[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] the last number of weeks to protect themselves, to protect their families, and to protect the broader community.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Essential services will remain open, including gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers' markets, food banks, convenience stores, and delivery restaurants. Officials project about 56 percent of California's population, more than 25 million people, will be infected over an eight-week period. The governor has asked President Trump to send a U.S. Navy hospital ship to give the state medical options and relieve pressure on a health care system already under stress.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Nationwide, there are over 13,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 195 deaths. This time last week, which now seems like a long time ago, there were 1,665 cases and only 41 deaths. Many hospitals already in dire need of medical supplies. There have been pleas from health care workers running out of surgical masks and there is fear there will not be enough ventilators we mean breathing machines as these cases continue to mount. President Trump says it's up to the states to obtain them.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work, and they are doing a lot of this work. The federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, we're not a shipping clerk.
[Romans:] Vice President Mike Pence, leading the federal coronavirus task force, says the vice the private sector will meet the need for medical equipment. But, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that's just not enough.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] It would literally take the federal government to say to manufacturers stop what you are making or start making these machines. They're fairly technical as I understand it, but the supply chain issues are real.
[Romans:] New York City says it's two to three weeks away from running out of medical supplies. Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city needs millions more protective masks and 15,000 [audio gap] ventilators.
[Jarrett:] The FDA told to make hurdles to getting anti [audio gap] and he points to an anti-malaria drug that he falsely says has been fast- tracked to treat COVID-19.
[Trump:] We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. Normally, the FDA would take a long time to approve something like that and it's it was approved very, very quickly.
[Jarrett:] So he's just wrong about that. The drug is FDA-approved but not to treat coronavirus nor has any other drug been. The head of the FDA is tempering expectations as is the government's top infectious disease doctor.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases, National Institutes Of Health:] Today, there are no proven safe and effective therapies for the coronavirus. That doesn't mean that we're not going to do everything we can to make things that have even a hint of efficacy more readily available. But there's no magic drug out there right now.
[Romans:] There has been one promising step toward a [audio gap]. IBM's Summit has run thousands of simulations and identified 77 drug compounds that might effectively stop the virus.
[Jarrett:] Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are rolling out their $1 trillion economic stimulus plan. It's not in final form yet but it currently calls for direct payments to Americans under a certain income threshold; $200 billion in loans to airlines and distressed industry sectors; and $300 billion in forgivable bridge loans for small businesses. The GOP rollout sets the stage for negotiations with Democrats to reach a bipartisan deal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell exclusively tells CNN joint talks with Democrats were bypassed until now to speed up the process.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The Republicans are in the majority in the Senate. We wanted to put forward our proposal. We feel like we have an obligation to do that as a majority. And the Democrats, of course, need to be given an opportunity to react to it. This is the quickest way to get it done. Trust me, this is the quickest way to get it done.
[Jarrett:] Democratic leaders are already saying not so fast. Overnight, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on first reading, the Republican plan is not at all pro-worker and instead puts corporations way ahead of workers.
[Romans:] All right, big layoffs are here. The government reported weekly jobless claims last week surged to the highest since September 2017. And, Goldman Sachs reports 2.25 million Americans filed initial claims probably this week. That would be the most on record. Numbers in California already up 33 percent. Ninety-six percent of small business owners already feeling the strain. More than half say they will not be able to continue operating more than three months like this. Wall Street closed up narrowly after a volatile day for investors the first time since March sixth the Dow closed within 1,000 points of where it opened. Taking a look at futures right now, they are bouncing here. Still, a lot of concern going forward. Two regional air carriers are ending operations soon as demand slows. Compass Air and Trans States Airlines operate flights on behalf of American and Delta. That's 2,700 employees there looking for work and six million passengers who aren't flying. Some relief for homeowners. Bank of America will let customers defer mortgage payments as part of additional support it's providing to its customers. But habits are changing for everyone. Domino's is looking to hire up to 10,000 workers as people shift their eating habits to take-out or delivery. Netflix and YouTube will reduce streaming quality in Europe for at least the next month to keep the Internet from breaking. No changes yet in the U.S. to streaming quality. Internet and wireless networks are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity. Millions have shifted their day-to-day operations out of the workplace and into their homes.
[Jarrett:] The coronavirus has decimated one New Jersey family. Seventy-three-year-old Grace Fusco and her sons Carmine and Vincent, and her daughter Rita have all died. Two other relatives are in critical condition and a third is in stable condition. Nineteen other family members have been tested and they're worried the carnage is not over.
[Roseann Paradiso Fodera, Cousin Of Family Members:] Our biggest concern for the family right now is there are 19 family members that were tested last Saturday that do not have results.
[Elizabeth Fusco, Lost Four Family Members To Coronavirus:] To know that two of those women I sat with on Tuesday and nourished and promised everything's going to be OK to is gone. They were the root of our lives. That was my mother and my oldest sister. They were everything. Like, it's surreal. My two oldest brothers like, they were the core of our family since my dad's been gone. They've held us together like no other. And it's like the second we start to grieve about one, the phone rings and there is another person gone taken from us forever.
[Jarrett:] "The New York Times" reports a family dinner earlier this month may have spread the infections in that family.
[Romans:] Oh, just a tragic story. We certainly wish them
[Jarrett:] It's heartbreaking.
[Romans:] some healing in their grief there. All right. Demand is there, supply is not. Hospitals and doctors nationwide pleading for more medical equipment. How quickly can it happen?