Finally ends. Good wednesday morning, everyone. 71,000 people in the u. S. Have now died from the coronavirus. And now President Trump is discussing the way forward. During our exclusive interview he said it will be painful, but he said reopening the country is inevitable. 38 states have now started to lift restrictions, but half those states are seeing new cases of the virus trending higher. History made overnight on the new york subway. The system is being closed during the Early Morning hours for cleaning. Also in new york, theres progress in the race to find a vaccine. Pfizer has started human trials in the u. S. Meanwhile, today is National Nurses day. Nike is donating 32,000 pairs of shoes to health workers. But we begin our coverage with President Trump oneonone. This morning, President Trump opening up about his response to the coronavirus during an exclusive interview with abc news. The American People have to consider themselves now and i am considering them to be warriors. We are warriors. Reporter the president discussing when the virus first hit the u. S. From the uncertainty to the difficult decision he faced. I think actually the decision to close the country was the biggest decision ive ever had to make and ive said that very loud and clear. Im not looking to tell the American People when nobody really knows whats happening yet, oh this, is going to be so tragic. Reporter among those decisions the call to shut down travel from china. When i did the ban theyre out there saying they call me a racist because i did the ban. They called me xenophobic. If i didnt do that, dr. Fauci said this, we would have lost thousands and thousand, tens of thousands more lives. Reporter but critics say the president was late in stopping travel from europe. Looking forward he said the decision states are making to reopen is a tough one. The president acknowledging there will be more deaths as restrictions are eased. The virus will pass. There will be more death, but the virus will pass with or without a vaccine. Its going to pass. And were going to be back to normal but its been a rough process, theres no question about it. Reporter the president toured a mask factory in arizona tuesday. And while no tour members were required to wear a mask or follow social distancing guidelines, he made it clear the virus is still a threat. The Mission Accomplished is when its over. Reporter it comes as the white house reveals its in discussions to disband the Coronavirus Task force shifting the focus from virus response to reopening the economy. The country is now in the next stage of the battle, a very safe phase and gradual reopening. Reporter preliminary data from Johns Hopkins warns the death toll in the u. S. Could rise to 3,000 People Per Day by next month if restrictions are lifted too quickly. The president is dismissing that data saying it doesnt account for the mitigations in place. Were going to practice social distancing. Were going to be washing hands. Were going to be doing a lot of the things that weve to do over the last period of time and we have to get our country back. People are dying the other way foo. Reporter still the president says hes trying to do whats best for everyone. I want to just say to the people that have lost family and have losted loved and the people that have suffered so badly and just made it and just made it that we love you, were with you, were working with you but at the same time i have to get this enemy defeated, and thats what were doing. The president also said despite the Current Crisis he believes the economy will be, quote, raging by next year. The coronavirus is taking a heavy toll on nursing homes. New data shows 72 of virus deaths in New Hampshire have been in nursing homes, other states have similar rates. Many facilities say theyre desperate to hire for staff. The scientist who was in charge of finding a coronavirus vaccine, dr. Rick bright, said his warnings about the virus were ignored. Abcs alex presha has more. Reporter this morning, a senior government scientist is claiming the Trump Administration failed to prepare for the coronavirus before touting an unproven drug as a quick fix. I was pressured to let politics and cronyism drive decisions over the opinions of the best scientists we have in government. Reporter dr. Rick bright had been the head scientist overseeing the production of a vaccine. In a whistleblower complaint, he claims he was assigned to a lesser role after resisting widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by President Trump. I witnessed government leadership rushing blindly into a potentially dangerous situation by bringing in a nonfda approved chloroquine from pakistan and india, from facilities that had never been approved by the fda. Reporter bright also claims his superiors rejected his warnings about the spread of the virus, missing an early opportunity to stock up on critical supplies. p bright was transferred to work on coronavirus testing, and the department said, we are deeply disappointed that he has not shown up to work on behalf of the American People and lead on this critical endeavor. In the meantime, President Trumps nominee for Inspector General of pandemic relief funds answered questions on capitol hill tuesday. Brian miller is a former lawyer in the white house counsels office. If confirmed, he would oversee part of the 2 trillion stimulus package. He vowed to be independent. I will conduct every audit and investigation with fairness and impartiality. I will be vigilant to protect the integrity and independence of the office of special Inspector General. Reporter one other story making millions in washington it involves the governments efforts to buy hospital equipment. An anonymous complaint claims fema used inexperienced volunteers to find protective equipment as the virus spread. Now, Jared Kushner was put in charge of leading that procurement effort. He did not respond to our request for comment. Kenneth and mona. Thank you, alex. Despite social distancing guidelines they were out celebrating Cinco De Mayo. This is video from atlanta. Abcs Megan Tevrizian reports on the other states and School Districts looking to reopen sooner rather than later. Reporter this morning, texas becoming the latest state to announce new plans to reopen. Im kind of excited for it. I was always waiting for it to open up. I was super bored at home. Reporter the governor saying barber shops and hair and nail salons can reopen friday. The eased restrictions come one week after restaurants reopened at a 25 capacity. Its been difficult for me to run business because i have to shut down all the restaurants and i dont know why. What is this . Whats going on . You see the people in the street. Nobody wearing a mask. Reporter now frustration is growing among Business Owners in other states and regions that havent lifted those restrictions yet. South florida barber Daniel Liriano says he cant stay home anymore. Hes choosing to see clients while breaking the law. Basically were just starving. We have to pay our bills. I have kids. I have a family. Reporter in idaho a private high school has reopened for in person classes. But the new school day is anything but typical with shortened class time, modified passing periods and assemblies and cafeteria lunches canceled. 30 of the students didnt show up on the first day back. Because were small, because we are a private school we were able to make those decisions on whats best for our families right here. Reporter this morning 38 states have now eased restrictions, but at least 19 of those states are seeing an upward trajectory in new cases of coronavirus. In colorado one father passed away days after being sent home from the hospital. I cant put the blame on the hospitals. I cant put the blame on the doctor, but i can just make people aware of its not okay for hospitals to turn people away. This nurse in california has a warning for people not taking the virus seriously. She says the virus claimed the life of her seemingly healthy fatherinlaw. You may feel like your rights are being violated or taken away but at the end of the day, you have a family to go home to. We dont. We lost our father. Reporter and heres some crucial information. While the new York Metro Area has seen a drop in coronavirus infections, the u. S. Infection rate outside new york is still on the rise. Kenneth, mona. All right, megan, thank you. A remarkable survival story from wisconsin. Army veteran arvin mccray is home after spending 50 days in the hospital with coronavirus and spent 18 days on a ventilator and said beating the requires is like being born all over again. Time now for a look at your wednesday morning weather. Some ominous scenes in the skies over south carolina. Those are called shelf clouds. Take a good look at them. They were seen just before severe storms rolled in. Luckily there wont be anything like that across most of the south today where sunny skies are in todays forecast. Checking todays high temperatures, 69 degrees in atlanta, only in the low 40s across the northeast, record heat in the southwest. 107 in phoenix. 90 in los angeles. Much cooler in the northwest and around the great lakes today. Coming up, Supreme CourtJustice Ruth Bader ginsburg in the hospital. Also ahead, the racially charged shooting caught on camera in georgia. An unarmed black man jogging down the street is killed. The governor weighs in overnight. And a its hard to be stuck at home right now. But we want to say thank you. Because youre being a big helper. When you stay home. Youre protecting other people from getting sick. By calling a someone you love whos stuck inside, youre giving them a smile. And they need it when you wash your hands for like the hundredth time today. Youre keeping your family safe. And by being brave. Youre helping us all be brave. We know its not easy. But helping will make everything go back to normal again as soon as possible. Youre part of a big family of helpers around the world. And youre making a big difference. Find ways to help children feel safe at unicefusa. Org covid19. Thats unicefusa. Org covid19. We are back with this dramatic video of fire spreading through this highrise building in the united arab emirates. Balls of fire were falling from the 48story building near dubai. At least seven people were hurt. No word yet on the cause of the fire. Breaking overnight Supreme CourtJustice Ruth Bader ginsburg is in the hospital. The 87yearold underwent nonsurgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition. But today she still plans to take part in oral arguments from the hospital by phone which is how the court has been conducting business because of coronavirus pandemic. Shes expected to go home soon. New video from georgia shows an unarmed black man shot and killed after a confrontation with two white men but the images seem to contradict what the two men told investigators. Warning that video is it is graphic. [ crowd chanting ] reporter this morning, outrage after new video shows an unarmed black man shot and killed in brunswick, georgia. These are the final moments of 25yearold ahmad or barrys life jogging on a sunday afternoon in february. A truck is parking ahead of him with one man in the pickup bed an another standing next to the open drivers side door. Arbery is confronted by two men later identified as Gregory Mcmichael and his son travis. In the span of seven seconds there is a struggle between arbery and travis mcmichael. Gunshots go off and arbery collapses. The Third District attorney on the case after the first two recused themselves says after a full review of the evidence, the shooting should now be presented to a grand jury. They inserted themselves in his path with using wielding weapons, and he had no other choice but to clash with them and he was killed. Reporter the father Gregory Mcmichael is an excop and former investigator with the local d. A. s office. He and his son have not been charged. At the time of the shooting Gregory Mcmichael told investigators he thought arbery was a burglary suspect and ordered him to stop claiming his son got out of the truck and then arbery began to attack him. A lawyer says the mcmichaels are using a citizens arrest statute in georgia to justify the shooting. What my client was told, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery was that he was involved in a burglary and that the homeowner deadly force to stop him. Obviously thats not what happened. Reporter arberys mother is demanding justice. How they could allow two men to kill my son and not be arrested. I mean, thats what i just cant seem to understand. Reporter georgias governor is promising a thorough investigation. And coming up, new research on how easily children can transmit the coronavirus. Also ahead, the fast food restaurants being forced to take burgers off the menu. The latest on the meat shortages nationwide and rising prices. Love is all you need. Little things. Can become your big moment. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. 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A man in michigan is accused of wiping his nose on a store clerks shirt after being told he had to wear a mask inside the store. Hes now been arrested. Hes due in court today to face assault charges. New figures show beef and pork production in the u. S. Are down 35 from this time last year because of coronavirus. Nearly 20 of Wendys Restaurants have sold out of beef products. The company says the shortage is only temporary. One report finds beef prices are up 25 . Meanwhile, one of the biggest pork processing plants in the country will partially reopen today in iowa following a virus outbreak. And a new study is raising questions about how children are spreading the coronavirus. Earlier i spoke with dr. Alok patel about the new research and i asked him what schools could look like when they reopen. Children seem to be the mystery link in how the virus can spread without large symptoms, so two studies are being referenced right now. One coming out of china looking at several populations. They found that even though children are onethird as susceptible to getting covid, when theyre introduced into schools, theyre coming in contact three times as much and so without schools even being open, we still see a lot of transmission. So that study is basically warning us about increased transmission once kids are in contact with one another. A top medical Group Released a new statement about schools reopening. What do parents need to know . Well likely see large changes. Two big variabilities. Schools have to Pay Attention to the physical distancing and ways to keep crowds at hand. On top of that they will have to implements things like masks potentially, cleaning down shared surfaces and passing out hand hygiene. Ive heard ideas about staggering classes, about shortening periods. Ive even heard an idea about keeping kids in one class and having the teachers rotate. You have to add that into the fact that when kids get into school, especially young kids, they are going to fester so many germs by touching one another and hanging out together but all in all this is going to vary based on school district, resource, geographical spread and all know it has to happen because schools are very important. In the race to find a vaccine there is some promising news regarding pfizer. The drug company has now started Human Vaccine trials. How much progress is being made here and is the time line moving up at all . I think the progress and the scientific kind of questions and communication is a good thing. Now, i alongside a lot of other experts i talked to are skeptical about the time line. People saying well see a vaccine by september or late 2020. It may be longer. Reporter and dr. Patel says new technology could help produce a vaccine in record time. Coming up, the big announcement from disney. Plus, a ceremonial first pitch like weve never seen before. 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