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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: 337 People Died In Past 24 Hours, "On The Decline"; Gov. Cuomo: 7,500 People Tested In Antibody Study, About 14 Percent Positive; White House: Upcoming Task Force Briefings May Have "New Look, New Focus"; President Donald Trump Holds Teleconference With Governors This Afternoon; Small Business Loan Program Resumes Taking Applications Today. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired April 27, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): I said figure it out, if they can't figure it out I'll get involved. But you need to have streets that are open you have less traffic. You need streets open so that people can walk and socially distance.

You can't do that on the side walk. And there has to be a way to close streets because you have no cars. You don't need as many streets this is direct proportionality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, you said you spoke to Donald Trump this morning President correct?

CUOMO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About what time was that a ballpark?

CUOMO: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked because at about ten about an hour ago he posited about poorly run states in all cases Democrat run and managed looking for bail out count. Did you discuss first of all Federal money is coming down to the State of New York? And second of all how do you feel about him referring to that as a bail out?

CUOMO: No. I didn't discuss that with the President. Look first, I believe and I said at the time. I was consistent. The last bill that they passed that only did small business help. And everybody supported small business help should have included state and local. Now when you say state and local there is no personality to state and local.

I get that, don't say state and local say what the state and local governments fund police, fire, teachers and hospital workers fund small businesses but also fund police, fire, school teachers and hospital workers. How can you exclude them when you're talking about priorities?

Yes, small businesses are priority so are police, fire, school teachers and hospital workers. I don't know why they passed the bill without including that at the time? And I said that. I said it to my Congressional Delegation everybody said oh don't worry don't worry that'll be the next bill.

Yes, but that was the third time they said that'll be the next bill. And pardon me for being suspicious about Washington politicians. But don't worry, don't worry when I hear them say don't worry, I worry deep inside.

So they passed the small business bill as soon as they passed it - by the way before they even pass it they turn around and say oh and I don't want to do state and local. And forget the police and forget the fire and forget the school teachers and forget the health care workers which is a totally different tune then they said just two days before when they're actually trying to pass the bill because if they had said that before they would have never passed the bill.

So we are where we are now? Bailout, this is not the time to be talking about dollars and sense among members of a community that are trying to be mutually supportive and help each other because helping each other is the way we actually all advance, right?

So this is not the time to be saying well, you put in a dollar more than I did or I put in it $5 more than you did right? It's anachronistic to the concept of community and sharing and mutuality and sharing benefits and burdens right?

I'm wearing a mask to protect you. You're wearing a mask to protect me that kind of sharing in mutuality is repugnant to this bailout. You got this much. I got this much. But if you want to go to who's getting bailed out and who paid what?

Nobody would be bailing out New York State. New York State has been bailing them out every year for decades. If you want to do an analysis of who is a giver and who is a taker? We are the number one give her the number one giver. Nobody puts more money into the pot then the State of New York we're the number one donor state.

And if you want to look at who happened to be the donor states? Who are the giver states? They are the same states that they're talking about now. Who are the taker states? Kentucky, Southeast part of the country and by the way I understand we're one nation.

You put into the pot what you need. I put in what I need. You take what you need. You take what you need.

[12:05:00]

CUOMO: And that's the way it's always been but if you actually want to call for an accounting which I think is repugnant to this time? And I don't think it's constructive and I don't think it's healthy but if you want to call for an accounting. You're making a mistake because you lose if we do an accounting. You lose and you happen to be 180 degrees wrong in what you're suggesting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that's why these bailouts are --

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Governor Andrew Cuomo the Governor of New York giving his daily Coronavirus briefing ending there on that last Q&A with a reporter on his grievances with the Federal Government that he says should be helping states and cities local governments hit hard by the coronavirus.

The Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Republican of Kentucky has said he's skeptical about that aid that fight continuing as the Governor went through the numbers where he says intubations are down, hospitalizations are trending down.

All in all New York the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic looking better still reporting a stubborn number about a 1000 new diagnosis today down from 1300 to beginning of last week but still a stubborn number most remarkably though the Governor discussed antibody testing underway in the State of New York.

Last week they released the first sample of 3000 New Yorkers, a much bigger sample now up to 7500 New Yorkers and CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joins us now in New York City. Shimon, what was most striking if you listen to these numbers is that the Governor says.

And there are some given these as he gives the numbers but nearly 15 percent of people across the State of New York if you believe these testing have been exposed to the Coronavirus and where you are in New York City 24.7 percent in this latest sample. 24.7 percent of New Yorkers exposed to the Coronavirus. It's the city of 8 million people that's a while number?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's really a staggering number when you think about it. And I think a lot of officials here in New York City certainly suspected that to be the case but there were many people walking around who though they weren't showing symptoms had the virus. And continue perhaps even to walk around or to be home at this point who have the virus.

And this is the big issue right here for New York City specifically about re opening the city, getting businesses back up and running, getting restaurants, getting salons, hair salons, barber shops up and running because we just don't know how many people are actually infected with this virus?

I thought it was really striking to hear the Governor talk about how though this pause that we have go until May 15th, he's now in the stages of developing this plan to on pause the city that he's going to extend.

Likely going to extend parts of it across the State likely in parts of New York City one of those places he's probably going to extend the New York pause. Of course he's talking about the fact that there could be a second wave.

I thought that was another big point that he made that there could be another wave here. Second wave in September and that is why he wants the Javits Center to remain as it is as a hospital and also other locations that have these hospitals set up inside of them.

He wants them to remain as they are. There's a big concern clearly from the Governor that we could see another wave come here in September with the flu season and of course Coronavirus John.

KING: Right. The Governor beginning like every Governor to talk about the future but on a much more cautious tone, much more cautious tone from Governor Cuomo that we hear from some other Governors.

Of course - Shimon Prokupecz I appreciate it and let's continue the conversation now. Joining me is CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Kent Sepkowitz; he's an Infectious Disease Specialist. He's also a physician in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Doctor, I'm grateful you're here because help me put into context when you hear the Governor say they started this testing around the state finding people out of their homes to try to get a sense of how much of a problem? What we blind to? How much Coronavirus is out there?

It's not showing up at a hospital but it's not showing up in your office. If 15 percent of the residents of the state have already been exposed to Coronavirus and nearly 25 percent in New York City what is - what does that information mean for how you do your job today and tomorrow and for how any Governors needs to think about a reopening plan?

DR. KENT SEPKOWITZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's quite a staggering number although it's not a surprise at all. It's actually the number most people predicted for New York City given the number of cases we had.

I think the practical part of it is that it's good news that indeed there are a lot of people who likely are immune in the short term against a re-inspection. The difficult news is that it's very far short of what we call herd immunity which is usually you need a proportion of people infected.

[12:10:00]

SEPKOWITZ: Now previously in 50 to 75 percent range, once you hit herd immunity you can really relax a little bit as a society. So we're very short of the magic herd immunity number but we've got a lot of people in this city who have had the inspection, gotten over it and are possibly good to go in terms of being protected.

KING: Possibly is another of the unknowns though in the sense that we're just not sure if you do get immunity or resistance? I don't know what the right term is? How long does it last? But if you're Governor anywhere in the country and you're looking at data like this and your state doesn't have it yet.

You see 25 percent just shy of that in New York City. You see a much higher among Latinos it jumped in this last sampling. Among African- Americans the number is still high. I know that there are some pre existing condition issues there social, economic, health care issues but there's also the fact that a lot of especially in the city Latinos, African-Americans are the front line workers.

If the people who have been going to work during this crisis 25 percent of them have had Coronavirus what must any Governor do as they start to make decisions about sending people back to work?

SEPKOWITZ: One of the biggest disappointments that we talked a lot is the failure to protect not just healthcare workers at the front line but to service workers, transportation workers, police and fire. So I think that collectively the society has failed to be diligent about protecting the front line.

Now we're saying well what about the next line of employees, of workers who serve society? And we don't seem to have a real plan there. The best plan is the same thing that everyone's been napping about for a long time which is we have to widely test for infection active and when we can for evidence of immunity.

In the meantime we have to keep social distancing is boring and as metal some as it is and we have to provide masks and waste lots of alcohol to wash hands with. All the ways that we are in the midst of doing now just toned down a little. I wish--

KING: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, go ahead.

SEPKOWITZ: I would turn to the countries that have gone through this a little more actively. There is something against sort of the American spirit about asking Germany how they're doing that or Austria or Australia or New Zealand places that have come through this and are weeks ahead of us?

KING: Right now all that has been one of the glaring observations. I'll just leave it there not editorialize that in most crisis you would think they would be more international communications this President has decided not to go it more alone.

I think that is quite striking Doctors Sepkowitz, I really appreciate your insights today. Those numbers from New York we all need to digest and think about it as well. When we come back to the doctor's point the President is in a bit of a mood of late says no more White House briefings. He blames the media his advisers say the problem is the President himself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

KING: There is no White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing today instead the President we are told will shift its focus from the virus more to the economic recovery. This as his Press Secretary appearing earlier on Fox News says Americans should expect the briefings to have a "New look" going forward.

Meantime, the President cleaning up his angry Twitter feed today deleting some bizarre tweets in which he repeatedly suggest there is a Nobel Prize for reporting. Except the President called it the noble prize repeatedly N. O. B. L. E.

With me now CNN's Kaitlan Collins, she's at the White House along with Jackie Kucinich the Washington Bureau Chief for The Daily Beast. I nominate both of you for your noble work as we go through this. It's a joke but it's not a joke Kaitlan, you're on the receiving end of some of this. Now the President is getting blowback from his own team, his own political advisers and senior Republicans all around town saying stop it sir.

You are digging a ditch when you say things like can we just inject people with disinfectants or will sunlight cure the virus in humans? And yet he spent the weekend lashing out at reporters. What is going on inside his head?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I think that's the reason you saw so much irritation coming from the President not only on Friday but also continuing throughout the weekend on Saturday and on Sunday.

And that's because there were very few people defending what he had raised as a suggestion during that briefing on Thursday night. And he was widely panned by not only doctors but also Democrats other lawmakers on television.

And the President basically according to the people we've spoken with whom spoke to the President said he was so frustrated he was internalizing that negative coverage that he was saying. And that's what led to you have not seen the President in public since Friday at that briefly when he took no questions.

They did not hold a briefing on Saturday and they did not hold a briefing yesterday. Both pretty rare events for this White House and since they've been doing these Coronavirus meetings and briefings. But John they also did not have a Coronavirus briefing or a meeting with the Task Force yesterday either.

That's pretty rare as well. They've been meeting basically every day since they were first assembled. And so what you're seeing is a shift inside the White House and not only these briefings but also how they're going to be handling this going forward at least in my public facing aspect?

KING: And Jackie one of the concerts of this Presidency but it has very much more meaning in a life and death situation like a pandemic is the President will say something reckless or dangerous our offbeat. Reckless in the case of can people ingest or inject disinfectants, asking the medical experts they should look into that.

His aides will say what your guys fault in the media is because you pay so much attention to it. Just ignore the President. I want you to listen here, just two of the Governor saying actually no it's a public health problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD): I think it's critical that the President of the United States when people are really scared and in the middle of this worldwide pandemic that in these press conferences that we really get the facts out there.

[12:20:00]

HOGAN: And unfortunately some of the messaging has not been great.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): So we have seen an increase in numbers of people calling poison control. And so I think it's really important that everyone of us with a platform disseminate medically accurate information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The President spends this weekend lashing out at the media. The President should be talking to himself right?

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I mean first the explanation was that he was misunderstood or he was taken out of context. And then he was being sarcastic and then it was everyone else's fault.

So yes, we also saw this and when he was talking about some of the various drugs that he said would help with Coronavirus and there hasn't been any scientific proof that that is in fact. The case and yet you had people taking it would people hoarding it and people who actually need those medications weren't able to get it.

The idea that the President is going to start being careful here is a little bit farfetched at this point perhaps that's why they decided to revamp how these briefings are done? You know initially these were - you had the scientist, you had some other people on the front lines really talking about what people can do next in these briefings?

And the President had taken them over. Perhaps, they will go back to having the expert actually briefing but knew - the fact of the matter is the Governors some of the folks that you had speaking there are the ones who are left to deal with the fallout when the President makes these recommendations or your thoughts that are whimsy or you know random comments that people follow.

KING: And they also, they have to deal with the fallout of the President's misguided medical advice if you will. They also Kaitlan have to deal with the fallout of the President and the Vice President had spoken to the Georgia Governor.

The Georgia Governor certainly thought that they were enthusiastically on board with his plan. Then the President after listening to Doctor Fauci and Doctor Birx said no, no, no Georgia is going too fast too soon.

And some CNN reporting today another Governor particularly the Republicans now looking around nervously what is the President is going to say about my plan "No Governor wants to ensure the same RAF as Brian Kemp"

The President does have sway over Republican voters, over the supporters of many of these Republican Governors. There is talk of newer White House guidelines to come out. Where is the President? Is he going to go away and on these individual plans or he is going to stay back watch it play out?

COLLINS: What we're hearing right now from sources now they are telling my colleague Kevin Liptak is that basically what we can expect is the White House to be able to put out some guidance on exactly which businesses should be opening? And how they should be opening?

There are different sectors of course they've all got to follow different guidelines if you're a hair salon or a grocery store or any kind of manufacturer that is opening up into a broader sense than you are right now?

And so they're looking at guidelines for that. But one thing we still haven't gotten an answer from the White House on John that I should note is ask the President and not last week but the week before that if companies will be liable if their employees returned to work and then got sick?

The President did not have an answer for us. But we know that business leaders have wanted to know that because they want to know what's going to happen? People going back to work want to know if they're forced to go back to work and their company has reopened and they feel pressured to return.

What's going to happen there? We still have not gotten an answer the White House on that. But we do know behind the scenes the attorneys are looking into it. Of course you know now we're starting to see some of the state's open back up but a lot of these businesses are looking for this kind of guidance they have not gotten yet.

KING: Again no briefing schedule today TBD on. We'll see or hear from the President next. Kaitlan Collins and Jackie Kucinich thank you both very much. More on the economic front now more relief is on its way for small businesses the Federal Loan Program which previously ran dry now back up and running.

It is supposed to be accepting applications starting today but already we are hearing there are some issues. CNN Congressional Reporter Lauren fox joining us now. Lauren, what's the problem?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, essentially some of those only technical glitches we saw the last time this program as well that John are coming up once again. I'm told from at least one industry source that they are hearing from lenders that they're getting error messages in the E-Trance Systems, that's a system that lenders use to upload application information.

And the SBA is responding saying that part of the slow down here is the fact that they were trying to piece application. They wanting for that no one financial institution is faster at uploading these applications. They want to make sure that everybody gets a fair shot.

Remember, in the last congressional packages there was this - $60 billion for smaller lenders to make sure the money was going to businesses in smaller communities and minority owned businesses. All of those things were issues when we started to see some of the publicly traded companies that we're getting these loans job. So only glitches on the technical side this morning and I'll tell you industry leaders very frustrated with what they view as the second opportunity for the SBA to get this right. They're arguing there are major slowdown issues that they're not happy about.

KING: Not happy about it. Lauren Fox, we know you'll stay on top of it, It is Monday, let's hope they figure it out ASAP but we will keep an eye on it very important.

[12:25:00]

KING: Lauren, thank you very much. Coming up for us Colorado's reopening plan rolls out starting today with elective surgeries and some real estate showings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Starting today Colorado begins easing restrictions on some businesses. The state is reopening in stage moving from stay-at-home order to a new safer-at-home order.