CNN boss Jeff Zucker defending his anchors becoming more ‘opinionated’ and ‘emotional’ round out today’s top media headlines While CNN has frequently slammed any suggestion of deviance from CDC guidance, Gupta suggested the institution's guidance on masks wasn't following the science. Gupta was asked by "New Day" host Brianna Keilar about Sen. Susan Collins', R-Maine, comments from a Tuesday Senate committee hearing, in which she declared she no longer considered CDC guidance to be the "gold standard." "There are many people who agree with her," Keilar said. "What do you think?" "It pains me to say this, but I see where she’s coming from, Senator Collins, on this," Gupta responded, before explaining there was a concern at the beginning of the pandemic that the CDC wasn't providing scientifically based guidance, and, as a result, the country didn't react the way it should have.