♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!

WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.

BEFORE WE GO ON, LET'S CHECK IN WITH OUR FRIEND JON BATISTE.

HELLO, JON.

>> Jon: HEY!

>> Stephen: I LIKE YOUR MOOD LIGHTING.

>> YEAH.

YOU KNOW, I HAD TO GET A VIBE GOING.

>> Stephen: HOUSE OF YOUR MOTHER'S DAY?

>> Jon: YOU KNOW, IT WAS GOOD, BUT, UM, I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE

YOUNG MAN WHO WAS, UM, MURDERED JOGGING, AHMAUD ASH AB ARBERY.

YOUNG MAN WHO WAS, UM, MURDERED JOGGING, AHMAUD ASH AB ARBERY.

IT WAS HEARTBREAKING.

>> Stephen: IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO KNOW THAT VIDEO

EXISTED FOR MONTHS WITHOUT ANY ACTION BEING TAKEN.

AND IT'S THAT THE PEOPLE HAD TO TAKE ACTION TO GET AUTHORITIES

THE TAKE ACTION.

>> Jon: YEAH, THAT'S THE PART ABOUT IT THAT IS REALLY

TROUBLING TO ME BECAUSE WHO KNOWS HOW MANY TIMES THAT HAS

HAPPENED AND SOMEONE MAY HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT.

SO WE JUST HAVE TO REALLY -- REALLY HOLD OURSELVES TO A

HIGHER STANDARD.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU, JON.

JOINING ME NOW IS THE ANCHOR OF "THE LEAD" AND "STATE OF THE

UNION" ON CNN.

PLEASE WELCOME JAKE TAPPER!

HELLO, JAKE!

>> HEY, STEPHEN.

HOW ARE YA?

>> Stephen: OH, JUST FANTASTIC.

HOW ARE YOU?

( LAUGHTER ) >> IT'S GREAT.

IT'S GREAT.

I LOVE NEVER LEAVING MY HOUSE.

I LOVE GOING BACK TO THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE KIND OF

EXPERIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO RAISING OUR KIDS.

>> Stephen: MM-HMM.

SOMETIMES I'LL GO INTO TOWN AND GO TO THE FEED STORE.

MA AND PA AND I.

>> OR WE ORDER FROM THE SEARS ROBUCK CATALOG.

>> Stephen: THAT CAN GET PRETTY SPICEY, THE LINGERIE

SECTION CAN GET PRETTY RACY IN THE SEARS, ROEBUCK CATALOG.

JAKE KEEPS SAYING ON YOUR SHOW WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF WORDS TO

DESCRIBE THIS ERA.

WHAT WORDS ARE LEFT?

>> NONE WE CAN SAY ON NETWORK TELEVISION.

THOUGH YOU'VE TRIED.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE ON CABLE.

YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU WANT.

>> I TRY TO KEEP THE JOINT SOMEWHAT CLASSY.

IT'S JUST BIZARRE.

IT'S -- IT'S -- IN A WAY, DYSTOPIAN, IN A WAY -- I MEAN,

LITERALLY, PRESIDENT TRUMP, TODAY, CAME OUT TO TALK ABOUT

HOW THE UNITED STATES IS READY TO REOPEN, AND HE -- I MEAN,

THEY CAN'T EVEN KEEP THE PANDEMIC OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE,

LITERALLY.

TWO OFFICIALS TESTED POSITIVE THERE, THREE TOP HEALTH

OFFICIALS ARE SELF-ISOLATING, DOCTORS FAUCI, REDFIELD AND HAHN

OF THE C.D.C. AND F.D.A.

DR. FAUCI YOU KNOW, OF COURSE.

IT'S NOT FUNNY.

IT'S DARK.

BUT, I MEAN, IT'S ALMOST AS IF SOMETIMES THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T

UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN SEE AND HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON.

I MEAN, HE SAID TODAY THAT THEY HAD ACHIEVED THIS GREATNESS WITH

TESTING,ER AND THEN SOMEBODY SAID -- AND ONE OF THE REPORTERS

SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DOING SURVEILLANCE TESTING AND

CONTACT TRACING AT THE WHITE HOUSE, WHICH IS GREAT, WHEN WILL

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT SAME KIND OF TESTING?

WHICH IS A QUESTION I HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR WEEKS.

AND THE PRESIDENT JUST TURNED IT INTO A GRIEVANCE, OH, IF WE

DIDN'T HAVE GOOD TESTING, THEN YOU WOULD BE ATTACKING ME FOR

NOT HAVING GOOD TESTING.

AGAIN, NO ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

NO ANSWER TO THE QUESTION.

>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK THERE'S ANY REASON TO BELIEVE

THAT IT'S ONLY THOSE THREE PEOPLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

BECAUSE, SO FAR, IT'S BEEN THEUP'S VALET, IT'S BEEN

SPOKESWOMAN FOR MIKE PENCE, AND, I BELIEVE, IVANKA TRUMP'S

ASSISTANT HAS BEEN TESTED POSITIVE.

BUT WHY WOULDN'T IT BE MORE PEOPLE THAN THAT?

WHY WOULDN'T THEY TELL US THE TRUTH?

>> WELL, THAT'S ONE.

THIS IS A WHITE HOUSE THAT ESTABLISHED ITS AFFINITY FOR

TRUTH EARLY ON WITH CROWD SIZES AT THE INAUGURATION.

BUT BEYOND THAT, LOOKING AT THE SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION OF

THIS AND THE SITUATION IN TERMS OF HOW INCREDIBLY EASILY SPREAD

THIS VIRUS IS, IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT MORE PEOPLE HAVE

IT IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I DON'T SAY THAT

LIGHTLY.

I DON'T WISH THIS ON ANYONE AT ALL ANYWHERE.

BUT, I MEAN, I ASKED SANJAY GUPTA THAT TODAY ON MY SHOW.

I SAID WHAT ARE THE ODDS IT'S ONLY THESE TWO PEOPLE, AND I

THINK IVANKA'S ASSISTANT WAS IN A DIFFERENT AREA, I DON'T THINK

SHE WAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT THESE TWO WERE AT THE WHITE

HOUSE, AND SANJAY SAID IT'S VERY LIKELY THERE ARE OTHERS WHO HAVE

BEEN INFECTED AND, IN FACT, JUST TODAY, THE WHITE HOUSE SENT OUT

A MEMO TO STAFFERS WHO SAID THEY HAD TO WEAR MASKS WHEN THEY

ENTERED THE PROPERTY, WHICH IS ODD, TOO, BECAUSE THE C.D.C.

TOLD THE REST OF US A MONTH AGO THAT WE NEEDED TO WEAR MASKS.

SO I DON'T KNOW, ALTHOUGH THERE IS THIS IDEA THAT

PRESIDENT TRUMP MIGHT THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO WEAR MASKS ARE

DISPLAYING WEAKNESS OR SOMETHING.

THAT'S BEEN SUGGESTED ABOUT WHY PEOPLE DON'T DO IT AT THE WHITE

HOUSE.

BUT IT'S VERY DISCONCERTING, AND I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS QUITE

OFTEN COVERING THIS.

>> Stephen: YOU'VE TALKED ON AIR TO A WHITE HOUSE AID TO ASK

THE PRESIDENT TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT INVOKING THE DEFENSE

PRODUCTION ACT FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF TESTS, AMONG

OTHER THINGS, AND ASKED MEMBERS TO HAVE THE G.O.P. TO TALK TO

THE PRESIDENT, TAKE THE SCIENCE SERIOUSLY.

IS THAT THE ROLE OF JOURNALISTS NOW TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE CLOSE TO

THE PRESIDENT TO TAKE ACTION OR TAKE CERTAIN ASPECTS ABOUT THE

RESEARCH OF THIS SERIOUSLY?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT'S YOUR ROLE?

>> IT'S A GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, I

DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE ADVOCATING FOR POLICIES WHEN IT

COMES TO TAXES OR ENERGY OR, YOU KNOW, INVOLVEMENT IN FOREIGN

WARS.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT MY JOB.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT THE

FACT THAT, WHEN YOU ARE A CON DUE IT OF INFORMATION, AS I AM,

AND YOU TALK TO HEALTH EXPERTS AND THEY SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE

NEED TO BE DOING, YOU KNOW, SURVEILLANCE TESTING, WHICH IS

TESTING A FEW PEOPLE SO AS TO INFER WHAT THE SPREAD OF THE

VIRUS IS WITHIN A POPULATION, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TEST, FOR

INSTANCE, ALL 330 MILLION AMERICANS, BUT YOU CAN TEST A

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY

AND GET AN IDEA, AS LONG AS YOU'RE TESTING ENOUGH PEOPLE,

THAT'S SURVEILLANCE TESTING, AND THEN THERE'S CONTACT TRACING,

SOMEBODY TESTS POSITIVE AND YOU DO SOME DETECTIVE WORK TO FIGURE

OUT WHO THAT PERSON HAS BEEN IN TOUCH WITH.

THIS IS WHAT EXPERTS SAY IS NEEDED.

THIS IS WHAT EXPERTS ARE DOING AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO SAY, I'M

HEARING FROM GOVERNORS AND FROM HEALTH EXPERTS WE NEED TO BE

DOING THIS, WHY ARE WE NOT DOING THIS?

THE DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT IS JUST A QUESTION OF THE REASON WE

DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SWABS, THE REASON WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH

REAGENTS WHICH HOLD THE SAMPLES AFTER SOMEBODY'S BEEN TESTED,

THE REASON WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LAB EQUIPMENT IS BECAUSE WE'RE

IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY AND THERE ARE -- YOU KNOW, COMPANIES

AREN'T GOING TO MANUFACTURE REAGENTS OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF

THEIR HEART, MOST OF THEM AREN'T, ANYWAY.

SO THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO -- THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO FORCE

THEM, AND GOVERNORS DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO INVOKE THE DEFENSE

PRODUCTION ACT, THE ONLY THE PRESIDENT DOES.

THEY HAVE INVOKED IT A FEW TIMES FOR A FEW THINGS -- VENTILATORS,

AND I THINK THERE WAS ONE SWAB MANUFACTURER, I THINK IN MAINE,

WHERE THE GPA WAS INVOKED.

BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE'RE NOT DOING IT.

SO I HAVE SAID TO THE WHITE HOUSE AIDE KEVIN HASSETT, THE

WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR, YOU KNOW, I'M HEARING FROM GOVERNORS

THIS, THIS IS WHAT THEY NEED, AND I DID SAY ON AIR ONE TIME --

AND THIS IS AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD MUSED

PUBLICLY ABOUT THE WISDOM OF INJECTING DISINFECTANT INTO THE

HUMAN BODY -- I SAID THAT REPUBLICAN LEADERS NEED TO TAKE

ACTION BECAUSE THINGS ARE GETTING DANGEROUS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID THINGS THAT MADE THINGS MORE DANGEROUS

FOR PEOPLE.

JUST EMPERICALLY, AS A FACT.

DOWNPLAYING THIS VIRUS IN ALL OF FEBRUARY AND HALF OF MARCH.

IT WASN'T JUST HIM.

THERE WERE OTHERS.

MAYOR de BLASIO, GOVERNOR QUOAM O. PLENTY PEOPLE WERE

DOING IT, BUT DOING THAT GAVE A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY TO A LOT

OF PEOPLE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT MEANT ULTIMATELY.

>> Stephen: JAKE, WE HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK.

STICK AROUND, BACK WITH MORE JAKE TAPPER.

♪ ♪