CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: THE BEAT WITH ARI MELBER starts right now.
Good evening, Ari.
ARI MELBER, MSNBC HOST: Good evening, Chuck. Thank you very much.
And thanks to you at home for joining us tonight.
We have new reporting on this coronavirus pandemic to inform decisions you make for safety.
And we begin tonight, as we have all week, with the facts and the latest numbers to try to cut through any rhetoric, any potential panic out there, to focus on what we know at this hour.
There are more than 16,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 211 total fatalities, cases soaring upward right now, partially from the way this infection spreads, but also the number reflecting some of the progress has been made, that there are now more tests available in the United States than there were even a few days ago.
Meanwhile, around the world, authorities reporting all kinds of new information, over 4,000 people now formally dead, according to Italy. Congress working to backstop the economy here in United States, the markets falling again today, the Dow down here over 4 percent. You see that.
This is now the worst week in the American economy since the 2008 crash. Also, schools in 38 states remain closed, and more closures, we hear from authorities, will be coming.
Now, these numbers tell basically the daily story, because the nation can count certain things, like reported cases or stock prices, several times a day. As this pandemic grinds on, other measurements will come into us over time. And we will share them with you.
We will get indicators that are showing the nature of the impact. It will help inform whether the precautions that you, that everyone is trying to supposedly take, whether they`re working, And that there may even, in the other numbers we get, be clues to how long all of this could last.
And that`s a question any family, any business, anybody, really, wants to know in order to plan out choices. So, for the economic impact, for example, tonight, we are now seeing some brand-new indicators that go beyond the daily stock jitters.
There is a larger spike in unemployment numbers. Experts projecting over two million people filed for unemployment just this week. And week by week, we will get information on how this is rocking our economy.
Today, the Treasury Department announcing that the usual April Tax Day will be delayed three months out until July 15. That is a lifeline for many people.
Congressional leaders are also moving on a third relief package that could be passed in the next few days. And President Trump announcing both U.S. borders will be closed to almost all travel. That begins Saturday night.
We`re also seeing states continue to dial up their rules and precautions. A week that began with many voluntary impartial bans is now ending tonight with some of the largest states and cities in America restricting flat out people from leaving the home. This is basically a stay-at-home order, for example, from today`s -- we heard from today in Illinois, the governor there saying to everyone you have to stay at home.
Or take New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. They have been coordinating their responses, and they`re preparing to issue very similar rules, sometimes slightly different language or tone. But the bottom line from these governors is, they are telling everyone in their states, stay home, unless your safety or your job really requires leaving.
Meanwhile, in California, the governor has gone farther than most in demanding that people stay home, period, and also warning that he expects more than half of California`s 40 million residents will eventually get infected in some manner, while L.A.`s mayor telling people that the example that we have all seen from other countries suggests this is the new normal for two months or more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D-CA): The order was for a month, and my expectation is it could be at least twice as long as that.
You look in China, it was a two-month stay-at-home order. And that`s the only way to flatten that curve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Now, that may be unwelcome news for many, many people. But this is how many mayors and governors are leveling with their constituents in real time, stressing this is not the time for sugarcoating, let alone any kind of misinformation.
People need the facts, so they can plan their lives accordingly. And the government needs accountability for any shortcomings, any facts that are learned, so those can be fixed.
All of this is a contrast to how the president addressed documented shortcomings today, flat-out denying the reality of the shortage, for example, in testing that has hampered the U.S. response thus far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: There are Americans though who say that they have symptoms and they can`t get tests.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. Well, OK...
QUESTION: What do you say to the Americans who are scared that they have symptoms and can`t get a test?
TRUMP: Yes. Well, OK. I`m not -- I`m not hearing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: "I`m not hearing it."
Well, the public and the experts are hearing it. In fact, we want to show you, moments later, Dr. Anthony Fauci fact-checking Trump, saying this shortage is a reality.
And that is the larger point tonight. We`re not here to get into blame, let alone politics, but this is a time for everyone, from the top down, to get real about the facts, because what people do locally, at the state level, as a nation, what we do with the facts we have can literally save lives.
But everything we do ultimately depends on what we know.
I want to turn to our experts now in that spirit.
I`m joined by E.J. Dionne, an author and columnist in "The Washington Post," Sarah Kliff, an investigation health care reporter for "The New York Times," and Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Hello to everyone, and thanks to those of you working from home.
Doctor, what do you think is the most important thing for people to understand about the numbers that we have, the rising rate in the U.S., and how we`re dealing with the reported shortages?
DR. AMESH ADALJA, INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY OF AMERICA: We should expect to see more cases being diagnosed all over the country, more hospitals reporting cases in their ICUs, more reports of issues with personal protective equipment shortages.
This isn`t going to go away any time soon. Hospitals are going to be stressed, and we need to get resources to them. That`s the most important thing to do.
This is going to be rough for the next several months, and I think it`s going to be very hard to balance some of the social distancing with what the needs are for a society to function. And I think that`s something that needs to be considered as well.
MELBER: Understood.
Sarah, take a listen as well from today`s briefing the president talking about this use of military powers in the Defense Production Act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We`re using the act. The act is very good for things like this. We have millions of masks that we`ve ordered. They will be here soon. We`re having them shipped directly to states.
We need certain equipment that the states are unable to get by themselves. So we`re invoking it to use the powers of the federal government to help the states get things that they need, like the masks, like the ventilators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: What`s important there, Sarah?
SARAH KLIFF, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": So I think there really is a case where a lot of states, a lot of hospitals, they are struggling with materials.
The thing I have been focused on in my reporting lately is ventilators, which we really expect to come into short supply after what we have seen what is happening in Italy.
And one of the things that`s been very hard, there has been this discussion, could we use the manufacturing lines of other industry? It`s kind of hard to take a manufacturing industry that typically makes cars, turn that over to ventilators.
One ventilator manufacture I spoke with, their machine has 1,750 parts. These are not easy machines to build. And I think one of the other challenges you`re going to see, building more ventilators, creating more masks, this requires factories really ramping up their production in a moment when we`re telling people to stay apart.
So those workers on the factory line, they need protective equipment too. They need more janitorial services. It`s a really challenging moment to -- even with the government`s help, to ramp this up.
And the ventilator makers I have talked to, they say they just don`t see a ton of government coordination at this point. They feel like they`re trying to do this on their own. They`re getting a lot of orders from hospitals and they`re just not able to keep up at this point.
MELBER: E.J., NBC`s Lester Holt was speaking to several governors about what they`re facing. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LESTER HOLT, NBC ANCHOR: What percentage of the tests that you need do you actually have on hand?
Governor Pritzker, I will start with you.
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): About 1 percent.
GOV. LARRY HOGAN (R-MD): I`d hate to put a percentage on it, Lester, but it`s not nearly enough. I don`t think any state in the country has nearly enough.
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We`re all in the same boat on this one, Lester.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: That`s a snapshot. Obviously, E.J., it reflects the data we have had.
And we showed the president today flatly in denial about that, although I guess, to the credit of the Trump administration, other experts, unmuzzled, have said as much. How important is it that everyone has those facts without panic, so that the government can go about fixing it?
E.J. DIONNE, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": You know, I was watching the president and keeping an eye on the market today, which lost 900-plus points.
And once again, the president was out there, and the more he talked, the more rapidly the market collapsed. And I think part of that is the sense that, no matter what is being talked about, no matter how honest the genuine experts like Dr. Fauci try to be, Trump cannot stop himself from trying to pretend that certain problems aren`t there.
And so I think he ends up heightening insecurities and real alarm in the country.
If we had had adequate testing, the way they had, for example, in South Korea, we might not have had to put our society through what we are putting our society through now. And there is a kind of refusal to take responsibility, where he keeps saying, it`s really up to the governors.
Well, God bless the governors. A lot of them are doing good work. But we have a federal government for a reason. This is a national problem, and we expect it to give a hand, to give us all a hand when we confront a problem like this.
And it just hasn`t been there, and they dismantled so many parts of the government that were designed to deal with crises like this.
MELBER: Well, E.J., you lay it out there. And you`re really referring to two things, one, which is the unique role of the president in our system of government, both as being in charge of the executive branch, but also trying to connect with the public at times like this.
And then, B, you`re really talking what is the underlying premise of the communication? Is the premise to say, well, we always want good news, so minimizing anything negative is welcome.? That`s a kind of a P.R., reality show approach that the president obviously used in his campaigning.
Or, when things are bad, is being factual and accurate and clear with the public about what`s bad the most important thing? And, obviously, and when it comes to medical crises, the answer is obviously yes. You much prefer your doctor giving you information accurately that you can use than giving you -- quote -- "good news" that isn`t true, or, to use the oft-mentioned term, fake news.
So, E.J., with all that in mind, for your analysis, I want to play the other moment that got some attention today in terms of how the president is choosing to deal with things, and your view on it on the other side. Let`s all just take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER ALEXANDER, NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What do you say to Americans who are scared, though? I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions, as you witness, who are scared right now. What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?
TRUMP: I say that you`re a terrible reporter. That`s what I say. Go ahead.
ALEXANDER: Mr. President, the units that were just declared...
TRUMP: I think it`s a very nasty question, and I think it`s a very bad signal that you`re putting out to the American people.
The American people are looking for answers and they`re looking for hope. And you`re doing sensationalism, and the same with NBC and Con-cast. I don`t call it -- I don`t call it Comcast. I call it Con-cast.
Let me just -- for who you work -- let me just tell you something: That`s really bad reporting, and you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism.
Let`s see if it works. It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it, but who knows. I`ve been right a lot. Let`s see what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Well, it was quite an exchange.
And, E.J., to be clear, the question posed was -- quote -- "What do you say to Americans who are scared?"
DIONNE: That was a slow pitch down the middle of the plate, and the president threw his bat away. It was a very good question, but it was a question where the president could have given an answer reassuring people, saying, this is a big problem. We can come together. We can solve it.
There are so many things he could say. And, instead, he was the guy trying to sell people on Trump University, that if anybody raises anything negative, any question at all, then they are atrocious.
I mean, there were many moments in this crisis where we have said, God, which wish somebody else were standing there. But when I saw that answer, I thought he can`t even take advantage of a moment that was made for him. He couldn`t do it.
MELBER: Well put, I think.
Doctor, looking at the risk to front-line workers, which is something we have covered on many days of this story, I want to play a brief moment also from our international reporting in Italy. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Have any doctors or nurses that you know have contracted the virus?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That I know, at least 20.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: That`s over 20 doctors, according to that account in Italy.
We have heard from experts about how other countries give a portrait, a snapshot of what we may face, depending on how we deal with it. In your view, what is the risk to doctors and nurses now, and are we getting any better handle on it?
ADALJA: The risk to health care workers is going to be immense.
We know that health care workers are our front-line people that are going to be exposed to these patients, often in very life-threatening situations, where people might be dying, and you have to really take action quickly.
We want to make sure our health care workers have the personal protective equipment, that they have no doubts that they`re going have personal protective equipment. It`s really a key thing that we need to do.
It`s one of the most important things we can do, is make sure that our hospitals are fortified and able to take care of patients. I know I`m going to be seeing patients with this disease in the next couple of days maybe, and I need to make sure that I know that I`m doing this safely and I`m not going to expose others or expose myself and then be taken out -- taken offline because of those exposures.
So it`s very crucial that our health care workers are completely protected. It`s the number one priority.
MELBER: That`s on the treatment side.
On the patient side, Sarah, another point we saw was a gender disparity flagged at the briefing also from the experience abroad. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: From Italy, we`re seeing another concerning trend, that the mortality in males seems to be twice in every age group of females.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Sarah, what do you know, what do we draw from the other countries` experiences? How much of it is predictive for the U.S. and how much depends on other factors?
KLIFF: I think it`s really hard to tell right now.
The gender disparity, for example, it`s something we saw in China. And when we first saw it, the assumption was, oh, you see a much higher rate of smoking among Chinese men, so that probably explains it.
But, in Italy, you actually don`t see as much of a disparity. So I think one of the things that`s so hard about fighting this disease is, there`s so much we don`t know about it.
There were studies that came out earlier this week, for example, that showed children can have a case of coronavirus and be completely asymptomatic. And so that could be a large cause of spread.
So I think what is -- we can learn from other countries is there are things we know about the virus. We`re seeing gender disparities, some age disparities, but also what I take away is just that things are really unpredictable and that you need a strong government response if you`re going get your hands around this thing.
You can`t just really leave it to doctors to be scrounging for ventilators and masks. That really isn`t the way to keep a disease like this under control.
MELBER: Certainly.
Well, Ms. Kliff and Dr. Adalja, I want to thank both of you.
E.J., we have a lot of serious stuff in the hour, but by the time we come back to you at the end of the hour, we`re doing something a little different and a little fun at the end of the week with E.J. Dionne later on.
Now, still to come tonight, new calls for the senator you see on your screen, Richard Burr, to resign over what is the first major scandal of the coronavirus era. We`re going to get into that with a very special guest right after the break.
Later, doctors and nurses desperate for supplies, something we have been discussing. We`re going get into that with a doctor who warns -- quote -- "The sky is falling," but there are things the government can do.
We also have a conversation tonight about the testing shortage and what you can do to stay safe.
All that and a lot more tonight. I`m Ari Melber. You`re watching THE BEAT on MSNBC.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELBER: Now to an important story.
Do you remember the first thing you did when you realized the coronavirus was going to really impact the U.S.? Did you call a loved one or check on an elderly person at higher risk or talk things through with your children? Or maybe go buy extra groceries, supply, sanitizer?
Or, if you work in health care, you may have known more earlier. You may have discussed precautions at work.
If you serve in government, you might have been privy to earlier warnings and basically the preparations, which provide extra time to do anything all of the above.
But you know what some U.S. senators did when they got early secret warnings about this virus? They allegedly swiftly moved to profit on it, to either save or make money in their stock portfolios.
This story tonight right now is the first Washington scandal of the coronavirus era. Obviously, it didn`t take long.
Now, here are the basics. Richard Burr, the Republican senator who leads the Intelligence Committee, got key coronavirus briefings way back in February, and then made related trades, unloading $1.7 million of stock, including in key industries like hotels and resorts, NPR reporting that he grasped the seriousness of the epidemic, discussed his concerns at a private luncheon, while, in public, went on to tell is different story.
He wrote in one article the U.S. was better prepared than ever to face the coronavirus. Another senator, Kelly Loeffler, allegedly involved in trading off this type of intelligence, selling millions in stock after a private meeting on January 24, investing in companies that would go up in value from the pandemic, buying stock, for example, in a company that helps people work from home called Citrix, while still recently striking a very different note in public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-GA): The good news is, the consumer is strong. The economy is strong. Jobs are growing. Our president has done a fantastic job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Now, there are defenses to all of this. Senator Burr is insisting that he relied only on public information to make whatever trades he did. Loeffler saying any decisions for her investments are made by third-party advisers.
But the outrage here is obviously piling up, from anti-corruption experts, from nonpartisan good government groups who say the law shouldn`t allow this in the first place, certainly from progressive critics, and criticism of all of this by an anchor that President Trump himself watches and tweets about, Tucker Carlson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS: Now, maybe there is an honest explanation for what he did. If there is, he should share with it the rest of us immediately. Otherwise, he must resign from the Senate and face prosecution for insider trading.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: That`s tough talk.
This is a very important story, not only for what may be partly legal corruption that is revealed, but for also the spotlight this puts on the priorities of people who literally write the laws that govern us right now, that decide how your government and your tax dollars will combat this crisis.
It reveals where their heads are at when they get this information, and whether they do more, some of them, allegedly, to make money off of it, while saying the opposite in public, instead of looking out for you.
And another I think I want to emphasize here tonight, the only reason we know about this is because of reporting and relatively recent legal requirements passed by, yes, the Congress.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, for example, pushed for this rule, and she argued, back when this was a debate in Congress, that -- quote -- "Politicians should play by the same rules as everyone else."
Senator Gillibrand wrote part of the very STOCK Act in 2012 that prevents and discloses some of this type of information and material trading. And we should note Senator Burr was one of a very few senators who voted against it at the time. He said he was one of the brave souls to push against this kind of disclosure requirement.
I`m joined now by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
Thank you for making time for us.
There`s many, many important things going on in your state and around the country. But it would seem that what has been revealed here underscores the need not only for what you fought for in disclosing this, but going further and preventing it.
Walk us through your view of this tonight.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): So, obviously, it raises a huge red flag.
The purpose of the STOCK Act was so that members of Congress could not trade on nonpublic information that they received in the course of doing their job.
Obviously, the facts surrounding the trades by these two senators are deeply concerning. They were privy to nonpublic information far earlier than the typical American constituent, and it`s concerning that they acted on that information and made trades that made them money.
I think it needs to be investigated. It has to be thoroughly investigated. It should be investigated by the Department of Justice to see if insider trading in fact did take place.
MELBER: Can Congress simply ban any individual trading by its membership to get a -- basically, a wider, brighter line around this?
GILLIBRAND: I think it should, frankly.
I don`t think members of Congress should be buying and selling stocks, because, even if they`re not engaged in insider trading, so often it will create the appearance of impropriety. And Congress needs to improve its reputation, not continue to strain the belief by the American people that we`re doing the right thing, that we are doing what`s in the public`s best interest.
And, ultimately, this all comes down to greed. And that`s one of the biggest problems we have in Washington, just the amount of money in politics, along with how this place runs, and even the most recent bill from Mitch McConnell. It`s problematic.
MELBER: Because of what Senator Burr said in public, there is an extra spotlight on it that goes not only to the potential legal questions of, OK, did you go over the line, but also something that is obviously perfectly legal. Politicians can lie. We all know that.
But I`m curious, just at a level of policy judgment, whether you`re concerned, given your work on, this about the distinction between what he did in private, which appeared to evince knowledge that this was bad and getting worse, and what he said in public.
We have some sound from February. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC): There is one thing that I can tell you about this. It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history. It`s probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MELBER: NPR has that from him in February. We just showed, though, what he and others were saying in public after that point.
What is your view of any potential problem there?
GILLIBRAND: Well, obviously, when members of Congress have a personal view and then they have a public view, it`s not fair to the American people.
And in this instance, if you actually profited on your private view and you did not disclose that to the American public, again, it`s going to undermine people`s faith that this government works for them. That`s why they`re so tired of politicians who say one thing but do the other.
And so we need honest politicians, people who put their constituents first. And both of these cases raise big concerns for me.
MELBER: Understood. And very interesting to get your view, as I mentioned, having worked on it.
While I have you, as the leader of such a big state going through so many challenges with this, take a listen to what your counterpart, the governor of New York, said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): There are people and places in New York City where it looks like life as usual. No, this is not life as usual. And accept it and realize it and deal with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Do you agree with the governor there? And what are you saying to constituents in New York, both a state and a city that is known for having a brash attitude and intermixing? And one of the most international metropolises in the world is New York City, and proudly so.
But what are you saying to people about what to do now?
GILLIBRAND: Well, what I have been hearing from my constituents is that they`re terrified. They`re very worried that they`re going lose their income, that they`re going lose their ability to put food on the table.
Right now, we are asking workers to make a very tough choice. Either go to work and risk getting exposed, or stay at home with your loved one or your children, who are now home from school. And having to make that choice between earning a living and possibly exposing others or protecting your family is an unfair choice.
And so what I`m working towards right now is national paid leave, so every worker in America can take up to three months paid leave to provide care for their children at home or to provide care for a loved one who is sick or for themselves, as well as two weeks of paid sick days.
But the real troubling thing is this something that Mitch McConnell and the Republicans don`t want to do. We just had a vote to do this exact thing, and not one Republican voted for it. And it goes back to this issue of greed, Ari.
People are far more concerned about paying back their big donors and giving tax cuts to large corporations than literally helping people who just want to provide for their families and take care of their kids.
So I`m working very hard to meet the needs of New Yorkers, who are so worried, so afraid. And if you think of all the different industries, the critical workers. Think of the woman whose just in the grocery store, and she`s taking the money for the food that you`re buying.
Imagine how she feels that she could be exposed any day from any customer. She is a critical worker. If she doesn`t show up to work, then no one can buy groceries to feed their families. So, we need protects for all these workers. And that is what I`m dedicated to doing hopefully in this next bill.
MELBER: Understood.
And, Senator Gillibrand, thank you so much for joining us tonight.
GILLIBRAND: Thank you.
MELBER: We`re fitting in a 30-second break.
And then we will be joined by a mayor of a U.S. city who has actually been diagnosed with the virus and is still working from home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELBER: The coronavirus is highly infectious, which makes it in many ways more challenging than other public health crises, because the people in charge of combating it can get it.
We have seen this happen to doctors and nurses who have been exposed or contracted it, sidelining them from the very treatment they are there to provide.
The same risk is also hitting policy-makers, from two members of Congress now testing positive, to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, diagnosed with coronavirus last week, now self-quarantining and still trying to manage the city, working from home, like so many millions of Americans.
And joining us now is the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, one of 113 people in Miami-Made County who have tested point of view for the virus. In Florida overall, there are roughly 520 cases.
Hello to you. Walk us through, how are you feeling, how you doing, and how you doing your job?
FRANCIS X. SUAREZ (R), MAYOR OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: I feel great. This is the best that I have felt since I was diagnosed eight days ago.
Thankfully, I have had a very mild case. I have not had fever. I have not had a cough. You know, obviously, not every case is like mine. There is a variety of different diagnoses. But I have been working from home. I have been working with technology, with FaceTime, with Skype, communicating with my government, making sure that all the residents in the city of Miami are safe.
MELBER: Understood. And I`m sure a lot of people there in the community credit you for it.
Take a look at some of the reporting we have seen about something that in normal times, I know Miami and Florida are very proud of, beach life, spring break, and all that good stuff. But, obviously, we`re trying to change as a society how people approach life.
Take a look at some of this coverage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Why don`t you shut down all the beaches? Because we`re seeing the spring breakers go into other counties that don`t have...
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Well, not under my order. So, we did an order no gatherings on beaches 10 or more. So, if you have a Floridian that goes, walks their dogs like a married couple on the beach, as long as you`re not within six feet of each other, they view that -- and that`s a healthy thing.
And so I think it`s important to allow that, if the local communities want to do it, to be able to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Ron DeSantis there.
What are you telling folks in and around Miami? We have heard from health experts that, of course, the goal here is not stay inside no matter what. There are safe ways to go outside, and plenty of people have reasons to do so within the rules about avoiding work and gatherings.
But what are you saying to people about the beaches?
SUAREZ: Well, we did a -- we were the first city to cancel a large event. We canceled Ultra Music Fest, which was an event that would have brought 150,000 people from 105 different countries over the next couple of weeks.
And so because Miami in particular, of all the counties in Florida, is one of the epicenters of spring break in the nation, the Miami-Dade County mayor decided to shut down the beaches in Miami-Dade County, something that I support, and I know that the mayor of Miami Beach supports as well.
It`s obviously a dramatic measure, but it`s one that had to happen to make sure that the young in our immunity don`t spread to it the more vulnerable, the elderly, and those with immunocompromised immune systems.
MELBER: Understood.
And are you avoiding contact with your friends and family right now while you self-quarantine?
SUAREZ: I have been self-quarantined future a little over a week. So, I have been home alone.
I haven`t had contact with anyone. My wife has come to visit me, and , from afar, from outside the house, has come and said hello. I have two small children, a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old. I have not had any contact with them.
And so the only thing people are doing is dropping off food from a distance, and that`s how I`m getting by.
MELBER: And you seem, at least through this video call, you seem of fine spirits. Do you find that much time alone starts to affect you? Or not really?
SUAREZ: You know, I really haven`t been alone, in the sense that I have been interacting with people constantly. I have been working ever since this happened.
I have done a tremendous amount of interviews. I have been -- I have had a video diary entry @FrancisSuarez Twitter, and @FrancisXSuarez Instagram, where every single day I chronicle this journey of being -- of testing positive with COVID-19 to try to reduce anxieties, to try to get people to feel a little calmer about the possibility and the prospect that they may contract COVID-19.
And I have gotten a lot of messages from people that feel grateful.
MELBER: Well, Mr. Mayor, if you are a politician plugging your social media, we know that you`re healthy, just like they do in the debates.
And we`re happy to have you be healthy enough to do the normal political stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
MELBER: Say again?
SUAREZ: And I`m young.
MELBER: And you`re young, young and healthy, and also obviously still working hard at this time.
So, Mayor, we thank you for spending time with us, and we`re glad you`re doing so well.
We`re going fit in another break, and ahead speak to another doctor on the front lines who is actually sounding the alarm about looming equipment shortages.
Lots more when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL DE BLASIO (D), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: We don`t have masks. We don`t have ventilators. I was very blunt with the people of my city yesterday that, the beginning of April, we will run out of basic medical supplies because of the intense strain that`s being put already on our hospitals by this crisis.
We literally will not have the things we need to save people`s lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sounding the alarm about these shortages of medical supplies.
Meanwhile, news breaking in our hour. The White House is confirming a member of the vice president`s office has tested positive for coronavirus. The White House advising, this individual has not, they say, had close contact with Vice President Pence or the president.
But that is quite a piece of news. As for these equipment shortages, they`re a problem that have been exposed by doctors and nurses on the front lines who share videos, picture, and warnings about what they lack to keep themselves protected, essential to protecting their patients, a point we have heard about as the public health challenge unfolds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: How many ventilators do you have?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We only have one ventilator.
QUESTION: One ventilator? So you can have one patient who needs a ventilator. And then what do you do after that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We transfer that patient.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just sent over all the ventilators from our veterinary hospital to the Tufts Medical Center, as an example.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is lots of unanswered questions, and we`re looking to our administration to get the answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MELBER: Joining the chorus of alarm, a surgeon going public with warnings about shortages of gloves, ventilators, writing in "The New York Times," effectively, the sky is falling.
That was written by Dr. Cornelia Griggs. She is a pediatric fellow with Columbia University, and joins us now.
What are you trying to get across in what you wrote in that warning, Doctor?
DR. CORNELIA GRIGGS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: I was trying to send a message nationally that shortage of PPE, or personal protective equipment, is a crisis for our health care workers, and it makes us feel like we`re being sent to Normandy with a bow and an arrow.
MELBER: Was it something that is widely discussed before it went public?
It`s right on the line between getting the alarm out so people know, so it gets fixed, but obviously not causing too much alarm for patients who are going in and thinking, well, wait a minute, if you guys don`t have the protective materials, are they going to be at greater risk?
GRIGGS: We definitely don`t want to create any more alarm than there already is in the public.
And everyone at the hospital and at all levels of leadership across the country is working tirelessly to solve the problems with PPE. But the problem is, there is a global shortage, and our supply chains are affected in a critical way.
MELBER: I also want to ask you, just again, given your expertise about this issue of just the general capacity, hospital beds.
We have seen these reports, no part of America has enough hospital beds for what could be the larger or outer edge of the pandemic. The U.S. basically has under a million total beds. That`s less than three for every thousand people.
If we got to the levels that some countries have gotten, bottom line, there literally wouldn`t be enough beds. What do we do about that?
GRIGGS: Yes, based on some epidemiological models, we`re on track to face a critical bed shortage, not only just hospital beds, but ICU beds.
And when we surge and we run out of beds, there is an increase in all-cause mortality, not just from coronavirus. And we need everybody who is at home listening and thinking about this problem helping us come up with creative solutions and thinking outside of the box to help us meet surge capacity.
That means pop-up hospitals. That means solutions like that means the USS Comfort to New York City, which is under way, but may not come for weeks and weeks. It means finding places to set up fever clinics and testing centers, and rapidly.
MELBER: Wow.
And, briefly, we just got this news that a member of Vice President Pence`s staff has tested positive for coronavirus. That`s a high-level person in the U.S. government, not completely unexpected, given the rates in other places. Your reaction to that news?
GRIGGS: I mean, yesterday and today was the day when I started hearing about my colleagues across the country, health care workers, testing positive.
My friend, she is a surgeon in Cleveland, tested positive, and he is at home feeling miserable with a fever and a cough. And he can barely get out of bed.
And I`m making him text me every morning just to make sure he is OK. Yesterday, I heard from a friend who is a surgeon in San Diego, and he was sent home with a fever and a cough. And they wouldn`t even offer him a test.
MELBER: Dr. Griggs, I appreciate the writing and the work you`re doing and sharing some of your insights with us here on THE BEAT.
GRIGGS: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me and amplifying our message.
MELBER: A hundred percent. Thank you.
What we`re going to do now is fit in a break. When we come back on THE BEAT, we`re going to do something special we do on a lot of Fridays. We`re going have fun, but we`re also going to talk about the way we live now, what`s changing and how to keep your minds and wits about you, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELBER: Welcome back.
It`s been quite a week.
And every Friday here on THE BEAT, we try to take a step back, reflect, and even have some laughs, if we can. We call it "Fallback Friday," and maybe we need it more than ever in this new normal of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tonight, we are joined by Eddie Griffin, a comedian you know from everything from the Oscar winner "A Star Is Born" to cult classics like "Deuce Bigalow" and "Undercover Brother." Hell, yes.
Griffin has a residency for shows in Las Vegas.
(CROSSTALK)
MELBER: Yes, sir.
You have a -- I was going say you have a residency in Las Vegas. But like so many performers, we should note the project is postponed as a health precaution.
And for this conversation, we`re also joined by our friend E.J. Dionne, "Washington Post" columnist. He was named one of the top 25 journalists in Washington by "The National Journal." He is a bestselling author, the latest, "Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country."
Eddie and E.J., thanks for coming together today.
EDDIE GRIFFIN, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: No problem.
DIONNE: Honor to be with Eddie and you. Thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
MELBER: Hey. And virtually is the safest way.
Eddie, you look good. I see you in the swivel chair. I see you working from home.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Yes.
MELBER: What what`s on your "Fallback" list, sir?
GRIFFIN: Fall back -- they need to fall back on the testing.
How many times have the World Health Organization offered test tools and we turned them down? Now we tests. We need to get some tests man. I can`t even test myself.
(LAUGHTER)
MELBER: You`re trying to make tests popular.
You mentioned this. We were looking at this, Secretary Azar and the Trump administration not only not helping get the tests out, but I mentioned earlier, the president kind of denying, Eddie, that it is a problem.
GRIFFIN: Well, the president has a problem. I don`t even call him the president. I call him the dude in the White House.
There`s a nut in the White House. And, look, we have got to stop normalizing him by calling him president. Just call him what he is, the nut in the White House.
Now, the nut in the White House is bad, he is out of his mind, and he has got these cronies, I mean, it is a cult. It is a cult. It is a cult. So, you have Mike Pence. Mike Pence -- Trump has his hands so far up Mike Pence`s behind, you can see his fingers coming out his mouth when he talks.
You understand? I mean, that`s just bad. And then that little doctor, what is name, Zudru or something, you know, the little midget that look like a troll. He look like a troll, the doctor, head doctor troll dude, yes.
And he just sits up there, and he lies with Trump. And then he tries to make up the truth. It`s just -- it`s bad. It just real bad.
MELBER: Well, Eddie, I will say this. Sometimes, the president is criticized for his nicknames for people. Clearly, you have some nicknames for people as well.
E.J., I want to bring you in and ask, what`s on your "Fallback" list?
DIONNE: I`m not going to come close to anything like Eddie, although I am outraged -- he`s right -- on testing, by the way.
I think Senator Ron Johnson really, really, really has to fall back. He told "The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel" getting coronavirus is not a death sentence for no more than 3.4 percent of the population, no more than 3.4 percent of our population.
That happens to be 11 million Americans, 11 million people. He went on to say, we don`t shut down the economy because tens of thousands of people die on the highways.
I mean, Dr. Fauci reacted to this charitably when he said, that`s way out. I think that Senator Johnson should fall back and get either some math lessons -- 11 million human beings is a lot of human beings -- or some moral guidance.
And Dr. Fauci had some for him. When he heard about what he had said, he said, I don`t think, with any moral conscience, you could say why don`t we just let it rip and happen and let X-percent of people die?
If Johnson had wanted to make the point that we might not have to disrupt the economy like this if we hadn`t botched the testing, that`s a fair point. But I think he should just listen to Dr. Fauci on what he actually said.
MELBER: Yes, I hear you.
I heard Dr. Fauci on that today.
And, E.J., this is something that we are struggling with as we think of the any normal here at the end of the new normal. On the one hand, there are ways that people can try to keep perspective, and yet these comparisons don`t work well if they`re seen, especially by our leaders, as minimizing, rather than giving people, E.J., something to focus on to do.
DIONNE: Right.
Well, I mean, a lot of people are worried about how much disruption there is in the economy. That`s why they`re talking about some kind of stimulus package. But that`s very different from saying that, well, it doesn`t matter if 3.4 percent of the population dies.
MELBER: Right. Right.
DIONNE: I mean, that just is a conversation stopper, not a conversation starter.
MELBER: Eddie, how are you keeping -- how do you keep the laughs going when it is a serious time?
GRIFFIN: Well, it`s easy.
I mean, laughter is contagious, you know, just like coronavirus. Laughter is contagious. So, you know, if you got the virus, you know, just tune in on TV, and catch one of my stand-up specials, laugh, because it creates endorphins in the cheek to promote health.
So, every little bit helps, you know what I mean? So, I just say get your laugh on, you know what I mean, if you can.
MELBER: Yes.
Well, and if you are laughing, and you can laugh at yourself, maybe you`re healthy. And trying to stay healthy as possible, we try to set aside time to take in the big picture.
I appreciate everyone along for the ride and the laughs.
E.J. Dionne, Eddie Griffin, thanks to you.
By the way, again, the book is "Code Red," if you want to check it out. And Eddie`s comedy special, since he mentioned it, is "E-Niggma." You can find it on Showtime and Spotify.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELBER: Welcome back.
We began our broadcast tonight, the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. stood at 16,000. Now, as we finish the hour, the number has jumped to 18,000, a grim reminder of what we face.
That does it for me tonight. I want you to stay informed, stay safe and stay sane. We will be back at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Monday night.
Keep it right here on MSNBC.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END