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New Day Sunday

More Than Four Million Coronavirus Cases Have Been Recorded Worldwide; Fauci, Heads Of CDC, And FDA Quarantining After Virus Exposure; Wuhan Reports First New Case In More Than A Month; Three Children Die In New York Of Illness Possibly Linked To COVID-19; FDA Authorizes First COVID-19 Antigen Test; New York Doctors Share Experiences As Hospitals See Fewer Patients; The Economic Fallout Of Coronavirus For People Of Color; America's Unemployment Rate At Its Highest Since Great Depression. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 10, 2020 - 06:00   ET

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


[06:00:14]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will be doing what some described as a modified quarantine for two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The second top official on the White House's coronavirus task force now announcing that they will be self- quarantining. Dr. Redfield will be teleworking for the next two weeks. Katie Miller, the vice president's spokeswoman she tested positive just yesterday, which prompted Dr. Stephen Hahn to announce later that day that he was also going to be self-quarantining.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to congratulate Dana White and the UFC. They're going to have a big match. We love it. We think it's important. Get the sports leagues back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday to you. Thanks so much for being with us. Happy mother's day to the moms out there, to you as well, Christi.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: As we wake up this morning, the number of coronavirus cases worldwide has now surpassed 4 million, and more than 279,000 people have died. Almost a third of the people infected are in the U.S.

PAUL: Yes, and this morning there are more problems with the virus inside the White House. FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield, now under a two-week quarantine. That's in addition to the nation's top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci, who's beginning what he calls a modified quarantine. All of them may have come into contact with one of the White House staffers who tested positive. BLACKWELL: Also this morning, the city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, is now reporting its first new case in more than a month.

PAUL: And there are some really concerning details coming out of New York this morning. A teenager and two children under 8 years old have been killed by this inflammatory illness they discovered. State health officials believe that it may be linked to COVID-19.

BLACKWELL: For the first time since the outbreak started, several members of Congress will have a chance to question the Trump administration's response to the pandemic. Several top doctors advising the White House are expected to testify during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Let's start this morning at the White House. CNN's Kristen Holmes is following the latest there. Kristen, Dr. Fauci says he'll be under something I've not heard of up until this point, a modified quarantine. What is that and why?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Christi.

Well, this is really a precautionary measure, as the doctor himself describes it. He said that he had low-risk contact with the person who eventually tested positive, meaning he was not in close proximity at the time that they believe this person was positive. But I want to take a step back here and talk about the narrative, look at the big picture.

This is not the conversation that the White House was hoping to have going into this week. We saw President Trump last week going to Arizona, breaking his self-isolation. This was really meant as a signal that the country was ready to start reopening.

We're seeing all of these states slowly start reopening, people going back to work. That's what the White House wanted to be talking about. Instead, you see these three top doctors in the U.S., people who have been on the front lines -- as you said, Stephen Hahn, Robert Redfield and Dr. Fauci -- they're all now self-quarantining. Why? Because they came into contact with someone who tested positive here at the White House.

So, this is sending a very conflicting message to people who are trying to decide whether or not they think it's safe to go back to work. We are at a place where people get tested every single day that come into contact with the president and vice president, and still someone tested positive. So, that's something to really look at here as the larger picture.

Now, we have asked the White House what they're going to do to try and protect staff members, stop the spread after Vice President Pence's press secretary was testing positive, and they did send out a memo yesterday that was called "the strong precautions that we're taking," and it talked about maintaining maximum telework. It said that any high touch points, any places where many people go in and out would have heightened cleaning.

One thing missing from that, no guidance on masks. Well, why is that interesting? Well, we know that the CDC now is recommending that people wear face coverings. Here at the White House, nothing on that. Secret service agents, we've started seeing some of them wearing masks around the president.

But yesterday, in a meeting with the national security advisers, as well as military advisers, we saw President Trump sitting at a table with no one wearing a mask. And we asked the White House, why is no one wearing a mask near the president? They said, oh, well, they're tested. They're tested every single time they come into contact with the president. But again, so was the vice president's press secretary.

[06:05:00]

So, it's very conflicting messages here. And again, at a time where people are trying to decide if it's safe for them to go back to work in their own communities.

PAUL: All right. Kristen Holmes, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

So, we know that the unemployment numbers are at historic highs right now, so President Trump announced on Twitter last night, the U.S. will begin a process of purchasing $3 billion worth of dairy, meat, and produce from farmers.

BLACKWELL: Yes, those products are expected to go to food banks and kitchens throughout the country. Since the pandemic started, farms have been seeing this drop in demand, leaving them with excess product. Here's National Farmers Union President Rob Larew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB LAREW, NATIONAL FARMERS UNION PRESIDENT: We're certainly encouraged. There's a lot of attention being given right now to not only get the bottlenecks in the system flowing, but also to buy up product, where possible, so that those who are hungry right now and needing food can certainly get it.

Those issues are going to be gone. We certainly have plenty of food. It's really this conundrum of making sure that we connect the food to those that need it right now. In terms of assistance, though, this is going to take a herculean effort to get farmers the help that they need and keep them on the farms. We have a lot of pressure, and it's going to take a lot of help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Now, later this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" Jake Tapper is joined by White House Economic Adviser Kevin Hassett, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Dr. Leonard Schleifer. "STATE OF THE UNION" airs today, 9:00 a.m. eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: So, doctors and parents, we should say, want to know more about this inflammatory illness that Christi mentioned at the top of the show that some children are experiencing that may be linked to COVID-19.

PAUL: Yes, this is scary. We now know that a teenager as well as two children under eight years old have died. CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro is following this from New York for us.

So, Evan, walk us through what state officials there, what the CDC officials are doing to try to get to the bottom of this.

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning.

Obviously, for a place like New York that's been hit so hard by the coronavirus pandemic, one of the solaces has been that young people haven't really been affected, at least that was the thinking. There is news now over the past few days that maybe there has been some infections, these strange infections of inflammatory disease, and it kind of attacks the kids' hearts. But it's important to note here that one of the main hospitals here in New York has been treating some of these patients, says it's very, very rare. But still, obviously a scary, new addition to the conversation.

And what's happening here is that the governor, Governor Andrew Cuomo, is partnering with the CDC to try to develop guidelines to figure out how to find kids who may be having this problem and how to sort of deal with it. But he added yesterday in his press conference that this is just an additional anxiety, an additional pain here that, you know, nobody wants to deal with.

BLACKWELL: Evan, there are some numbers, at least for some communities in New York, that are giving a reason to be optimistic, but of course, that's not for everyone. What do you know about these numbers?

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Well, that's right. Yesterday the governor said that the hospitalizations he reported, the intubations he reported, the new cases he reported, all down, but the death rate was 226 that he reported yesterday, which was 10 more than the day before, 216. So you know, the governor said this is a frustratingly stable number and a very tragic number.

And also, he learned more about how this tragedy is playing out here inside the state, talking about how numbers have come in showing that it's lower income and minority communities that have been hardest hit by this virus, something that we've seen all across the country. And here in New York, the governor's trying to refocus efforts to add PPE and add testing sites to those communities, utilizing churches and other facilities to try and create a new system to attack the disease where it's hitting the hardest.

BLACKWELL: Yes. That's a reality, as you said, not just in New York, but across the country in major cities. Evan McMorris-Santoro, thanks so much.

PAUL: Thanks, Evan.

So, the FDA is granting its first emergency use authorization for a coronavirus antigen test. They're going to be allowed in authorized laboratories and other testing locations often used for flu, got throat checks. Antigen tests look for pieces of the virus.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And that's different from more common genetics-based test that required more chemicals, which are harder to get in this pandemic. Now, the FDA says the test can provide results in minutes, but there is a higher chance of false negatives.

PAUL: Every day we hear more stories from doctors and nurses who are fighting the pandemic, and several of them have documented their days on the front lines.

[06:10:01]

They've shared their experiences with us. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ERIK BLUTINGER, MOUNT SINAI QUEENS: I'm about to walk into my nightshift. I am anxious to see what the volume and what the flow will be like, hoping, praying that it will be like what it's been the past week, two weeks, which has been much better than at the beginning of April.

If there's one thing I've learned from this pandemic, it's to not take anything for granted. One minute you can get a set of circumstances and scenarios that would vastly differ from the next. So, let's see how things go.

Right now I'm in the critical care room, and we are practically empty. As you can see behind me, these are two empty beds. Unbelievable.

Last week even, this room would constantly be filled. And during the peak of coronavirus, several weeks ago, we would have stacks of patients waiting to just enter this room without any capacity to take care of everybody here.

DR. UMESH GIDWANI, THE MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: Welcome to another day in COVID land. It's bright and sunny, and it seems like things may be slowing down a little bit.

We walk around, again, just to try and get the lay of the land. Obviously, the severity of illness and the number of patients is decreasing where we would have, let's say two patients to a room. Now we have more like one patient to a room. And not all of these people are requiring such high pressures in their ventilation, and some of these people are even coming off the ventilators.

Nevertheless, there is still quite a substantial burden of illness and severity of multi organ failure. We have patients, really, who have not responded to all the usual interventions.

BLUTINGER: I had a gentleman who came in this evening with bad congestive heart failure. He had swollen legs. He was really short of breath. And I had to put him on a breathing machine for what I thought was a heart failure exacerbation. And then when I saw the chest x-ray, it looked like classic coronavirus. So, even though our volumes are diminished, and although many are still coming in with different medical conditions, coronavirus just -- we can't escape it.

GIDWANI: The big fear now is what happens next? Are we going to see a reoccurrence of this illness? Are we going to see spikes coming back, especially as we start to relax and loosen some of the restrictions that we are used to? Is there going to be a second spike after that? Maybe in the fall or winter? All unanswered questions, but we have to be prepared.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Now, if you're a health care worker fighting this virus and you'd like to share your stories with us, reach out to us on NEW DAY'S Facebook or Instagram accounts. Of course, we always want to see those stories from what's happening there in these hospitals and medical facilities.

PAUL: Yes, and we thank you so much for what you're doing.

Listen, I now you might hear this one and wonder what to make of it, but the city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak, reported its first new case since April 3rd. This is according to the Wuhan health commission.

BLACKWELL: So, the patient is in critical condition. His wife also tested positive but was the reported as asymptomatic. They live in a neighborhood where there were 20 confirmed cases overall.

PAUL: Now, the cause of the new infection has been characterized as -- quote -- "past community infection." China reopened Wuhan's borders after a 76-day lockdown on April 8th.

For millions of you who are out of work, I know you just want to get back on your feet. Job hunting, we all know that's hard, maybe in even the best of times. Coming up, we've got some advice on navigating some of the unique challenges that are created by the coronavirus pandemic to find a job.

BLACKWELL: Plus, we remember the originator, the emancipator, the architect of rock 'n roll. The tributes coming in for legendary musician and performer Little Richard.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:39]

BLACKWELL: A record 20 million people lost their jobs in April because of the shutdown during this coronavirus pandemic. And just like the virus, unemployment is disproportionately impacting people of color.

PAUL: Joining us now to talk about the trend, what to do next, Michelle Singletary, a syndicated personal finance columnist for the "Washington Post." Always so good to see you, Michelle. Thank you so much.

I was reading some of what you were talking about, regarding the fact that Hispanics are almost twice as likely as white people to lose their jobs during this pandemic. What have you been able to glean from some of these numbers?

MICHELLE SINGLETARY, SYNDICATED PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST, THE WASHINGTON POST: Well, it's definitely impacting people of color, Hispanics and African-Americans, at a rate that is very alarming and makes sense because even before this crisis, many were struggling, although the larger economy's doing well, many of them were still living paycheck to paycheck. Their jobs were lower-wage jobs in the service industry, which we know was one of the first industries to experience job losses when this crisis hit and places were shut down. And so, they are suffering, and really, recovery is going to be a lot longer for them.

BLACKWELL: Guys, we've got the numbers. Let's put them up on the screen. According to this "Washington Post"/Ipsos poll, 11 percent of whites laid off or furloughed, Hispanics at 20 percent.

[06:20:06]

Hispanic men even worse in that at 22 percent, Hispanic women at 18 percent. The question though I have for you, though, is that 77 percent of the respondents in this poll, Michelle, expected they would be able to go back to their jobs. So in the interim, trying to find something else, are there specific industries they should target, and how?

SINGLETARY: Well, you just have to look around to the industries that are still open. For example, we're all still going to the grocery store. There are some main retailers that are still open -- Walmart, Target -- and they are still hiring folks to try to fill the orders because everything else is shut down. DoorDash. I mean, places like that, where there's still services going on, maybe even some call centers.

For example, IRS had some hiring they have to do not only to continue to process the stimulus payments but also, we're right smack in the middle of tax season. So, if you've got those kinds of skills, definitely contact them. Go on to the government Web site, the federal government Web site. So you've got to just look and watch the news and see who's still open and still who needs people to help folks who are still trying to conduct some business.

PAUL: There are a lot of concerns about people's health because of the anxiety that they feel, the financial stress they feel, the isolation that they're going through because of all the lockdowns, Michelle. And you were talking about trying to find another job in an environment like this is hard enough but that you have to, or that we have to allow ourselves to go through the emotional process.

How do we do that when so many people feel this sense of urgency that they can't pay their bills and they have to get out there?

SINGLETARY: Well, you know, I'm a big believer in therapy. I have a therapist, too. Yes, I know.

PAUL: Me, too! I'm with you!

SINGLETARY: You know, I had a troubled childhood. You know, my parents left us. My grandmother had to take us in. So that's a lot to deal with.

If they still have health insurance, contact the behavioral health. There are community counseling centers. But you have to mourn. When you lose a job, it's not the same as losing someone, but there is a deep loss. And particularly for some people, particularly men, I'm just going to be honest, when you lose that livelihood and you're sort of expected to be the bread-winner, there's a lot that you have to process.

So, both men and women. And I just really believe just talk to someone, a professional, so that you can work through all this anxiety and fear and guilt, because you can't bring money in, especially if you've got a family and children. They're looking at you to provide. That's really difficult.

And you can't really look for a job well if you're depressed. And it's OK to ask for help. And you know, even those of us who have jobs -- I mean, I was talking to my therapist like two weeks ago, and I was like, I don't know. Then you feel guilty that you feel bad. So, definitely seek help so that when you go look for a job, you're at your best.

BLACKWELL: Michelle, before we let you go, one element we were discussing during the break is, as you look for this next job, and I see, you know, everything around you is very presentable and orderly, you suggest preparing a space for virtual interviews.

SINGLETARY: Yes. We've seen all the snafus, right? Someone didn't have pants on. I have pants on, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Thank you. Thank you.

SINGLETARY: I have the proper undergarments. Fixed my hair. You know, because a lot of the interviews are going to be virtual, Skype or Zoom or something like that. So, practice your workspace, just like you would practice your interview.

And what I do was before I come on for you, I get my phone, I get my computer. There's a little phone booth, because I have a Mac. And I turn it on and I look at what's going on. I look at my book shelf. And sometimes I have like piles of paper on the floor or the dog has brought his bone and his blanket, also his girlfriend.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: A whole other thing.

SINGLETARY: So, I have to look around and make sure it's appropriate. And it may be difficult for somebody who has a smaller house space and they've got kids running around, but just practice that

BLACKWELL: Yes.

SINGLETARY: And you want to be professional. Like my son just got a summer internship that's going to be virtual, and we had a conversation yesterday -- no kidding -- make sure you have a suit and a tie on. And we have already talked about where we're going to set up his workspace and what we're going to put in the background.

So you know, you want to put yourself in a position where if you're interviewing virtually that you get a leg up for someone. Make sure the lighting is right.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Make sure there's--

SINGLETARY: Bring in an extra lamp. I have extra lamps --

BLACKWELL: -- nothing disqualifying in the background. Make sure that you clean that slate.

PAUL: I love how you say that, Victor.

SINGLETARY: That's right.

PAUL: Make sure it's not disqualifying.

[06:25:00]

BLACKWELL: Nothing disqualifying. Michelle Singletary --

SINGLETARY: That's right.

BLACKWELL: -- always good to have your insight. Thanks so much for being with us.

PAUL: Thanks, Michelle.

SINGLETARY: You're so welcome.

PAUL: All right. Hopefully you got some good information out of that, if you need that help.

Still to come, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to make a national, televised speech today, discussing how they're going to ease lockdown restrictions. They apparently have a plan. We have more on that, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Twenty-nine minutes past the hour right now.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to give a national televised address today. It is expected that he's going to ease some lockdown restrictions and then discuss the government's strategy at this point to control the outbreak as they reopen the economy further.

BLACKWELL: He's also expected to announce a new warning system. It will rank local infection rates from one to five. Five would be the most concerning. And right now, the government official says that the U.K. as a whole is likely on a level four of the new alert system.

[06:30:07]

Social services in the U.K. found that thousands of households are abusing drugs and/or alcohol during the pandemic.

PAUL: Now, experts warn those figures, they could get worse.

CNN Correspondent Nina dos Santos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID, A.A. MEMBER: I first took a drink when I was in my early teens and, you know, I remember the feeling of that.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This 21-year-old student who we're calling David doesn't want you to know his real name or see his face. Like an estimated half a million Britons, he's battling an addiction to alcohol. What he does want you to know is it is a fight that is getting tougher the longer the U.K.'s lockdown lasts.

DAVID: The life of an active alcoholic, an alcoholic who's still drinking right now in lockdown, is going to be a very, very difficult one.

DOS SANTOS: With his A.A. meetings having moved online, David is missing the emotional support of those who have kept him dry.

DAVID: One of the really important things for me in terms of getting sober was actually, you know, having a room full of people that treated me like I was a human being. And now that room full of people is not there anymore.

DOS SANTOS: It took David years to admit he had a problem, but experts are already warning millions of Britons could be heading down the same path, using alcohol as a distraction from boredom and isolation and developing a dependency.

RICHARD PIPER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ALCOHOL CHANGE U.K.: Once they're drinking more, it's a bit like a ratchet. It can go up quite easily but it can be very hard to bring down. And home is a place that you associate with drinking, and now you're in it all day every day. That has a risk.

DOS SANTOS: The Charity Alcohol Change Commission has surveyed post- lockdown drinking habits after seeing a five-fold increase in appeals for help through its website. It found about one in five Brits are drinking more often, but they are drinking differently. Just because pubs like these are closed, that doesn't mean people aren't drinking. It's just you can't always see it. For instance, sales of alcohol at U.K. liquor stores were 30 percent higher than usual for the month of March as people rushed to stockpile before the lockdown was imposed.

Among those most at risk, says this London doctor, senior citizens, who are also more vulnerable to coronavirus.

DR. TONY PAO, CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST, SOUTH LONDON AND MAUDSLEY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST: I'm particularly concerned about one population, and that's the baby boomer population. But what we're seeing is a hidden problem in a population of older people who are drinking behind closed doors.

DOS SANTOS: About to graduate, David has his whole life to look forward to.

DAVID: I try and take it one day at a time.

DOS SANTOS: By the end of this month, he'll have been sober for two years. The fear is when lockdown is lifted, others will be left with lasting, serious consequences.

Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Officials in Georgia are looking at more video in the Ahmaud Arbery murder investigation. Coming up, what the video recorded just moments before his killing may tell investigators.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

BLACKWELL: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it's looking at more video footage in the Ahmaud Arbery murder investigation.

PAUL: Yes. The footage, which the GBI didn't describe, was reviewed before the arrest of Gregory and Travis McMichael. Now, they were arrested a day after the GBI launched its investigation. Those two, by the way, in jail with no bond on murder and aggravated assault charges right now.

There have been calls for police to arrest a third person in this case. William Bryan's attorney says that he filmed the incident, that William Bryan filmed the incident, and immediately showed that video to police when they arrived. His said his client was not involved in the chase of the death, and without that video, there would no case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN GOUGH, ATTORNEY FOR WILLIAM RODDIE BRYAN: Mr. Bryan videotaped what was going on, and because he did that, there is a prosecution, okay? If he had not videotaped that incident, the only person who really could speak to what happened is dead and will never really have that opportunity. So that video is the prosecution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Bryan's attorney says investigators haven't asked for his phone containing the original shooting video, and it's not clear if there's additional footage.

BLACKWELL: Well, music fans around the world are remembering rock and roll legend Little Richard. He was 87 years old when he died yesterday. He had been diagnosed with bone cancer.

He was the architect of rock and roll. His fellow music legends, they believed it too, Bob Dylan called him his shining star and guiding light.

PAUL: Former First Lady Michelle Obama said, little Richard, quote, laid the foundation for generations of artists to follow, and did they ever.

Here's CNN's Chloe Melas with a look at his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Little Richard changed the course of rock and roll history with his song, Tutti Frutti. He sang the infectious tune with raw inhibition, and it became a hit.

LITTLE RICHARD, ARTIST: When I started in the business, I never heard rock and roll music before.

MELAS: The singer, who inspired the evolution of rock music, was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia in 1932.

[06:40:05]

Even though his roots were deeply planted in gospel music, Little Richard signed with Specialty Records in 1955 and began his incredible journey to becoming a rock and roll icon.

During the '50s, Little Richard made several more hit songs, including Long Tall Sally, Good Golly Miss Molly and Lucille.

LITTLE RICHARD: I always felt that I would be a star.

MELAS: He was certainly a star. Little Richard even landed a part in the musical comedy, The Girl Can't Help It, in 1956. His flamboyant persona captivated audiences, and his soulful voice, paired with his piercing screams, made him a household name.

However, at the height of his stardom, the self-proclaimed architect of rock and roll quit the music business. He became an ordained minister and traveled across the country as an evangelist and recorded gospel music between 1959 and 1963.

LITTLE RICHARD: I went through those different periods, but I've always loved rock and roll. MELAS: During the late '60s and '70s, Little Richard Turned to the spotlight and began recording rock and roll once again. His influence on many unknown artists at the time proved to be invaluable.

LITTLE RICHARD: You know, the Beatles was with me. They started with me. James Brown was my vocalist. Jimi Hendrix was my guitar player, 18 years old.

MELAS: For a period of time, Little Richard lived the wild life of a rocker but he never lost his faith. In 1985, the 52-year-old singer was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles and thanked God for saving his life.

LITTLE RICHARD: Everything else is secondary. To have God, oh, glory to God.

MELAS: He experienced a career resurgence in the '80s after landing a coveted role in Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Then Little Richard became one of the first icons to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

LITTLE RICHARD: I'm just glad to be alive at this time. I'm glad to be in Cleveland. I'm glad that I am the originator and I'm glad that I'm the architect of rock and roll. I'm glad that God has seen fit through his mercy to still let me be here.

MELAS: In 1993, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded the fiery performer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Little Richard, the showman, performed well into his twilight years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: What a story he left us and what good times and good music he left us with.

BLACKWELL: Good music, absolutely.

PAUL: So there is a question this morning about whether the president may be shifting his message about COVID-19 to focus on reopening the economy. Brian Stelter from Reliable Sources has more on the narrative that's coming out of the White House right now. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

PAUL: In recent weeks, the president has appeared to downplay information about the severity of COVID-19. He's dismissed models and statistics. He's praised some states for reopening without meeting recommended guidelines. And, briefly, he did push to dissolve the coronavirus task force, though there was a lot of pushback on that.

BLACKWELL: In a shifting toward reopening the country, getting out of a recession in 2020, let's bring in Brian Stelter, CNN Chief Media Correspondent, Anchor of Reliable Sources. Brian, the president released these guidelines that states would have to follow or should follow to reopen. The states ignored them and the president is cheering them on.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And this is causing, you know, incredibly a partisan divide about something as basic as public health. We are increasingly seeing even wearing masks becoming a culture war issue that's fueled partly by right-wing media, partly by social media and chatter, partly by different cultural feelings in different communities and states, but it is a really disturbing thing to see and a sad thing to see how this is becoming increasingly political and polarizing and a culture war battle.

And I think it is all partly driven by the president, of course, it's his frustration, it's his -- you know, he wants to get things back, understandably. Everybody shares that frustration. But there's a level of impatience we're seeing from leaders, especially from the president, and also a willingness to look at the data.

Kayleigh McEnany and other Trump aides say the president's taking a data-driven approach, but there have been a number of reports this week that the administration is either clamping down on access to data, not looking at the data, or gathering it in a sufficient way so that we don't have a full picture of the scope of the number of deaths, the amount of suffering.

That's really disturbing, that it seems like there's an attempt to restrict access to the basic information that we need to know how many cases are there, how widely is the virus spreading and how many people have died as a result.

PAUL: Yes. There's just so much anxiety out there. And you're right, it's on both levels. It does have to do with the economy. It also has to do with this crisis.

And with that said, what are you talking about on your show later today, Stelter?

STELTER: Yes, we're definitely going to focus in on some of the coronavirus disinformation that's been spreading, because when you read B.S. on Facebook or you see conspiracy theories on Twitter, it makes it easier to say, hey, you know, I'm just going to go ahead and apparently this is not a crisis, apparently this is not a pandemic.

We're seeing that with millions of people. And companies like YouTube and Facebook are under pressure. We're talking about that. And also on a lighter note for Mother's Day, happy Mother's Day, Christi, we're going to talk to with a mom and two kids who created their own newspaper at home to get through the quarantine.

[06:50:04]

I did get you a big balloon, Christi, but I don't know if I can get it to you in time for today.

PAUL: You know what, give it to Jamie. We know it's Jamie's. We know it's your wife.

STELTER: It is actually for my kid. I'm going to go be in charge the rest of the day now to give her a day off.

PAUL: You are giving her -- listen, we love our children, but you're giving her one of the gifts --

STELTER: Sorry, about the home studio.

PAUL: That's what we want to see. We want to see your sun and your moon.

BLACKWELL: Sunny Stelter.

PAUL: Sunny Stelter.

STELTER: Say, Happy Mother's Day?

SUNNY STELTER: Happy Mother's Day.

PAUL: She steals my heart. Sunny, thank you so much. Brian, have a wonderful day.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Brian. Thank you, Sunny.

PAUL: Thanks for all you do, Stelter.

Oh, my gosh, that face. You know what, she's even got your lips going, Victor.

BLACKWELL: That face. I can't make it because I'm smiling it now, but, yes, that's my thinking face.

PAUL: Yes, I know.

BLACKWELL: Yes. All right, so, you know, of course, we are saluting all the mothers, Christi, Jamie Stelter as well. And, you know, right now especially, we are hyper aware of all the responsibilities that mothers take on. Sometimes it's teachers at home now during this pandemic.

PAUL: I know. I mean, the hats are just piling on right now, it seems. But here are some tributes from our colleagues here at CNN to their moms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I want everyone to know that Mother's Day and my mom's birthday fall on the same day this year, so it's a really special day. You started your life as a refugee on the other side of the world and you became one of the strongest women that I know. We really wish that we could be there with you. We know we can't this year. I want to send you these instead, and we'll be with you soon.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I want to give a huge shout-out to all of the sleep-deprived mothers, all the mothers who are homeschooling, all the mothers who are just trying to get through this tough time, and in particular, to my old, dear friend, Dr. Melanie Malloy, attending physician at Mt. Sinai Brooklyn Hospital in New York, but also a mother of three incredible children. Your love for your children are a constant source of inspiration. I love you. You're amazing. Happy Mother's Day.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Mother's Day. And, mom, thank you for being my mom for 40 years, but especially recently when I was so, so sick with coronavirus. Of course, my husband was taking amazing care of me. But at the end of the day, I was just a girl who needed her mom. And even though you were far away, I felt you. And you reached out to my husband a few times, and I appreciate that too. And thank you for caring. And I love you very much. So, Happy Mother's Day, and thank you for finally learning how to FaceTime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

PAUL: Well, President Trump delivered a message during last night's UFC event. He said, we need sports.

BLACKWELL: Yes, it was the first major sport to hold an event in the U.S. in almost two months.

Let's bring in Coy Wire now. Coy, was there some type of coordination here? It seemed like the UFC head was working closely with the president.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Victor. Good morning to you, and Christi. And we know that UFC President Dana White was on the advisory board for President Trump that was tasked with helping to reopen the country, to help bring sports back specifically.

And even though we had a fighter from last -- on Friday night that was pulled before the event because he tested positive for coronavirus, the event still went on, and it included this message from the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We love it. We think it's important. Get the sports leagues back. Let's play. You do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do, but we need sports. We want our sports back. And congratulations to Dana White, UFC.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: UFC 249 in Jacksonville, vacant seat after vacant seat. It was an eerie sight there at the fight. Essentials staff, like media and the fighters, they had their temperatures checked at the door. And the ringside tables and chairs for those that were working the fight, including for the broadcasters, they were spaced apart, as you can see, and there were no fans, no crowd noise to drown out the sound of the blows. So very different feel to this.

Multiple fighters admitting afterwards that they could hear former UFC Champ Daniel Cormier announcing the fight for viewers at home, and they used his analysis to gain an advantage. And the main event, Justin Gaethje defeated Tony Ferguson by TKO in the fifth round to claim the interim lightweight title.

They UFC is scheduled to have events in Jacksonville the next two weekends, so we'll see if they go on as planned as well.

Before I toss it back, I just want to say, Happy Mother's Day, especially to you, Christi Paul. You're an incredible woman and it shows in those great kids of yours. They are a reflection of you. Happy Mother's day to my mom, Jane, and my wife, Claire, as well, and all of the mothers out there.

PAUL: Coy, you're so thoughtful. Thank you so much. Yes, and just wait until father's day comes along.

BLACKWELL: A couple of weeks, it's coming.

PAUL: Yes, it's coming. But thank you very much. You're sweet. And his wife is something else, let me tell you. She is awesome.

Okay, still ahead, several of the nation's top health officials are in self-quarantine now. We have a live report for you.

BLACKWELL: And the states continue to ease the stay-at-home orders.

[07:00:01]

So we'll take a look at how police across the country are enforcing restrictions. The next hour of your NEW DAY starts now.