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Don Lemon Tonight

Coronavirus Could Lead U.S. Into Recession; Businesses And Other Establishments Ordered To Close; Ohio Governor, Health Director Will Order The Polls Closed; Interview With Governor Jared Polis (D- CO) About The President Calling All The Governors To Try To Shore Up The Response To Coronavirus; At Least 4,459 Cases Of Coronavirus In U.S.; White House Says Grocery Supply Chains In United States Are Strong; Restaurants Nationwide See Dramatic Decline In Business As The Coronavirus Spreads. Aired 10-11p ET

Aired March 16, 2020 - 22:00   ET

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

[22:00:00]

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: If we do it together, we will get through it together.

Thank you for watching. "CNN TONIGHT" with D. Lemon starts right now.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: I was wondering why I didn't see you this weekend. You had your mom there.

CUOMO: Yes. So, she's out with us right now ruling the roost.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: Christina and she is making sure everything is stable and OK. But you are always welcome. She loves you.

LEMON: Yes, I know. I know. I was going to say, you are when you were saying who is the favorite is, I was saying, you know what, who the real favorite is, but you didn't say it.

CUOMO: Well, listen, she does love you but Andrew is making a strong push right now with what he's doing. But he is (Inaudible) the Bronx for the moment, but he is working hard, and that matters in that family, that's for sure.

LEMON: Yes. I left the house once, and that was to go grab food. That was it the entire weekend.

CUOMO: We can do this, you know. I don't know if you heard what I was saying in the closing. How often that you and I because we like to get out. You and I like to go out, we like to go out and do things outside.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: People watch TV for hours, they binge watch. They have everything delivered at home all the time and now they're being asked to do just that and they're freaking out. LEMON: Yes. It's hard to sit on the couch, though. I mean, look, I'm a

recluse. I can sit on the couch a while. But I do like to get out, but I'm a recluse. So, all those things they were saying about social distancing, I was like, that's -- I kind of do that all the time. You know, I don't have to leave my house.

CUOMO: We can do this. It's not that big a deal. It's not that big a deal. And if we do it for a few weeks it could change this situation.

LEMON: It can. And you know, I had to -- something that I thought about today as I was listening to the president finally saying that it's not done.

And I was talking to one of my friends who is a, you know, die hard Trump supporter who finally admitted that people may have made a different mental calculation and even he would have probably made a different mental calculation that had he not heard it was a hoax, that it was a Democrat hoax, that it was a media hoax early on, that maybe he would have thought about it differently and made some different choices about going on about his businesses and so on and so forth.

If not in January he not been listening to the rallies and listening to the president saying that it was contained and that, you know, it was going to be zero and on, -- you just talked about that.

And I think people around the country may have done the same thing, and you wouldn't get people even now still downplaying it and not believing that they, you know, should be on a beach in Florida for spring break or, you know, out celebrating St. Patrick's day or whatever they're doing in bars. I just, you know, I don't get it.

CUOMO: Well, you get it. And at least now they can listen to the president because at least now he's where everybody else is. You know, as I said at the top of the show, welcome to the pandemic, Mr. President.

You know, now he's telling what reality is forcing him to say. Now the question is what will he do? We have to build up capacity in this country and as individuals we've got to build up capacity to forebear. So we'll see where it goes with this country has got an amazing legacy of making it hard times together.

LEMON: Yes. I got -- I have this paper cups. I was asking like, where's my mug, and they are like paper cups.

CUOMO: Why? They forced me to drink out of a mug tonight.

LEMON: No, they told me paper cups tonight.

CUOMO: They say that the virus adheres to paper much more easily than to ceramic.

LEMON: Yes.

CUOMO: Maybe they're trying to send you a message, Don.

LEMON: No, because you can throw it away. I've got to run. We've got some very important --

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: You are the man, do the show.

LEMON: You as well. I'll see you soon. Be safe, be careful. I'll talk to you soon, sir.

This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

And we do have breaking news. This is the -- we're going to give you the latest numbers on the coronavirus. There are at least -- pay attention to this. This is very important, OK, 4,459 known cases, 4,459 known cases.

Now, let me tell you this -- that's right, 4,459. Am I right, producers? Four thousand four hundred fifty-nine. The reason I say that is because when I wrote this and they printed it, it was 4,431, OK? But right now, by the time I got here they printed it, Chris and I started talking, it's 4,459 known cases in this country right now.

At the end of our show on Friday the last time I saw you Friday night that number was 2,210. The number of cases more than doubling by the weekend. Tonight, you know, that number of people who have died, the known number is 86 people have died. That number when I saw you on Friday was 49.

So, here's another way to look at it. This is the growth in coronavirus cases in just one week. It's shocking.

[22:05:01]

In the face of that, with the numbers soaring the president today announcing new much more stringent guidelines to try to limit the spread of the virus. Guidelines that will change the daily lives of millions of people across this country even more than they have already changed.

The new normal -- the new normal. No more gatherings in groups of more than 10 people. That just one day after the CDC said avoid gatherings of more than 50 people. The White House also asking Americans to stay away from bars, to stay away from restaurants and food courts for the next 15 days. To avoid traveling if at all possible.

But states are adding their own even tougher rules. Here's what Pennsylvania is doing. Pennsylvania is ordering liquor stores to close indefinitely. The Bay Area has a shelter in place order affecting nearly seven million people. And the New York Police Department is warning that patrons and operators of bars and restaurants who refuse to stop serving customers inside their businesses, they can be arrested.

Those businesses are now takeout or delivery only. And in the midst of all this the president after weeks of downplaying this -- downplaying the danger from the coronavirus had a new much more serious tone today. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're announcing new guidelines for every American to follow over the next 15 days as we combat the virus. Each and every one of us has a critical role to play in stopping the spread and transmission of the virus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Admitting what every one of us can see for ourselves just by looking at the number of cases. That we have been telling you on this network for weeks now -- months that this is serious. That you can see that this is not under control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're not saying it's under control, right?

TRUMP: I'm not referring to it meaning the -- yes, if you're talking about the virus, no, that's not under control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, remember it was just one day ago that the president said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a very contagious virus. It's incredible. But it's something we have tremendous control over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So now he's acknowledging the crisis could go through July or August or even longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the new normal until --

TRUMP: We'll see what happens but they think August, could be July, could be longer than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And we are learning more tonight about what may have led to the president's new more somber tone today. A member of the administration telling CNN health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx made the case that the White House needed to encourage Americans to change their behavior to stop the spread of the virus.

But the president's new attitude apparently only goes so far. He is still tweeting tonight about what he calls the Chinese virus. Even though there are now more reported cases outside of mainland China than inside. And he is giving himself top marks for the way he has responded to the crisis so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very simple question. Does the buck stop with you, and on a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your response to this crisis?

TRUMP: I'd rate it a 10. I think we've done a great job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: But the most important facts in all of this, facts the president now admitting the coronavirus is not under control in this country. And each one of us is going to have to take it seriously. Even if the new guidelines, avoiding groups of more than 10 people, not going to restaurants, avoiding travel seem inconvenient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Some may look at them and say they're going to be really inconvenient for people. Some will look and say well maybe we've gone a little bit too far. It isn't an overreaction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He is right. It is not an overreaction. Let us remember what Dr. Anthony Fauci said just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you thinking that hundreds of thousands of Americans could die from this?

FAUCI: You know I say that and it sometimes gets taken out of context, but we have to be realistic and honest. Yes, it is possible. Our job, our challenge is to try and make that not happen. But to think if we go about our daily lives and not worry about everything that it's not going to happen, it could happen and it could be worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[22:10:07]

LEMON: Sobering words indeed. Dr. Anthony Fauci saying if we don't take the precautions that we all know we should, more people could die. The death toll in this country could be worse than hundreds of thousands. Worse. It's almost inconceivable.

So, yes, we avoid groups of more than 10. We close schools, houses of worship. We shutdown theaters, libraries, sporting events. We wash our hands. We look for ways to help our neighbors without endangering their health.

This is the new normal. Even here in this studio. Take a look. We are sitting farther apart. You'll see more guests, social distancing and joining us from home. All of us in the studio, we wash our hands before we come in. We've got sanitizer here. We are -- you see it. Saw it in the wide shot. We have it on the desk. We wash the desk down between guests to keep everybody as safe as we possibly can.

But we're here because it is so important for you to have the facts. We have been here telling you every single day on this network, 24- hour news channel telling you this. Doing town halls, preparing you, giving you the information, trying to not let guests get distracted. Or tried to give you wrong information or let the president give you false information or downplay it.

That's what we have been doing here. Not fake news, real news. And the fact is lots of people are dealing with much more than that. Some of you are at home right now are worrying. You're worrying about yourself, you're worrying about your kids, you're worrying about your elderly loved ones.

Peoples jobs are at risk. More than half of American jobs according to an analysis from Moody's last week, there are people who don't know where their next meal is coming from. We could all think about that when we feel inconvenienced. The virus doesn't care what state you're in. It doesn't care whether you're Republican, it doesn't care whether you're Democrat or independent. Does not care.

It doesn't care what race you are, it doesn't care whether you support the president or not. We are all Americans. We are all in this together. And we all need to do everything we can to stay safe and to keep our neighbors safe. One America at this point.

Let's bring in our correspondent, our White House correspondent Mr. John Harwood, business anchor Richard Quest, and Dr. Richard Besser who is in the studio with me, the former acting director of the CDC. Thank you all so much for joining us. I appreciate it. John, how you doing?

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good.

LEMON: So, reality appears, correct me if I'm wrong, to be setting in with the president of the United States that this crisis is getting worse, that this crisis is real. Do we know what happened to change his tone today?

HARWOOD: I think a couple of things, Don. First of all, the society as a whole bottom up was racing past where the administration was. And so, the NBA, March madness, Disneyland, Broadway, school superintendents around the country, governors Democratic and Republican were acting to shutdown much of daily life. No president can ignore that for long. That's a reality check.

Second of all, you had people like Anthony Fauci increasingly volubly in his presence say -- talk about the need for tougher action, and Anthony Fauci has got a very strong reputation around the country.

And third, I think the president was very struck by what's happened in the markets in the last couple of days. Remember on Friday he had that news conference 30 minutes before the market closed. It went way up. Saturday, he came into the briefing room celebrating, said I was honored by the market reaction to my news conference, it was fantastic.

[22:15:02]

Then he called for the Fed to act. On Sunday the fed did act. He came into the briefing room again, said I'm very happy the Fed is active, this is what we need for the economy. And what happened today? A brutal plunge in the markets. Frightening investors everywhere, ordinary Americans, people who have 401ks.

And I think that one had a very sobering effect on the president, so when he came out for that news conference today, he said what he said to Kaitlan that, no, I wasn't saying it was under control. He said, yes, we may be heading into a recession. It was simply a different tone, a different effect of the president. I think events pulled him there.

LEMON: Doctor Besser, thank you for joining us, especially here in the studio. Did I get anything wrong in my opening?

RICHARD BESSER, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, CDC: Well, that's a, that's a big. I don't think you got anything wrong. I think that one of the things that is so incredibly challenging with this pandemic is the idea that 80 percent of the people who get this will either have no symptoms or mild symptoms.

And all of these things you're talking about us doing that are so important to do, we're doing that to protect those people at risk of very severe illness and death. And so, you've got this balance between really wanting to motivate people to do the right thing and stay home and shelter in place, while at the same time wanting them to understand that for most of them, for most of them this is not going to be serious illness.

LEMON: Right.

BESSER: And that's telling.

LEMON: But it's to protect the people with underlying conditions.

BESSER: Exactly. The elderly, our parents, our grandparents.

LEMON: Right.

BESSER: Yes.

LEMON: But you still don't know. We still don't because this is a, that's why it's called novel because we don't know its effects.

BESSER: There's so much we don't know.

LEMON: We don't know.

BESSER: Yes. LEMON: Right. The president is saying that fighting the outbreak could

last until July, August or even beyond. So, we're already closing schools, we're closing gyms, bars, and restaurants. I can't -- you know, how know how -- how long could this last.

BESSER: Yes. I think --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: You said there are so many unknown.

BESSER: I think it's really hard to predict. You know, what we can do and what I know the CDC is doing is looking at what's taking place in countries that saw this first.

So, you can look at the time course of what happened in China, in Hong Kong, in Singapore and Italy and that can give you some sense, anyway as to what the time course could look like. So as things lighten up in those countries and they start to ease restrictions and let people come together, that will give you a better sense.

But we are a big -- we are a large country, and what happens in a pandemic, it doesn't come in all at once. You'll see it start in one place like we're seeing in Seattle and then move to another place.

LEMON: Right.

BESSER: So, each one is in its own time course. So, you may see things lighten up in one place while other things are still under tight social distancing.

LEMON: So that whole warm weather thing it sounds like --

BESSER: Well, you know, it's a theory. Some viruses when the weather gets warm, they do tend to go away. But you can't plan on that, you can't count on that. I don't know if any --

LEMON: Because we don't know.

BESSER: Exactly.

LEMON: Because we don't know.

BESSER: Exactly.

LEMON: Richard quest, I want to bring you in. The Dow cratered and you heard John talk about it, falling nearly 3,000 points so as the president expressed that we may be heading into a recession. And usually, you know, they come out later in it day. They did it on Friday, and we talked about it. It was kind of a sugar rush. They talked right through the closing hoping that would raise the Dow on Friday. It didn't happen today.

And, you know, today that happened even after the Feds cut rates. They can't barely cut them anymore. How likely are we headed towards a global recession right now? RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It's just about -- it's

just about a certainty. You know, somebody will no doubt say well, it may not, it may. But you can't have this level of disruption without having a serious economic effect, in other words, a recession.

China has already slowed down. In Europe you have major economies literally ground to a standstill. France, Spain and Italy. The U.K. will grind to a halt in the next couple of weeks. And now large parts of the United States are doing similarly.

Growth was weakening anyway in most of the world. So, yes, I'm afraid you are looking at a recession. And even if you -- even if by some God's grace we manage to miss the technical definition of two quarters of negative growth, it won't make any difference, Don. It will feel like a recession.

Jobs are going to go in the United States by the hundreds of thousands. And it's really up to the administration and how it plays it. Because the virus will come to an end at some point this summer, and it is how the administration puts the building blocks for the recovery that is just as important once of course people are safe.

LEMON: Let's talk about --

(CROSSTALK)

HARWOOD: Hey, Don.

LEMON: John, go ahead.

HARWOOD: Just to -- just to add to Richard's point, Kevin Hassett, the former top economic advisor to President Trump said on our air this morning that we could be down in March a million jobs. That is an extraordinary level of drop.

[22:20:09]

And as Richard said even if we don't have two consecutive quarters of negative growth, we might have one quarter of growth so deep that it's classified as a recession.

LEMON: Wow. Richard, quickly if you will. Before I take a break here, can you talk to me because I think one of the hardest hit is going to be the airlines. What is that going to mean for the larger economy?

QUEST: I can't overstate the perilous situation of the airlines globally. The U.S. actually fundamentally is in a better position. The airlines in America were doing very well and they are robust, and their balance streets are strong. But the job losses are going to be high. The root networks are being destroyed.

You're talking about airlines flying one flight where they flew 10, so that will ripple through the economy. If there is one industry that probably does deserve government help tonight -- two, give me two. I'll take the airline industry and the cruise industry. LEMON: Yes. And not far behind though, the service industry as well,

meaning restaurants because they are -- they're closed for at least a couple of weeks.

QUEST: Well, yes.

LEMON: Waiters and service people.

QUEST: I mean --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Richard, I've got to go but thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. Richard Quest, thank you very much. John, thank you very much as well. Dr. Besser is going to stick with us. We've got some viewer questions for you. Like, how do you self-quarantine when you live with three family members? We'll be right back.

[22:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The White House is putting out much stricter guidelines for Americans as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. President Trump warning people to avoid groups of 10 or more to stay away from bars, restaurants and food courts and saying schools and areas with community spread should close.

Back with me now Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting director of the CDC. So good to have you with us.

So, Dr. Besser, I want you to check out this video. It's a crowded beach down in Florida tonight. It's understandable people probably think it's OK to be outside when they can't be at school or restaurants or anywhere else, but is it safe for people to be doing this to be outside or not?

BESSER: Well, you know, it's that challenge that I was talking to you about before. It's that for most of those people if they get this illness it's not going to be severe. But what they can do is pick this up and bring it back to someone who is at great risk.

LEMON: Yes.

BESSER: And so, we have to motivate people to do the right thing for those around them. And that can be sometimes a challenging to do.

LEMON: Why can't some people do these guidelines?

BESSER: Well, you know, if you look at what we're being asked to do, stay home if you're sick, keep your kids from school if they're sick. There are millions of people in America that if they don't work, there's no food on the table. They're not able to pay the rent.

In particular, it hits communities of color harder than other communities. And we have to address that. Congress has to address that so that everybody can do the things that are recommended. If it's recommended that everyone in America do these things, let's make it so everyone in America can do it.

LEMON: OK, I want you to take a look at this chart. It's from the Washington Post comparing the growth and confirmed coronavirus cases since the 500 cases in the U.S. versus Italy and South Korea. The Post Philip Bump points out that Italy and South Korea diverged at about the point the U.S. is now. Is there a lesson here in terms of how we respond? Do you see that?

BESSER: Well, you know, it can be really challenging. One of the things about the numbers right now that make it really hard to interpret is that we are at a point where we don't have many test kits out there. And so, as soon as we start testing people, the numbers just from that alone are going to go sky high. Not all of those are going to be new cases. Some of those were cases that were around that we're finally catching up with.

So, this week, you know, if the administration comes through and has more test kits, the numbers will skyrocket. In addition, we're going to be seeing increased transmission.

LEMON: OK, doctor, we wanted to spend more time with you but we have some breaking news that we have to get to. So, we thank you for your time for spending some time with us now and before the break as well. So, we appreciate it.

But our breaking news is they have ordered the polls closed tomorrow in Ohio's primary. We're going to get to that right after this very quick break. Our thanks again to Dr. Besser. We'll be right back.

[22:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Here's our breaking news tonight. On the eve of tomorrow's Democratic primary Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says the state's health director will order the polls closed tomorrow, and I quote here, as a health emergency. CNN's Dianne Gallagher joins me now. Diane, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. This is huge news. What can you tell us about this decision?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Don. And look, we've been following this since early this afternoon when the governor announced that he did not think that it was safe or it was a health issue for them to go through with this primary tomorrow. I want to read the statement that just came down from him here. He said to conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus.

As such, Health director Dr. Amy Acton will order the polls closed as a health emergency. Now, Don, we're still trying to work through what exactly this means here, because a few hours ago a judge actually ruled against what the governor was recommending here and said that the primary had to continue, they could not postpone it. Initially the governor and his Secretary of State had come out and said they wanted to postpone the election until June 2nd, because of concerns over the health of not just the voters but these poll workers, people who are going to be there for 13 hours tomorrow.

And the judge said, I'm sorry, you haven't proved that. But now the governor appearing to say instead they're calling it a health emergency. Again, Don, we're still trying to work through exactly what this means and whether or not people will be able to vote tomorrow.

LEMON: OK. Thank you so much. I appreciate that reporting. And speaking of -- I have the Ohio Secretary of State on the phone right now, Frank LaRose.

Frank, thank you for joining us. Closing an election, I mean, that is a very big deal. There will be a lot of questions about this decision. First of all, good evening to you. Why was your election called off? Why was it been called off, sir?

FRANK LAROSE, OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: Yeah, thank you, Don. So as of last night we'd been taking advice from public health officials that were telling us that it was safe for both voters and poll workers to come to the polls on Tuesday. We were prepared to run elections. That advice changed radically this morning.

I received a call from the governor and the lieutenant governor and the health director, and they made it clear that with the new CDC guidance limiting mass gatherings to no more than 50 persons and with the guidance that Ohioans over 65 should not venture out unless they had an absolute necessity to do so, that it was simply not going to be possible to conduct an election in a way that was going to be safe for Ohioans.

[22:35:00]

And so as you saw tonight, the health director made an order. I responded by sending out a directive which effectively tells the Boards of Election that we are going to comply with the health director's order. That was a difficult decision, ultimately, I think the right decision. Because again the only thing that takes precedence over a free and fair election, the only thing would be the health and safety of Ohioans. And that's exactly what the decision that the governor had to make tonight was, that's the decision that Dr. (inaudible), had to make.

That's what decisive leadership requires during a challenging time like this. And what I directed the boards to prepare for is to conduct an election on June 2nd. That gives us time to continue accepting vote by mail ballots and then to have in-person voting on June 2nd. It's important that we create a sense of certainty about that for the people of Ohio. And I look forward to doing what we do best here and that's making sure that we run a free and fair election.

LEMON: OK. Let me jump in here, because there's a couple of things I want to talk to you about. I want to talk to you about the vote by mail thing, and then you said in-person voting on June 2nd is what you want. I see that there's -- I have a statement here from the governor, Mike DeWine saying, during this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis to conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers -- you have two woulds in there so you may want to correct that. Would force poll workers and voters to place themselves unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus, as such Health Director Amy Acten will order the polls closed as a health emergency. And then you go on.

OK, so, listen. One thing. How can the health director order the polls closed when a judge just said a few hours ago tonight that they should stay open? I mean, why didn't you appeal, go through the courts? Tell us. Take us through that.

LAROSE: Again, Don, what the health director has is broad authority to protect the health of Ohioans. There's a reason why that was created in law, because in a public health emergencies such as this. Difficult decisions are going to be need to be made. Again, the question about whether, you know, to go on with challenging this and appealing to courts in the middle of the night would create more uncertainty.

The governor's decision, I think was a wise one to create some finality here so that poll workers know that we're not going to order them to go to the polls tomorrow morning when it is detrimental to their health.

LEMON: So that's not a violation of the judge's orders?

LAROSE: Again, I'm not an attorney. So, I'm not going to be the one to figure that up. But I will say the 35,000 Ohioans who are set to work the polls tomorrow were waiting for some closure and some finality on this. I think the governor's order does that. I think that my directive lays out the path forward. There will be an election. The people of Ohio will have a chance to make their voice heard and that's exactly what we are focusing on.

LEMON: All right. Let's talk more about that. Because Democrats in Ohio supported this decision earlier today, but wanted the state to explore more as you just discussed. Vote by mail options going forward, and much earlier than June 2nd. So talk to me about that.

LAROSE: So Ohio has actually a long history of vote by mail. We've been a leader on this. It's something Ohioans are comfortable with. And what this would do if we conducted the election under my directive. It was sent out on June 2nd, as we would have a very long period of vote by mail effectively for the next 10 weeks or so, and then this gets us to at least as far-out as we can.

Because remember the Democratic convention is on July 13th. We owe them a list of delegates. And so in order for that to happen and for the final tabulation of results and certification that results to happen June 2nd is the day that I thought best to hopefully get us past this public health crisis that we have. Again, the decisive action that the governor took should create a scenario where that can be the case. And that was -- that's our goal.

LEMON: So the governor is a Republican. He has canceled or delayed a Democratic primary. Are you prepared to answer questions about whether there is any partisanship to this decision?

LAROSE: Yes. Don, to be clear this is both a Republican and Democratic primary. Of course the contest on the Democratic side is perhaps more aggressive right now. But there are Republican candidates running in primaries at the state legislative level, at the local level. And so there's both a Republican and Democratic primary going on.

And I want to be clear that here in Ohio we've really been working together in a bipartisan way. I've been on the phone with the Democratic chairman and the Republican chairman throughout the entirety of this, because this is one of those moments where really it's not about one party or the another, it's about making sure that we can have a fair election and a safe election.

LEMON: Yes, well, you know, the country is paying attention to the presidential race, so that's why I asked that question.

LAROSE: Sure. Absolutely.

LEMON: Thank you Frank LaRose, I appreciate the Ohio Secretary of State. Ohio is moving its primary -- it's canceling its primary tomorrow, and it's going to be on June 2nd. So stay tuned. Again, our thanks to Frank Larose, the Ohio Secretary of State.

[22:40:04]

Now I want to turn to President Trump's call today for the nation's governors to try to shore up the response to coronavirus. Several governors raising concerns that the health care system could be overwhelmed if cases continue to surge.

So joining me now by phone is Colorado Governor Jared Polis. He was on the call with the president today. I know it's a very busy time for you. So, we appreciate that you can join us by phone, governor. How are you doing?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Well, you know, Don, we're doing the best we can. This going to be tough and get worse before it gets better, but we'll make it through it.

LEMON: So you announced today the suspension of dine-in services at Colorado restaurants and bars for 30 days along with the closure of gyms, casinos and theaters, very similar to what's happening in the tristate area here in New York. You've ordered the closure of ski resorts. Is that enough to stop this deadly virus, you think?

POLIS: Well, you know, it's still expanding, Don. I mean, we're up to about 160 cases now. I think we've done a few more task and we're a little bit ahead of the curve.

Still, you know, the whole country is far behind on that. But this kind of social distancing is exactly what the scientists, the epidemiologists and others say we need to do to really change this trajectory and save lives and ultimately that's also about saving jobs. The sooner we can get through this and the better that that curve can be and the less pain, misery and death that happens the sooner we can recover our normal way of life.

LEMON: So, listen. We've learning with some of the call today and even the president tweeting some of it as well. The president telling governors in a call today that the states should try to get respirators and other medical devices on their own. Do you think the federal government should be spearheading this? Are the states at risk of being pitted against each other? Governor, are you there?

We lost Governor Jared Polis. Governor Jared Polis, one of obviously -- all the governors in the United States on a call with the president today, trying to get a handle on the coronavirus. It's really taken the toll on this country. As of now at least, 459 cases of the novel coronavirus hitting around the country and so 86 people have died.

Again the governor joined us just a moment ago. We have lost him on the phone. We're going to try to get him back if we can. But anxious shoppers are clearing off grocery shelves around the country. We're going to take a look at that and how these stores are getting more supplies and if that supply chain could eventually break down. We'll be right back.

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[22:45:00]

LEMON: Super markets across the country are reporting empty shelves as Americans stock up on groceries and supplies. The White House says that supply chains in the U.S. are strong. Americans are being urged not to horde food and essential items. Here's CNN's Martin Savidge.

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Panic shoppers picking shelves clean, stores closing early just so they can restock shelves. Restaurants limited to just carry out. Coronavirus fears have Americans worrying about the once unthinkable. Could it soon be hard to find food in the U.S.?

SYLVESTER TURNER, HOUSTON MAYOR: No need to rush into the stores as if all of the food will be gone and there won't be any left to restock. No. No problem with the food supply chain, and they will be able to restock the shelves.

SAVIDGE: Officials with Morton Williams supermarkets in New York say traffic in their stores is up 300 to 400 percent. Online grocery delivery service Instacart, says it saw its highest customer demand in the company's history this past weekend with customers downloading the app as much as four times the normal rate. Twice Monday, President Trump tweeted to try to quell shortage peers, support your neighbors by not hording said one. And we are confident that supply will continue to meet demand nationwide, said the other.

On Sunday the president spoke by phone with more than two dozen grocery store and supply chain executives.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had a large conversation with them, and they've -- they're going to work 24 hours around the clock keeping their stores stocked.

SAVIDGE: The problem isn't a shortage. Warehouses are full of nonperishable foods enough to last for months. But health care and consumer industry groups are sounding the alarm, the supply chain could break down as more and more Americans stay home or fall ill, leaving fewer and fewer workers able to make, process, pack and deliver. And that's not all. Groups representing such household names as Clorox, Procter and Gamble and Pepsi fear other countries cutting off exports to the U.S. In order to keep supplies for their own sick populations.

India, a major supplier of many drug ingredients to the U.S. has already limited exports of the painkiller Acetaminophen. Germany has banned the export of protective equipment like masks, gloves, and suits. Then there are other millions of students who depend on meals from school lunch and breakfast programs. As states shutdown schools indefinitely, fears grow kids could go hungry.

In Texas hundreds lined up for food handouts organized by public schools in Houston. Similar programs are starting up all over the country. In Atlanta, Pat Yearta, was grateful for the food for children like her 7-year-old grandson.

PAT YEARTA, PARENT: Parents can't afford to get the food. Yeah, there's food stamps, but they do run out. So, I think it's a good program that they're offering to the kids.

SAVIDGE: Meanwhile food banks and food pantries are drafting emergency coronavirus response plans as officials worry the hunger safety net for a whole population of Americans could soon be overwhelmed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Martin Savidge. A lot of people are worried about all this. But some leaders in the food industry are taking care to help out. And two of them are here. Tom Colicchio and Alexa Arnold. They're next.

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LEMON: Americans are picking grocery store shelves clean. Many worried about if they'll have enough food if they're confined to their homes for weeks. A lot to talk about now with Tom Colicchio, a chef and owner Craft Hospitality and Alexa Arnold, the Deputy Director of Strategy and Partnership at FoodCorps.

[22:55:03]

Thank you both for joining us. So, Tom, times like this this uncertainty. You know, one is stacking the food, it's is a primal urge. Why do people just rushing out to the stores and dealing all this -- and even toilet paper.

TOM COLICCHIO, CHEF/OWNER, CRAFT HOSPITALITY: Well, people are panicked. They don't know if, you know, supply lines are going to be cut. And they're not. We have a robust food system in this country. Food will be there. People are just panicking right now and I think that's why.

LEMON: Listen. There's some people who can't stock up. Let's talk about kids, right. More than 20 million kids rely on school cafeterias for their food and unfortunately though, a lot of schools are trying to keep their -- up their role to feed kids. The cafeterias are staying open, they're trying their best to do it.

ALEXA ARNOLD, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND PARTNERSHIP AT FOODCORPS: That's right. Yes. Thank you so much for raising this issue, Don. For clarity, we connect kid to healthy food in schools every single day. And what we are seeing across the country right now is that this crisis is really shining a light on the structural inequity in our public health and our education system. 22 million kids rely on school meals.

That's a problem. That's a national challenge every single day. And school nutrition directors, the professionals who serve meals to kids every single day across this country, they are rising to this challenge with brilliance, with creativity, with resilience and the fact of the matter is they need support.

We need a federal response to this. We need the Senate to pass the coronavirus response act right now. To put into action to take action and support these professionals in feeding kids. And frankly supporting families and kids who are suffering right now. And you know, they're experiencing food insecurity and when they're faced with issues, families go hungry and lose a critical safety net.

LEMON: Listen. This is one of the most important things we'll going to talk about. It says, the health aspect of this, John, and that's because we have got the restaurant industry. We've got bartenders, we've got waiters, we've got busboys, we've got waitresses, we've got cleaning staff, we have hosts, hostesses. You were telling me you laid off, what?

COLICCHIO: In the last couple days about 300 people.

LEMON: And that's just you.

COLICCHIO: That's just my restaurant, yes. And so what we need right now is we need leadership. And the problem right now is that our president is not providing leadership and it should be relegated to ribbon cuttings and holding his rallies. And what we are seeing that was community leaders coming together and filling in that gap.

You know, this idea of America being rugged individuals. That has to stop. You know, for years we heard that big government is bad and we want to shrink it down to a size that we can down it in the bathtub, and we're drowning in the bathtub right now.

It's not about big government, it's about smart governments. It's about government that knows how to respond to crisis. Crisis that are happening every single day and this is unveiling that. The structures that aren't holding. And right now what we need is we need a massive release by the government. We need universal UBI. We need people to have cash in their pocket so that they can spend money when things start to open up.

LEMON: Real quickly, because I have to go. How many jobs are we talking about? You said, just you 300.

COLICCHIO: I think -- I think the hospitality, you know, in the last couple of days probably lost a million jobs and just in hospitality.

LEMON: And how many restaurants you think?

COLICCHIO: If 75 percent of the restaurants get back open after this I would be surprised. We are looking at a massive, massive problem. We need small businesses when it comes time to open up we need cash to get these restaurants back open. We need rent relief. A massive under taking. To the scale -- this is our generations World War II moment. And we need to rise to it.

LEMON: Thank you, Tom. Thank you, Alexa.

ARNOLDS: Thank you so much.

LEMON: I appreciate it. We'll be right back.

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