REJECT.

EVERY EXPERT SAYS THEY'RE THE

THINGS TO DO.

>> OKAY.

SO I GOT TWO POINTS ON THAT.

THE FIRST IS THIS, THE TESTIMONY

FROM THE FORMER GOVERNMENT

DOCTOR WHO SAYS THAT HE LOST A

KEY POST LAST MONTH AFTER

OPPOSING THE PRESIDENT'S PUSH TO

USE AN UNPROVEN DRUG TO TREAT

CORONAVIRUS.

RICK BRIGHT, WHO WAS IN CHARGE

OF THE FEDERAL AGENCY, RON, THAT

DEVELOPS VACCINES, TOLD HOUSE

LAWMAKERS YESTERDAY, THERE WAS

NO PLAN AT THE START OF THE

OUTBREAK, AND THAT THERE IS

STILL NO PLAN TODAY.

LET'S TAKE A LISTEN.

>> OUR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

CLOSING.

IF WE FAIL TO IMPROVE OUR

RESPONSE NOW, BASED ON SCIENCE,

I FEAR THE PANDEMIC WILL GET

WORSE AND BE PROLONGED.

THERE WILL BE LIKELY A

RESURGENCE OF COVID-19 THIS

FALL.

IT'LL BE GREATLY COMPOUNDED BY

THE CHALLENGES OF SEASONAL IN

INFLUENZA

INFLUENZA.

WITHOUT BETTER PLANNING, 2020

COULD BE THE DARKEST WINTER IN

MODERN HISTORY.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE NEED TO

BE TRUTHFUL WITH THE AMERICAN

PEOPLE.

AMERICANS DESERVE THE TRUTH.

THE TRUTH MUST BE BASED ON

SCIENCE.

WE HAVE THE WORLD'S GREATEST

SCIENTISTS.

LET US LEAD.

LET US SPEAK WITHOUT FEAR OF

RETRIBUTION.

OUR NATION WAS NOT AS PREPARED

AS WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

AS WE COULD HAVE BEEN.

SOME SCIENTISTS RAISED EARLY

WARNING SIGNALS THAT WERE

OVERLOOKED.

PAGES FROM OUR PANDEMIC PLAYBOOK

WERE IGNORED BY SOME IN

LEADERSHIP.

I BELIEVE, WITH PROPER

LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION

ACROSS GOVERNMENT, WITH THE BEST

SCIENCE LEADING THE WAY, WE CAN

DEVISE A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY.

THE TIME IS RUNNING OUT BECAUSE

THE VIRUS IS STILL SPREADING

EVERYWHERE.

PEOPLE ARE GETTING RESTLESS TO

LEAVE THEIR HOMES.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST

FORE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, WOULD

YOU DESCRIBE THE GOVERNMENT'S

AND THE ADMINISTRATION'S

RESPONSE AS A SUCCESS OR A

FAILURE?

>> I BELIEVE WE COULD HAVE DONE

BETTER.

I BELIEVE THERE ARE CRITICAL

STEPS THAT WE DID NOT TAKE IN

TIME.

>> DO YOU BELIEVE, IF YOUR

SUGGESTIONS WERE IMPLEMENTED,

LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED, AND

THE SEVERITY OF THE PANDEMIC

MIGHT HAVE BEEN LESSENED?

>> I BELIEVE LIVES WOULD HAVE

BEEN SAVED IF WE HAD PROPER

MEDICAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR

OUR HEALTH CARE WORKERS, YES.

>> SO PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE YOU

WEREN'T LISTENED TO?

>> PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE THEY

DIDN'T HAVE APPROPRIATE

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT TO SAVE

THEIR LIVES AND PROTECT THEM

FROM GETTING INFECTED.

>> THERE WAS A VISIT TO THE CDC

ON MARCH 6th.

AT THAT VISIT, THE

ADMINISTRATION SAID, ANYONE WHO

WANTS A TEST WILL GET A TEST.

WAS THAT TRUE THEN?

>> THERE STILL ARE NOT ENOUGH

TESTS.

>> SO EVEN THIS WEEK, AS WE'RE

BEING TOLD, "ANYBODY WHO WANTS A

TEST CAN HAVE A TEST," IS THAT

TRUE IN THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA?

>> NO. >> IT'S JUST PAINFUL.

>> IT'S JUST PAINFUL.

SECRETARY AZAR, RON, SAID

EVERYTHING IN THE TESTIMONY HAD

BEEN MET NOW, CALLING THEM

BENCHMARKS.

THE PRESIDENT CALLED HIM

DISGRUNTLED.

YOUR REACTION?

>> I KNOW DR. BRIGHT A LITTLE

BIT.

I WORKED WITH HIM ON THE EBOLA

RESPONSE.

HE IS APOLITICAL.

HE IS A PROFESSIONAL.

HE CARES ONLY ABOUT THE SCIENCE

AND ABOUT PROMOTING VACCINES AND

OTHER THERAPEUTICS, OTHER DRUGS

THAT COULD HELP FIGHT THIS

DISEASE.

YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION THAT THE

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STILL

HASN'T REALLY ANSWERED IS WHY

WAS HE REMOVED FROM THIS POST?

IF IT WASN'T FOR THE REASONS

THAT DR. BRIGHT SAYS, WHICH IS

THAT HE OPPOSED THE

POLITICIZATION OF SCIENCE,

OPPOSED THE WHITE HOUSE'S PLAN

TO SHOVE HYDROXY DOWN PEOPLE'S

THROATS, THOUGH IT WASN'T

PROVEN, HE WASN'T LISTENED TO

WHEN WARNING OF THE LACK OF

PROTECTIVE GEAR.

WHY WAS HE REMOVED?

WE HAVEN'T HEARD A GOOD ANSWER

ON THAT.

HIS WARNINGS, WHETHER HE WAS

REMOVED OR NOT, LOOK, HIS

WARNINGS ARE CRYSTAL CLEAR AND

SEEM OBVIOUS TO ALL PEOPLE.

THE LAST POINT YOU SHOWED, HIM

TALKING ABOUT THE FACT, THE

PRESIDENT SAYING ON MARCH 6th,

EVERYONE WHO WANTS A TEST CAN

GET A TEST, WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE

IN ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, ALL

SECTORS, SAYING THAT THEY WANT

TO BE TESTED, CAN'T GET TESTED.

THEY NEED TO BE TESTED AND CAN'T

GET TESTED.

I THINK THAT PART OF THE

TESTIMONY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

>> SO, RON --

>> RON, ALSO, RICK BRIGHT -- OH,

SORRY.

GO AHEAD, MIKA.

>> GO AHEAD, WILLIE.

YOU TAKE IT.

>> I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, HE

ALSO POURED SOME COLD WATER ON

SOME OF THE OPTIMISM AROUND A

VACCINE.

THE PRESIDENT IS TALKING ABOUT

HAVING SOMETHING BY THE END OF

THE YEAR.

OTHER DOCTORS ARE SAYING, MAYBE

THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR.

HE SAID THE 12 TO 18 MONTH

WINDOW MAY BE TOO OPTIMISTIC.

HE ALSO ADDED, THE WINDOW IS

CLOSING TO ADDRESS THIS

PANDEMIC.

DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT, THAT THE

WINDOW IS CLOSING TO ADDRESS THE

PANDEMIC?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, EXACTLY?

IF THE WINDOW CLOSES, THEN WHAT?

>> I THINK WHAT DR. BRIGHT IS

TALKING ABOUT IS -- OBVIOUSLY,

IT'S TOO LATE TO SAVE THE 80,000

PLUS LIVES WE'VE ALREADY LOST.

THAT FOREVER WILL BE SOMETHING

WE SHOULD LOOK AT AND SAY, "WHAT

WENT WRONG WITH THAT?"

I THINK WHAT HE'S SAYING IS

THIS, WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH

TEST.

WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH

PROTECTIVE GEAR.

WE STILL DON'T HAVE ENOUGH

PREPARATIONS.

AS DR. JHA JUST DISCUSSED, WE

STILL DON'T HAVE MEANINGFUL

GUIDELINES FROM THE CDC ON

REOPENING.

YET, WE'RE ABOUT TO PROCEED, ALL

OVER THIS COUNTRY, WITH

REOPENING THIS MONTH.

THE WINDOW THAT'S CLOSING IS THE

WINDOW TO GET READY FOR THE

RESURGENCE OF CASES THAT WILL

COME IN LATE SUMMER OR EARLY

FALL.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, WE SAW

THIS WAY BACK IN 1918 WITH THE

SPANISH FLU.

TURNED OUT, THE SECOND WAVE OF

THE SPANISH FLU WAS WORSE THAN

THE FIRST WAVE.

WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT'LL BE TRUE

HERE OR NOT, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT

IF THIS DISEASE HITS HARD, NOT

IN SPRING, LIKE IT HAS NOW, BUT

IN FALL OR WINTER, WHEN

HOSPITALS ARE ALREADY FILLED

WITH FLU CASES, IT'S GOING TO BE

A DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR OUR COUNTRY

AND FOR OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

WE NEED TO GET READY FOR THAT

NOW.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT DR. BRIGHT

IS REFERRING TO.

>> SO, RON, GIVEN THE FACT THAT

YOU WERE INVOLVED AND KNEW WELL

OF AN OFFICE THAT WAS SET UP, A

TEAM THAT WAS IN PLACE, A

PLAYBOOK THAT WENT IN DEPTH

ABOUT EMERGING RESPIRATORY

VIRUSES, INCLOUDUDEING THE

CORONAVIRUS, AND WE HAVE UP TO

90,000 DEAD TO THIS DAY, AND A

PRESIDENT WHO SEEMS TO BE

FOCUSED ON RAGE TWEETING AND ON

CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT JOE

THAT ARE CRUEL TO THE PEOPLE HE

TALKS ABOUT, NOW HE APPEARS TO

BE GOING AFTER PRESIDENT OBAMA

DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME FOR

THE COUNTRY, DIFFICULT TO SAY

THE LEAST.

I GUESS I WOULD ASK, IN TERMS OF

HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW

SAFE THEY ARE, TO UNDERSTAND THE

REALITY OF THE LEADERSHIP THEY

HAVE, HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE

OUR RESPONSE SO FAR?

NEGLIGENCE, AVOIDANCE, CRIMINAL,

JUST A SEVERE LACK OF ABILITY TO

PROCESS?

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE

WAY THIS WHITE HOUSE AND THIS

PRESIDENT IS RESPONDING TO THIS

PANDEMIC?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S BEEN

FOCUSED ON ALL THE WRONG THINGS.

I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN THIS

OBSESSION WITH TRYING TO PROTECT

THE LEVEL OF THE STOCK MARKET.

THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S DRIVEN THE

PRESIDENT'S REACTION TO THIS.

IT'S WHY HE SPENT ALL OF JANUARY