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Georgia Governor Allowing Some Businesses to Reopen; Trump Claims He Will Suspend Immigration into U.S.; U.S. States Move to Ease Restrictions Despite Warnings; Mayors React to Georgia Governors Move to Reopen; Reports: Kim Jong-Un in Grave Danger After Surgery; Protesters Demand End to Stay-at-Home Orders. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired April 21, 2020 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the governor of one of the last states to issue a stay-at- home order ready to get back to business knowing that more people will get sick and possibly die as a result. In the middle of the pandemic and seemingly out of nowhere, President Trump takes aim at immigration to the United States. And U.S. intelligence detecting something serious out of North Korea regarding the health of its leader Kim Jong-un.

Good to have you with us. Well, the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States has surged past 42,000, but even with the death toll rising, some states are preparing to ease the restrictions they imposed to contain the pandemic.

The governor of Georgia says he will allow some businesses to reopen this week despite warnings from health officials. Governor Brian Kemp says the move is a small step towards restarting the economy. But the list of businesses allowed to reopen is anything but small. He says gyms, barber shops, bowling alleys, even tattoo parlors can resume business as early as Friday. While theaters and restaurants can reopen on Monday. Georgia has already confirmed nearly 20,000 cases and the governor admits those numbers could rise even further.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN KEMP, GEORGIA GOVERNOR: Now I will say that, you know, we have more people moving around, we're probably going to see our cases continue to go up, but we're a lot better prepared for that now than we were over a month ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Other states are preparing to relax restrictions as well. Alaska's governor says restaurants and hair salons in that state could open up by the end of the week. But a source close to President Trump's coronavirus task force warns if some states restart their economies too soon, the U.S. death toll could surpass modeling estimates of 60,000 deaths.

Earlier the taskforce spoke with governors about testing capacity in their states, and Mr. Trump insisted he has provided them with a tremendous amount of capabilities. Just a few hours ago the President also announced he's signing an executive order suspending immigration into the United States. He says the move is in response to the pandemic but didn't provide details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is not a new theme for the President. He's consistently talked about reducing legal immigration since his 2016 campaign, has tried to move that agenda forward as President. The question is, why would you do it now during coronavirus late at night on social media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we will have much more on the President's immigration announcement later in the program, but first the latest on how U.S. states are planning to ease restrictions. CNN's Erica Hill has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gyms, barbershops, hair and nail salons, massage therapists all clear to reopen in Georgia on Friday.

KEMP: This measure will apply statewide and will be the operational standard in all jurisdictions.

HILL: Theaters and restaurants can open April 27th. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed for now.

Some businesses in neighboring Tennessee will also be back on Monday. The state's stay at home order will now end April 30th. Neither state has seen a 14-day decline in cases which the president recommended before moving into phase one of reopening.

South Carolina giving some retail stores and beaches the green light. Four coastal communities, however, will keep existing restrictions in place noting there is, quote, no evidence from medical professionals that indicates the threat has diminished setting up a stark contrast across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the worst is yet to come for a lot of people.

HILL: Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia singled out by the White House task force as potential new hot spots. Ohio, the latest state to close schools for the remainder of the academic year, as experts caution a rush to reopen could backfire.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not going to happen. So what you do if you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you're going to set yourself back.

[04:05:00]

HILL: Beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, now open with limited hours and what appears to be limited social distancing.

DONNA SHALALA, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: Jacksonville is right across the border from Georgia, and it tells you that one state can't make a set of decisions that are inconsistent with public health and with science because it's going to affect another state.

HILL: As states and cities look for a path forward, testing continues to be key.

ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK GOVERNOR: The question is how fast can you increase the volume of tests? Because the more tests, the better. That is the axiom. The more tests the better. Test nursing homes, test schools, test teachers, test prison facilities, but you need the volume of tests.

HILL: The city of Detroit now testing its essential workers. Amazon using thermal cameras to screen for fevers. New York state began antibody testing today, but officials stress we still don't know how effective those antibodies are.

(on camera): Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia was also asked about whether this move to start reopening businesses on Friday could lead to more positive cases in his state and he acknowledged, yes, it absolutely could. But said he feels that the state has what it needs in place now to deal with any additional positive cases.

The governor also talking a lot about small businesses as he was weighing this decision talking about the need to get the economy back and the need to get the small businesses back to work.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thanks for that report. Well, the Georgia governor's decision to reopen nail salons, massage parlors and gyms this Friday, may please President Trump but it has surprised and confused some of the mayors of Georgia's biggest cities and tourist spots. We want to bring you their reactions. First the mayor of Georgia's capitol, Atlanta. Here is Keisha Lance Bottoms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA: When I look at the 24-hour period for the 7 p.m. count we got today, our death rate is up by almost 14 percent. Our positives up almost 7 percent and we are not testing asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms, and so it concerns me. I have a great working relationship with our governor, but I did not speak with him before he made this announcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And is a Savannah is a popular tourist destination on Georgia's coast and their mayor, Van Johnson, calls the move to reopen dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAN JOHNSON, MAYOR OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA: And I am beyond disturbed. In my mind this is reckless, it's premature, it's dangerous, it's not based on any type of science or any best practices. Our reality hear in Savannah is our numbers are still going up. We still have not done expanded testing and we do not have the 14-day decline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And from Savannah we head to nearby Tybee Island, another coastal hot spot whose mayor says the island is not ready for any influx of visitors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SESSIONS, MAYOR OF TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA: I am very shocked. I think that we had all hoped that we would hear something to the effect that maybe the extension would go a little further, maybe into middle May. The bigger issue is our community ready? Are our businesses ready to take this on?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explained to our Chris Cuomo, why there is a need for caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The problem is the state is not ready to do this, and the data is clear on this. Let's show some of the graphs here. Look at the curve of what's been happening in Georgia in terms of the number of cases overall and you'll ask yourself when you look at a graph like this, is this a state that looks like it's ready to open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And a Harvard study could have a lot to say about Georgia's plans to permit certain businesses to reopen Friday. Researchers from Harvard University say, we need to deliver 5 million tests per day by early June to deliver a safe social reopening. This number will need to increase over time, ideally by late July to 20 million a day to fully re-mobilize the economy.

And just for perspective, I want you to know about 150,000 tests are being done per day fight now. Anderson Cooper spoke to one of the key people involved in that study.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE ALLEN, DIRECTOR, EDMOND J. SAFRA CENTER FOR ETHICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: What we actually really need is enough tests to control the virus to keep this spread from increasing to decelerate it over time. The reason this matters so much is because asymptomatic people are a huge percentage of the transmission of the disease. About 20 to 40 percent of people carry the virus, pass it on prior to having symptoms or without ever having any symptoms and currently the CDC guidance is that there is no priority to test asymptomatic people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:10:00]

CHURCH: And earlier I spoke with Gary McLean, professor of molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University. And I asked the professor for his reaction for the Georgia governor's move to reopen with infection still on the rise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY MCLEAN, MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY PROFESSOR, LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY: I wouldn't class a tattoo parlor, a massage parlor is being something essential. Opening a movie theater at this point gathering lots of people together, potentially transmitting the virus between one another when case levels are still very high, not decreasing. No evidence of it going away just yet. It's rather soon and very alarming to be honest.

CHURCH: And other countries with far fewer deaths and infections are either extending their lockdowns or slowly opening up small businesses, small shops. Why do you think there's such a rush to open up the United States when it has the highest number of infections and the highest death toll in the whole world? But at the same time has insufficient testing for COVID-19 and very little contact tracing.

MCLEAN: Yes, this is obviously a problem on many levels. I think United States has the advantage where it is a little bit behind what's going on in Europe and what we're seeing in Europe, the countries are still remaining locked down or some countries very, very slowly easing restrictions.

In the United States it seems to be a lot more difficult because a lot of these decisions are made at state level by the governor, there's sort of a large coordinated response between all of the states together. One state that feels as though it might have things under control, might have the testing levels there, fewer cases than say, for example, New York state, they may decide to change the rules and open up much earlier, which is -- it's a very fine balance, I think.

On one hand you've got to think about the hit to the economy, which is going to be major. United States is the biggest economy in the world, richest country in the world. The longer the lockdowns go on for the more the hits the sectors will take. It's a balance the health of the people as well. And we need to make sure that the health of the population is the number one priority, I think. Leaving lockdowns too soon is not the way to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Gary McLean talking to me there, a little earlier.

Want to go to another story we are watching very closely. The U.S. is monitoring intelligence out of North Korea. We are hearing that leader Kim Jong-un is in grave danger after a surgery. And that is according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge. And these are the last images of Kim to air on state media ten days ago.

He missed the celebration of his grandfather's birthday last week which is North Korea's most important holiday. Now Paula Hancocks is standing by in Seoul, South Korea. But we begin with Will Ripley who has reported from North Korea 19 times in the past six years. Good to see you both.

So, Will, there is a lot of conflicting information out there about Kim Jong-un's health right now. What are you hearing?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the two highly placed sources who are usually in the know about this kind of thing, when I reached out to them in the early minutes of Jim Sciutto reporting -- actually before he went to air with it, they were startled, they were shocked, they had not heard anything about it.

That does not mean that it's not true. It does not mean that Kim Jong- un's health is -- you know, is or is not in jeopardy. I mean, this is a leader who, you know, you can see visibly from his public appearances has gained a considerable amount of weight in recent years. By some estimates, you know, around 5'7" tall, 300 pounds. He's also a heavy smoker. He is often seen in state media with a cigarette in his hand. He, you know, struggled at times when he was seen at the inter-Korean summit when he was, you know, digging the hole for a tree with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in, twice his age, who was having an easier time.

The point is the guy's not healthy. And it's not a shock if he does have cardiovascular problems. However, his actual condition after this procedure, we really won't have any way to verify until we hear something official from the North Koreans.

That is why you have U.S. officials saying to Jim Sciutto that he's in grave condition. You have China and South Korea saying that they're not so sure about it. We need to wait for the facts. And you know, sometimes North Korea is very slow to announce this kind of thing. Especially something as sensitive to their national security, to their national pride, to their everything that they identify with as a country. Where they place their leader as the very top as the brain of the country. They're not going to make any announcement until they're absolutely ready for the world to hear what they want the world to know.

CHURCH: Right, and, Paula, let's go to you now. What is South Korea saying exactly about Kim's health? PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, Rosemary,

South Korea is saying something fairly different to what we're hearing from the U.S. side.

[04:15:00]

We did hear from one South Korean official who says that they believe Kim Jong-un is not in Pyongyang at the moment -- the capital. They believe he's elsewhere with top North Korean officials. Now that's a little more detailed than they usually give us. So that in itself is interesting that they believe they know that.

Also saying, there's no unusual signs supporting these reports about his health conditions have been detected at this point. So they are being very cautious. But saying that they don't believe at this point that there's any indication of health concerns. But clearly, we have heard from many experts over the months and years that there have been concerns of Kim Jong-un's health.

But it really does go to the point once again that we know very little about North Korea until North Korea themselves tell us exactly what is going on. There has been speculation about why, exactly, Kim Jong-un did miss the celebrations on April 15th, the day of the sun, the birthdate of the country's founder and his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. It's one of the most important days in the North Korean calendar. And that was certainly noted.

Also, just one day before there were short range cruise missiles that were launched. Which is something that quite often in the past Kim Jong-un has been present at. And we have seen footage and images of that publicized probably about a day later, sometimes a little longer. We haven't had those images publicized at this point. So that again is something that many experts and officials are looking at.

But from the South Korean point of view, at this point they are saying simply that there is no unusual activity ongoing and they have no reason to believe that the reports about the health conditions are accurate at this point. But they are not saying that they believe that they are false. It's a very tricky line that everybody is trying to walk at this point. Because, as Will said and as you said yourself, Rosemary, we simply don't know for sure until North Korea tells us.

CHURCH: And we will continue to watch this story, of course, and see if this speculation spurs North Korea on in any particular way to prove that Kim Jong-un is indeed healthy. We will watch very closely. Paula Hancocks and Will Ripley, thank you both.

Well, a deal to bring further financial relief to U.S. small businesses is being hammered out in Washington, but there's a key sticking point that's stalling negotiations. More on that next.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, there were more scattered protests in the United States Monday with people demanding states reopen for business as soon as possible. The organizers are a patch work of conservative groups and individuals, many connected to right wing activists. CNN's Randi Kaye has more now from Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to work, open our states.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From coast to coast, protesters are making their voices heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Governor Lee, reopen Tennessee.

KAYE: Defying stay-at-home orders and taking to the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open up (INAUDIBLE). Open up (INAUDIBLE).

KAYE: Protesters are angry their state is shut down, their schools closed and their businesses facing bankruptcy.

RANDY PARE, PROTESTER: We do have a problem that certain parts of the countries are overstepping our liberty.

PAUL BROCKMAN, PROTESTOR: Give us a plan. Give some people hope. Give that small businessman hope that he can open up in a week or two or three or whatever it is, but they can't stay closed forever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to stand up for our God given rights under the Constitution of the United States of America.

KAYE: In some states, protesters carried guns, many carried American flags and signs with a message for their governor. Some of the most popular, "Freedom over fear," "End the shutdown", "Jesus is my vaccine", and "stop crying wolf.

This was the scene in Denver, Colorado, when a small group of people dressed in scrubs blocked protesters in the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a free country. The land of the free. Go to China if you want Communism.

KAYE: In Indiana, they gathered outside the governor's mansion, and like so many other protests, completely ignored social distancing guidelines.

PROTESTERS, CHANTING: Open Indiana.

KAYE: All risking their own health and others to make a point.

ANDY LYONS, PROTEST ORGANIZER: I'm not wearing a mask. I'm shaking hands, I'm hugging people because you know what, that's what we do and if I get sick, then I'm going to bear the consequences of me being sick. If anybody else gets here that happens to get the sick, they bear the consequences of their choice, their free choice without government coercion to do so.

KAYE: This protester carrying a sign pointing out how most recover from the virus but what about her business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who has the right to tell me I can't get a haircut, I can't go here, I can't go there.

PROTESTERS, CHANTING: U.S.A.

KAYE: While the governors of those states stand by their decision to remain closed, the protesters seem to have found a cheerleader in President Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've seen interviews of the people. These are great people. Look, they what to get -- they call it cabin fever, you've heard the term. They've got cabin fever. They want to get back. They want their life back.

KAYE: He seemed to take pride in the patriotism of it all.

TRUMP: I have never seen so many American flags at a rally as I have in these rallies. These people love our country. They want to get back to work.

KAYE: And then there were the counter protesters, protesting the protesters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me angry when people ignore the science that seems to be working.

KAYE: The politics of protesting in the midst of a pandemic.

Randi Kaye, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM. Immigration advocates are pushing back against the U.S. President after he threatened to suspend immigration into the country. We'll speak with the founder of a group that's fighting for migrants' rights.

[04:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.

Let's check the headlines for you at this hour. South Korea's government says it's aware of reports that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is in poor health. During the presidential blue house has no unusual signs of being detected inside North Korea. The U.S. is monitoring intelligence that Kim is in grave danger after undergoing surgery.

The number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. has now climbed past 42,000. According to the Johns Hopkins University, the country has also confirmed close to 800,000 cases nationwide. Both of those totals are far higher than what any other country has reported so far.

The U.S. state of Georgia will start reopening as early as this week. Governor Brian Kemp is allowing nail parlors, massage parlors, gyms and bowling alleys to open their doors from Friday, and restaurants and movie theaters from Monday. This despite the state's cases still rising.

Well, Congressional leaders and the White House are trying to finalize a new agreement that would provide billions of dollars to keep struggling businesses afloat. But how to execute a testing strategy for the coronavirus remains a key sticking point in negotiations. The last stimulus package ran out of money last week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to make sure underserved communities are not left out of the mix before agreeing to a new deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Before you know it, boom, all of a sudden, they were out of money. And when the secretary came and asked me for $250 billion, a quarter of a trillion dollars in 24 hours. I said, well, we want to see the data on how that is spent.

END