The pandemic has hit people, here, in the United States, consider this. In the month of april, one person died of the virus every 44 seconds. More than 66,000 people in america have passed away in just nine weeks. Even though the number of new cases is beginning to level off and, in some cases, fall. Public Health Officials insist that now is not the time to let up on measures designed to slow the spread of the disease. Chris, theres no doubt in my mind that, when you pull back mitigation, youre going to start seeing cases crop up here and there. And, if youre not able to handle them, youre going to see another peak. A spike. And then, you almost have to turn the clock back to go back to mitigation. Many people gathered, here, in washington, d. C. Today. This was the national mall, earlier this afternoon, during a flyover by the blue angels and thunderbirds to honor healthcare workers and First Responders. The mall crowded, despite officials asking the public to stay safely away from each other. At new york city central park, also very busy today despite the stayathome order that is still in effect. Signs up are to advise visitors about safe distancing. The city says nypd officers, on foot and bicycles, will be enforcing safe distancing guidelines. New york city mayor bill de blasio spoke to my colleague ana cabrera just a little while ago. We expected this and prepared for this. Nypd is out, in force. And what does that look like so far . Have people been following the rules . Saw the enforcement numbers from about an hour or so ago, and they looked actually quite good. The vast majority of people gotten the message but families have been doing that the right way. And people are, overwhelmingly, abiding by that social distancing. More and more people putting on the face coverings. We are giving them out for free today all over the city to make it easy for people. So new yorkers have been Pretty Amazing at following rules in a place where its tough. Good to know that. First this hour, lets go to the white house where white House Democrats are in a tug of war with the Trump Administration. Congressional democrats, i should say. Over dr. Anthony fauci. Democr democrats requesting that dr. Fauci testify at a house subcommittee meeting on the Coronavirus Response next week. But white house officials have blocked dr. Fauci from appearing. Last night, we learned that dr. Fauci is expected to testify in front of the Senate Committee just ten days from now. Cnns White House Correspondent jeremy t Jeremy Diamond is joining us right now. Jeremy, whats the latest on this fight between dr. Fauci and the white house and democrats in the house of representatives . Wolf, the white house is denying the Appropriations Committee request to have dr. Fauci come testify during a subcommittee hearing this coming week. Yesterday, though, wolf, the white house said that it would be counterproductive to have dr. Fauci come and testify before the committee in the middle of this pandemic. But today, the White House Press secretary focusing on a different explanation as to what why the white house is not allowing fauci to go testify. Saying instead the house Appropriations Committee hasnt offered the full details of why exactly they want fauci to testify, and what the subject matter would be thooeld at he we covering. Mcenany also saying it is a publicity student. Were working in good faith and, yes, we want to work with the house to ensure they get the witnesses theyre asking for. But these need to be requests that make sense and not publicity stunts, which is what this was. It was leaked that we were blocking dr. Fauci which was just simply not the case. Wolf, one of the reasonings for so much controversy is because dr. Fauci has been one of the most forthcoming members of the Trump Administration in terms of describing some of this administrations failings in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly, in testing. Dr. Fauci has acknowledged the white house and the Trump Administration had some early failures that put the administration behind the curve in terms of responding to this. But, wolf, as you mentioned, dr. Fauci will be testifying on may 12th, before a republicanled Senate Committee. But democrats on that committee will also have an opportunity to question dr. Fauci during that hearing. The president is spending the weekend right now, hes up at camp david. Hes been busy, also, at the same time, on twitter. Whats the latest that hes saying . He certainly has been, wolf. And i think its particularly notable because white house officials have repeatedly described the president s weekend at camp david as a working weekend. Saying that he is meeting with some of his top aides, including the National Economic council director, larry kudlow, the white house chief of staff mark meadows, but the picture we are seeing on twitter is a president focused on anything but this coronavirus pandemic. The president has issued 38 tweets. Almost none of them focus on coronavirus. Instead, the president is focusing his attention, his energy, on attacking news anchors, accusing fbi officials of treason, and retweeting praise for himself. Wolf, that is what we are seeing of the president on twitter. And, again, 38 tweets or retweets, is the count so far. Wolf. Spending the night at camp david. Be back at the white house tomorrow. Jeremy diamond, well get back to you. Meanwhile, michigans governor is denouncing the heavily armed protestors who filled the State Capitol in michigan this week. They are demanding an end to the shutdown there. The president is defending the demonstrators, quote, they are very good people. Just today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended safety rules for grocery stores, including mandatory face masks for most shoppers. Cnns ryan young is in the capitol ci capital city of lansing for us. Ryan. Yeah. Absolutely. That stayathome order will extend to may 15th. The state of emergency, through the end of the month. But you understand why when you look at the numbers, here, in the state of michigan. 43,000 people testing positive for covid19. Over 4,000 people have lost their lives. But its the pictures from that protest that stand out. Of course, lot of people wondering whether or not you can open carry inside the capitol. But you can understand why people here are so upset in terms of the conversation. You have lawmakers wearing bulletproof vests as they tried to cast their votes. But when you think about flagging the curve here, when this state ranks number three for those covid19 numbers, you understand why the governor, Governor Whitmer, is pushing so hard. Yesterdays scene at the capitol was disturbing, to be quite honest. Swastikas and Confederate Flags, nooses and automatic rifles, do not represent who we are as michiganders. This state has a rich history of people coming together. Were not in a political crisis, where we should just negotiate and find some Common Ground here. Were in a Public Health crisis. Were in the midst of a Global Pandemic that has already killed almost 4,000 people in our state. Yeah. Wolf, you can tell those numbers have been updated in terms of the number now, above 4,000, with the people who have died. I can also tell you, though, construction will begin to open, apparently, around may 7th. So youll start to see the state get back to work. Were in lansing, michigan. You know, Michigan State is here. Today was supposed to be graduation. That did not happen. Weve seen a lot of kids with cap and gowns. But obviously, you cant bring all those people into one location for graduation. So High School Graduation and, obviously College Graduations across the state have been cancelled. The governor still feels like they have to flatten this curve as the numbers still remain very high in this state. Wolf. Yeah. Those graduation ceremonies will be cancelled in most of the country, as well. Ryan young in lansing, michigan, for us. Ryan, thank you. As michigan, clearly, struggles with the decisions about reopening, the questions are even more troubling for detroit, where density is greater and the coronavirus has spread quickly. As an acknowledged hotspot, the Detroit Health department has counted more than 9,300 confirmed cases and nearly 1,100 deaths as of today. The mayor of detroit, mayor duggen is joining us. Thanks for joining us. Detroit has some success with flattening the socalled curve but are you worried progress could be lost if you reopen detroit, and the rest of the state, too soon . Well, weve made enormous progress. Two or three weeks ago, we were losing 40 or 50 of our residents a day. The hospitals were overwhelmed with people in the hallways in gurneys. Now, there are 7 or 800 empty hospital beds in detroit and the deaths are down 70 or 80 . So we have made enormous progress, as dr. Birx has pointed to. And so, our focus now is how do we bring back those jobs that can come back safely . And so this week, were bringing back our roads crews, our water and sewer crews. Under very strict guidelines, where every employee is tested before they come in. Their temperature will be taken each morning. But we are, now, starting to move, i think, in a rational way. Because weve made some significant progress here. You certainly have. As you say, you are sending some city workers back to their jobs in the coming days. But youve also put, in place, those safe workplace standards. For example, let me put them on the screen for our viewers. Workers must first test anythingtinegative for the virus. They have to have a temperature and health check each day before work. There were distancing and hygiene protocols. Mandatory use of masks, other ppe as needed. Workplaces have to stockpile ppe and sanitizing supplies. All of that, of course, mayor, costs a lot of money. How is the citys budget right now . Are you concerned about possibly having to cut any of those services to pay for whats going on . Well, fema is reimbursing us on those expenses, by and large. But, i go to work every day in city hall. An administrator takes my temperature as i walk in the door, as they do for everybody who comes in. And those standards, we learned the hard way. Three or four weeks ago, we were having 80, 100, police officers, quarantined each day and it was really difficult. But we got our instant testing in. We started putting in protocols for masks and daily temperature checks and i think we have four or five officers quarantined all of last week. So were moving tot fact that weto the fact that were going to have to live with this virus in our country, our community, for months, a year, who knows until there is a vac seen. And we believe there is a way, not for sitdown restaurants or movie theaters but for a number of jobs where you can space out. We think there is a way to bring people back. And were bringing them back under the strictest medical protocols in the country. So its good that fema is rebim ursir reimbursing you. But what kind of financial help, specifically, do you think you might wind up needing from the federal government . Well, theres no question about it. I mean, detroit, you know, was in bankruptcy five or six years ago. Weve been running good surpluses. Weve been in good shape. We have built enough of a Rainyday Fund that were doing 350 million in reductions but we have a lot of reserves built up. But if if we continue to have businesses shut down, no income tax revenue in detroit, our casino tax revenues are a big piece of it. There are going to be serious cuts. And im hoping the next round of the cares legislation i went to cut 350 million, and i saw bill de blasio had to cut 10 billion. So i guess everything is relative but local governments, all across the country, are definitely under enormous pressure. Certainly are. Hearing from mayors all over the country. Democratic mayors, republican mayors, they all need financial help right now given whats going on. What about schools in detroit . I assume theyre closed for the rest of the academic year. But will there be Summer School . What are you thinking about in the fall . Wolf, all of the inequalities in the country have been exacerbated by this. The Wealthiest School Districts closed down schools even before the governor issued the order because they are so engaged with laptops and Online Learning and homework on their on the internet at night. It was an easy transition. In the Detroit Public Schools, you probably dont have more than 20 of the children that have, both, a laptop and an Internet Connection at home. But i was really pleased the corporate leadership in this town, dte energy, quicken loans, and a number of others, came forward with 23 million. Buying 52,000 laptops for our children, and paying for Internet Connections. And the Detroit Public School teachers are transitioning. And i know the superintendent is doing an outstanding job. Envisions that, by july, there will be real Online Learning. And this is something we probably should have had done years ago. That people talk about the Digital Divide but its real. And the corporate communitys coming behind the School System to address that. And i think youll see at least Online Learning start in july. Good for that. Were grateful to all those corporate sponsors. Thank you so much. Mayor mike duggan of detroit. Appreciate your joining us. Well continue these conversations down the road. Thanks for having me on, wolf. Thank you. And as many states are relaxing their stay at home requirements, some experts have some serious medical concerns. Were going to talk, live, with two doctors about the health risks of perhaps opening, reopening, too soon. Stay with us. Youre in the situation room. Like those from buddy. Because nothing should come between two best friends. Feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. Working on the front lines, and heres one small way that you can help them in return. Complete your 2020 census today. 2020 census data helps communities plan funding for hospitals, clinics, and Emergency Services across the country. 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These are pictures of hollywood beach, north of miamidade county. All three of those counties, the largest counties in florida. Still under social distancing, lockdown guidelines as opposed to the rest staift te of florid. Normally, a Beautiful Day like this, you would see lots of people walking down that area of hollywood beach, florida. An area i know really well. But look at this. Empty, right now, hollywood beach, florida. So sad to see that. This weekend, by the way, for the first time in weeks, many residents across the United States got at least a small taste of what life was like before coronavirus. Once again, a small taste. Depending on the state, some americans could go visit movie theaters, salons, state parks. But lifting of all the measures could be potentially deadly. Joining us to discuss this and more epidemiologist dr. Abdul and professor at George Washington university hospital, dr. James phillips. Doctor, how risky are these moves . And you worked in Public Health in michigan for a while. How risky are some of these moves by these states . I think theyre quite risky. All of us have seen a horror movie where the protagonist finally faces up to their antagonist and fights them. And they think theyve won. And, then, when they turn their back, the antagonist comes back. And were in that situation right now. We have done great good with social distancing, however painful it has been for our economy and so much of our lives. But, if we let up too soon, there is a real risk, based on the evidence and based on what experts are telling us, that were going to see a resurgence in this disease that could be worse than the one that we just came out of. So weve got a real responsibility to protect each other and i think theres real risk here and i dont think its the best idea to let up too soon. Dr. Phillips, theres still apparently a pretty serious lack of testing around the country. It should be apparently a lot more robust than it actually is. Do we have the tests, right now, to catch a possible resurgence of cases, as dr. Al syed just suggested . I think we are just getting to the point where in the Emergency Departments right now, i think were just getting to a point where we are able to test, r robustly, those who are coming to see us. Earlier today, i saw several patients that came in that were covid positive, that we were able to get a test turned around in a couple hours. We have an even faster test now with a patient that came in with cardiac arrest and we were able to get an even faster result. Now, thats different than the general public. If you take a look at the president s blueprint for testing for reopening america, it involves state plans with sentinel sites and places were going to do surveillance testing. And i just dont believe that we have that in place, yet. You know, here, in d. C. , our group is working with department of health to do some robust outpatient testing but it needs to be much better. Even though were doing a good job here in d. C. , every state is different. Certainly is. Dr. Al syed, this week, we saw the protestors and we just reported on it in your home state of michigan. The legislature, if you will, demanding that Governor Whitmer relax those stayathome orders. When you saw the pictures there, what was your reaction . As someone who lives in michigan and knows this area well. Yeah. I spent a lot of time at that State Capitol and it was just a sad sight to see. Ill just say generally when the guy with the Confederate Flag shows up, you know its bad news bears. You know you are on the wrong side of history. To see those folks bringing weapons of war into the halls of power in michigan, i think its really concerning about exactly what might happen, in this scenario, when people are unwilling to just take science and publichealth policy seriously. The challenge has been, for a long time, that weve had this epidemic of misinformation underlying the greater pandemic of coronavirus. And you are starting to see exactly how dangerous that can be with with these quote unquote protests. I dont even think that thats the right word because protests are supposed to be peaceful, in a civil, Democratic Society. And these folks, and there is an implicit threat of violence when you bring a weapon of war into a hall like that. So it is devastating to see. Its a sad reality of the in infodemic that is appearing underneath this pandemic. And the polarization we see people wanting to play politics with Public Health. I was surprised they could go into the State Capitol with those weapons of war. Is that normal . No, wolf. Ill just say this. I am a muslim man. And if i were to walk in any building with a weapon like that, id have been treated very, very differently. The question of what we call normal in our society doesnt apply for everybody. And i think we have to be honest about that fact. And lets, also, say that the same hall, where those folks were able to walk in, with weapons of war, theyre barred from bringing in people are barred from bringing in posters or bullhorns. So you think about this, right . Say were defending the second amendment. Well, what about the First Amendment . Shouldnt we, in a peaceful, Democratic Society be able to use our words to make arguments, rather than having to bring an implicit threat of violence for something we disagree on . Yeah. I was pretty surprised to see all those weapons in the State Capitol. Dr. Elsyed, he will well continue this conversation. Dr. Phillips, same to you. Dont go too far away. Unfortunately the story is not going away. We have seen many, many images of stay at home protestors in michigan, as i said, carrying those rifles. Now, a former republican governor says those armed protests are an insult to americas veterans. Well talk to him live. That, and a lot more, coming up. Youre in the situation room. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase sensimist. Nothing stronger. Nothing gentler. Nothing lasts longer. Flonase sensimist. 24 hour nondrowsy allergy relief yoat natures way, that startsn with quality ingredients. Like our sambucus made from elderberries grown and picked at their prime. Choose the way to quality immune support, choose natures way sambucus. As important as ever. Most visionworks locations are open and were here to help. If you have an essential eyecare need, visit our website to get connected to one of our doctors. Visionworks. See the difference. Only roomba uses 2 multisurface rubber brushes to clean all your floors. 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But there is a few cars there, as well. Meanwhile, weve seen rather shocking images of protestors, some of them armed, calling for their states to reopen. The president , on friday, said these are very good people, who simply want their lives back. Our next guest has a very different perspective. Tom ridge, the former governor of pennsylvania, first secretary of homeland security, writes this. And let me read it to our viewers. In recent days, we have seen images of americans carrying weapons, as part of their protests to immediately reopen society. What are they planning to do . Shoot the virus with their ar15s . The selfabsorbed and selfish americans complain they are irritated, anxious, bored, and upset. Unhappy that their lives have been affected by this temporary restraint on their freedoms. Tom ridge is joining us, right now. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us. And i said youre a veteran. You say these protests dishonor the sacrifices of veterans have made. Tell us why. Obviously, you detect i was more than irritated with this. Simply because, in times of crisis, we got 330 million americans who really have to pull together and theyre not wearing traditional uniform. Its red, white, and blue. And for a small, very Selective Group to be so selfabsorbed, whether theyre inconvenient or upset, thats not the point. We are a resilient country. Weve demonstrated it time and time again. And the fact they would use this opportunity to flex whatever kind of muscle they think is important, theyre not heroes, theyre not courageous. Frankly, you walk around with weapons of war at your side, i find it unconscionable and frankly its not american. Were in this together. Same team, same fight. You also cite words of the late senator john mccain, as we all remember, spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in north vietnam. So far, americans have been social distancing for, what, act two months or so . How does this challenge from your perspective, compared to the sacrifices that americans have made throughout our history . When you think about prisoners of war, particularly, i think of john mccain, 55 months. His buddy, his dear friend, alvarez, was like eight years. So lets juxtapose two months, in your home, got your refrigerator, got your internet. Couple books you can read. Put a mask on. Go outside. Now, lets compare and contrast that with the men and women who have been prisoners of war in this country, in support and defending this country for literally decades. It pails. I mean, there is absolutely no comparison. Its just so inappropriate. I dont know what they expect to accomplish. And the notion that you would show up in a legislative body to try to intimidate, in the United States of america. To intimidate political figures. In this country, we dont formulate and execute policy at the point of a gun. And these individuals need to be reminded of that. This is not who we are, as a country. We will gate through thet throu im sure we will, eventually. And, you know, not only people until the United States are watching whats going on, people all over the world are wondering whats going on in the United States right now when they see these kinds of images. You know, mr. Secretary, we have seen americans pull together through nenormous hardship, suc as the aftermath of 9 11 for example. You saw that close as the secretary of homeland security. But now, some of these protestors are even its hard to believe challenging some of the doctors and nurses on the front line. Some of them making fun of people who wear masks to protect themselves and to protect others. What do you believe has changed . Well, i still think the good news is that theyre a very, very small minority. And i guess, the First Amendment allows them to protest. Although, all of us would perform a different form of protest. Showing up with a sidearm doesnt mean youre any smarter than anybody else. The good news is i think americans, by and large, have responded beautifully. The good news is americans are trying to help one another. The good news is and heres what i would say to these protestors. You think youre tough. You think youre smart. Youre courageous. How tough, smart and, more importantly, how heroic and courageous are you . You want to put on a hospital garb. You want to put on a face mask. And you want to walk into a ward that has a couple dozen people with this contagion . Those are the heroes. Those are the heroines. Theyre driving ambulances, taking you to the hospital. Theyre treating you as nurses and doctors. Those are the heroes and heroines. So instead of focussing on some of these folks, i think we ought to be grateful we have so Many Americans who said your life is important to me. Even though im at risk, im going to do all i can to save your life and the communitys life. We ought to be very proud of it. Well, they are the heroes and the heroines, and theyre risking their own lives to save other american lives. And were so grateful to all of them. When President Trump says some of these protestors, as we saw in lansing, michigan, the State Capitol, in his words, are very good people. And tells Governor Gretchen Whitmer, of michigan, to make a deal with them. What was your reaction when you heard that . Disbelief. The notion that my president would show up and say its okay for people, armed with firearms, try to intimidate. Regardless of republican democrat. Try to intimidate people because theyre inconvenienced or unhappy. Dont get me wrong. There is a lot of economic pain out there. I dont think that motivated most of those people there. So i thought it was absolutely unconscionable that we would embrace that kind of tactics, that kind of approach. Listen. Everybodys everybodys doing their part, in order to work our way through this. From folks at cdc and nih, the hospitals across the board, they were doing their part. It was a disruption. It was a disruption. We dont need this. I just dont quite understand why we would anybody anybody would view that as anything heroic or courageous. As a country we go about combatting this pandemic. Very quickly because we got to run but you were governor of pennsylvania. Could protestors, armed with ar15s, for example, assault weapons, show up in the State Capitol and protest . Well, again, i think theres different states. As you know, wolf, allow people to individuals to do that. The second amendment, protected for a long time. But its so selfish. Its so selfabsorbed. Its kind of this macho image. What are they going to do . Theyre not going to defeat coronavirus. Theyre not going to deal with the pandemic that way. Who are they trying to intimidate . I dare say i dont think the michigan governor was intimidated. I doubt if other legislators will be intimidated. I think we ought to just put them aside, focus on the good work so many million americans are doing. And just ignore that extreme fringe and shame on them for being so disruptive. We got more important things to do than worry about their egos being inflated because they show up carrying firearm. And ill leave our viewers, this segment, with your words. Politics be damned. No time for it now. We can sort it out later. Same team. Same fight. Lets get on with it. Tom ridge, former secretary of homeland security. As usual, thanks so much for joining us. Pleasure. Thank you. Good bless you and your team. Thank you very much. We have a lot more news on the coronavirus pandemic. But i want to show you, right now, before we take a quick commercial break. These are live pictures coming in from laguna beach, california. More protestors there, as well. Well be right back. announcer in this world where people are staying at home, many of lifes moments are being put on hold. 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And were learning new details, today, behind the name of the british Prime MinisterBoris Johnsons newborn son. Wilfred Lori Nicholas johnson honoring. Nicholas is a tribute to the two doctors who recently saved johnsons life while he was battling coronavirus. Our cnn correspondent bianca is joining us now. Bianca, what more have you learned about the significance behind the name of this newborn son . So, wolf, wilfred is for the Prime Ministers grandfather. Lori is for the Prime Minister fiancees grandfather. And dr. Nicholas price and dr. Nicholas hart, who helped nurse the Prime Minister back to health when he was in that lifeordeath struggle against coronavirus. The baby was born on wednesday, at 9 00 a. M. And that day, the Prime Minister was meant to be addressing that ruckus house chamber. People were annoyed and then found out the reason and swiftly forgave him. But, now, the Prime Minister is back. After several absences over the peak of this virus in britain, and he is back to heavy scrutiny, wolf. Because, now, the uk is well and truly on the trajectory to be the secondhighest vierusrelatd death toll in the world. Second, only, to the United States. So he is going to be facing questions about why that is. Why did it take so long for the country to implement a lockdown . Why did the Prime Minister, before sickness and before his newborn baby, why did he miss critical emergency meetings . The socalled cobra meetings in the united kingdom, that took place in that proprietary period, wolf. Those are the meetings that would have stockpiled the ppe, that would have assessed the hospital capacity. So plenty of questions facing him now. And he is a man changed by his own personal experience of battling this virus. He spoke to britains Sun Newspaper and said there was a dea in the works for him. Acknowledging this was so serious that they were preparing what to do if he died. Im sure, wolf, that will inform his position, going forward, about how he can lift this lockdown without risking a critical second peak. As the Prime Minister himself says he is lucky to be alive right now and he thanks those doctors and nurses and Healthcare Professionals who saved his life. Bianca in london for us. Thanks very much. Were going to have much more on the coronavirus developments in just a bit. But i want to turn to the controversy, right now, surrounding the former Vice President joe biden. Last night, during a virtual fundraiser, the former Vice President , again, strongly denied Sexual Assault claims made by a former staffer. Saying the accusation, in his words, has no merit. This echoes his first direct Public Statement on the matter from friday morning, when he said that the alleged incident, from 27 years ago, in his words, never happened. The Democratic National committee circled wagons around him today saying that the thorough Vice President ial vetting process he went through in 2008 uncovered nothing about the allegation. This, as the trump cap hmp has repeatedly commented on the story, despite the fact that the president himself has faced numerous Sexual Misconduct allegations over the years. Last night, biden ally and former attorney general eric holder weighed in. Well, i mean, its interesting that the people who are trying to fan this thing are the very people who support donald trump and, of course, who say nothing about the allegations that have been raised i think very credibly, against against trump for a number of women over a great, long period of time. I mean, all these allegations have to be taken seriously. People who raise them should be treated sensitively. Cnns Arlette Saenz is joining us now. Arlette, you had a chance to speak to the person who ran bidens 2008 vetting process when the thencandidate barack obama was looking for a Vice President. Went through a lengthy process to vet him. What did he say about the allegation . Well, wolf, i spoke, today, with William Jeffers. He is the attorney who led the team of lawyers who looked into joe bidens records. And he told me that, over the course of that search and investigation that, they did not find any evidence of misconduct relating to Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault. He said that he had a team of about ten lawyers, that spent two months going through bidens records and interviewing dozens of people who knew biden. And they asked one very specific question. They asked people if they had heard any complaints or allegations of unethical misconduct. And that included discrimination and harassment, and he told me that the answer was, consistently, no. They never found any evidence of misconduct of that type. In fact, William Jeffers told me that tara reades name never came up during the vetting process. And that is something that some of bidens allies have been pointing to. That 2008 vetting process that he went to. Saying that it was a thorough process. They went through a lot of information. Spoke to a lot of people. And no information came up. Youve heard that from, for instance, david axelrod, who was the chief strategist for president obama back then. So that is a point that bidens allies have continued to raise as he faces these allegations. Arlette saenz reporting for us with the latest on that story. Thank you very much, arlette. This special edition of the situation room will continue in just a moment. To everyone navig these uncertain times. Whether youre caring for your family at home or those at work, principal is by your side. Were working hard to answer your questions. Like helping you understand what the recently passed economic package can mean for you. 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So help heal your skin from within. And talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. This virus is testing all of us. And its testing the people on the front lines of this fight most of all. So abbott is getting new tests into their hands, delivering the critical results they need. And until this fight is over, we. Will. Never. Quit. Because they never quit. Earlier this hour we showed you live pictures from hollywood, florida. These are from hollywood, california. You see some traffic on the streegts there but clearly not as much as normal. The days of casual air travel are far ahead, at least the way we all remember it. Major airlines, including united, delta, jetblue, american, and southwest have announced theyre making face masks mandatory for all passengers morning flights. Our correspondent takes a closer look at the flights. He was aboard a flight himself to see, himself, the future of air travel. Reporter a scene too similar to travel before this pandemic. New videos of packed planes, raising new fears about social distancing when flying and new calls to restrict air travel even further. This week jetblue became the First Airline to require passengers to wear masks. The coo calling the new flying etkwt. Now, all major u. S. Airlines, have volunteered to do the same. But the leader of the association of flight attendants telling cnn there must be a federal ban of Leisure Travel by air. Because if flights have been pulled down, were seeing more and more full flights without policies thank really address proper social distancing. Reporter but the nations air travel is nearly half of all virtual jetliners are parked. They say only 5 of passengers are passing through check points. Traveling from washington d. C. To atlanta and back. Hard to find someone not already wearing a mask. Reporter airlines are stepping up their use of lec trow static sprayers to disinfect cabins. Airlines are also not booking middle seats. Hoping to keep up social distancing on board. Industry groups say the average domestic flight is carrying 17 passengers, up from ten just a week ago. I think the people traveling are probably healthy, not critical or rill ill or in a bad situation. Reporter they gave airlines permission to start scaling back service to small city airports. Boeing is forecasting a years long recovery for airlines. Even still theyre holding out hope new measures will mean a new normal of flying again. Were hopeful that will happen. Reporter from what i saw, passengers do seem keen on social distancing, not only on planes but in the tarmac. Diltau and unite have had both done away with boarding by zone instead of boarding by row, starting with the back of the plane first. Thanks very much, pete, for that report. Apart from america are reopening this weekend but is it too much, too soon . Whautsds happening around the country. When bugs move in we stress out and spray. Well, we used to. 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It only takes a second for an everyday item to become dangerous. Tide pods childguard pack helps keep your laundry pacs in a safe place and your child safer. Align, press and unzip. Tide pods. Keep them up. Keep them closed. Keep them safe. This is cnn breaking news. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer in washington. This is a special edition of the situation room. Coronavirus infections and deaths still very much on the rise in the u. S. And globally as well. Despite that, at least 32 states in the u. S. This weekend are either partially open for business or will be just days from now. Texas, for example, is allowing restaurants and movie theaters to reopen. You can go to church again in idaho. Viz at state park in new mexico and go golfing in pennsylvania. Around the country in