They tell cnn that politics and not science has been the driving force behind the administrations pandemic response. The cdcs pushback comes as friction with the white house is playing out in a very public way and as the agency finally releases guidelines on how states can reopen safely. It is something the white house has been holding back for weeks. And it comes as the u. S. Hits an important milestone. Today, all 50 states will now be reopened in one way or another. Were covering all of it this hour. Lets get to nick valencia who joins us. Nick, you have been tracking and in touch with folks at the cdc throughout all of this. Talk to us about what these officials are saying is happening. Yeah, we have been speaking to multiple officials throughout the agency. This is a 73yearold agency. The Gold Standard for Public Health, which has been at the center of every Public Health crisis since their start. With the exception of this one. You mentioned that, you know, our sources telling us that the white house is putting politics ahead of science, and that really had to do with why these recommendations were shelved for as long as they were. They were released without fanfare, no announcement, no one really said anything from the white house. Certainly no press conference. 60 pages posted on their website. The draft recommendations were 68 pages. I want to get into a couple of those things. Schools and day camps. Desks as least six feet apart. Lunch in classrooms rather than a cafeteria setting. Staggered arrival times for students. Cloth masks for staff. Daily temperature screenings for everyone. Also, for restaurants, for those of you wondering, wanting to go out to your favorite restaurant and get a bite to eat, this is what the cdc recommends. Avoid sharing menus and condiments. Prioritize outdoor seating. Use tape or signs to insure people stay six feet apart. Dining in is not recommended for step one. We have heard these step two, step three phases that have been called by the white house. We still dont know what phase four is. I spoke a little while ago to a senior cdc official saying theyre going to continue to focus on the science while they say those at the white house are focusing on politics, and just a real quick quote here. To wrap this up, guys, we have been muzzled, the cdc official tells us. Whats tough is we would have acted earlier on what we knew and recommended. We would have saved lives and money. Those at the cdc being very frank and clear with us, jim a and poppy, saying lives are at stake here, and the white house choosing to focus on politics rather than science. They also make the point that the economic damage, it seems theyre saying, could have been lessens with an earlier response. Thats right. With every state, at least partially reopen now, all 50 of them, questions are emerging about the coronavirus data coming out of two of those states, florida and georgia. Rosa flores joins us from miami beach. What have you learned . Good morning, poppy. Theres a lot to unpack here. Let me start with georgia, because the Georgia Department of Health Posted a graph that shows a downward trajectory of some of the counties most impacted by the covid19 crisis. And there were dates missing, there was a lot of confusion, and that graph was subsequently removed. What we just got response from the Georgia Department of health, and they say, quote, while the underlying data used for the graph was correct, the sorting logic used was not correct. The graph was fixed on may 11th. Now on to florida, where Rebecca Jones, a scientist behind the dashboard, thats the florida data portal that shows the number of covid19 deaths and cases, she was removed from her post on may 5th. And according to florida today, a news site, she questioned the states accessibility and transparency. Since then, Governor Ron Desantis and the Florida Department of health have issued a statement that says in part, quote, Rebecca Jones exhibited repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the dashboard without input or approval from epidemiological teams or supervisors. The blatant disrespect for professionals working around the clock to provide information for the covid19 website was harmful to the team. We should point out we have reached out rupeepeatedly to Rebecca Jones and she responded said shes not doing interviews add the moment. She still has a job, technically, jim and poppy. The Florida Department of health just confirming to us moments ago she has until thursday to resign or she will be terminated. Jim and poppy. Wow. Rosa, thank you. Well, officials in Los Angeles County are aiming to begin reopening businesses there by the fourth of july. This as the Justice Department has warned california against what it calls religious discrimination while some parts of the states prepare to enter phase two of californias reopening plan today. All right, so lets go to our Josh Campbell who joins us from los angeles. Why are californias reopening plans attracting attention from the department of justice . Yeah, thats a good question, poppy. Its important to realize this state is not a monolith, as most large areas with large populations. Theyre opening in different phases, but one thing the Justice Department is weighing in on is how governor gavin newsom is categorizing institutions that are allowed to open versus those that are not. And a really strongly worded letter from doj to california officials they write california has not shown why interactions in studios and offices of the Entertainment Industry and inperson operations are included on the list as being allowed with social distancing where telework is not practical where gatherings for purposes of religious worship are forbidden whether its practical or not, basically saying they fear the state is discriminatindiscrimin. There have been casing recently in california with churches have seen exposures of covid19, and one recent case in northern california, one person attended a religious service on mothers day. The next day, this person found out they were positive for covid19, exposing 180 people. Now, of course, this comes, again, as this state tries to reopen in different phases. Here in Los Angeles County, were told by officials theyre seting the date for unless day, july 4th, as a day they want to reopen. This is part of phase two, is what the governor calls it. What does that mean . Well see retail shops open, some restaurants, malls that are opening as well with appropriate social distancing. That will be happening here in the los angeles area. I think one key takeaway is as we cover the story, obviously, theres the washington, d. C. Angle. You have National Leaders trying to stop the spread of this virus, but were hearing from local officials if all politics are local, certainly, all crisis are local as well. Theyre hearing directly from citizens about the harsh impact these shutdowns are having and their concern is theyre not only concerned about the safety of the public but also the economy and the Psychological Health of residents as they try to deal with the pandemic, poppy and jim. Josh campbell, thanks very much. That balancing act is something that governors are facing across the country, all 50 of them, really, economic damage versus health. Joining me now to talk about this and many more questions, Kentucky Governor andy beshear. Good morning, governor. Got a lot of cousins in kentucky, so its a particular honor to talk to you this morning. Well, thanks for having me. And just let me start the way i always start here in the commonwealth. Thats by reminding people were going to get through it and get through it together. Sure, its a challenge, but were up for it. Were going to pass this test of humanity, protect one another, and ultimately, were going to come out on the other side. We have to have the resiliency and keep it up, keep working knowing that covid19 is out there. I get it. Theyre good words, theyre important, and trust me, i am wise, were wise on this broadcast to the difficult choices you and other governors have to make. I do want to ask, though, because kentucky has seen an increase in cases in the last week. Uhave been very careful in how you have conducted reopening in kentucky. As you know, the recommendations are to have 14 days of consecutive decreases in cases. You havent seen that. Why not wait for those 14 days before continuing reopening . Well, youre right in that there is a balance in all of this between health and the economy. And i am certainly insuring that we protect the health of all kentuckians. What you see when you look at the data is a lot of different types of data. For instance, our rate, our Positivity Rate has gone down and has gone down significantly over the past several weeks. Its also a challenge just to look day to day with the numbers depending on who and what youre testing. For instance, we are testing every individual in a longterm care facility as well as all of the staff. We know theres a much higher Positivity Rate there, but we report it all together to make sure that we are completely honest and transparent with our data. But the way were reopening gives us the type of gradual and safe reopening where we can do it while watching the data at the same time. My goal isnt to be the fastest. Its to be the smartest. Let me ask you this, then. Were essentially conducting an experiment here in states and communities across the country to see how much reopening affects the spread of this infection. What is your plan if you see the numbers, cases, and deaths increase markedly here. Do you give yourself then the freedom, the flexibility to say, hey, we have to dial some of this back . There is no question that we are always going to put the health and safety of our citizens first. So if we see dramatic increases, then yes, the way were doing it, we can pause. We are doing this gradually by adding a few extra activities each week or every couple weeks. It gives us a chance to monitor this in real time, and to make sure were protecting those around us. And while i know you called it an experiment. What i would say is none of us have ever lived through a 1 in every 100 year Worldwide Health pandemic before, so we have made the very best decisions we can, and first being healthy at home here in kentucky, and were making the very best decisions we can on how to reopen. In kentucky. Were being guided by our Public Health officials, and were trying to make those decisions the best we can moving forward, but im quite honest with the people of my state in that none of us know for sure what our decisions are going to be right or going to be wrong, so we make them gradually and make them carefully, and were humble enough to know that its very possible we make a decision that weve got to pull back. Understood. You talk about following the scientists, following the Health Experts there in kentucky. Does it help you in your efforts or hurt you when the president contradicts the scientists and the science and the Health Experts . Well, given that this is a Worldwide Health pandemic, its affecting and in fact its killing some of my people here in kentucky, i try to stay out of the politics and the back and forth. What i try to do is try to take what was, we believe, very good reopening instructions under the president s plan for reopening. We have a Strong Department of health led by a former e. R. Doctor who has done a magnificent job for us here in kentucky, and we make the very best decisions we can, and we are transparent with our people about how and why were making them. So in cekentucky, what we are sn is a lot of divisions we see in d. C. Have melted away as we try to come together and to make sure that were looking out for each other. Remember, its individual decision of our citizens that impact whether it spreads or whether it doesnt. So im more interested in talking to my kentucky citizens than i am in talking to those arguing this out in d. C. Lets talk about Economic Needs here. As you know, Senate Majority leader, of course, kentucky senator Mitch Mcconnell, said the senate will wait a couple weeks to wait on a phase four stimulus bill. A big part of that is question of aid to states like kentucky. Can kentucky wait and are you concerned you will have to lay off state workers to get through this without aid from the federal government . Senator mcconnell and i have worked together during this pandemic and on most instances have been on the same page. The first round of cares act funding is helping us, but every state, every single one, all 50, need and really need immediately another round of cares funding that helps us directly with our budgetary needs. We as states cannot go bankrupt. That would harm the very people were supposed to serve. It would harm the citizens of kentucky. This isnt a red state or a blue state issue. Though that seems to be how its messaged in d. C. This is an every state issue of survival. Its republican governors like larry hogan that are out there leading the charge, but its all 50 governors and all of our mayors and our county judges that agree this is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, the economic harm will be longer and it will be more severe, and the next generation will pay for it more than we should. But just remember, in 20082009, we just faced a great recession. Not a Worldwide Health pandemic and a recession. We had that aid then. Surely, we should do it now, and we need to do it quickly. Governor andy beshear, thanks very much for taking the time this morning. Thank you. Good to hear from him, for sure. All right, so states still to come as states, universities, and colleges across the country overhaul their schedules for the fall, what does it mean for students in safety and learning . The president of the university of miami will be with us. Plus, a bipartisan plan to help out states and local communities who say they need, as we heard from the Kentucky Governor, Economic Relief and soon. Well be joined by two senators, a republican and a democrat, who are crossing the aisle to find that funding. 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. To close, twist until it clicks. Tide pods childguard packaging. Yes. Neutrogena® ultra sheer. Superior protection helps prevent early skin aging and skin cancer with a clean feel. Its the one. The best for your skin. Ultra sheer. Neutrogena®. Were returning 2 billion dollars to our auto policyholders through may 31st. Because now, more than ever, being a Good Neighbor means everything. Like a Good Neighbor, state farm is there. Sources have told cnn President Trump is expected to finish taking the antimalarial drug hidruxy chloroquine in the coming days. This follows the president slamming a v. A. Study as, quote, phony, after it showed taking the drug can be deadly, but of course, thats not the only study that showed it doesnt help treat coronavirus. Or prevent it. Exactly, the study is not phony, folks. Take a look for yourself. Lets talk about other Critical Issues with dr. Esther chu, professor of emergency medicine at oregon health. So nice to have you. The hydroxychloroquine stuff aside, if we could talk about the cdc guidelines that are so important that are finally out there for the most part. Where do people need to look and what do they need to take away from them as at least part of every one of the 50 states is now open. Yeah, theres a really interesting backstory here that we will all learn at some point because as you know, the guidelines were leaked. The cdc, very detailed, specific guidelines were leaked, at least in part, on april 30th. And we know they were sent to the white house for review. Then what the white house released, allowed to be released on the cdc website on may 14th, was nothing like that. There was a total absence of details. And actually kind of these cartoonishly vague guidelines that were exactly the same for almost all settings. And now we see that it seems like the original cdc guidelines had been incorporated into back into the cdc guidelines for reopening. Its a little difficult to find the document in full, although it is on media websites, but its a game changer. I mean, theres the kind of detail and specificity that we have been waiting for. It outlines all these gated criteria for reopening, including target percentages of positive cases that we should use when progressing from phase one to phase two to phase three, and then by work environment, whether its workplaces, child care facilities, schools, and so forth. Really specific guidelines for what it means to have best practices in terms of disinfection, ventilation, group sizes, flow through the area, social distancing, use of ppe and hand hygiene, things like that. It really gives a standard for Business Owners and people who run schools, things like that. But also, for the public to determine whether, you know, whether the cdc best practices are in place before they feel comfortable reengaging with these businesses. I wonder, though, doctor, these come out after all 50 states, they have already started reopening. Many of them prior to meeting standards like, for instance, 14 Straight Days of declining cases. Whats the good of putting these out now if theyre not being paid attention to . Whats the expression . Closing the barn door after the house is al