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32 States Will Be Partially Reopened By This Weekend; Tense Protests At Michigan Capitol Over Stay-At-Home Order; Coronavirus Wipes Out 2020 Sports Calendar. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired May 01, 2020 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:31:40]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: The pace of reopening is rapidly accelerating. Over the next few days at least 32 states will be partially reopened. More than half of the nation's governors now allowing some orders to expire or planning phase reopening of businesses and other gathering places which restrictions each are easing varies greatly.

In California, the governor's keeping the stay-at-home order in place but has laid plans reopening the state while closing beaches and parts of the state after residents there crowded them last weekend.

Let's bring in the Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Mr. Mayor, it is good to see you. In your city right now, if you put up the numbers and you look at the California, in L.A. County, it's bigger than just your city. But L.A. County has more than half of California's death toll.

So as the governor says, I'm a couple weeks away, probably starting to phase. Do you think that you're going to have to say my part, my city is not ready, or do you think you can be in sync with the entire state?

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D-LOS ANGELES, CA): Well, good to see you, John. And absolutely, I think that we have to make sure that people realize these opening dates are not throwing the doors wide open. They're about careful steps forward. We've had some, for instance, differences here from Northern California early on, we kept our construction going and we did that safely with inspections and PPE. They joined us in Northern California earlier this week.

So I think when people think that suddenly for us, it's May 15th that they comes. And, you know, it's like I can say this is a former Navy guy, it's like a ship coming into port. It's not time to party. It's time to very carefully get off the ship, assess where we are, take some steps forward, and then wait two or three weeks with those baby steps and see what the impact of them is before you proceed.

KING: Well, one of the things you have said in your city is that anybody who wants to test can get a test. There was some confusion created because the larger L.A. County, listen here, the health services director says we're not ready for that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. CHRISTINA GHALY, DIRECTOR, LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES: As a county, we are not currently providing testing for low risk asymptomatic individuals. We also need to ensure that we have a sufficient number of tests available to be able to respond to outbreaks and other situations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So is it a difference between Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County in terms of testing available to whom?

GARCETTI: Not at all. It's a heckle point. She just meant the county of sites are not offering to asymptomatic people testing. But the city of Los Angeles sites are offering those not just to our own residents, but to anybody in the area because we know that 10 million residents of L.A. County need that.

It's critical for us opening up in the future. And we want it to be the first big city in America to take the advice of doctors around the country saying, you have to find the silent spreaders. This is a silent killer that people without symptoms who can spread this are critical piece of knowledge in order to open up in the future.

KING: Help me understand how you approach. I know your day to day because this pandemic has been so urgent and so pressing, your urgent concern is on winning today, you know, or not losing today anyway.

But as you start thinking longer term, the Governor of New York just announced, you know, no more school in the State of New York statewide through the academic year. I know you have said possibly schools reopening I think in July is what you put in the record.

I just trying to think I grew up in the Boston Public Schools. I'm just trying to think of what you do in a city like L.A., where if you have to have social distancing in your schools, you never have enough resources. You don't have enough physical infrastructure. You don't have enough teachers. As you try to think through that challenge and we're reimagining everything in our lives. What is going to be required of you and your school system to get kids back in the classroom in a way that is safe? And will you ever have the space, the resources, the teachers to pull that off?

[12:35:20]

GARCETTI: Well, first of all, I think we have incredible teachers who are doing heroic work during this. I think it's unlikely we're going to open up in July or August. Our governor put that out there for some school districts, and I think he's done a superb job.

But it's most likely we will be opening up in the fall if we open up. But absolutely, we're watching in Denmark, we're looking at whether you phase kids in not maybe all kids every day of the week. We have to remember those children who are pre existing condition -- who have pre existing conditions because they will have to stay at home probably during the school year for longer until we have a vaccine.

So I absolutely think this is not just important for our kids, but also we can't picture parents going back into the workforce if their children are at a school. So I know that our district out here is looking at that very closely. They're looking at how you could do that spacing. Maybe you put kids in different shifts.

But we'll have to sit down and talk to our teachers about that, see what they can do, what ideas they bring to the table. But I think we're all committed to making sure that young people continue with their education and hopefully back in schools in the fall.

KING: And let me come back to a more near term challenge. As you make this more testing available, you're going to find out a lot more about the rate of infection. How much is out there that you didn't know about? How blind have we been, if you will? What is your best guest in terms of a contact tracing army that you're going to have to build in the City of Los Angeles?

GARCETTI: Well, I've called nationally on a contact tracing kind of core. We call it CARES Corps. Senator Coons is introducing legislation building on the AmeriCorps model. I think, John about those great moments in our history when we rose to the occasion.

In the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps, getting people back to work in critical infrastructure. Think about during the Cold War when we looked at the Peace Corps or when President Johnson in the late 60s war on poverty had to Teacher Corps.

I think it's time for a CARES Corps myself, a Republican, Mayor of Oklahoma City, David Holt, and former head of the FDA and CDC helped us craft together a proposal to get the maybe 300,000 people we will need because it's not enough testing. We have to have guaranteed testing within 18 hours, anybody who's symptomatic.

And then trace all the people that they have talked to, interacted with, in the next 24 hours after that diagnosis. In order to have that I think we can really arrest the growth rate of COVID-19. But that will be a critical piece and we'll help Americans get back to work.

KING: Mayor Garcetti, appreciate your time today. I wish you the best of luck in the challenging days and weeks and months and months and months ahead.

GARCETTI: Thanks, John. Thanks for your great coverage. Appreciate it.

KING: Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you, Sir.

Up next, President Trump adds his voice to the protest after Michigan's governor again says delaying the reopening.

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[12:42:22]

KING: Michigan's reopening debate is getting tense and includes advice from as far away as the White House. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is extending the state's emergency declaration to May 28th. That move defying the Republican-led legislature and these protests as you see here, some of them carrying guns as they demanded to be led into the legislative chambers yesterday.

The President tweeting this morning quote, the Governor of Michigan should give a little and put out the fire. Those are very good people but they are angry. They want their lives back again safely. See them, talk to them, make a deal, the President says. The governor says, not yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Some people will think we should move faster. I'm going to listen to the public health experts. And I'm going to work with the business side of the equation to make sure that we've got the protocols, to keep people safe when it is safe to start to reengage.

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KING: CNN's Jeff Zeleny has been keeping an eye on this. Jeff, a lot of pressure but the governor still says, slow down.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John, there is and I mean, you could just see those protests in the rotunda of the Michigan Capitol. But Governor Whitmer is standing her ground. But John, very interesting, the President weighing in this morning, you know, talking to her and saying she should negotiate.

I've never heard President Trump speak like that about protesters at his rallies or protesters at his events, or in fact, members of Congress that he has not negotiated with. So the reality is, those protesters were there not to work with Governor Whitmer.

But actually what was going on was, the Republicans in the legislature, they control the legislature in Michigan. We're trying to rescind or not allow her to extend her stay-at-home order. She did that anyway under a different provision of Michigan law. So John, this is what we are seeing in states across the country, a power clash, particularly in divided states, if there's a Democratic governor or a Republican legislature.

But we're also seeing it in some different states as well. I was in Ohio yesterday, Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, leading the way in terms of extending his stay-at-home orders, his Republican legislature also not happy with him. So the tensions that are happening out there in this month of May is so important.

But in Michigan, it is still the number three state in terms of number of deaths. So that is what Governor Whitmer is says that she's basing her argument on science, on common sense, she says not on politics. So certainly, it's a political moment there. But she's standing her ground. And of course, has the support of certainly all Democrats and likely a majority of people in Michigan, as well, John. KING: Jeff Zeleny for us, tracking some big decisions by all these governors in today, tomorrow, and in the weeks ahead. Jeff, thanks so much.

[12:44:57]

Up next for us, the huge toll this pandemic is taking on the sports world.

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KING: As we watch states begin to reopen the sports world also beginning very modestly to reopen. Churchill Downs putting some races on the calendar, NASCAR says it's prepared to have some races again. But by and large, the sports world still is very much shutdown.

What have we missed? Two hundred and fifty-nine NBA games as of last night, 470 major league baseball games as of last night, 189 National Hockey League games, all shutdown because of the coronavirus shutdown.

[12:50:10]

If you take a look at here, there were a lot of events postponed in March, 67 percent. But 33 percent of sports events scheduled did get in March before the big shutdown happened, then 66. This Two Circles, sports projection, maybe it's optimistic. It suggests that 47 percent through the rest of the year will end up being postponed, 53 percent come back.

That's somewhat optimistic, perhaps, but it counts on things coming back. Here's one way to look at it here first, just what was scheduled. If you look at what events that are scheduled, that's the thing and that what is going to happen. You see they've just disappeared April, May, June, July.

Two Circles sports predicting, comes back in September, and you have more events then scheduled because games, leagues are trying to make up games. We'll see if that actually plays out. The impact on the players not total, they don't lose all of their money. But LeBron James normally would make 400 grand a game, 232,000 for Mike Trout, Connor McDavid National Hockey League, $171,000 a game, prorated now, cut back because of the shutdown.

This has a major economic impact. It's not just for our sports relief here. In 2019 $129 billion major league sports across the globe revenue, a drop this year of at least $61.6 billion and again, even that might be optimistic depending on when the comeback happens.

And this is not just about big paid, high paid athletes. There are 159,000 school coaches, your high schools, other athletes across the school system. About 20,000 umpires and referees out of work right now. At least 10,000 food prep, other workers at the stadiums and all that so the economic impact goes well beyond the high paid professional players or drivers or golfers.

Now there was some talk just in recent days, it was time to pull the plug on the NBA season. Listen here though, one of the co-owners of the Boston Celtics, yet, we have a little time.

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STEVE PAGLIUCA, CO-OWNER, BOSTON CELTICS: He's a fact based commissioner and monitor the situation and they're working with city officials and state officials and they're hoping to get the season back. But the key issue with Adam is going to be safe for players and fans if it can be then the seasons have gone if not Adams going to be patient to wait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: CNN sports anchor Coy Wire with us. Now Coy, again, we are starting to see some updates from the NBA and NASCAR a little bit of progress and a lot of waiting left, right?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, yes, John. And LeBron James, he's speaking out against any of those reports that may be out there that some agents and team executives want to cancel the NBA season entirely. King James tweeted this. He said, that's absolutely not true. Nobody I know saying anything like that. As soon as it's safe, we would like to finish our season. I'm ready and our team is ready. Nobody should be canceling anything.

Now, one of the Boston Celtics co-owners also telling CNN's Erin Burnett that he agrees with King James.

KING: I think we've had some sound there from Steve Pagliuca, we didn't have the sound for you there. Coy, I'm sorry. NASCAR says --

WIRE: No problem.

KING: -- it's prepared to -- NASCAR says, it is prepared to come back, how big and how soon?

WIRE: Yes. An official announcement yesterday, John and some pretty big news. Drivers will be back racing May 17th at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. No fans but NASCAR is going to plan to hold seven races over the course of 11 days and that includes the marquee Coca- Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend in Charlotte. So, for sports fans, a little bit of a positive note to get the summer started.

KING: That would be a little bit of positive note nice to have -- it would be nice to have some more positive news soon but as all the commissioners say, safety first. Coy Wire, it's good to see you. See you at a game soon enough, one would hope.

[12:53:53]

Up next for us, more airlines they telling passengers, if you want to get on a plane, you will have to wear a mask.

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KING: Four more U.S. airlines now ready to mandate masks for passengers, Delta, American, Frontier, and Southwest all now joining JetBlue who earlier this week made that announcement.

The airlines expanding masks more recommendation now to a mandate on all flights for Delta and JetBlue, this takes effect on May 4th, Frontier May 8th, American, and Southwest on May 11th. As more states begin opening up we are seeing a slight uptick in airlines travel.

Starting today, military grocery stores putting limits in place on buying some meat products that in anticipation of shortages. These commissaries of the stores that sell groceries and household goods at bases across the country, the agencies that manages the commissary says, it will impose limits of two items of beef, poultry, and pork per customer.

The announcement warns there may be some shortages in the coming weeks that of course due to the closures of various U.S. beef, pork, and poultry processing plants because of coronavirus outbreaks, those commissaries can increase or decrease the limits depending on their individual inventory.

And now some encouraging news for group that no doubt has been greatly impacted by COVID-19, that would be the class of 2020. Oprah Winfrey will be everyone's graduation speaker this year. Thanks to Facebook. On May 15th, the tech giant says, it will host a virtual graduation ceremony for college seniors unable to participate in a traditional ceremony due to the coronavirus.

We're told the streaming event will also feature some other special guests like Jennifer Garner, Simone Biles, and singer Miley Cyrus. She's expected to perform. There you go. Tune in for that.

[13:00:05]

Thanks for joining us today. Have a great weekend. Brooke Baldwin picks up our coverage right now.