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Barack Obama Calls White House Response To Pandemic A "Chaotic Disaster"; Gov. Cuomo: Illness That May Be COVID-19-Related Takes Three Young Lives; Fed Agency: Vaccine Chief Removal May Have Been Retaliation; U.S. Hits Worst Unemployment Rate Since Great Depression; Diane Swonk, Grant Thornton Chief Economist, Discusses U.S. Hitting Worst Unemployment Since Great Depression; California Governor Says About 70 Percent Of State Can Reopen. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired May 09, 2020 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:06]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin with a staggering new coronavirus death toll here in the U.S., the number now surpassing 77,000 with more than 1.2 million confirmed infections. Despite that, 47 states are at least partially reopening for business this weekend without having met government guidelines on reopening safely.

We are also learning about a new case involving someone close to President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump's personal assistant has now tested positive for coronavirus. The news coming just hours after Vice President Mike Pence's Press Secretary Katie Miller tested positive. She's on the right as you see right there in that image not wearing a mask. This photo was taken on Thursday before her test.

Meantime, former President Barack Obama is speaking out about the pandemic in a private call to former members of his administration. Obama had some harsh words for the way the crisis is being handled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we're going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party. But what we're fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided and seeing others as an enemy that has become a stronger impulse in American life.

And by the way, you know, we're seeing that internationally as well. And it's part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty. And it would have been bad even with the best of governments, it has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset of what's in it for me and to heck with everybody else -- when that mindset is operationalized in our government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's start our coverage at the White House with CNN's Kristen Holmes. Kristin, the White House is now responding to that assessment from the former president.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Just a few moments ago, we got a statement from the Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, which surprisingly did not mention the former president. However, it did not surprisingly slam Democrats and it touted President Trump's response to coronavirus.

But there's a lot to really break down in these comments, part of it being that this is really the harshest criticism that we've heard from the former president of the current administration to date. And it really starting to give us a look at what kind of role the former president might be playing when it comes to campaigning for Joe Biden ahead of that November election.

This was a private call, Yahoo News obtained the audio and CNN confirmed it with the Obama Alumni Association, and sources confirmed to our Jeff Zeleny at that this call was really to encourage these ex- staffers to be more involved in the Biden campaign. So, one thing we'll be watching closely is to see if whether or not this is just the first step of President Obama's foray into campaigning ahead of November.

The other thing I want to note here is that this comes after an incredibly chaotic week at the White House. There has been criticism and pushback on the administration for the last several months on their handling of coronavirus.

But this week in particular, a time in which the Trump administration was really pushing states to reopen, we saw those dire unemployment numbers getting two positive cases of coronavirus here on White House grounds causing many to be concerned that there was not enough safety in place in their home states. If it a place where there's testing every single day with access to the president and the vice president, there could be two positive cases there now.

So again, another very chaotic week in the Washington -- in the White House, these remarks are just part of that.

WHITFIELD: Alright, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much. Let's talk more about this. I want to bring in CNN Political Commentator and former Communications Director for President Obama, Jen Psaki.

Jen, good to see you.

All right, so we just heard -- you know, the former President Obama they're describing -- you know, from his vantage point, the crisis, the handling of it, not just the U.S. but you know, globally. He used words like -- you know, we're seeing long term trends of being selfish, tribal and divided. He goes on to say in American life and internationally. Why do you suppose he is conveying his message in this manner?

[13:05:05]

JEN PSAKI, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think Fredricka the purpose of the call was to make the direct ask to the big Obama family, that they need to get involved, more involved, raising money organizing online, whatever it may be, that's why he --

WHITFIELD: For Biden?

PSAKI: Exactly for Joe Biden -- for Joe Biden, and that was exactly the purpose.

So clearly, former President Obama had a lot to get off his chest, no surprise. He hasn't been out there talking a lot publicly about a lot of these issues. But some of the words that I think people heard from him last night are concerns he's had for some time, even before Trump, the move toward tribalism, the move toward not being able to work together.

But the Trump administration and the Trump the last three years have really sharpened that. And I think hearing him talk about the global pandemic and how disastrous this has been, it would have been hard for any president as you played in your clip, but it's been even worse, is meant to really sharpen how serious the stakes are right now.

So clearly, he had a lot he wanted to say, though, I think we heard that on the call.

WHITFIELD: Right. I mean, so he was speaking -- you know, top of mind, but then -- you know, would you say in a very careful and dignified manner -- you know, he was a critical of this administration and even global response.

And is this also in a way, his way of kind of clearing the record, you know? Because the Obama administration had a concerted plan in place in preparation for the pandemic and this administration has -- you know, said it inherited nothing, there was no framework, there was no -- you know, anything.

PSAKI: I think we know the facts. The facts make pretty clear that that's just not the case, what the administration is claiming whether it's the president or the press secretary or anything or any of them. You know, we know we had a plan in place and there are dozens if not more people who have confirmed to that. And they defunded a lot of the people who would have implemented this plan in a far better manner.

This -- that wasn't on the mind of President Obama. I think he's watching this as many people are. And he's pretty horrified by how this has been handled. And the fact that there isn't a plan in place to handle this moving forward.

So I think he's speaking for millions of Americans and that's what he was doing last night and he was conveying to his big family of people who had worked for him for many years. I needed to be active because look at how serious the stakes are and the global pandemic and the mishandling that is just a reminder of it.

WHITFIELD: Yes, also top of mind, was the Attorney General -- you know, William Barr's -- you know, dropping of charges, having the Department of Justice dropped the charges of Michael Flynn, even though he -- you know, pleaded guilty and President Obama -- you know, said this in the call last night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who's been charged with perjury, getting off scot free. That's the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic -- not just institutional norms, but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Now the former president, also a constitutional law, professor and expert. Do you think this was his hope? You know, that his thoughts would get out in this manner?

PSAKI: I don't think he thinks that way. I know he doesn't think that way. I worked for him for 10 years and he certainly wasn't engaged with the mechanics of tapes leaking or whatever it may be.

So you know, he spoke pretty freely during this call, which had a big group of people on it, somebody recorded it, and his words got out. But that's reflective of how he feels, you know. I think he's watching and the words you just played there in that clip, he's thinking of places like Turkey or autocratic leaders around the world who have really let the rule of law slip.

And he's saying, look, this could get much worse from right now we're letting a guy who admitted to lying to the FBI off the hook, what's next? And I think that's the warning he's saying there. And I bet you he would say that in a public forum as well.

WHITFIELD: And then when you -- you know, ask what's next? What do you suppose is next for the former president's involvement in the Joe Biden campaign? That was kind of the precipice of the whole phone call and he says you all need to get involved. But do you think this is just the beginning of perhaps a more aggressive approach that the former president will have to campaign for Joe Biden?

PSAKI: I do Fredricka, and that has always been the plan. The plan has always been to be fully engaged out on the road, out on the trail. Obviously, the pandemic has changed things, but I think he's going to be doing basically everything that Joe Biden team asks him to do. He has every stake in Joe Biden winning this election, not because he's just an old friend and somebody he trusts and thinks will be a great president, but because he wants to get Donald Trump out of office. And he gave some reminders of why on the call last night.

[13:10:10]

WHITFIELD: All right, Jen Psaki, good to see you. Thank you so much, stay well.

PSAKI: Thanks to you too.

WHITFIELD: All right, more to come in the CNN NEWSROOM, coronavirus cases are dropping in New York but Governor Cuomo flags concerning symptoms developing in some children. And Rock n' Roll is mourning the loss of a legend, Little Richard. More in his remarkable career, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says health officials are investigating a disturbing new development in this pandemic. Dozens of children in his state are exhibiting symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes persistent fever, swelling of the hands and feet and redness in both eyes. And three New York children have died.

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro joins us now with more on this, Evan.

[13:14:49]

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Governor Cuomo, in his press conference today first talked about the existing tragedy here in New York. Expanding on information the city is learning about who is being affected by COVID-19 and finding out that most of the people who are -- you know, that the hardest-hit areas are minority and low- income areas. And debuting new ways to try and attack that problem with new testing sites at churches and new -- PPE distribution.

But he also spoke about more information on this thing. He's first mentioned yesterday which is a new disease that appears to be affecting children. It could be related to COVID, it's very early days. We don't know anything much about it yet, but the governor saying that this new disease, which affects people in very, very young ages. We've seen two deaths announced yesterday of two boys under 10 is a potential new tragedy that's coming here to New York on the winds of this coronavirus pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): This is the last thing that we need at this time with all that's going on, with all the anxiety we have. Now, for parents that have to worry about whether or not their youngster was infected.

And again, symptoms that don't even seen. Like the symptoms, we associate with COVID-19. So, we still have a lot to learn about this virus, and every day is another eye-opening situation. But rest assured the Department of Health is doing everything that they can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: So, look, it's very early days of this new conversation, the governor saying today that the Department of Health in New York will be working with New York City hospitals and the CDC to create a national guideline system for other hospitals across the country to check into this.

You know, we're not sure exactly what we're looking at yet, but a sign from the governor that, look, this thing isn't over yet, and there might be a new wrinkle coming.

WHITFIELD: All right. Evan McMorris-Santoro, thank you so much.

Dr. Esther Choo is an associate professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, and she joins us now from Portland. Good to see you, doctor.

DR. ESTHER CHOO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so, for weeks now, you know, parents fears -- you know, were ease by reports that children were not being hit very hard by this virus, and now you hear, you know, this kind of information coming from the New York governor, and this just, you know, raises and heightens the concerns of all parents out there.

So, what is this say to you? Does this say that it's a different strain of the coronavirus or that, you know, that virus just shows itself, affects people differently?

CHOO: Yes, I think it's the latter. I mean Kawasaki disease is not a new thing. We've seen it around for a long time. It's relatively rare and generally occurs after some sort of viral illness.

I think what we're seeing is as the numbers climb in this country, even things that are relatively rare will have lots of absolute numbers, and we will start to see, you know, enough to have entire clusters of cases like this.

So, you know, when it first came out, we said children aren't at risk, and of course, we've had many children be very ill and die of COVID-19 now. And now, along with that, we'll see some unusual complications like this, and we're not done.

Obviously, as the numbers increase, we're going to see the whole gamut of disease from, you know, they'll be kind of a classic presentation, and then, we'll see these really unusual things, and we'll see -- we'll see lots of them just because that's where we are with the sheer numbers of people.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that's what makes it even more alarming. So, what should we as parents be looking for?

CHOO: Yes, I mean, I think that part hasn't changed. You know, I think stay being mindful of when our kids are beyond the usual amount of, I have a cold, ill. Knowing that our pediatricians are accessible, they've shifted largely over to digital visits -- digital health visits and emergency rooms are open.

You know, if our kids are ill and we feel like this isn't -- you know, this isn't just a regular fever, they are looking really sick, they're not being themselves, the regular things that we do to support our kids when they have normal seasonal viruses and flus are not working, we need to reach out and seek higher-level care because things like Kawasaki disease require in-hospital care and some advanced types of treatments.

WHITFIELD: New York's Governor Cuomo called, you know, this a -- you know, disturbing trend. How do you assess it?

CHOO: Well, it is -- I mean, it's always going to be disturbing when we see how it affects our youngest ones. And certainly, to start seeing these very serious complications and deaths among our children, it is disturbing, it should be disturbing, and it should be a reminder to us that this is not a benign disease, this is not just another flu. There are some really serious complications that as a society we are not -- you know, that we are not willing to handle.

[13:20:13]

CHOO: So, I think when it, it might be a prompt for us to take this a little more seriously. And to really try to adhere to best public health practices because, you know, it's not just -- you know, it's really going to start -- these kind of things will start happening to our kids, to kids we know.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CHOO: And we will really regret it if we don't do our best for them.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. And this as you know, parents are trying to figure out summer camp on, off, and then what about the return to school possibly in the fall? So, these are really big concerns.

Let me ask you about something else too that's become very concerning to many.

CHOO: They are.

WHITFIELD: The investigative office, you know, reviewing the whistleblower complaint of former federal vaccine chief, Dr. Richard Bright. You know, as determined that there is reason to believe that he was removed out of retaliation.

I want you to listen to what Dr. Bright said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BRIGHT, FORMER FEDERAL VACCINE CHIEF: I am not disgruntled. I am frustrated at a lack of leadership. I am frustrated at a lack of urgency to get a head start on developing life-saving tools for Americans. I'm frustrated at our inability to be heard as scientists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, he was talking to CBS. What are you hoping might come next after he has been -- Dr. Bright has been so candid and aired his frustrations like that?

CHOO: Yes, I mean his voice is -- I mean he could be speaking for -- I mean, so many of my colleagues in this time, and we -- these are the conversations we're having amongst ourselves behind the scenes that after watching how this whole thing has played out for several months now. I mean, frustrated, angry, exhausted, disappointed, all those words are the things that just come up over and over again. I mean, those are kind of mild terms for what we're feeling. And I think it is so important to be critical as we move forward. I'm not saying that we can't celebrate successes and have hope, but let's be really self- critical here as a country.

We fell behind on testing, we fell behind on the basic resources and equipment that we needed like Personal Protective Equipment. We are still kind of ignoring this really concerning thing about medication shortages that are happening nationally, and we have allowed a lot of inequities to creep in, in the way that we distribute things.

So, you know, I don't think we can say, well, after this pandemic we'll figure out what happened. I think we need to really be self- critical and figure out, OK, we've messed this thing's -- this thing up on a lot of levels, how can we optimize and course-correct moving forward so that we can try to make the best of this current circumstance?

WHITFIELD: All right, we were all going to be hopeful on those markings you just mentioned. Dr. Esther Choo, thank you so much.

All right, coming up at 2:30, right here on CNN, a panel of experts will join me to answer your coronavirus questions. Go to cnn.com to submit your questions on health, money, and family. Again, that's at 2:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:53]

WHITFIELD: The effects of the coronavirus outbreak have been devastating to the U.S. economy. The latest employment report shows 20.5 million jobs were lost in April. Nearly 10 years of job growth disappeared in just one month. And there are fears the worst may not be over.

Diane Swonk is chief economist for the accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton and is advisor to the Federal Reserve. Good to see you.

So, how concerned, how worried are you that the economy can't rebound as fast as it just fell? And the same for jobs lost, how can 21 million people get work again soon?

DIANE SWONK, CHIEF ECONOMIST, GRANT THORNTON: Well, they can't. And that's what's so disturbing about this. And why we need to get additional policies to provide support and relief for workers that are going to stay on the sidelines? I fear for some time to come.

It's so hard because, you know, you could put yourself in a deep freeze really quickly, but the thaw not only is it slow from the deep freezing COVID tainted water, but it also reveals all the damages done.

And what I'm concerned about is how many businesses actually fail on the other side of this and can't make it through the summer and into the winter before we can ramp up more broadly in a world where social distancing is still the norm.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. And, you know, do you believe the number of, you know, near 15 percent unemployment? or do you believe that it is likely, you know, to spike, you know, 20 percent or even higher over the summer?

SWONK: Well, what's really important about the numbers is the government went to great lengths, the statistical agencies to try to capture what they could. But these numbers -- their surveys were not designed to deal with the kind of crisis we have. And a lot of workers are not classified as unemployed, millions of workers not classified as unemployed because, in fact, they did not look for a job when the entire economy was on lockdown.

That's just an artifact with the way the data is collected.

[13:30:00]

If you've not been looking for the last month and discovered a five week period, there are millions of workers that were classified as not looking for a job. So, therefore, not unemployed but discouraged workers also a mistake in the numbers.

And it's just because of this environment is a lot of people said they're absent from work due to COVID-19. That added another 5 percent to the unemployment rate. And they think they weren't actually absent. They were unemployed. They just misunderstood the question.

So that pushes it up to 20 percent without even recapturing all those workers that fell out of the labor force. Everything from schools being closed, a lot of women dropped out, and Hispanics and blacks also dropped out disproportionately.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that is really sobering.

So then what about people who have been furloughed? Can they expect that they will be getting their jobs back? It's so difficult for anyone to discern when they'll be able to go back to work, when some of these businesses will be able to open. But should those who are furloughed have much hope?

SWONK: Well, certainly, that was the hopeful part of the unemployment situation. If you can call it something hopeful. And 78.3 percent said they were on temporary layoff. And that's great if it truly is temporary.

But as we know, many of the workers that were furloughed, in fact, they were at retail chains that were already going through bankruptcies and closing down stores.

This is accelerating a process of move from bricks to clicks to move to online from in-store shopping that we already saw, but it's an accelerating at a rapid rate where you leave a lot of workers displaced. My concern is that many of those workers that thought they were on

temporary layoff will find out it's much more lasting through the summer. And that's very, very difficult because this is not an environment that's going to be easy for anyone to find a job in any time soon.

WHITFIELD: Yes, all right. Boy, this is all so sad.

Diane Swonk, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Also extremely sad, just devastating. Demonstrators are gathering in Georgia right now demanding justice for Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man who was shot and killed while he was out jogging. This happened back in February.

Here's a look now at the gathering that Arbery's family is expected to attend, as two white men, one, a former police officer, face murder charges for his death.

Listen to what Arbery's mother told Don Lemon last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANDA COOPER, MOTHER OF AHMAUD ARBERY: This weekend's going to be extremely hard because I had Ahmaud back in 1994 on Mother's Day.

I think that they were actually taking the word from murderers. They took their word, took what they said, and they had not planned to make an arrest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Gosh, this is so sad. Two months later, did arrests actually happen.

CNN's Martin Savidge is joining me from Brunswick, Georgia.

Martin, what are you learning there?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, for the second day in a row, there's another very large demonstration for Ahmaud Arbery. And it's taking place in a waterfront park here. Unlike yesterday's demonstration, which took place outside of the courthouse, that very much still had the feelings of frustration and even some leftover anger.

Many people still frustrated by the fact that it took so long for the county officials to make some sort of decision on the case but took only less than two days for the GBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, to make an arrest.

Today, it's much more different vibe. It's more of a celebrate the life. You see families that are here. It's a very diverse kind of crowd. They've got grills going, music playing. And they had a huge parade of motorcycles coming in. Family members are here, and they will be speaking. But getting back to that frustration. There's still one issue that

hangs very heavily in the air here, and that is a third individual, the person who took the video that now everyone has seen of Ahmaud Arbery being killed.

That person, the suspect, was somehow involved in the incident that day, and they believe that he should be brought under arrest. GBI is only say they're continuing the investigation and more arrests are possible -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And then, Martin, as a result of the arrests, there's a lot of criticism about the original district attorney. Some people are calling for her resignation. What can you tell us?

SAVIDGE: Well, this all goes back to one of the suspects, Gregory McMichael. He's the 64-year-old man, who was previously in law enforcement and worked as an investigator for quite some time for the Brunswick district attorney's office.

And so many are angry at Jackie Johnson, the Brunswick -- or Glynn County district attorney, because they believe, on the day the incident happened, she could have said that they needed to be arrested. There's a suspicion that she relied on favoritism to Mr. McMichael because of his long service to the county.

[13:35:06]

She has come out with a statement and said that is absolutely untrue, the allegations are not correct. And she says the fault for the fact that there was no arrest rest solely with the Glynn County Police Department. But that issue is far from resolved -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Martin Savidge, thank you, from Brunswick, Georgia.

Let's talk more about all of this. Joining me, Cornell Brooks, a civil rights attorney and former president and CEO of the NAACP.

Good to see you, Cornell.

This is so upsetting. Upsetting beyond words. And 74 days ago this young man is hunted down, killed, and there's no immediate arrest to follow? And only now, two days after the videotape surfaces, arrests and charges of murder.

So what are your thoughts on local police initially saying no probable cause here and then state authorities saying otherwise?

CORNELL BROOKS, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY & FORMER PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: Well, it represents a serial abdication of responsibility for the local police department not to carry out and issue an arrest warrant, number one.

Three prosecutors in a row -- in a row -- declined to advise the police department to arrest. Where you have two men with guns, a third in a vehicle following the pickup truck carrying at least one of the men with the gun, who literally executes someone on videotape. This is unconscionable and cannot be described as anything other than

lawless law enforcement, which is to say prosecutors are supposed to effectuate the laws of the country, the county and the state. They failed to do so.

The police department charged with the responsibility of protecting and serving, declined to protect and serve the whole of the community, particularly the African-American community, and certainly Ahmaud Arbery.

WHITFIELD: This whole videotaping, obviously, that spoke to the intent, I mean, the callousness and cruelty. Yet, at the same time, if not for the videotape, there may have never been a peep, no arrests, no anything.

BROOKS: That's right.

WHITFIELD: You talk about the prosecutors recusing themselves because of conflicts and while that may underscore the justice problem, what about the current climate? What does this say, that in 2020, this young black man, you know, out jogging, broad daylight, can be, you know, pursued like this with someone videotaping it. The vehicles going after him and then just cutting down this young man.

BROOKS: Well, what it says is that, unfortunately, tragically, America has gone from bad to worse.

So in the wake of Freddy gray, in the wake of Tamir Rice, in the wake of Walter Scott, and so many who have lost their lives at the hands of the police and those acting under the color of law, as in the case of the McMichaels, who claimed that they were effectuating a citizens' arrest.

So when I say we've gone from bad to worse when we have a Justice Department that declines to use dissent decrees against reckless and lawless law enforcement agencies as in police departments.

Where we have a president using rhetoric that encourages armed protesters to flout the law.

When we have police departments who literally are taking their cues from Washington, from their state capitols and not protecting and not serving.

This suggests to us that, quite literally, race relations which have always been a challenge, at best, more often worse, as is the norm in this country, they have gotten worse. And we have to be very clear about this.

And what America is seeing on this videotape is the most graphic, violent metaphor for the state of race relations in this country.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. It's so troubling. It's just so incredibly upsetting.

And Ahmaud Arbery's father said this is a lynching. He didn't see it any other way.

And what do you say to parents? I mean, you know, parents, including myself, who have black boys. We're already concerned and worried for a host of reasons. But now you have got this latest example.

What are you to tell your young black men about their lives, the value of their lives as seen by others, their safety? What can you do? What can you say?

[13:40:00]

BROOKS: What we can say here is a couple of things. First of all, it is, in fact, a lynching. Lynchings were the consequence of a projection of criminality and a presumption of criminality on black people, which gave license to white people to take their lives.

Now what do we say to not only black parents but parents all across the country, most particularly black parents?

I, as a father of two sons, I certainly say to my sons and to children, I say to parents everywhere that we have to keep our children close. We encourage them to check in, to make their whereabouts known.

But with that being said, it's not enough for us to look out for our children. We have to look out for the children of others. And what I mean, specifically, African-American children.

And as the responsibility of not only black parents but white parents, Latino parents, Asian parents, all American parents. This is a responsibility that bear -- that the entire country bears.

Which is to say it's not enough for black parents to give their children the talk. We have to give law enforcement the talk. We have to give the White House the talk. We have to give the Department of Justice the talk.

So it's not enough for you or me or parents across the country to say to our kids, be careful. We need to ask our law enforcement and police departments to be careful when it comes to the Constitution, to be careful when it comes to black lives.

Which is to say that Black Lives Matter, not only is more precept but in terms of constitutional protection.

WHITFIELD: This was a young man, Ahmaud Arbery, who would have celebrated his 26th birthday yesterday. I say these young boys, I think of my sons at 15 and 7, and these are all really frightening concerns.

Cornell Brooks, thank you so much. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.

BROOKS: It's always good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:11]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. On the west coast, the nation's most populous state is taking a significant step toward reopening its economy. California Governor Gavin Newsom says roughly 70 percent of the state's economy is now able to reopen as it moves into phase two now.

For more on this, let's bring in Paul Vercammen, in Los Angeles.

What does this phase two mean?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a partial reopening, Fred. And behind me, hiking trails now open again in Los Angeles County. More on that in just a moment.

Let's show you what is open. They've opened up retail shops throughout the Los Angeles area. So florists and bookstores and toy stores, that sort of thing. It's only for sidewalk commerce, curbside pick-up, but they're hoping this will help restart the economy.

By the way, the San Francisco Bay area is lagging a little bit behind on this, not reopened yet in this partial phase.

Now back here live at Griffith Park, this is the hub, the center of Los Angeles. 4,000 acres. You can hike again, if you wear a facial covering or stay six feet away from people.

And you can golf. That's a big deal because golf is very, very popular. So people went back to work in the pro shop. And some others hit the links for the first time in a while.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want myself and all my friends around me to be healthy and stay healthy. So that's the trepidation, but it seems pretty evident.

I feel a lot safer coming here under the guidelines that we're doing than I do going to the grocery store. You got four guys walking down the space that's several football fields long and a couple football fields wide. We can easily stay 10, 15, 20 feet apart all day long. So I feel safe for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm happy because all my friends here. They're doing this for the last 30 years playing golf every Saturday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: So as for those golfers, strict rules. You have to wear a face mask if you golf. You're also supposed to stay as best you can six feet apart. You're not allowed to touch the flagstick. You're not supposed to pay in cash -- Fred? WHITFIELD: All right. Paul Vercammen, keep us posted on that. Thank

you so much.

Still ahead, Europe on the verge of reopening. But is it ready to really return to normal? CNN has a team of reporters on the ground, next.

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[13:53:04]

WHITFIELD: Stunning images out of Belarusian where, despite increasing numbers of coronavirus cases, thousands gathered for a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Belarus, unlike other former Soviet states, did not cancel mass events nor has it imposed self-isolation rules.

Meantime, across Europe, countries are slowly trying to re-open. From salons in France to some restaurants in Germany, customers are allowed to return.

Our CNN teams are around the world with a look for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Fred Pleitgen,, in Berlin, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel says this country is now past the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic and can further ease restrictions meant to push the virus back.

Here in Germany, that means larger stores can also open as well as restaurants, bars and also cafes, which are going to be opening fairly soon. And the soccer league, the Bundesliga, will soon start playing once again.

However, Angela Merkel is warning if people take it too loosely there could be a spike in infections, and there's a snapback policy where if there's a new amount of infections, the lockdown will be back in fact.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says he's willing to consider accelerating reopening the economies, which has taken a serious beating as a result of coronavirus.

In April, hotel stays by foreigners plummeted by more than 99 percent. Impatience is growing to get this country moving again.

Well ahead of the rest of Italy, the government in the northern provinces of Borsano has voted to allow shops to re-open Saturday and bars, restaurants, museums and hairdressers to resume operations this coming Monday.

The president of the Veneto region, where Venice is located, says it's conditions have improved to the point where everything should be allowed to reopen immediately.

[13:55:07]

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rome.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Paton Walsh, in London, where Boris Johnson is expected late Sunday to announce slight tweaks to the lockdown policy here in the United Kingdom.

People may, I'm told by officials, be allowed to mix in large groups. Outdoor exercise will be permitted more regularly and possibly outdoor stores may be allowed to open. But that's it.

A lot of speculation that the U.K. media suggested a more-broad lightening of the rules. And you can see around me here in central London, a lot of people are taking advantage of the better weather. But the changes, I'm told, will be slight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks to all around the world reporting.

Still ahead, as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, many businesses are facing an uncertain future and some tough decisions, when and how to re-open after their states give them the green light. A live report, next.

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