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New Day Sunday

Frustration Boils As States Reopen, Deaths Rise, Economy Suffers; New York Crowds Gather At Central Park Despite Stay-At-Home Order; Large Crowds Flock To The National Mall For Blue Angels Flyover; City In Oklahoma Amends Mask Requirement After Threats; Trump Vows To Use "Warp Speed" In Search For COVID-19 Vaccine; North And South Korea Troops Exchange Fire Along Border; White House Blocks Nation's Top Infectious Disease Expert From Testifying Before House Committee. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 03, 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)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We are not out of the woods. And we're not going to rush it.

We are initiating a huge testing program. Testing people and then tracing their contacts, and then those people get tested too, and quarantining people who test positive to help reduce the spread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does that mean we'll get to stay out of work because the doctors say that we're not ready to go out? We might not be ready. That does not mean that you can't take precautions.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are human beings equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Beautiful downtown Atlanta this morning. Good morning to you.

So across the country there is this, the reality, of balancing these two priorities, Christi.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. A growing anxiety to get back to some normalcy and then you've got this unprecedented health crisis that's unfolding.

Here in the United States, we know more than 66,000 people have died because of the coronavirus. More than 1,400 of them died just yesterday. More states are on a steady march to reopen in the meantime, that they're enforcing safety measure, wearing masks, social distancing. By next Sunday, more than 40 states will have partially reopened.

BLACKWELL: Now what that reopening looks like it depends on which state, which city you are in. Let's go to California here. You see the empty beaches across Orange County. The governor closed them to keep the crowds away.

Cities in that county are starting to band together. You see here the protests to challenge, even in a legal way that order.

PAUL: Other states holding off on reopening are seeing some pockets of protests. Look at this one in Kentucky. New York's Governor Cuomo is recommending a cautious approach in an unprecedented time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): So uncharted waters doesn't mean proceed blindly, right? It means get information, get data the best you can and use that data to decide where you're going.

Let's stick to the facts. Let's stick to the data. Let's make sure we are making decisions with the best information that we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Now despite restrictions in places such as New York and Washington the warmer spring weather and stay-at-home fatigue is luring some crowds back outside.

BLACKWELL: Let's go to Alison Kosik in New York. A lot of video this weekend of people out seeing the Blue Angels, going to parks across the country. People still have to be safe, though.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Good morning, Victor and Christi.

The improving weather is giving people with cabin fever a real good excuse to get out of their homes and get some fresh air, but it could pose some challenges when it comes to social distancing

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK (voice-over): Sunny spring weather along the East Coast brought out spectators in droves Saturday to watch the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds conduct formation flights in Washington, Baltimore and Atlanta, saluting medical workers and first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

Crowds gathered at the National Mall defying requests from officials to stay at home to watch the flyover. Sidewalks were packed. Many wearing no masks and taking no distancing precautions. Others appear to be following recommended safety guidelines.

At Prince George's Hospital in Cheverly, Maryland, medical staff gathered outside to enjoy the moment of honor.

BRANDON COLE, CLINICAL DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, PRINCE GEORGE'S HOSPITAL: Our staffs have been working tirelessly to treat the community and to see the level of response and appreciation, and let them have a chance to kind of let their hair down for a second and really take it all in.

KOSIK: While Georgia, one of the first in the country to begin lifting stay-at-home orders allowing barber shops, malls and other businesses to reopen. Scores of people flock to local parks to view the flyover. Many had no masks and were in close proximity. The Georgia Department of Public Health says cases are climbing fast with almost 29,000 cases being reporter, the highest number yet.

New Yorkers went to Central Park to enjoy the beautiful day. Parks have remained opened during the state's pause order and city and state officials said, they were bracing for crowds.

[06:05:05]

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN --

BLASIO: We expected this and prepared for this. NYPD is out in force.

I saw the enforcement numbers from an hour or so ago and they looked actually quite good. The vast majority of people got the message.

KOSIK: The New York City Parks Department told CNN in a statement Saturday that while there was a volume of visitors in Central Park and in Brooklyn's Prospect Park most were in compliance with social distancing guidelines. Governor Andrew Cuomo reported New York is still averaging at least 900 new cases a day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And with more than half of the nation's states lifting coronavirus restrictions by the end of the week a reminder from the nation's top doctor, Anthony Fauci, who said states that rush to reopen are taking a significant risk -- Christi.

PAUL: Alison Kosik, always good to have you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Saju Mathew is with us now. He's a public health specialist and primary care physician in Atlanta. Doctor, welcome back.

DR. SAJU MATHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good morning, sir.

BLACKWELL: So we have got the beautiful weather, the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds, people want to get outside. First, are we safer outdoors and what's the right way to do it?

MATHEW: A tough question, Victor. We all have cabin fever including myself. All I seem to do nowadays is go to work and come back home. The weather is tempting.

You know, ultimately, we need to find ways to do things safely and that's what I'm always going to say. We have to be consistent with our message as physicians and public health specialists. Can you go out there to a beach? Can you go out there to a park and maintain social distancing guidelines like our reporter just mentioned? I think that is the tough question.

Look, the virus is still out there. It's going to exponentially rise. The virus loves it when we have two people or crowds of people that are less than six feet apart. So I think ultimately the decision should be, can I abide by guidelines at all times regardless of whether the weather is 80 degrees or 50 degrees?

BLACKWELL: So more states are now at least last week, they were making these face coverings mandatory. Some cities as well. One of them Stillwater, Oklahoma, and I want you to listen to this.

Police say that when store employees try to enforce the mandate, there were at least two threats of violence to store workers there, a threat of violence with a firearm called into police anonymously. And then the city switched the rule from mandatory to wearing a face cover whenever possible. I mean, if people can intimidate their way out of these rules they will never be effective.

From a public health professional perspective, how do we change this culture?

MATHEW: I think that what people need to realize is more than at any other time in our lives, Victor, what you do affects me, what I do affects you.

And, you know, I don't think I ever remember in my lifetime as a physician or a human being where we are so interconnected in terms of decision making. When a lot of people tell me, well, Dr. Mathew, that is my decision whether I get tested or not. And I tell them politely, not really.

Your decision to not wear a mask or to not get tested can affect my mom. It can affect your mom. It could result in the death of a loved person. And if we're not testing a state or a city to more than 90 percent of capacity, some epidemiologist would say, Victor, you can multiply that number by five or 10-fold.

So we still don't have a good picture. But I'll tell you what's out there. The virus is out there. And my recommendation as a public health doctors is we should do everything possible, including wearing a mask when we're out there.

BLACKWELL: Let's move to vaccines and of course this rush to now develop or discover a vaccine.

We have seen some of these reopen protests that the anti-vaccine community has been a part of them, in some cases pushing them, leading them. The White House has launched Operation Warp Speed. And we talked about the value and the virtue of leading by example.

There is this dichotomy because the president is on record being a skeptic of vaccines in the past. I'm going to read this tweet, 2014, "Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes -- autism." Many cases. Autism doesn't cause -- is not caused by vaccines.

Then in 2015. He said this about the flu vaccine. Let's listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald, do you get the flu shot every year?

[06:10:02]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?

TRUMP: I don't know. I've never had one. And thus far I've never had the flu. I don't like the idea of injecting bad stuff into your body, which is basically what they do.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: He goes on to say that I don't get it but that doesn't mean that other people shouldn't. Is there a practical impact of this or am I injecting politics into something that should be apolitical?

MATHEW: Ultimately, Victor, we have to realize that the flu kills tens and thousands of people every year. Now, the COVID-19 virus is 10 to 15 times more lethal than the flu. But people die from the flu vaccine.

And this is the analogy that I give. Getting a flu vaccine is like wearing a vest. It's that extra layer of protection.

Can I still dodge every single bullet when I'm out there? No. Is the flu vaccine perfect? No, it's not. But, again, I hope that more than any other time in our lives we all can really respect the need for a vaccine. We're all waiting for a vaccine, so that people don't die from COVID-19.

The new medications, the anti-viral medications they're not a cure. They just sort of make sure that we take care of the sickest patients in the hospital. So vaccines are important.

Yes, I'm a physician. That's what most people would expect me to say. But you decrease your risk of getting the flu by getting a vaccine and, hopefully, the same thing with COVID-19.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you very quickly because this vaccine, let's say it is available in a year, 18 months, I know I'm running out of time here but is it fair to expect that there will be a large number of people who will forego the vaccine potentially because MMR, measles, mumps and rubella, that's 50 years old, this is coming out on an accelerated timeline. This is the first time for a new virus that you're going to have to do some convincing.

MATHEW: Good point, Victor. It's going to take a lot of convincing and there's still going to be the doubters out there. But I think that ultimately if we look at how infectious COVID-19 is, how many people are dying from this deadly virus. I sure hope that this will be a time for people to really talk to the doctors about vaccinations and their concerns.

We don't know if this vaccine with COVID-19, number one, will even be developed. And if it's developed, you are right, there could be side effects. But ultimately, Victor, that is our only hope of stopping this pandemic is to get a vaccine that works.

BLACKWELL: Dr. Saju Mathew, always good to have you, sir. Have a good Sunday.

MATHEW: Thank you, Victor.

PAUL: It's understandable, isn't it? People want to get back to their lives, to some sort of normalcy. Well, this week "Time" magazine set to answer the question of how to get back to what is a normal safety. That is the goal of governors, of course, across the country.

Our next guest wrote this. Look at it. "No economy can function if an infectious disease like COVID-19 continues to sicken the workforce and keep customers to a trickle."

Alice Park, a staff writer for "Time" magazine is with us now. Alice, it's so good to have you with us. Thank you very much for being here.

I want to get straight to some of your specific reporting because I understand that you looked to the Japanese island of Hokkaido and their government at some point believe that they gotten over this hump, that they were clear to begin easing social restrictions.

What can the U.S. and really other countries learn from what happened there?

ALICE PARK, STAFF WRITER, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, it wasn't just Hokkaido but Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, all experienced similar things, which is you get to the point where you start to see cases decline and that's definitely a good sign, and because of the pressures to reopen the economy, obviously, as we are in lockdown mode, businesses are closed and people, you know, have no revenues and that's not sustainable either.

So, you know, when you open, you have to open carefully. And I think that's the lesson from the experience at Hokkaido is that they've probably opened a little bit too early. Because although the businesses were opened, cases started to skyrocket and the government had to make the very difficult decision of putting the entire community under lockdown again.

So the lesson here is that we certainly don't want to stay in lockdown, but we also certainly don't want to open too soon. And there are some -- a lot of different metrics that public health experts are looking at to determine when might be the right time for each community. It's not going to be the same formula for everyone. But it will be different for every community and governors, local leaders, health official all have to work together to figure out what that right formula is for their community. PAUL: Right. So, Dr. Fauci told you that we must have in place the capability that when we do start to see cases come back and I'll guarantee you that they will, to identify by testing and then isolate and contact trace to get people out of circulation who are infected.

[06:15:06]

Now "Time" reporting, that could take tens of millions of tests per week. So in the short term, Fauci said he hopes to have everyone to guarantee a test for everyone by the end of May or early June. Based on what you have reported how realistic is that?

PARK: I think we are getting better at testing each week as Dr. Fauci has said as well. Whether we can get to that point and when for different parts of the United States is still an open question.

We've got now many different parties involve in ramping up the ability here in the United States to increase testing. We've got commercial labs. We've got academic labs. We've got state and local health department.

So, I think gradually those capabilities are ramping up. But for each community, for each state, it's going to be a different question of when those abilities are up to speed and ready for gradually reopening that particular community.

PAUL: All right. Alice Park, always grateful to have you with us. Thank you.

PARK: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Shots are fired in the DMZ between North and South Korea. Coming up, what we are hearing from President Trump about that and the first appearance on video of Kim Jong-un.

PAUL: Also right now people are holding on to their cash. They're not shopping as much. Should but worried about your savings during this pandemic? We have a financial expert who has a lot to say on that in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:41]

BLACKWELL: Shooting in the demilitarized zone. North and South Korea firing shots at one another. This is the zone that divides the two countries. South Korea's military says that soldiers from the North shot first and then they hit a guard post inside this heavily fortified border.

The South Koreans they say that no person was shot. They don't report any significant damage. They also say that their troops shot back two rounds, also issued a warning broadcast. It's not clear what provoked the initial gun shots.

Now, yesterday North Korean state media showed some video of leader Kim Jong-un. This is the appearance in public after this 20-day absence during the speculation about his health.

PAUL: Trump's making it clear he's happy to see that the North Korean dictator is well. The president has been tweeting about that this weekend. He's also slamming House Democrats over their request for coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify at a House hearing. The White House is blocking his testimony at this point.

BLACKWELL: All right. Let's get more details on all that. CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House.

Kristen, let's start with the president's reaction to the video of Kim Jong-un. The president has heaped a lot of praise on him over the years. He says they fell in love. What is the president saying now?

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

Well, no surprise President Trump is once again highlighting their strange relationship. He re-tweeted state media photos of Kim Jong-un with the caption that said, I for one am glad he is back and well.

And, Victor, of course this comes after as you said there have been global speculations about the murderous dictator's health. He hadn't appeared in public for weeks.

I do want to note U.S. officials tell us based on current analysis of these photos, they do, in fact, believe they are legitimate. But this tweet getting almost immediate backlash. And no surprise there, President Trump seemingly celebrating or at least supporting this brutal leader shortly after he tweeted this out Otto Warmbier's name started trending on Twitter.

Warmbier, of course, is the American student who was detained back in 2015. He was imprisoned in North Korea for two years. He suffered from severe brain damage and returned to America back in 2017 in a vegetative state dying shortly afterwards. And I will note, of course, that was while President Trump was in office that he was returned back to the U.S.

PAUL: So, Kristen, I want to ask you about Dr. Antony Fauci testifying before the House. We know that the president is not so happy with Democrats right now. What is he saying about what he believes their motive is? And what is the status of that potential testimony?

HOLMES: Well, Christi, we talked about this yesterday. The White House told us over the weekend on Friday actually that the reason he wasn't going to testify, Dr. Fauci that is, was that because it was unproductive during a pandemic response. Now it appears that there is a political motive.

One, President Trump lashing out on Twitter saying that Democrats are doing nothing, that they are looking for trouble. The press secretary yesterday talking to reporters really doubling down on that. Take a listen to what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We're working in good faith. We're working in good faith. And, yes, we want to work with the House to ensure that they do get the witnesses that they're asking for. But these need to be requests that make sense and not publicity stunts, which is what this was as it was leaked that we were blocking Dr. Fauci which just simply was not the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, Kayleigh McEnany went on to say that part of the reason was they never told the White House -- Democrats never told the White House what exactly Fauci needed to be testifying for. So, again he is still not going to testify in front of the Democratic-led House but will the week after testify in front of the Republican-led Senate.

I want to put up a statement here from Democrats who are in-charge of the committee that Fauci will no longer be testifying in front of. They say, "The White House's partisan politics are clearly at play in this decision during our nation's most challenging public health and economic crisis, and that is both alarming and offensive to the work the American people have elected us to do." Christi and Victor.

BLACKWELL: Kristen Holmes for us at the White House. Thank you so much.

Ahead this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" Jake Tapper is joined by National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, and Congressman Justin Amash. He was taking the first step toward a potential run for president.

[06:25:02]

"STATE OF THE UNION" airs at 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

PAUL: Well, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson got over the coronavirus. And did you know he's also a new dad? Up next we're going to tell you the special meaning behind his son's name that actually is connected to his dad's illness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back. Coming up on the bottom of the hour now, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is telling us some of the dramatic details about his battle against coronavirus. Johnson spent about a week in intensive care last month.

PAUL: Yes. He told the British newspaper, Victor, "The Sun" that he was getting liters and liters of oxygen to keep him alive. And he says -- quote -- "It was a tough old moment. I won't deny it. They had a strategy to deal with a 'death of Stalin'-type scenario."

[06:30:02]

BLACKWELL: So, Johnson was obviously thankful to the doctors who saved his life. He really wanted to honor them and pay tribute. So he and his fiancee, they named their newborn son after those doctors. The infant's name is Wilfred Laurie Nicholas Johnson.

PAUL: Yes. Nicholas is the name of two of the doctors that actually helped treat the prime minister.

Now, he is facing some tough questions though about his initial response to the pandemic. Britain has the second highest coronavirus death toll in Europe and new figures are emerging that suggests a number of people who died was significantly higher before the U.K. went into lockdown.

BLACKWELL: Now there is the question about if the prime minister made some costly early mistakes. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN International Security Editor has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Britain is close to having Europe's worst death toll. So what did it do wrong or differently? When global alarm bells were ringing loudly, the U.K. was clear it wouldn't lock down too early and that some spread was unavoidable, even desirable.

CHRIS WHITTY, BRITISH CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: If people go too early, they become very fatigued. It's not possible to stop everybody getting it. And it's also actually not desirable because you want some immunity in the population.

WALSH: Hindsight always gives a clearer unfair verdict. But new updated government figures show the death toll just in England was a lot larger than known at the time in the days leading up to lockdown. And the prime minister said he was still shaking hands.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I shook hands with everybody you will be pleased to know.

WALSH: And no deaths were announced, four people had died already in England when Cheltenham horse races criticized for going ahead, ended, the U.K. toll was officially when, really, 58 have died. And when the lockdown slammed, pub doors shut publicly. The toll was 359. But, really, 847 had died in England alone. Should the U.K. have moved faster?

NIGEL EDWARDS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NUFFIELD TRUST: It's a bit early to tell but there were some early signs looking at the experience in some of the countries that if we had gone a bit earlier, we might be looking at slightly better results now.

SIAN GRIFFITHS, CHAIRED HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S INQUIRY INTO SARS AT CUHK: It's likely to be next year when people in the (INAUDIBLE) can look back at all the different countries and the different things that were done, what worked, what didn't work.

PROF. KEITH NEAL, EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM: If you've taken different measures at different times, then different people would become infected. If we had come in a week earlier, then probably less people would have died up to now. But as the disease continues to spread through the population, a different series of people will die.

WALSH: Testing and contact tracing was a problem from the start, partially dismissed and then heavily embraced.

MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: 100,000 tests per day.

WALSH: Many grand schemes were announced for an anti-body test, apps for a volunteer army but this one actually happened nearly on time, albeit late. It can't have helped decision making that Boris Johnson was nearly killed by the disease too at its peak.

EDWARDS: Some of the messages has not been consistent or as clear as might have been helpful. I give the government a bit of the benefit of the doubt. These are somewhat unprecedented times.

WALSH: Still, despite the huge toll, the U.K.'s health service was not overwhelmed. Even huge overflow hospitals like in London were barely used. Half those who died in England so far were over 80. Did the U.K. not protect them enough or was there little that could be done? Tough questions, that time and grief will answer.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Some Democratic members of Congress are pushing for another round of stimulus to help American families and businesses recover from this ongoing pandemic.

Next, why one of the president's economic advisers says that may not be necessary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

PAUL: 38 minutes past the hour right now. And for a lot of families, the first round of stimulus money just isn't lasting very long after you pay a mortgage or a rent and you've got utility bills and other basic necessities. So there are no plans at this moment for another stimulus check to go out to Americans but some lawmakers are pushing for it.

BLACKWELL: And small businesses, a lot are struggling to stay opened, will they see more help?

Financial expert Ted Jenkin is with us. Ted, good morning.

TED JENKIN, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Let's start here and listen to Kevin Hassett, the senior White House economic adviser, what he said just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: I think right now, because there has been good news, really, that the opening up is starting to happen, you know, faster than we expected, it appears to be doing so safely, then there is a chance we won't need really need a Phase 4.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: There is a chance, he says. How great or small is that chance, Ted?

JENKIN: I mean, look, you can say tomatoes or you can say tomato. I mean, there are Americans right now, many of them, Victor, that got a healthy dose of novocaine. That novocane is $600 a week, additional money on top of their state unemployment benefit.

Now, in July, that novocaine is going to wear off and there is going to be a lot of pain. So unless there is another stimulus, the government is going to have to find a way to help people to get back to work. You simply don't get rid of 30 million jobs and then all of a sudden, in August, you're going to have 30 million jobs. Many of them are going to go away. Some way, shape or form, there's going to need to be a package.

PAUL: So we know the government helps small businesses with loans.

[06:40:02]

There was a lot of outrage over the millions of dollars that went to some of the larger firms. What do we know about who received that money?

JENKIN: Well, we know there were more than 200 publicly traded companies that got money in round one, many who were giving back the money. And I'm on the ground, Christie, and this second round of $310 billion is just leaking out to business owners right now. It's going very slow.

So if are you a small business owner and you are trying to apply for the PPP now, it's going to be very difficult to get money. I would recommend going to the SBA directly and just try to get a direct loan or talking to your state about what funding they have or I mentioned a few weeks ago, an employer retention tax credit, but it's going to be difficult to get money if you start applying now.

BLACKWELL: Looking ahead to a potential -- another round of stimulus, the president has pushed for this payroll tax cut for a while now. It hasn't been a part of any significant conversation up to this point. But that would be for working people, right? I mean, how does it help? I don't know if it helps the 30 million people who filed for unemployment benefits.

JENKIN: No, you are right, Victor. It's not going to help everybody. They've talked about this idea of a negative payroll tax. Most folks who are working, they pay two main payroll taxes. There is FICA, which is social security, and then they pay Medicare. What they're talking about is saying, you don't have to pay that out of your paycheck, we're just going to deposit it into your paycheck. Now, that will help people that are working, but all the people that are unemployed, people on social security, it will not help them as much.

PAUL: So I'm going to ask you about the Los Angeles Lakers, because they have received $4.6 million from the government in that first round, as we were talking about. They returned it, we want to point out. But there a lot of people going, they're the NBA's most valued franchise. How did they get the money? How was this determined, Ted, in terms of who got the money?

JENKIN: You know, Christi, all businesses looked at this and said, hey, it's free money. If I can apply for it and I can get it, why shouldn't I qualify for it? So they looked at the rules, but they realized after the fact that there were much more needy businesses in America. It was intended for small people, like the restaurants, the nail salons, it wasn't intended for the Los Angeles Lakers or Shake Shack. And so, eventually, they returned the money here. But they shouldn't have applied for it to begin with, in my opinion.

BLACKWELL: Ted, the rent was due on Friday, on the 1st. Now I remember from the years that I struggled for years to pay rent. There's a grace period until the 5th, right, and that's Tuesday. For people who are spending this weekend worrying, they didn't pay it, how will I pay it? I can't pay it, what do I do? What can those people do in the next couple days if they know they just don't have the money for rent?

JENKIN: I mean, Victor, the best thing is to get in front of the boss and go negotiate with your landlord and tell him about your situation. They don't want a vacant apartment. So look for a rent reduction or a way to restructure your overall plan. But you need to look into your state eviction rules because it varies from state to state depending upon non-payment rent.

A state like New York, they have a moratorium statewide right now until June 20th. And in California, you have to prove income but there is also a moratorium as well. And if you're in federally-backed housing, it will be different under the CARES Act. But the best thing to do is to get in front of this, talk to your landlord. Nobody wants to have a vacant apartment.

BLACKWELL: All right. Ted Jenkin, always good to have you, sir.

JENKIN: Thanks, Victor.

PAUL: Thank you.

So, a baseball star says he's only just discovering the difference that he can make as an athlete. And he is using the influence to bring some smiles and a few tears to frontline workers specifically what he is doing, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:00]

PAUL: So, New York Mets player Pete Alonso burst out of the scene last year. He led the sport in homeruns as a rookie, and now he is trying to do something off the field that will make a difference. BLACKWELL: Alonso and his fiancee, Haley, have started the Homers for Heroes Program. It's to raise for frontline workers. I want you to look watch part of this conversation with Andy Scholes about why this matters so much to him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE ALONSO, METS FIRST BASEMAN: There are so many different heroes and people that are unrecognized and we want to bring those people to light. Everyone is a hero to somebody. If you just impact one life, you are a hero.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Giving back, you know, that's nothing new for you. You donated part of your winnings from the Home Run Derby. And you are doing so much now. Where does your desire to give back come from?

ALONSO: I'm very fortunate and blessed. I want to give back because I've been given so much from the game. I've had so many awesome people in my life, and I just want to help. I want to impact others in a positive way.

After last year, I recognized that I have a platform, I have a voice. And I want to use that voice for good and to help people.

Hey, Gina, hey, John, what's up, Brian? I want to say thank you so much and thank you on behalf of everybody. Thank you for keeping everybody safe.

Thank you again and let's go Mets.

I think words and encouraging words, especially now, I feel like are extra important, because right now, we need to be as positive as we can. This virus doesn't discriminate against anybody. And it's affected the entire world. So all of us need to stick together and stay unified and I feel like that's the best way for us to collectively get through this thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: All right, thanks to Andy and Pete Alonso for the work that you are doing here. And you can learn more at homersforheroes.org.

BLACKWELL: And do you remember your prom, your prom date, what you wore? Christi and I have shared these horrible pictures of what we wore to proms. But the second thing, Christi, is that, you know, members of the class of 2020, they won't have those memories of a traditional prom.

PAUL: I know. What can I tell you about this Ohio group? The they put a whole new spin on prom this year.

[06:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Today is World Press Freedom Day. It's a day to commemorate the freedom of expression, the foundation of our democracy.

PAUL: Yes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo released a statement emphasizing the importance. He said, quote, that both professional and citizen journalists be free to report what they see and hear and to express their opinion openly.

Now, he also serves a president who repeatedly attacks the media.

[06:55:03]

BLACKWELL: Here with us now, CNN Chief Media Correspondent and Anchor of "RELIABLE SOURCES," Brian Stelter. Brian, good morning to you.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: So that note from the secretary of state, we only have to look back, what, a few months to this quizzing and then scolding of Mary Louise Kelly.

STELTER: That's right. the NPR reporter who dared to ask him about Ukraine and the president's Ukraine scheme. But Mike Pompeo is saying the right things today. The issue is sometimes that the Trump administration is they say the right things, they don't actually act in those same ways, and this is one of those cases.

But I'm glad that he is highlighting World Press Freedom Day because it's a really important day this year especially. This has been going on for decades, the U.N. and lots of other advocacy groups, use this day to try to draw attention to the importance of a free press and why countries all around the world need a free press.

What's happened the past couple of months, which is very troubling, is that some countries have used the coronavirus crisis to clamp down, to crack down on journalists' freedoms in many different countries around the world. They use the excuse of an emergency to try to stop reporters from doing their jobs.

So it is great to see the U.N. using this day to advocate for journalists and it is helpful to see leaders like Mike Pompeo saying the right things on a day like this.

PAUL: So, speaking of that, if anybody is counting, 417 days without the White House press secretary holding a formal briefing. That finally stopped. Yes, you've been counting. I know you have. Kayleigh McEnany took questions from reporters for the first time on Friday, and it was interesting. I thought it was a really bold question when someone said, are you going to lie to us? And she said, no. Your reaction?

STELTER: That's right. She said she will never lie. But then she went on to make some false claims during the briefing. And it is a great factor on CNN.com with the details about all of that. I think it was progress to see her up there holding a briefing. She obviously is very effective on television. She was a Fox producer, then CNN commentator, then went to the Trump campaign and now is working for the president as press secretary. She is using mostly a Fox strategy, appearing on Fox a lot. But these briefings are important because the country deserves regular and accurate briefings, regular and accurate. We've had regular briefings with the president but they haven't always been accurate. He's had a lot of misinformation from these briefings.

It seems now the president has receded a little bit into the background in recent days, even though the country very much is on a war footing and needs his information. So it's a good sign that's holding a briefing last Friday. But, look, we will see if it continues. And most importantly, the country deserves accurate information from her. So if we get to hold her to that standard, she has set for herself never to lie.

PAUL: All right. Brian Stelter, always good to see you. Thank you for counting. We can always count on you.

Catch more of him, of course, later today on Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter. He has a jam-packed show. He's going to be joined by legendary journalist Carl Bernstein and CNN's own Jake Tapper. That's at 11:00 A.M. Eastern today.

BLACKWELL: Some cities across the country are trying to find a way to make the end of the school year special. Well, in Cincinnati last night, the DAD Initiative have held a virtual prom for the class of 2020.

I feel like that song has to be played at every prom. It just is a prom song now. Therese Stallings (ph), a college student and a D.J., his father is the director of the non-profit and came up with the idea for this virtual prom. And the music streamed on Facebook and Instagram.

PAUL: Well, a high school principal also in Cincinnati, we should point out, made some house calls for his graduating seniors.

Yes, let's all give him a round of applause. Ramone Davenport of Dohn Community High School wore protective gears, you see here, to hand deliver the well-earned diplomas. The graduating seniors all wore, as you see, masks along with their caps and gowns to mark the big day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMONE DAVENPORT, DOHN COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTOR: Each story is different, of course, but some of them, they have been waiting on this moment for a long time. And I knew that. And I said, you know what, I'm not going to let that deter me.

TASEAN MOORE, GRADUATE: A new star, a new journey in my life, ready to move on to bigger and better things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Congratulations to all 250 graduates of that school and to the -- all the graduates across the country, class of 2020. You all will certainly have a story to tell overcoming this challenge and having that school year cut short but still making it.

PAUL: Yes, that is a big moment. And it shouldn't be, you know, just taken away from the mission, kind of just go off into the ether. So I'm glad that they had their moment.

BLACKWELL: Certainly.

[07:00:00]

PAUL: And what a principal, nice job, nice job.