying we're all going to get through it. He said it's a strange time to try to be funny, but funny helps. Humor helps at a time like this.

WALKER: Sure does. And it was actually nice to see inside their homes. It was more of an intimate feel when you got to see the celebrities at home.

BLACKWELL: Was that Sunny Stelter I heard in the background there?

STELTER: You can hear her? I'm sorry. I'm working on the home setup, Victor.

BLACKWELL: I get it. I get it.

WALKER: Call him out. Thanks, Brian Stelter.

BLACKWELL: Brian Stelter, thanks so much.

STELTER: Thanks.

BLACKWELL: Hey, still ahead, how a hotel in Baltimore is helping those in need by opening their doors to the community.

[07:45:02]

WALKER: But, first, here's how working from home could actually be an opportunity to get healthy on the job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN: This is really your opportunity to get in the best shape of your life while working from home.

PAUL KVINTA, FREELANCE JOURNALIST: I'm a freelance journalist, and I write for several magazines. When you're working from home, as I am, you're spending a lot of your days hunched over your laptop like this. So, I do my best to move around as much as possible.

MATHEW: For every hour that you're either standing or sitting, that you're actually taking a 15-minute break, or maybe a 5-minute walk. You have to create different zones in your home -- a place where you relax, an office space.

The workspace is going to be key. If you have a good workspace, create that same space at home. If you work with a standing desk, definitely have that. If you have a desk versus, you know, working from a couch, then make sure you get that.

KVINTA: There was a while where I would get on deadline, I would be so obsessive about the work that I wouldn't exercise. And I realized a few years ago that I need to exercise every day. And if I don't exercise, that will impact the work.

MATHEW: And when you're working from home, you can gain weight, so it's really important to plan that grocery list, prepare healthy meals. I challenge you. You can actually make this an incredibly healthy and fun experience if you're disciplined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:51:21]

BLACKWELL: So, one of the bright spots during this time has been seeing businesses, small businesses stepping up to serve their communities. But with millions of people out of work, the need is enormous.

WALKER: It really is. One hotel in Baltimore is taking on multiple challenges by lending a helping hand in more ways than just one.

Donte Johnson, the general manager of Hotel revival joining us now. Good morning to you, sir.

First off, one of the things that you're doing is you are offering up your kitchen to local chefs who are out of a job so they can cook out of there and stay in business. How many chefs do you have working out of there?

DONTE JOHNSON, GENERAL MANAGER, HOTEL REVIVAL: Good morning. So, we've had actually two in the past two weeks. We've got a list of

25 people who have actually applied and we'll do a rotation on a weekly basis.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the vendors from Cross Street Market and Broadway Market, to our house (ph) get to use your kitchen and then use valet for drive -- for takeout or Uber eats. Another thing you're doing, giving out lunches, something special for Easter today. Tell us -- tell us about those.

JOHNSON: Yes, we've partnered with a local organization (INAUDIBLE), and through that partnership we've been able to secure weekly donations of food product. So, we've done lunches every week, we've done produce deliveries every week to local senior living facilities and communities that are just typically don't have access to those types of resources. And that's just been an amazingly rewarding experience for us.

WALKER: I bet. And you're also opening up your hotel rooms to health workers and first responders. I mean, are these people who are trying to self-quarantine from their loved ones but didn't have anywhere else to go?

JOHNSON: Exactly. So you've got people who are trying to self- quarantine. You have people who are working long hours. So, the thought that there's someone on the front lines fighting this front for us, and not having the ability to go home and have a good night sleep is just something that we didn't find to be example.

So, we partnered with the Beeck Center at Georgetown University to reach out the community, identify people who have a need and identify people who are doing the work in order to meet those needs.

BLACKWELL: There is a long list of things you're doing. Today is Easter and I just checked your Instagram page. Tell us about what you're doing today.

JOHNSON: We're doing Easter baskets. And so, interestingly enough, out of this weekly sort of cadence of figuring out how we can put a smile on people's places, help people to get through, one of the things that one of our managers came up with was what if we reached out to the community and did Easter baskets for the kids. And so, we're going to do 55 Easter baskets today.

We pushed that out via social media and it's been incredibly well- received. We've actually had five or so kids arrive yesterday, a day early. And so, obviously, you know, we're going to put some smiles on some faces there and let the kids have their baskets.

WALKER: That's really wonderful what you're doing, Donte. You know, Dr. Birx, part of the White House task force, coronavirus task force, I think identified Baltimore as one of the new hot spots for coronavirus. We've also heard a lot about the disproportionate effect this is having on vulnerable people in big cities like Baltimore, especially African-Americans.

Have you seen that disparity e reflected in the area where you are serving?

JOHNSON: I think everyone has been incredibly hard hit. And, you know, I think whenever you've got communities that have been underserved, anything negative, particularly on the widespread basis is going to impact them disproportionately. And so, that's why we've been very intentional about making produce deliveries in communities that otherwise wouldn't ever access. So we're serving the immediate neighborhood of our hotel, but we're also driving across town to Baltimore to make sure we're spreading the love.

BLACKWELL: Donte, thank you to everything you're doing -- for everything you're doing for the people of Baltimore and everyone there at Hotel Revival, and thanks for your time this morning.

[07:55:07]

JOHNSON: Thank you.

WALKER: Thank you, Donte.

And for more ways to help people during this pandemic, you can go to CNN.com/impactyourworld and consider helping local food banks, which are struggling right now. Find more info at feedingAmerica.org.

That's our time. Thank you so much for starting your morning for us.

BLACKWELL: We can each do something, even if it's something small.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH JOHN KING" is up next. Happy Easter.

WALKER: Happy Easter.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)