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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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2020.
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Since the 1980s,
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00:00:52,584 --> 00:00:56,588
it's been a magical year
for science fiction writers,
6
00:00:56,622 --> 00:00:58,892
a year of predictions
about the future
7
00:00:58,925 --> 00:01:02,095
and the ruthless power
of technology.
8
00:01:03,062 --> 00:01:07,132
Humanity would be bound
together by a world wide web,
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00:01:07,165 --> 00:01:10,303
artificial intelligence
would exponentially expand
10
00:01:10,336 --> 00:01:14,274
the powers of the human mind,
11
00:01:14,307 --> 00:01:17,043
and the world would be
dominated and controlled
12
00:01:17,075 --> 00:01:19,077
by information-based
megacorporations
13
00:01:19,111 --> 00:01:23,449
without need
for government intervention.
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00:01:23,482 --> 00:01:28,021
But all of that turned out
to be a technocratic illusion
15
00:01:28,054 --> 00:01:30,156
when nature set loose
a terrible disease
16
00:01:30,188 --> 00:01:31,556
that took advantage
17
00:01:31,590 --> 00:01:34,327
of the very connectivity
we had manufactured.
18
00:01:37,462 --> 00:01:40,934
In Seattle, the day
of reckoning was January 20th,
19
00:01:40,967 --> 00:01:44,370
when America's first patient
tested positive for COVID-19.
20
00:01:47,539 --> 00:01:49,474
On that same day in Seoul,
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00:01:49,507 --> 00:01:52,411
the first case in South Korea
would also be confirmed.
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00:01:56,081 --> 00:01:59,017
Korea moved quickly
to contain the disease
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00:01:59,051 --> 00:02:00,954
and save its economy
using a variation
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00:02:00,986 --> 00:02:03,188
on an American plan.
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00:02:03,221 --> 00:02:04,991
But in the United States,
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00:02:05,024 --> 00:02:07,427
politics got
in the way of science,
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00:02:07,459 --> 00:02:10,296
Allowing the virus
to spread invisibly and fast.
28
00:02:13,199 --> 00:02:16,702
More than 200,000 people
have died.
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00:02:16,736 --> 00:02:18,537
In the first three months
of the pandemic,
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00:02:18,570 --> 00:02:20,706
30 million people
lost their jobs.
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00:02:20,739 --> 00:02:23,076
No more tyranny.
No more tyranny.
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00:02:23,108 --> 00:02:28,081
Now the Democrats are
politicizing the coronavirus.
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00:02:28,113 --> 00:02:29,982
You know that, right?
34
00:02:30,016 --> 00:02:32,018
This is their new hoax.
35
00:02:32,051 --> 00:02:33,753
Who's scared of coronavirus?
36
00:02:33,785 --> 00:02:36,388
- Let go of my fucking cart!
- Are you recording me, dawg?
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00:02:36,422 --> 00:02:40,426
I have the right to buy food
without being forced
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00:02:40,458 --> 00:02:42,361
to participate
in a false flag pandemic.
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At a moment of crisis,
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00:02:44,662 --> 00:02:46,298
the world's
most powerful nation
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00:02:46,332 --> 00:02:48,201
didn't rise to the occasion.
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It descended
into division and chaos.
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00:02:51,202 --> 00:02:52,304
Back up!
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00:02:52,338 --> 00:02:53,406
What the fuck
is your problem?
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00:02:55,673 --> 00:02:57,642
Why did the United States
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00:02:57,676 --> 00:03:00,245
fail to reckon with a danger
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00:03:00,279 --> 00:03:03,683
for which it should have been
so well prepared?
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00:03:03,715 --> 00:03:06,319
It's one person coming in
from China.
49
00:03:06,351 --> 00:03:08,787
It will go away.
Just stay calm, it'll go away.
50
00:03:08,820 --> 00:03:11,723
In a couple of days it's gonna
be down to close to zero.
51
00:03:11,756 --> 00:03:13,426
We have it totally
under control.
52
00:03:13,458 --> 00:03:15,494
It's gonna be just fine.
53
00:03:15,528 --> 00:03:18,765
Breathe in
and hold your breath.
54
00:03:25,804 --> 00:03:27,506
Filming
during the time of COVID
55
00:03:27,540 --> 00:03:29,542
presented unique challenges.
56
00:03:29,575 --> 00:03:31,810
Okay, and I hold it...
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00:03:31,844 --> 00:03:34,213
- There's, like, two handles.
- Yup.
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00:03:34,245 --> 00:03:37,350
Wow, you guys have really
figured this out, okay.
59
00:03:37,382 --> 00:03:39,719
One work-around was
a camera system we invented,
60
00:03:39,751 --> 00:03:42,721
built off-site,
and sent to subjects.
61
00:03:42,755 --> 00:03:45,525
We dubbed it "the COVID-cam."
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00:03:45,558 --> 00:03:47,693
So I was able...
can I hear you?
63
00:03:47,725 --> 00:03:50,262
- Hello, yeah!
- Hi, it's working!
64
00:03:52,832 --> 00:03:54,567
I'm Scott Becker.
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00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:55,835
I'm the chief
executive officer
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00:03:55,868 --> 00:03:58,738
of the Association
of Public Health Laboratories.
67
00:03:58,771 --> 00:04:01,474
How about this?
Now, this is really something.
68
00:04:01,506 --> 00:04:04,843
It's an actual board game.
69
00:04:04,876 --> 00:04:06,144
My wife said,
70
00:04:06,178 --> 00:04:08,181
"You know, we should really
get it out and play it."
71
00:04:08,213 --> 00:04:09,815
I'm like,
"We're living through it!
72
00:04:09,849 --> 00:04:12,185
I don't need the game!"
73
00:04:12,218 --> 00:04:15,154
One of the functions
public health labs have
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00:04:15,187 --> 00:04:19,425
is looking for those early
indications of an outbreak.
75
00:04:19,458 --> 00:04:23,095
And when did you first hear
about the coronavirus?
76
00:04:23,129 --> 00:04:27,533
It was January 7th,
I believe,
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00:04:27,566 --> 00:04:31,203
that I first communicated
with some of our staff.
78
00:04:31,237 --> 00:04:33,606
They had sent me an email
saying, "We're watching this.
79
00:04:33,638 --> 00:04:36,576
"We just talked to CDC
and they're gonna
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00:04:36,609 --> 00:04:38,778
be standing up their
emergency operations center."
81
00:04:38,811 --> 00:04:41,481
And I said,
"Well, thanks for the update.
82
00:04:41,513 --> 00:04:43,682
"I've been watching this.
I'm concerned about it.
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00:04:43,715 --> 00:04:47,352
And happy new year."
84
00:04:49,454 --> 00:04:50,856
In early 2020,
85
00:04:50,889 --> 00:04:53,558
Trump was indifferent
to the looming pandemic.
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00:04:53,591 --> 00:04:56,128
He was reckoning
with simmering conflicts
87
00:04:56,162 --> 00:04:58,231
and the upcoming
presidential election.
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00:05:00,633 --> 00:05:02,802
♪ Time ♪
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00:05:02,835 --> 00:05:05,805
We begin tonight with
the U.S. and Iran on the brink
90
00:05:05,838 --> 00:05:08,674
for the drone strike
that killed Qasem Soulemani.
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00:05:10,341 --> 00:05:13,578
Our economy is booming,
wages are rising,
92
00:05:13,612 --> 00:05:16,148
poverty is plummeting,
crime is falling,
93
00:05:16,182 --> 00:05:20,319
and America is the envy
of the entire world.
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00:05:20,352 --> 00:05:23,890
♪ That you wanna be free ♪
95
00:05:25,891 --> 00:05:27,893
♪ I won't have to cry
no more ♪
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00:05:27,927 --> 00:05:30,763
The whole impeachment thing
is a hoax.
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00:05:30,795 --> 00:05:32,864
It's a total sham.
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00:05:32,898 --> 00:05:36,434
♪ Yeah, yeah, time, time ♪
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00:05:36,468 --> 00:05:38,504
This morning, President
Trump signed phase one
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00:05:38,537 --> 00:05:40,540
of a trade deal
between the U.S. and China.
101
00:05:40,573 --> 00:05:42,708
The pact comes after months
of escalating tariffs
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00:05:42,740 --> 00:05:45,510
between the world's
two biggest economies.
103
00:05:45,544 --> 00:05:48,714
And we just broke
the 29,000 mark on the DOW
104
00:05:48,747 --> 00:05:49,949
just now as we're walking in.
105
00:05:49,982 --> 00:05:53,819
Market's up
substantially today.
106
00:05:53,852 --> 00:05:56,289
Up until coronavirus,
the way that Donald Trump
107
00:05:56,321 --> 00:05:59,725
was gonna win reelection
to a second term
108
00:05:59,758 --> 00:06:03,863
was largely going to be on
the strength of the economy.
109
00:06:05,064 --> 00:06:08,634
I covered all
of Barack Obama's two terms,
110
00:06:08,667 --> 00:06:12,804
so I was there
during the Zika outbreak,
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00:06:12,838 --> 00:06:16,242
the Ebola response.
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00:06:16,275 --> 00:06:19,779
As a White House reporter,
we sort of cover everything,
113
00:06:19,812 --> 00:06:22,547
so, you know, I've
bounced around every topic
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00:06:22,581 --> 00:06:25,350
that you can possibly
imagine in the Trump term
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00:06:25,384 --> 00:06:28,653
and had just finished covering
the president's impeachment
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00:06:28,687 --> 00:06:30,622
in the House,
and the trial in the Senate,
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00:06:30,655 --> 00:06:32,891
and was thinking that
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00:06:32,925 --> 00:06:34,559
we might actually get
a little bit of a break
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00:06:34,593 --> 00:06:36,562
on the White House beat,
such as it is.
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00:06:36,595 --> 00:06:39,732
And then a few weeks later,
COVID happened.
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00:06:39,764 --> 00:06:41,333
One of the first indications
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00:06:41,367 --> 00:06:43,001
that the United States
government had that
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00:06:43,035 --> 00:06:45,705
this was a potential problem
was a conversation
124
00:06:45,737 --> 00:06:48,908
that the CDC director,
a guy named Robert Redfield,
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00:06:48,941 --> 00:06:51,711
had with his counterpart,
a gentleman
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00:06:51,744 --> 00:06:54,580
by the name of Dr. Gao,
who was essentially the head
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00:06:54,612 --> 00:06:59,618
of the Chinese CDC, and that
occurred on January 3rd.
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00:07:04,823 --> 00:07:07,593
Chinese health authorities
are still working
129
00:07:07,626 --> 00:07:10,429
to identify the virus
behind a pneumonia outbreak
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00:07:10,461 --> 00:07:13,965
in the central city of Wuhan.
131
00:07:13,999 --> 00:07:16,836
Gao basically said,
"Look, this is really serious.
132
00:07:16,869 --> 00:07:18,671
"You need to be aware of this.
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00:07:18,703 --> 00:07:20,540
It's not something
we've ever seen before."
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00:07:49,667 --> 00:07:52,737
I heard about
a novel respiratory virus
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00:07:52,771 --> 00:07:56,675
circulating in China,
and my ears perked up.
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00:07:56,708 --> 00:07:59,045
There you are!
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00:07:59,078 --> 00:08:01,780
I've been at BARDA
for about ten years
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00:08:01,814 --> 00:08:04,816
in the Department of Health
and Human Services.
139
00:08:04,850 --> 00:08:07,653
BARDA's role
is to lead the development
140
00:08:07,686 --> 00:08:09,422
between government
and industry
141
00:08:09,454 --> 00:08:12,657
of vaccines, drugs,
and diagnostic tests.
142
00:08:12,691 --> 00:08:16,429
So I'm very interested,
and have been my entire career,
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00:08:16,461 --> 00:08:20,699
of tracking early blips
of novel viruses
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00:08:20,732 --> 00:08:22,567
that are infecting people.
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00:08:23,701 --> 00:08:27,872
It's not unusual for us to
hear of a new virus emerging
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00:08:27,905 --> 00:08:30,775
in these wet markets of China.
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00:08:30,809 --> 00:08:33,379
They can spill over
into the human population,
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00:08:33,411 --> 00:08:36,881
especially the people working
in those wet markets.
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00:08:36,915 --> 00:08:39,418
But then we started seeing
China take actions
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00:08:39,450 --> 00:08:43,955
like build hospitals
rapidly, urgently.
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00:08:43,988 --> 00:08:46,725
All I could get at that point
was anecdotal stories
152
00:08:46,758 --> 00:08:49,127
on Twitter, for example.
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00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,463
But anyone who'd worked
in preparing
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00:08:51,497 --> 00:08:54,532
for pandemic outbreaks knew
that we were dealing with
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00:08:54,565 --> 00:08:58,737
something very unusual, very
concerning, and very deadly.
156
00:09:02,641 --> 00:09:04,142
You'll get to it.
Don't rush.
157
00:09:04,175 --> 00:09:07,445
Here we go.
Now you got so exhausted.
158
00:09:07,478 --> 00:09:09,681
So interesting about birds...
159
00:09:09,714 --> 00:09:12,650
we had an earthquake,
and they were able to alert us
160
00:09:12,684 --> 00:09:15,755
15 minutes
before the earthquake.
161
00:09:15,788 --> 00:09:19,392
Because they are connected
to the earth's compass,
162
00:09:19,425 --> 00:09:23,628
so they felt the earth
vibrating before it happens.
163
00:09:23,661 --> 00:09:26,498
But you are also a predictor
of things before they happen.
164
00:09:26,531 --> 00:09:31,102
Yes, I am obsessed
with predicting things,
165
00:09:31,136 --> 00:09:34,607
but that's just part
of my mathematical training.
166
00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,574
Dr. Lee's training allows her
167
00:09:36,607 --> 00:09:39,578
to act like a canary
in a coal mine.
168
00:09:39,611 --> 00:09:42,615
She's world-famous for the way
her mathematical modeling
169
00:09:42,647 --> 00:09:44,916
can predict the likely spread
of disease
170
00:09:44,949 --> 00:09:46,951
and assess the risk
of a pandemic.
171
00:09:46,984 --> 00:09:49,587
I have built so many models
172
00:09:49,621 --> 00:09:52,792
to describe many
different type of diseases.
173
00:09:52,824 --> 00:09:54,193
When you see the first case,
174
00:09:54,226 --> 00:09:56,595
it does not mean
you only have first case.
175
00:09:56,627 --> 00:09:59,098
It means you have one case
plus many other cases
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00:09:59,131 --> 00:10:00,866
that you don't see.
177
00:10:00,899 --> 00:10:02,934
It's by the time
you have 41 cases,
178
00:10:02,968 --> 00:10:06,070
and it is, like,
at the end of December,
179
00:10:06,103 --> 00:10:08,641
then that means you have
hundreds of others.
180
00:10:08,674 --> 00:10:12,745
So I was really, really
nervous at that time.
181
00:10:12,777 --> 00:10:13,978
I absolutely believe there's
182
00:10:14,011 --> 00:10:16,681
human-to-human transmission
in China.
183
00:10:16,714 --> 00:10:20,953
If there are travelers coming
back to the U.S. or Europe
184
00:10:20,986 --> 00:10:25,591
for celebration of new year,
that would be truly a vector
185
00:10:25,623 --> 00:10:29,561
to really transmit the disease
all over the world,
186
00:10:29,594 --> 00:10:33,231
so I do feel that we are
marching to a pandemic
187
00:10:33,265 --> 00:10:36,001
in the early part of January.
188
00:10:40,271 --> 00:10:42,807
Starting tonight,
we're going to begin
189
00:10:42,841 --> 00:10:45,644
screening passengers
arriving from Wuhan
190
00:10:45,676 --> 00:10:47,078
at the three airports
191
00:10:47,112 --> 00:10:49,982
that see the majority
of those passengers:
192
00:10:50,015 --> 00:10:53,686
JFK, San Francisco,
and Los Angeles.
193
00:10:53,718 --> 00:10:55,920
Nancy Messonnier was in charge
194
00:10:55,953 --> 00:10:57,723
of public messaging for COVID
195
00:10:57,756 --> 00:11:01,160
at the Centers
for Disease Control, or CDC.
196
00:11:01,193 --> 00:11:02,995
An experienced
public health official
197
00:11:03,027 --> 00:11:04,896
and expert in vaccines,
198
00:11:04,929 --> 00:11:07,599
she had played a leading role
in the CDC's response
199
00:11:07,632 --> 00:11:11,035
to the anthrax attacks
in 2001.
200
00:11:11,069 --> 00:11:12,472
Just this week...
201
00:11:19,144 --> 00:11:21,914
Our laboratory is using
genetic sequences
202
00:11:21,947 --> 00:11:23,649
provided by the Chinese.
203
00:11:23,681 --> 00:11:25,783
We're working
on a specific diagnostic test
204
00:11:25,817 --> 00:11:27,653
to detect this virus.
205
00:11:27,685 --> 00:11:28,786
We'll be distributing
this test
206
00:11:28,819 --> 00:11:31,623
to state health departments.
207
00:11:31,656 --> 00:11:33,725
This is
a respiratory virus.
208
00:11:33,758 --> 00:11:37,997
It is spreading
silently, invisibly,
209
00:11:38,030 --> 00:11:39,765
person to person,
210
00:11:39,798 --> 00:11:42,301
in the air, on the surfaces.
211
00:11:42,333 --> 00:11:45,670
Every moment counts
to be able to recognize
212
00:11:45,703 --> 00:11:47,272
where the virus is
213
00:11:47,305 --> 00:11:50,809
and to learn
as much as we can about it
214
00:11:50,842 --> 00:11:52,944
so we can make life-saving
vaccines and drugs
215
00:11:52,977 --> 00:11:55,647
and diagnostic tests.
216
00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:58,050
So did the government have
some kind of plan or playbook
217
00:11:58,083 --> 00:12:00,319
that they could look to in the
event of something like this?
218
00:12:00,352 --> 00:12:02,655
There's absolutely
a playbook.
219
00:12:02,688 --> 00:12:05,624
We've updated playbooks
through the various years,
220
00:12:05,656 --> 00:12:07,926
and we actually used
those playbooks
221
00:12:07,959 --> 00:12:10,762
to exercise what we would do
222
00:12:10,795 --> 00:12:13,732
in an emerging, viral pandemic
223
00:12:13,765 --> 00:12:17,937
the fall
before this virus emerged.
224
00:12:17,969 --> 00:12:19,271
"Crimson Contagion" was
225
00:12:19,304 --> 00:12:23,074
a federal government exercise
conducted in 12 states.
226
00:12:23,107 --> 00:12:25,877
It simulated a pandemic
with eerie similarities
227
00:12:25,910 --> 00:12:28,680
to the coronavirus
that was to come.
228
00:12:28,713 --> 00:12:31,583
It was a very
thorough exercise,
229
00:12:31,617 --> 00:12:35,753
highly detailed, with a highly
lethal influenza virus
230
00:12:35,786 --> 00:12:39,157
that emerged in Asia
231
00:12:39,190 --> 00:12:41,660
and spread quickly
around the world.
232
00:12:41,693 --> 00:12:44,362
We were getting daily
"pseudo-reports"
233
00:12:44,396 --> 00:12:47,299
on the outbreak,
the death count.
234
00:12:47,332 --> 00:12:50,102
The mistakes made
during "Crimson Contagion"
235
00:12:50,135 --> 00:12:51,770
played like a preview
of coming attractions
236
00:12:51,803 --> 00:12:54,106
for the failures
of the COVID response.
237
00:12:54,139 --> 00:12:56,775
So why did the government fail
to learn the lessons needed
238
00:12:56,808 --> 00:12:59,745
to prepare
for what was to come?
239
00:12:59,777 --> 00:13:02,247
The challenge has
always been who's in charge.
240
00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,783
We would have disaster
leadership group meetings,
241
00:13:04,815 --> 00:13:06,785
where we would bring together
242
00:13:06,818 --> 00:13:09,355
the Health and Human Services
network of experts,
243
00:13:09,387 --> 00:13:13,024
and the ASPR would
convene these meetings.
244
00:13:13,058 --> 00:13:15,126
Who was, in fact, the ASPR?
245
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,929
The ASPR was Dr. Bob Kadlec.
246
00:13:17,963 --> 00:13:20,632
The threats our country faces
in the 21st century
247
00:13:20,665 --> 00:13:23,868
are very real and very serious.
248
00:13:23,901 --> 00:13:26,137
A 26-year
Air Force veteran,
249
00:13:26,170 --> 00:13:27,672
Kadlec was a specialist
250
00:13:27,705 --> 00:13:30,975
in biological
and chemical weapons.
251
00:13:31,008 --> 00:13:33,811
As ASPR, he downplayed
the danger of pandemics,
252
00:13:33,844 --> 00:13:36,314
cut spending on emerging
infectious diseases,
253
00:13:36,348 --> 00:13:38,349
and his office
eliminated a program
254
00:13:38,382 --> 00:13:41,219
to manufacture N95 masks.
255
00:13:45,290 --> 00:13:48,660
January 18th,
I asked Dr. Kadlec
256
00:13:48,694 --> 00:13:51,731
if we could convene a disaster
leadership group meeting.
257
00:13:53,865 --> 00:13:57,036
To my shock, his response was,
258
00:13:57,069 --> 00:14:01,073
"I don't see
a sense of urgency."
259
00:14:01,106 --> 00:14:04,275
I just don't think he thought
there was a real opportunity
260
00:14:04,309 --> 00:14:08,079
for this virus to come
into the United States.
261
00:14:08,112 --> 00:14:11,215
The same day Rick
Bright reached out to Kadlec,
262
00:14:11,248 --> 00:14:12,784
Kadlec's boss, Alex Azar,
263
00:14:12,818 --> 00:14:15,154
did try to get
the president's attention.
264
00:14:15,186 --> 00:14:18,923
Azar was in charge
of the CDC and the FDA
265
00:14:18,957 --> 00:14:22,961
as the secretary of HHS,
Health and Human Services.
266
00:14:22,993 --> 00:14:26,098
After the previous secretary
had resigned in scandal,
267
00:14:26,131 --> 00:14:27,299
Azar was appointed
268
00:14:27,332 --> 00:14:30,001
to bring a businessman's
approach to government.
269
00:14:30,035 --> 00:14:33,072
As a former Big Pharma
executive at Eli Lily,
270
00:14:33,104 --> 00:14:37,742
Azar was infamous for having
tripled the price of insulin.
271
00:14:37,775 --> 00:14:39,877
I actually knew him
in grad school.
272
00:14:39,910 --> 00:14:43,114
Very conservative,
very ambitious.
273
00:14:43,147 --> 00:14:47,218
Went on to clerk for Scalia
on the Supreme Court.
274
00:14:47,251 --> 00:14:49,387
Within the administration,
275
00:14:49,420 --> 00:14:52,056
Azar was known for his belief
that the free market
276
00:14:52,089 --> 00:14:54,792
would meet America's
healthcare needs.
277
00:14:54,825 --> 00:14:56,360
We, the government,
do not have the solutions
278
00:14:56,394 --> 00:14:57,763
to healthcare.
279
00:14:57,795 --> 00:14:59,098
We're usually the cause
of the problems.
280
00:14:59,131 --> 00:15:01,800
With COVID, Azar
sensed that the government
281
00:15:01,833 --> 00:15:04,770
might have to play
some limited role.
282
00:15:04,803 --> 00:15:08,073
On January 18th, he knew
that the president
283
00:15:08,106 --> 00:15:12,945
was leaving town in a couple
of days to go to Davos,
284
00:15:12,977 --> 00:15:15,146
and Azar decided,
"You know what?
285
00:15:15,179 --> 00:15:16,781
"I think I'd better make sure
286
00:15:16,814 --> 00:15:20,385
the president is aware
of this virus."
287
00:15:20,418 --> 00:15:23,889
Trump was actually on the
golf course down at Mar-a-Lago
288
00:15:23,921 --> 00:15:27,091
when Azar called.
289
00:15:27,125 --> 00:15:29,361
Azar's pitch to the president
290
00:15:29,394 --> 00:15:31,997
was one,
this could be serious,
291
00:15:32,030 --> 00:15:34,766
but also he wanted to convey
a sense of kind of,
292
00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,301
"We got this."
293
00:15:37,334 --> 00:15:39,470
Of those two messages, the one
294
00:15:39,503 --> 00:15:41,506
that President Trump appears
to have really internalized
295
00:15:41,540 --> 00:15:43,509
was the "we got it" message.
296
00:15:49,814 --> 00:15:53,285
The CDC has identified
a case of coronavirus
297
00:15:53,318 --> 00:15:55,319
in Washington State.
298
00:15:55,352 --> 00:15:56,988
Have you been briefed
by the CDC...
299
00:15:57,021 --> 00:15:58,523
I have.
300
00:15:58,556 --> 00:16:00,358
Are there worries
about a pandemic at this point?
301
00:16:00,391 --> 00:16:01,859
No, not at all,
and we're...
302
00:16:01,892 --> 00:16:03,427
we have it totally
under control.
303
00:16:03,460 --> 00:16:06,397
It's one person
coming in from China.
304
00:16:06,430 --> 00:16:10,368
And we have it under control.
It's gonna be just fine.
305
00:16:15,940 --> 00:16:17,441
I actually think
we were very fortunate
306
00:16:17,474 --> 00:16:20,845
that the first case occurred
in the Seattle region.
307
00:16:20,878 --> 00:16:23,881
I sometimes call Seattle
sort of the CDC of the West
308
00:16:23,915 --> 00:16:26,517
because there are so many
public health researchers
309
00:16:26,550 --> 00:16:29,320
and public health people
that end up in Seattle,
310
00:16:29,353 --> 00:16:33,592
so in some ways I felt like,
"Okay, they're on top of it,
311
00:16:33,625 --> 00:16:36,295
and we're in good hands."
312
00:16:36,328 --> 00:16:37,730
My name's Alex Greninger,
313
00:16:37,762 --> 00:16:41,199
and I'm the assistant director
of the Clinical Virology Lab
314
00:16:41,232 --> 00:16:43,035
here at the University of
Washington Medical Center.
315
00:16:43,068 --> 00:16:44,602
Hello.
316
00:16:44,636 --> 00:16:46,505
Everything about that
first case from Washington
317
00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:47,906
was just so positive.
318
00:16:47,939 --> 00:16:50,275
I mean, like... let's go through
all the positivity there.
319
00:16:50,308 --> 00:16:52,110
You know,
someone self-identifies,
320
00:16:52,142 --> 00:16:56,348
says, "Hey, I just flew in
from Wuhan and I have a fever."
321
00:16:56,381 --> 00:16:59,184
The sample was sent overnight
to the CDC,
322
00:16:59,217 --> 00:17:01,920
where they turned around
a test, which is crazy.
323
00:17:01,953 --> 00:17:03,856
They actually had a test
for the virus,
324
00:17:03,888 --> 00:17:08,459
where the genome had just
gone online 10 days prior.
325
00:17:08,492 --> 00:17:11,495
CDC also sent a team out
immediately
326
00:17:11,529 --> 00:17:14,098
upon that confirmation.
327
00:17:14,132 --> 00:17:16,034
They, you know,
looked at all of his contacts
328
00:17:16,067 --> 00:17:18,636
and there was
no onward transmission.
329
00:17:18,669 --> 00:17:21,372
We never identified
another case in
330
00:17:21,405 --> 00:17:24,576
the state of Washington until
the last week of February.
331
00:17:24,608 --> 00:17:27,478
But if you recall,
he was not tested
332
00:17:27,511 --> 00:17:32,117
until four days
after when he became ill.
333
00:17:32,149 --> 00:17:35,052
And he took a share ride
back home from the airport,
334
00:17:35,086 --> 00:17:37,222
he had lunch
with his colleagues,
335
00:17:37,254 --> 00:17:40,591
and he did a lot of things
within four days.
336
00:17:40,625 --> 00:17:42,961
And so I estimate that
that is at least in the order
337
00:17:42,993 --> 00:17:45,496
of 2,000 people
that has to be tested,
338
00:17:45,530 --> 00:17:50,167
and so we end up missing
a lot of the cases.
339
00:17:50,201 --> 00:17:51,603
We're not doctors,
but we know a doctor,
340
00:17:51,636 --> 00:17:53,905
and he's actually
an expert in viruses.
341
00:17:53,938 --> 00:17:56,240
Dr. Alex Greninger at UDub,
you're one of the leading...
342
00:17:56,273 --> 00:17:58,910
I just became
an assistant professor,
343
00:17:58,944 --> 00:18:00,945
and so for this new virus, you
know, they sort of invited me
344
00:18:00,979 --> 00:18:03,181
to go on the news
to talk about it.
345
00:18:03,213 --> 00:18:06,083
I remember later that day,
I was in a second interview,
346
00:18:06,117 --> 00:18:08,252
and like,
in the middle of the interview,
347
00:18:08,286 --> 00:18:09,922
the interviewer stopped it
and said, "Oh,
348
00:18:09,954 --> 00:18:13,125
"they just shut down, like,
the city of Wuhan
349
00:18:13,157 --> 00:18:16,127
and there's no more transport
in and out of it."
350
00:18:16,161 --> 00:18:18,697
11 million people
are under quarantine,
351
00:18:18,730 --> 00:18:22,300
and you're just kind of like,
"Wow, that just
352
00:18:22,334 --> 00:18:24,269
doesn't even seem like
it's what's gonna happen."
353
00:18:24,301 --> 00:18:26,103
Like, you've just never
seen, like, a parallel world
354
00:18:26,136 --> 00:18:28,572
like that, what was gonna
happen here too.
355
00:18:31,041 --> 00:18:33,578
How do you look
at that more than one month
356
00:18:33,610 --> 00:18:37,014
of not having any other cases
in the state of Washington?
357
00:18:37,048 --> 00:18:39,718
Oh, yeah, it was a total lie.
358
00:18:39,751 --> 00:18:42,154
In terms of, like, you know,
whether there was actual, like,
359
00:18:42,186 --> 00:18:43,588
you know, whether there were
no cases there, right?
360
00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:45,256
I mean "lie" is not
the right word,
361
00:18:45,290 --> 00:18:49,328
but just a sort of a...
you know, it was a delusion.
362
00:18:50,729 --> 00:18:51,930
The delusion was
363
00:18:51,963 --> 00:18:55,701
that the first COVID patient
was the only one.
364
00:18:55,733 --> 00:18:57,703
In fact, the disease
was already spreading
365
00:18:57,735 --> 00:19:00,104
inside the United States.
366
00:19:00,137 --> 00:19:03,341
The challenge for scientists
was to convince politicians
367
00:19:03,375 --> 00:19:05,010
to mobilize the country
368
00:19:05,042 --> 00:19:09,180
to fight a virus
no one could see.
369
00:19:09,213 --> 00:19:11,349
In a meeting on January 23rd,
370
00:19:11,383 --> 00:19:15,153
Rick Bright made his pitch
to Alex Azar.
371
00:19:15,185 --> 00:19:17,489
My assignment,
remember in BARDA,
372
00:19:17,521 --> 00:19:19,624
is to make sure
that we start making
373
00:19:19,656 --> 00:19:24,096
drugs, vaccines, and those
tests as quickly as possible.
374
00:19:24,128 --> 00:19:28,733
We were told the CDC was
working diligently on a test,
375
00:19:28,767 --> 00:19:32,537
and we were relying
solely on the CDC.
376
00:19:32,569 --> 00:19:36,107
I raised the need to get
started immediately
377
00:19:36,140 --> 00:19:39,143
on commercial test development
drugs and vaccines,
378
00:19:39,176 --> 00:19:42,079
and the need for money
to do it.
379
00:19:42,113 --> 00:19:44,616
The secretary looked at me
380
00:19:44,648 --> 00:19:47,084
and said, "You need money?"
381
00:19:47,117 --> 00:19:49,687
And I said,
"Yes, we've exercised
382
00:19:49,721 --> 00:19:53,525
that it would take
about $10 billion."
383
00:19:53,558 --> 00:19:57,261
Without that experience
and knowledge,
384
00:19:57,294 --> 00:19:58,629
I might not have walked
into that room
385
00:19:58,663 --> 00:20:00,565
and asked for those things,
386
00:20:00,598 --> 00:20:02,832
but I knew exactly
what was needed.
387
00:20:02,834 --> 00:20:06,238
I learned after
that meeting, actually,
388
00:20:06,271 --> 00:20:09,074
that a lot of the people
were pretty offended
389
00:20:09,107 --> 00:20:11,143
that I would come into
a meeting with the Secretary
390
00:20:11,175 --> 00:20:14,245
on day one and ask for money.
391
00:20:14,279 --> 00:20:16,248
And it caused
quite a shit storm,
392
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,316
is how it was described to me,
393
00:20:18,348 --> 00:20:21,052
that I ruffled
a lot of feathers.
394
00:20:21,086 --> 00:20:23,387
In fact, I wasn't invited back
to those meetings
395
00:20:23,421 --> 00:20:24,790
for some time.
396
00:20:26,857 --> 00:20:30,095
In the U.S.,
political appointees tightened
397
00:20:30,127 --> 00:20:33,464
their purse strings and hoped
the virus would just go away.
398
00:20:33,498 --> 00:20:37,803
South Korea reacted
very differently.
399
00:20:37,836 --> 00:20:40,439
When it came
to this disease response
400
00:20:40,472 --> 00:20:42,206
here in South Korea,
401
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,544
the politicians largely
stayed out of the response
402
00:20:45,577 --> 00:20:48,047
and it was left in the hands
of professionals.
403
00:20:51,448 --> 00:20:54,085
After confirming its first
case of the new coronavirus,
404
00:20:54,118 --> 00:20:57,588
South Korea is stepping up
precautionary measures.
405
00:20:59,823 --> 00:21:02,193
- Hello.
- Hello.
406
00:21:02,226 --> 00:21:05,530
The first case was
a 35-year-old woman
407
00:21:05,562 --> 00:21:09,501
who had entered the country
from Wuhan, China.
408
00:22:03,288 --> 00:22:05,156
- Okay?
- No.
409
00:22:05,190 --> 00:22:06,391
No?
410
00:22:35,319 --> 00:22:36,887
MERS was a coronavirus
411
00:22:36,921 --> 00:22:38,790
that terrified South Korea,
412
00:22:38,822 --> 00:22:42,293
killing 38 people
and sickening hundreds more.
413
00:22:42,327 --> 00:22:45,262
The government was vilified
for its response.
414
00:22:45,296 --> 00:22:47,532
Soon after,
legislators pursued
415
00:22:47,565 --> 00:22:49,835
a series of critical reforms.
416
00:23:05,883 --> 00:23:08,453
As a result of that,
they passed a law
417
00:23:08,485 --> 00:23:11,723
in order to speed up
the approval process
418
00:23:11,755 --> 00:23:15,226
of these kits
in a time of emergency.
419
00:23:15,260 --> 00:23:17,261
On January 27th,
420
00:23:17,294 --> 00:23:19,496
South Korean health officials
summoned representatives
421
00:23:19,530 --> 00:23:21,566
from more than
20 medical companies
422
00:23:21,598 --> 00:23:25,369
to put in place
a national testing program.
423
00:23:25,403 --> 00:23:28,339
It was such an urgent
request that they just met
424
00:23:28,373 --> 00:23:32,611
in a conference room at one of
the train stations in Seoul.
425
00:23:32,644 --> 00:23:36,848
The head of the equivalent of
the CDC, he basically said,
426
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,651
"Manufacture me
these tests now
427
00:23:40,684 --> 00:23:42,753
and forget
about the approval process."
428
00:23:42,787 --> 00:23:44,556
You know, "Start using them,
start testing.
429
00:23:44,588 --> 00:23:47,759
"We will come back
to make sure it's accurate,
430
00:23:47,791 --> 00:23:50,995
but we'll do that while
you're already in the field."
431
00:23:51,029 --> 00:23:52,196
Within a matter of days
after that,
432
00:23:52,230 --> 00:23:55,333
the first diagnostic test kit
was approved,
433
00:23:55,366 --> 00:23:56,768
and it's a process
that typically can take
434
00:23:57,799 --> 00:23:58,736
upwards of a year.
435
00:23:58,770 --> 00:24:00,004
There were four cases
at the time,
436
00:24:00,038 --> 00:24:02,674
and it would be another few
weeks before there was a death,
437
00:24:02,706 --> 00:24:06,777
but they really felt the need
for diagnostic testing
438
00:24:06,810 --> 00:24:08,579
to be able to see
where the problem was
439
00:24:08,613 --> 00:24:11,316
and to deal with the threat.
440
00:24:11,348 --> 00:24:13,018
By January 27th,
441
00:24:13,050 --> 00:24:15,787
South Korea was on its way
to containing the virus
442
00:24:15,819 --> 00:24:17,856
and preventing
an economic shutdown.
443
00:24:21,925 --> 00:24:23,528
Good morning, everyone.
444
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:27,064
And thank you for joining us
here today at HHS.
445
00:24:27,098 --> 00:24:29,401
In the United States,
446
00:24:29,434 --> 00:24:31,802
Azar continued
to emphasize the response
447
00:24:31,836 --> 00:24:34,405
that had so pleased
President Trump:
448
00:24:34,438 --> 00:24:36,640
"We've got this."
449
00:24:36,674 --> 00:24:38,876
The playbook for responding
to an infectious disease
450
00:24:38,909 --> 00:24:42,946
outbreak is relatively
simple and multi-tiered.
451
00:24:42,980 --> 00:24:45,849
You identify cases,
isolate people,
452
00:24:45,883 --> 00:24:48,319
diagnose them, and treat them.
453
00:24:48,353 --> 00:24:49,888
Then you track down
all the contacts
454
00:24:49,921 --> 00:24:53,325
of the infected person, and you
do the same with those people,
455
00:24:53,357 --> 00:24:56,528
and the same with contacts
of contacts if necessary.
456
00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,429
It sounded
like a perfect plan,
457
00:24:58,463 --> 00:25:00,632
but it was missing
a key detail.
458
00:25:00,665 --> 00:25:02,966
There was no comprehensive
national testing
459
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,669
and tracing program.
460
00:25:04,702 --> 00:25:07,739
Even so, the CDC stuck
to a version of the script
461
00:25:07,771 --> 00:25:09,006
drafted by Azar.
462
00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:10,642
The CDC will continue
463
00:25:10,675 --> 00:25:13,110
its aggressive public health
response strategy,
464
00:25:13,144 --> 00:25:15,380
working to protect
the health and safety
465
00:25:15,413 --> 00:25:16,748
of the American public.
466
00:25:16,780 --> 00:25:20,351
Right now, there is no spread
of this virus
467
00:25:20,385 --> 00:25:22,520
in our communities
here at home.
468
00:25:22,552 --> 00:25:23,620
Appointed by Trump
469
00:25:23,654 --> 00:25:26,090
after his predecessor left
in disgrace,
470
00:25:26,124 --> 00:25:28,626
Redfield was
a controversial virologist
471
00:25:28,658 --> 00:25:31,595
with no experience leading
a public health agency.
472
00:25:31,628 --> 00:25:35,065
During the AIDS crisis, he
preached a religious approach,
473
00:25:35,098 --> 00:25:38,102
calling for abstinence
as a solution.
474
00:25:38,136 --> 00:25:41,004
With his former assistant,
Deborah Birx,
475
00:25:41,038 --> 00:25:44,541
Redfield's attempts to push
an unproven HIV vaccine
476
00:25:44,575 --> 00:25:48,446
were twice investigated
for scientific misconduct.
477
00:25:48,479 --> 00:25:52,484
Redfield is a little bit
of an oddity for the CDC.
478
00:25:52,517 --> 00:25:55,653
The CDC is an institution
filled with scientists
479
00:25:55,685 --> 00:25:58,990
and researchers who don't like
to be told that science has
480
00:25:59,022 --> 00:26:02,059
to compromise for economics
or for politics.
481
00:26:02,092 --> 00:26:04,495
You know,
they want to be purists.
482
00:26:04,529 --> 00:26:08,066
Donald Trump is a president
who has expressed
483
00:26:08,098 --> 00:26:10,534
an incredible disdain
for science
484
00:26:10,568 --> 00:26:13,771
since before he took office.
485
00:26:13,805 --> 00:26:15,507
Inside the West Wing,
486
00:26:15,540 --> 00:26:19,077
they refer to the CDC
as the Deep State.
487
00:26:19,109 --> 00:26:23,548
Certainly many of the people
at the CDC saw Redfield
488
00:26:23,580 --> 00:26:26,950
as not having the kind of
backbone that they would like
489
00:26:26,983 --> 00:26:29,853
to have seen in a CDC director
490
00:26:29,886 --> 00:26:31,655
to stand up to the president
491
00:26:31,688 --> 00:26:35,426
both privately,
but also publicly.
492
00:26:38,495 --> 00:26:41,432
Some scientists
were willing to push back.
493
00:26:41,465 --> 00:26:43,600
Public health officials
from around the country
494
00:26:43,634 --> 00:26:47,439
shared doubts that the CDC
was responding to the virus
495
00:26:47,472 --> 00:26:48,973
with enough speed and concern.
496
00:26:49,005 --> 00:26:50,974
They circulated
an email chain,
497
00:26:51,008 --> 00:26:54,813
which included Trump
officials, called "Red Dawn."
498
00:26:56,580 --> 00:26:58,550
What's going on here,
my friend?
499
00:26:58,582 --> 00:27:00,551
It was a
tongue-and-cheek nod
500
00:27:00,585 --> 00:27:04,222
to a 1984 movie about a small
band of American citizens
501
00:27:04,254 --> 00:27:06,056
who fight back
against a Russian invasion.
502
00:27:06,089 --> 00:27:08,025
This is the Emergency
Broadcast System.
503
00:27:08,059 --> 00:27:09,194
We are under attack by...
504
00:27:09,226 --> 00:27:11,228
We were a little bit
like the Wolverines
505
00:27:11,261 --> 00:27:12,797
from that movie.
506
00:27:12,829 --> 00:27:13,798
They know who
all of you are.
507
00:27:13,830 --> 00:27:15,666
They're looking for you.
508
00:27:15,700 --> 00:27:18,569
A group of teenagers
that are fighting back,
509
00:27:18,603 --> 00:27:20,605
and one of us thought
it would be funny
510
00:27:20,637 --> 00:27:24,576
to use "Red Dawn"
as the subject title.
511
00:27:24,608 --> 00:27:27,678
That email chain, it's a group
512
00:27:27,712 --> 00:27:31,015
of former and current
state and local officials
513
00:27:31,048 --> 00:27:33,984
within the federal government.
514
00:27:34,018 --> 00:27:36,521
These are all very
dear colleagues that have been
515
00:27:36,553 --> 00:27:40,123
in public health and emergency
response for a long time.
516
00:27:40,156 --> 00:27:44,761
In late January, we were
consciously monitoring,
517
00:27:44,794 --> 00:27:47,664
trying to assess
when it hit us,
518
00:27:47,697 --> 00:27:50,968
how big the scope
of the calamity
519
00:27:51,001 --> 00:27:55,205
that we are looking into.
and how to mitigate it.
520
00:27:55,239 --> 00:27:57,075
I think in January,
521
00:27:57,107 --> 00:27:58,275
the cat was already
out of the bag
522
00:27:58,309 --> 00:28:01,045
in terms of we had cases
in the U.S.,
523
00:28:01,078 --> 00:28:02,881
we had human-to-human
transmission going on
524
00:28:02,914 --> 00:28:04,516
in the U.S.,
525
00:28:04,549 --> 00:28:09,220
and we were going to be
dealing with COVID-19.
526
00:28:09,252 --> 00:28:11,088
I mean, I wasn't able
to sleep.
527
00:28:11,121 --> 00:28:13,590
I couldn't stop thinking about
528
00:28:13,624 --> 00:28:17,161
what could go wrong for us.
529
00:28:17,194 --> 00:28:19,129
The "Red Dawn"
emails would be full
530
00:28:19,163 --> 00:28:20,665
of warnings
and recommendations
531
00:28:20,697 --> 00:28:23,200
from experts
in pandemic response.
532
00:28:23,233 --> 00:28:25,602
But politicians failed
to recognize
533
00:28:25,636 --> 00:28:28,071
that there were lessons
to be learned.
534
00:28:28,105 --> 00:28:30,808
There's never been anything
like this in history.
535
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,876
There's never been and nobody
has ever seen anything
536
00:28:32,909 --> 00:28:35,078
like this.
537
00:28:35,111 --> 00:28:37,648
Nothing could be
further from the truth.
538
00:28:37,682 --> 00:28:39,918
To be ready for the perils
of the future,
539
00:28:39,951 --> 00:28:43,254
all one had to do
is look clearly at the past.
540
00:28:43,287 --> 00:28:46,558
In 1918,
in the midst of war,
541
00:28:46,590 --> 00:28:49,960
influenza marched across the
earth from country to country.
542
00:28:49,993 --> 00:28:52,930
Epidemic lurked everywhere.
543
00:28:52,963 --> 00:28:56,200
To ward off contagion, special
precautions were taken.
544
00:29:01,238 --> 00:29:03,741
With no vaccine
and few treatment options,
545
00:29:03,773 --> 00:29:06,010
simple but effective
precautionary measures
546
00:29:06,042 --> 00:29:09,013
like masks
were all people had.
547
00:29:12,116 --> 00:29:16,354
The H1N1 flu infected
500 million people,
548
00:29:16,386 --> 00:29:20,825
1/3 of the world's population
at the time.
549
00:29:20,857 --> 00:29:24,028
The death toll
can only be estimated
550
00:29:24,060 --> 00:29:27,331
somewhere between
20 and 50 million people.
551
00:29:30,267 --> 00:29:32,971
Since 1918,
scientific advancements
552
00:29:33,003 --> 00:29:35,305
like the invention
of the electron microscope
553
00:29:35,338 --> 00:29:39,977
have allowed us to see
the "invisible enemy."
554
00:29:40,011 --> 00:29:42,946
But even with vaccines
and advances in pathology,
555
00:29:42,980 --> 00:29:44,949
the growth
of global transportation
556
00:29:44,982 --> 00:29:47,285
made other pandemics
ever more likely.
557
00:29:52,088 --> 00:29:56,394
In 2003, a deadly
SARS coronavirus
558
00:29:56,426 --> 00:30:00,397
spread from bats to humans
was quickly contained.
559
00:30:00,431 --> 00:30:02,967
In 2009,
the Obama Administration
560
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,337
faced a challenge when
a new strain of H1N1 emerged.
561
00:30:06,369 --> 00:30:08,739
Good afternoon, everybody.
562
00:30:08,772 --> 00:30:12,909
There's no doubt that
every president should learn
563
00:30:12,943 --> 00:30:15,279
from what has happened before.
564
00:30:15,311 --> 00:30:19,250
President Obama felt it very
important from the beginning
565
00:30:19,282 --> 00:30:22,786
and all the way through
our dealing with H1N1
566
00:30:22,819 --> 00:30:24,922
that the scientists
make the calls.
567
00:30:24,954 --> 00:30:27,357
H1N1 influenza is here.
568
00:30:27,390 --> 00:30:28,959
I'm Dr. Tom Frieden.
569
00:30:28,992 --> 00:30:33,731
I directed the CDC
from 2009 to 2017.
570
00:30:33,763 --> 00:30:36,199
I just sprayed down
the chair with Lysol.
571
00:30:36,232 --> 00:30:37,234
All right.
572
00:30:37,268 --> 00:30:38,836
We dealt with epidemics
573
00:30:38,868 --> 00:30:43,974
of Zika, Ebola, MERS,
and H1N1 influenza.
574
00:30:44,008 --> 00:30:46,376
Our Emergency Operations Center
was activated
575
00:30:46,409 --> 00:30:48,912
more than 90% of the time
that I was there.
576
00:30:48,945 --> 00:30:50,814
That's the way of reducing
exposures,
577
00:30:50,848 --> 00:30:53,216
if there is a lot of H1N1.
578
00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:55,752
We do think there may
be some challenges, though,
579
00:30:55,786 --> 00:30:57,188
practical challenges.
580
00:30:57,221 --> 00:31:01,192
President Obama made it very
clear that HHS was in the lead
581
00:31:01,224 --> 00:31:05,029
and that I would be the
spokesperson for the flu,
582
00:31:05,061 --> 00:31:08,699
as he would call me,
the face of the flu.
583
00:31:08,732 --> 00:31:10,934
H1N1 was very scary
584
00:31:10,967 --> 00:31:14,304
because children were
particularly vulnerable.
585
00:31:14,338 --> 00:31:16,040
Hi, it's Elmo.
586
00:31:16,072 --> 00:31:18,275
And I'm Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius.
587
00:31:18,309 --> 00:31:19,743
Elmo
and Secretary Sebelius...
588
00:31:19,777 --> 00:31:23,848
Teaching kids to sneeze into
their elbows was a big thing.
589
00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,983
First, you learn to sneeze into
the bend of your arm like this.
590
00:31:27,017 --> 00:31:29,120
- Achoo.
- Oh, very good.
591
00:31:30,521 --> 00:31:33,324
13,000 Americans
died from H1N1
592
00:31:33,357 --> 00:31:34,892
and the Obama Administration
593
00:31:34,925 --> 00:31:36,993
mishandled
vaccine distribution,
594
00:31:37,027 --> 00:31:39,197
but scientists gave
the administration high marks
595
00:31:39,230 --> 00:31:40,832
for moving quickly
596
00:31:40,865 --> 00:31:43,901
and being open
with the press and the public.
597
00:31:43,934 --> 00:31:45,502
Just four years later,
598
00:31:45,536 --> 00:31:49,040
the Obama Administration's
response to the Ebola crisis
599
00:31:49,072 --> 00:31:52,442
would be criticized
for being too slow.
600
00:31:52,475 --> 00:31:54,511
In the case of Ebola
I remember being in the room,
601
00:31:54,544 --> 00:31:57,214
in the White House
briefing room.
602
00:31:57,248 --> 00:31:58,915
You guys are up here
talking about,
603
00:31:58,948 --> 00:32:01,118
"We have this great and
perfect system that's going
604
00:32:01,152 --> 00:32:04,122
"to be able to, you know,
contain this virus
605
00:32:04,155 --> 00:32:05,822
because we've done
all this preparation,"
606
00:32:05,856 --> 00:32:08,259
and yet it doesn't
look like it's working.
607
00:32:08,291 --> 00:32:10,794
Hindsight is always 20/20.
608
00:32:10,828 --> 00:32:13,865
I can look back at any outbreak
I worked on
609
00:32:13,897 --> 00:32:15,933
and say, "I made a series
of mistakes there."
610
00:32:15,965 --> 00:32:18,136
We all do, but the key is,
611
00:32:18,168 --> 00:32:20,137
are they unforced errors?
612
00:32:20,171 --> 00:32:21,539
I think it is important
to reflect
613
00:32:21,571 --> 00:32:25,041
on whatever lessons we learn,
we build and incorporate.
614
00:32:25,075 --> 00:32:28,078
After the Ebola crisis
passed,
615
00:32:28,111 --> 00:32:30,981
the Obama National Security
Council had essentially
616
00:32:31,014 --> 00:32:35,252
created a unit within
the National Security Council
617
00:32:35,286 --> 00:32:37,922
dedicated to sort of
pandemic response.
618
00:32:40,925 --> 00:32:42,393
No, I cannot see Ben.
619
00:32:42,425 --> 00:32:44,194
I can see his hand
when he moves it out here,
620
00:32:44,228 --> 00:32:46,097
but he's got a face shield on.
621
00:32:46,129 --> 00:32:49,166
It's pretty good.
Hardcore.
622
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,469
Beth Cameron
was in charge of countering
623
00:32:51,501 --> 00:32:55,005
biological threats
for the Obama Administration.
624
00:32:55,039 --> 00:32:56,973
We set up a new directorate
625
00:32:57,007 --> 00:32:58,910
on global health security
and biodefense,
626
00:32:58,943 --> 00:33:02,879
and I was honored to be able
to lead that directorate,
627
00:33:02,913 --> 00:33:05,016
and also to be able to take on
a lot of the lessons
628
00:33:05,049 --> 00:33:08,985
that we really had learned
after the Ebola epidemic.
629
00:33:09,019 --> 00:33:10,488
In 2016,
630
00:33:10,521 --> 00:33:12,889
Beth Cameron and her team
at the NSC
631
00:33:12,923 --> 00:33:17,494
drafted a 69-page playbook on
how to deal with a pandemic.
632
00:33:17,528 --> 00:33:19,329
The playbook was intended
633
00:33:19,363 --> 00:33:23,167
to allow people in the
White House to ask questions.
634
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:24,434
What should we do?
635
00:33:24,467 --> 00:33:26,436
And also,
what do we need to do
636
00:33:26,470 --> 00:33:30,007
to get ahead so that we're
not constantly reacting?
637
00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,210
So what happened
to this playbook?
638
00:33:32,242 --> 00:33:36,880
So the playbook is reported
to not have been used.
639
00:33:36,914 --> 00:33:38,516
The Obama Administration
did not leave
640
00:33:38,549 --> 00:33:42,019
to this administration
any kind of game plan
641
00:33:42,051 --> 00:33:43,620
for something like this.
642
00:33:43,654 --> 00:33:47,959
I have no idea why
Mitch McConnell said
643
00:33:47,992 --> 00:33:49,492
that he didn't know
about the playbook.
644
00:33:49,526 --> 00:33:51,596
There were a large number
of copies
645
00:33:51,628 --> 00:33:53,463
that were spiral bound
of this playbook.
646
00:33:53,496 --> 00:33:55,532
It was briefed to
the incoming administration.
647
00:33:55,566 --> 00:33:58,269
It did become politicized.
648
00:33:58,301 --> 00:34:00,271
Some have
erroneously suggested
649
00:34:00,303 --> 00:34:01,571
that the Trump Administration
650
00:34:01,605 --> 00:34:03,941
threw out
the pandemic response playbook
651
00:34:03,973 --> 00:34:06,944
left by the Obama-Biden
Administration.
652
00:34:06,976 --> 00:34:08,879
What the critics failed
to note, however,
653
00:34:08,912 --> 00:34:11,948
is that this thin packet
of paper was replaced
654
00:34:11,981 --> 00:34:15,986
by two detailed, robust,
pandemic response reports
655
00:34:16,019 --> 00:34:18,121
commissioned
by the Trump Administration.
656
00:34:18,155 --> 00:34:20,390
The last thing that they
wanted was to pay attention
657
00:34:20,423 --> 00:34:21,992
to what the Obama people
wanted them
658
00:34:22,026 --> 00:34:23,294
to pay attention to.
659
00:34:23,327 --> 00:34:25,062
They were trying
to make a clean break
660
00:34:25,095 --> 00:34:27,899
from what they saw
as a disastrous presidency,
661
00:34:27,932 --> 00:34:29,634
and this was
the Trump presidency.
662
00:34:29,667 --> 00:34:33,004
♪ And I'm proud
to be An American ♪
663
00:34:33,037 --> 00:34:36,040
♪ Where at least
I know I'm free ♪
664
00:34:36,073 --> 00:34:38,376
I think it's important
to understand
665
00:34:38,408 --> 00:34:40,644
that biological threats
are not the thing
666
00:34:40,678 --> 00:34:42,680
that is always top of mind
for a senior leader.
667
00:34:42,713 --> 00:34:45,383
♪ And I'd gladly stand up ♪
668
00:34:45,415 --> 00:34:48,251
But there really was
a lot of pressure
669
00:34:48,285 --> 00:34:49,987
on all of the civil servants
670
00:34:50,019 --> 00:34:52,022
in between Barack Obama
and Donald Trump
671
00:34:52,055 --> 00:34:55,358
to explain why we need
high-level officials
672
00:34:55,392 --> 00:34:59,096
who are looking at that issue
all the time.
673
00:34:59,129 --> 00:35:02,300
After I left, I continued
to work with the Trump team
674
00:35:02,332 --> 00:35:04,568
in my new position
outside of government
675
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,571
until the directorate
was dissolved in May of 2018.
676
00:35:08,604 --> 00:35:11,309
The Global National
Security Team was disbanded
677
00:35:11,341 --> 00:35:13,044
under a reorganization
678
00:35:13,077 --> 00:35:16,414
by Trump's National
Security Advisor, John Bolton.
679
00:35:16,446 --> 00:35:19,082
It was really shocking
that any administration
680
00:35:19,115 --> 00:35:23,219
would get rid of so much
experience and expertise
681
00:35:23,252 --> 00:35:25,655
and the collaboration
and coordination
682
00:35:25,689 --> 00:35:29,093
that comes with that...
those years.
683
00:35:29,126 --> 00:35:31,294
From the moment
of Trump's inauguration,
684
00:35:31,327 --> 00:35:34,197
the guiding slogan of staffing
was not "you're hired,"
685
00:35:34,231 --> 00:35:36,232
but "you're fired."
686
00:35:36,265 --> 00:35:38,202
Key positions went unfilled.
687
00:35:38,234 --> 00:35:40,303
Many more were eliminated.
688
00:35:40,336 --> 00:35:42,072
And when people were hired,
689
00:35:42,106 --> 00:35:45,977
experience was not nearly
as important as loyalty.
690
00:35:46,010 --> 00:35:48,713
On January 29th, the White
House announced the formation
691
00:35:48,745 --> 00:35:50,314
of an official task force
692
00:35:50,347 --> 00:35:52,749
to confront the threat
of the coronavirus.
693
00:35:52,783 --> 00:35:54,118
Well, good afternoon,
everyone.
694
00:35:54,151 --> 00:35:55,653
I'm Alex Azar.
695
00:35:55,685 --> 00:35:56,886
Led by Azar,
696
00:35:56,921 --> 00:36:00,024
the task force had
little scientific expertise.
697
00:36:00,057 --> 00:36:02,660
Most were businessmen
and lawyers, seemingly chosen
698
00:36:02,693 --> 00:36:05,562
for their political
or religious beliefs.
699
00:36:05,595 --> 00:36:08,631
One had been Sarah Palin's
foreign policy advisor.
700
00:36:08,664 --> 00:36:11,134
Another was
a climate change denier
701
00:36:11,167 --> 00:36:15,305
who opposed homosexuality
as an act against nature.
702
00:36:15,339 --> 00:36:17,308
The only two
public health officials
703
00:36:17,341 --> 00:36:20,377
were Redfield
and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
704
00:36:20,410 --> 00:36:22,379
At the National Institute
of Health,
705
00:36:22,412 --> 00:36:24,481
Fauci had advised
six presidents
706
00:36:24,515 --> 00:36:27,084
and had been at the forefront
of every epidemic response
707
00:36:27,117 --> 00:36:29,319
for the last 40 years.
708
00:36:29,352 --> 00:36:32,455
The issue now with this is
that there's a lot of unknowns.
709
00:36:32,488 --> 00:36:34,557
As you can see
just from the media,
710
00:36:34,591 --> 00:36:38,162
the number of cases
have steeply inclined
711
00:36:38,194 --> 00:36:40,164
each and every day.
712
00:36:40,196 --> 00:36:41,499
At the first briefing,
713
00:36:41,531 --> 00:36:43,167
they announced
no concrete programs
714
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:44,535
to contain the virus
715
00:36:44,568 --> 00:36:46,703
inside the borders
of the United States.
716
00:36:46,736 --> 00:36:48,805
Instead, they offered
a variation
717
00:36:48,839 --> 00:36:52,410
of a familiar Trump refrain...
"build a wall."
718
00:36:52,443 --> 00:36:55,178
Foreign nationals,
other than immediate family
719
00:36:55,211 --> 00:36:57,714
of U.S. citizens
and permanent residents
720
00:36:57,747 --> 00:37:02,252
who have traveled in China
within the last 14 days
721
00:37:02,285 --> 00:37:06,523
will be denied entry into the
United States for this time.
722
00:37:08,392 --> 00:37:11,395
In the months after that,
tens of thousands of people
723
00:37:11,428 --> 00:37:13,564
from China still make their way
into the United States,
724
00:37:13,597 --> 00:37:16,267
mostly Americans
who are returning home
725
00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:19,069
and are not blocked
by that ruling.
726
00:37:24,374 --> 00:37:26,577
"Diamond Princess,"
this is your captain speaking
727
00:37:26,609 --> 00:37:29,713
from the bridge.
728
00:37:29,745 --> 00:37:33,383
We have been notified that
729
00:37:33,417 --> 00:37:35,586
10 additional people
730
00:37:35,618 --> 00:37:39,656
have tested positive
for coronavirus.
731
00:37:39,689 --> 00:37:41,524
The captain
of the "Diamond Princess"
732
00:37:41,557 --> 00:37:43,526
had docked his vessel
in Yokohama
733
00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:47,665
after learning a passenger had
tested positive for COVID-19.
734
00:37:47,698 --> 00:37:51,602
The Japanese government
ordered a 14-day quarantine.
735
00:37:51,635 --> 00:37:54,171
Eventually,
over 700 passengers
736
00:37:54,203 --> 00:37:55,472
would test positive.
737
00:37:55,506 --> 00:37:56,874
That made
the "Diamond Princess"
738
00:37:56,908 --> 00:38:01,112
the largest known outbreak
of the virus outside of China.
739
00:38:01,144 --> 00:38:03,813
Donald Trump, save us.
740
00:38:03,847 --> 00:38:06,484
Get us a government-based
airplane.
741
00:38:06,517 --> 00:38:08,752
- Not even that, just like...
- Get us off the ship.
742
00:38:08,785 --> 00:38:11,321
I received a phone call
743
00:38:11,354 --> 00:38:14,891
that a disaster
medical assistance team
744
00:38:14,925 --> 00:38:18,896
was being assembled
to do a rescue operation
745
00:38:18,928 --> 00:38:22,599
to go pull American citizens
off of the "Diamond Princess"
746
00:38:22,633 --> 00:38:24,502
and bring them back to the U.S.
747
00:38:24,535 --> 00:38:27,238
And I was asked
if I would be willing to go
748
00:38:27,271 --> 00:38:29,140
as an expert
to go help the team.
749
00:38:29,173 --> 00:38:32,176
Okay, they've got a bunch
of people in white coats.
750
00:38:32,209 --> 00:38:34,178
They're not white coats.
They're white hazmat suits.
751
00:38:34,211 --> 00:38:35,513
They're white hazmat suits.
752
00:38:35,546 --> 00:38:37,381
They've got these
little tunnels down here.
753
00:38:37,414 --> 00:38:41,252
The E.T. Tunnels, I call them.
754
00:38:41,285 --> 00:38:43,654
At the time, we still
didn't know a lot
755
00:38:43,687 --> 00:38:46,390
about
the transmission dynamics
756
00:38:46,423 --> 00:38:51,294
or even the severity
and lethality of the disease.
757
00:38:51,327 --> 00:38:53,796
The "Diamond Princess"
confirmed
758
00:38:53,830 --> 00:38:57,568
many, many of what
I was nervous about.
759
00:38:57,600 --> 00:38:59,303
First of all, it shows
760
00:38:59,336 --> 00:39:02,339
how it spread
in a confined environment
761
00:39:02,372 --> 00:39:04,942
with lots of people, right?
762
00:39:04,975 --> 00:39:08,245
Even though all of them
has their own cubicle,
763
00:39:08,278 --> 00:39:10,647
but that's exactly
like apartment complexes
764
00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:14,584
in New York City,
and you go out, right?
765
00:39:14,618 --> 00:39:18,522
You go to places confined
in a mall, and in classrooms,
766
00:39:18,555 --> 00:39:22,193
in dormitories,
in many, many settings.
767
00:39:22,225 --> 00:39:24,327
It basically gave us
a very parallel world
768
00:39:24,361 --> 00:39:28,265
of what could be happening
to us.
769
00:39:28,298 --> 00:39:31,202
Even after the ship went
into quarantine
770
00:39:31,234 --> 00:39:34,771
and passengers were really
restricted to their rooms,
771
00:39:34,805 --> 00:39:37,875
the fact that the outbreak
continued to grow demonstrated
772
00:39:37,908 --> 00:39:41,679
that there may be more
to transmission phenomenon
773
00:39:41,711 --> 00:39:44,347
than we initially thought.
774
00:39:46,850 --> 00:39:50,453
So when we saw that,
that really hit home to us
775
00:39:50,486 --> 00:39:53,957
that this is
a pretty explosive situation.
776
00:39:53,990 --> 00:39:58,261
Okay, they quarantine, but
yet the spread is like fire.
777
00:39:58,294 --> 00:40:02,700
It shows... it really highlights
strategic tests is a must.
778
00:40:02,732 --> 00:40:04,801
Eva Lee began
to sound the alarm
779
00:40:04,834 --> 00:40:07,303
in the "Red Dawn" emails
about asymptomatic spread
780
00:40:07,336 --> 00:40:09,572
and the need to test widely.
781
00:40:09,606 --> 00:40:11,475
She knew in early February
782
00:40:11,508 --> 00:40:15,312
what federal officials
refused to recognize.
783
00:40:15,345 --> 00:40:16,946
Only a vast infrastructure
for mass testing
784
00:40:16,979 --> 00:40:18,881
could spot and contain a virus
785
00:40:18,914 --> 00:40:22,352
that was already moving
invisibly across the country.
786
00:40:22,385 --> 00:40:24,954
Then I thought to myself,
"That is it."
787
00:40:24,988 --> 00:40:27,890
We will have no chance
to contain.
788
00:40:27,923 --> 00:40:30,593
If we are not going
to take actions now,
789
00:40:30,627 --> 00:40:33,698
we would regret and
we would be late, late, late.
790
00:40:36,033 --> 00:40:39,636
The trifecta is test,
trace, and isolate.
791
00:40:39,669 --> 00:40:43,906
You need to have all three
of those working in tandem
792
00:40:43,939 --> 00:40:47,345
to be able to take down
any infectious disease.
793
00:40:48,944 --> 00:40:50,613
I'm from Hong Kong,
794
00:40:50,647 --> 00:40:54,685
and I grew up during SARS,
795
00:40:54,718 --> 00:40:56,787
so I guess that was my first
experience with an outbreak,
796
00:40:56,819 --> 00:41:01,392
which has turned out to be
an interesting reference point
797
00:41:01,425 --> 00:41:02,725
during this outbreak.
798
00:41:04,861 --> 00:41:07,531
My boss was like, "You
should cover the coronavirus."
799
00:41:07,564 --> 00:41:09,399
So my question's gonna be,
800
00:41:09,432 --> 00:41:11,635
where are we deviating
from the playbook?
801
00:41:11,667 --> 00:41:15,405
That's where I hold
the government accountable.
802
00:41:15,439 --> 00:41:19,510
So the CDC made a test
that worked in their lab
803
00:41:19,542 --> 00:41:21,878
before the first case of COVID
804
00:41:21,912 --> 00:41:25,716
landed in the state of
Washington on January 20.
805
00:41:25,749 --> 00:41:28,551
What they saw as their next
step was sending test kits
806
00:41:28,584 --> 00:41:29,986
based on their design
807
00:41:30,019 --> 00:41:33,423
to public labs
around the country.
808
00:41:33,457 --> 00:41:36,093
So CDC can't just
make a test and send it out.
809
00:41:36,126 --> 00:41:40,763
They have to apply for
Emergency Use Authorization.
810
00:41:40,796 --> 00:41:44,501
This week, the FDA issued
an Emergency Use Authorization
811
00:41:44,533 --> 00:41:46,703
for the CDC's diagnostic test.
812
00:41:46,736 --> 00:41:49,005
Having a declaration
of an emergency
813
00:41:49,039 --> 00:41:51,709
allows you to, like,
cut through a lot of red tape
814
00:41:51,742 --> 00:41:52,975
where, like, you don't have to
815
00:41:53,008 --> 00:41:54,911
approve things
the traditional pathway,
816
00:41:54,944 --> 00:41:56,979
which takes many, many years.
817
00:41:57,013 --> 00:42:00,384
So it's like going through the
precheck line at the airport.
818
00:42:00,417 --> 00:42:05,122
FDA issued the EUA to CDC
really on February 4th,
819
00:42:05,155 --> 00:42:08,425
and test kits were available
on the 5th.
820
00:42:08,457 --> 00:42:10,394
The test kits
will start shipping
821
00:42:10,426 --> 00:42:13,463
to the over 100
U.S. public health labs.
822
00:42:13,497 --> 00:42:16,700
Each test kit can perform
up to 800 patient samples.
823
00:42:16,732 --> 00:42:19,569
It works in about
four to five hours' time.
824
00:42:19,602 --> 00:42:21,003
And that's pretty heroic,
in two weeks,
825
00:42:21,037 --> 00:42:23,906
to develop test kits
for the country.
826
00:42:23,939 --> 00:42:26,676
So, so far,
speaking of the playbook,
827
00:42:26,709 --> 00:42:30,481
everything was going right.
828
00:42:30,513 --> 00:42:32,615
The first thing
public health labs have to do
829
00:42:32,649 --> 00:42:34,818
after they get the test
is they have to verify
830
00:42:34,850 --> 00:42:37,053
that the test works
in their hands,
831
00:42:37,086 --> 00:42:39,989
in their laboratory,
with their scientists.
832
00:42:42,426 --> 00:42:44,962
So on Saturday, February 8th,
833
00:42:44,995 --> 00:42:47,931
labs opened up their boxes
834
00:42:47,964 --> 00:42:50,968
and they started to get
the test up and running.
835
00:42:53,669 --> 00:42:56,406
And then, the next morning,
836
00:42:56,439 --> 00:42:58,508
I see a number of emails
837
00:42:58,542 --> 00:43:02,446
from public health
laboratory directors saying,
838
00:43:02,479 --> 00:43:06,550
"We're seeing this problem
with one of the components
839
00:43:06,582 --> 00:43:09,787
"of the test, the N3,
840
00:43:09,819 --> 00:43:12,423
and is anyone else
seeing that?"
841
00:43:12,455 --> 00:43:15,526
Then my phone started
to blow up.
842
00:43:15,559 --> 00:43:19,028
It became apparent that
we actually had a real problem.
843
00:43:19,062 --> 00:43:21,031
And I thought to myself,
844
00:43:21,064 --> 00:43:23,133
"Oh, my God.
845
00:43:23,165 --> 00:43:26,604
This is a nightmare."
846
00:43:28,772 --> 00:43:31,909
There were many labs that
were having the same problem.
847
00:43:31,941 --> 00:43:34,077
So that was an indication
848
00:43:34,109 --> 00:43:37,647
that this was coming
from the CDC labs.
849
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:41,918
There are three components
to the CDC-designed tests.
850
00:43:41,952 --> 00:43:44,921
They are called
the N1, N2, and N3 assay,
851
00:43:44,955 --> 00:43:48,792
and the N1 and N2 assay,
together,
852
00:43:48,825 --> 00:43:53,931
look specifically for
the COVID-19 coronavirus.
853
00:43:53,964 --> 00:43:57,701
And then they had
a 3rd component, the N3 assay,
854
00:43:57,734 --> 00:44:02,573
which was designed to look
for any coronavirus.
855
00:44:02,606 --> 00:44:05,475
And I don't know
why they decided
856
00:44:05,508 --> 00:44:08,678
to throw that third part in.
857
00:44:08,711 --> 00:44:12,482
They didn't need it,
but that third part
858
00:44:12,515 --> 00:44:14,885
is the part that caused
all the problems.
859
00:44:14,917 --> 00:44:17,687
It was
a contamination problem.
860
00:44:17,720 --> 00:44:21,624
This was just
a huge lightbulb moment
861
00:44:21,658 --> 00:44:25,127
where... wow, we could
really be on pause.
862
00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:28,030
The CDC says they're working
with states now
863
00:44:28,064 --> 00:44:29,299
to fix the tests.
864
00:44:29,332 --> 00:44:33,237
They did not say how many
of the kits have flaws.
865
00:44:33,269 --> 00:44:35,037
Now, this was
really frustrating
866
00:44:35,071 --> 00:44:36,906
to a lot of lab directors
because they were like,
867
00:44:36,939 --> 00:44:40,276
"Look, the N1 and N2 part
of this test are working
868
00:44:40,310 --> 00:44:41,311
"totally fine,
869
00:44:41,345 --> 00:44:45,015
"so why don't we
just ignore the part
870
00:44:45,048 --> 00:44:47,050
that isn't working?"
871
00:44:47,082 --> 00:44:48,651
Under an Emergency Use
Authorization,
872
00:44:48,685 --> 00:44:50,220
you're not supposed to do that.
873
00:44:50,252 --> 00:44:54,223
You have to run that test
exactly as it's assigned.
874
00:44:54,256 --> 00:44:55,925
As it turned out,
875
00:44:55,959 --> 00:44:58,694
over 90% of public health labs
876
00:44:58,727 --> 00:45:02,198
had tests
that were not working.
877
00:45:02,231 --> 00:45:05,167
So it was really
as if we were flying blind,
878
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:07,637
and we knew it, and frankly,
879
00:45:07,671 --> 00:45:11,008
there was nothing
we could do except wait.
880
00:45:15,745 --> 00:45:18,015
There was a working
effective test
881
00:45:18,048 --> 00:45:20,917
that was created
in a German laboratory
882
00:45:20,950 --> 00:45:23,119
that was being distributed by
the World Health Organization
883
00:45:23,153 --> 00:45:25,088
to countries
all around the world.
884
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:27,189
It is available now
885
00:45:27,222 --> 00:45:30,026
and we are shipping
an essential component to labs
886
00:45:30,060 --> 00:45:33,864
to really start
working immediately.
887
00:45:33,897 --> 00:45:37,100
The WHO test
quite frankly is used
888
00:45:37,133 --> 00:45:40,636
for low and moderately
income countries.
889
00:45:40,669 --> 00:45:43,339
I think it would've
been very unusual
890
00:45:43,372 --> 00:45:47,577
to use another country's test,
and not for political reasons.
891
00:45:47,611 --> 00:45:51,281
Just, I guess, because of maybe
scientific hubris.
892
00:45:51,314 --> 00:45:54,118
We've never had a failure
like this.
893
00:45:56,986 --> 00:45:59,755
Despite the
technical problems at the CDC,
894
00:45:59,789 --> 00:46:01,624
the Trump Administration
could have insisted
895
00:46:01,658 --> 00:46:04,595
on an alternate plan.
896
00:46:04,627 --> 00:46:07,698
Public labs could have pivoted
to the WHO test
897
00:46:07,731 --> 00:46:10,133
or removed the N3 element.
898
00:46:10,165 --> 00:46:12,602
Test manufacturers
and clinical labs
899
00:46:12,635 --> 00:46:15,204
were eager to start making
their own tests,
900
00:46:15,238 --> 00:46:18,274
but for reasons
that remain unexplained,
901
00:46:18,307 --> 00:46:23,713
the FDA put the brakes
on the approval process.
902
00:46:23,747 --> 00:46:24,948
Yeah.
903
00:46:24,981 --> 00:46:28,251
Looks like the setup
is pretty good.
904
00:46:28,283 --> 00:46:30,620
Oh, good, doctor approved?
905
00:46:30,653 --> 00:46:33,289
Yup, exactly.
906
00:46:33,323 --> 00:46:35,392
My name is Taison Bell.
907
00:46:35,425 --> 00:46:37,361
I'm an infectious disease
and critical care physician
908
00:46:37,394 --> 00:46:38,794
at the University of Virginia.
909
00:46:38,827 --> 00:46:42,798
I'm the director
of the COVID ICU.
910
00:46:42,832 --> 00:46:44,301
It's really important to know
911
00:46:44,334 --> 00:46:45,736
who's positive
in the community
912
00:46:45,769 --> 00:46:48,972
and to be able to test in a
widespread, aggressive fashion
913
00:46:49,004 --> 00:46:51,642
so we can really stop
the chain of transmission
914
00:46:51,675 --> 00:46:53,243
of the virus.
915
00:46:53,276 --> 00:46:55,946
Traditionally,
there's a lot of leeway
916
00:46:55,979 --> 00:46:58,381
when it comes
to federal regulations
917
00:46:58,414 --> 00:46:59,849
and hospital laboratories'
ability
918
00:46:59,883 --> 00:47:01,651
to set up
their in-house testing,
919
00:47:01,685 --> 00:47:03,820
but the thing about
the emergency declaration
920
00:47:03,852 --> 00:47:06,656
was that it made
the diagnostic innovation
921
00:47:06,689 --> 00:47:09,825
more difficult because now
it had to go through the FDA.
922
00:47:09,859 --> 00:47:11,094
So now, all of a sudden,
923
00:47:11,127 --> 00:47:14,131
any university laboratory
that has the experience
924
00:47:14,164 --> 00:47:16,165
and the know-how to set up
their own in-house testing
925
00:47:16,198 --> 00:47:18,968
now has to clear it
in order to make this work.
926
00:47:21,203 --> 00:47:23,039
We're not
a public health lab.
927
00:47:23,073 --> 00:47:25,308
As a clinical lab,
we're not part of this system.
928
00:47:25,341 --> 00:47:26,443
You know, the CDC and the state
public health labs
929
00:47:26,475 --> 00:47:27,443
are fantastic,
930
00:47:27,477 --> 00:47:29,279
but clinical labs,
931
00:47:29,312 --> 00:47:31,147
like hospital clinical labs,
commercial labs,
932
00:47:31,180 --> 00:47:34,784
perform 90% to 95% of testing.
933
00:47:34,818 --> 00:47:38,055
We really are the front lines
of the public health system,
934
00:47:38,088 --> 00:47:39,756
and so it's really important
935
00:47:39,789 --> 00:47:42,825
that we're a part of
that conversation as well.
936
00:47:42,859 --> 00:47:45,062
So we're trying
to figure out, is it better
937
00:47:45,095 --> 00:47:47,930
to just deal with the FDA
and the backlog there
938
00:47:47,964 --> 00:47:49,966
and set up
our own in-house testing,
939
00:47:49,999 --> 00:47:52,002
or do we just wait for the CDC
940
00:47:52,035 --> 00:47:54,004
to fix the issues
with the test?
941
00:47:54,037 --> 00:47:57,073
We decided initially to wait,
942
00:47:57,106 --> 00:47:59,942
and that was
the wrong decision.
943
00:47:59,975 --> 00:48:01,711
Many labs gave up
944
00:48:01,745 --> 00:48:04,915
rather than face the thicket
of bureaucratic rules.
945
00:48:04,948 --> 00:48:07,017
But Alex Greninger
did not give up,
946
00:48:07,050 --> 00:48:08,185
and instead began
947
00:48:08,218 --> 00:48:11,754
to slog through
the FDA regulatory process.
948
00:48:11,787 --> 00:48:14,256
So at that point, you had
to really go fully in.
949
00:48:14,289 --> 00:48:16,058
You gotta make your own test.
950
00:48:16,091 --> 00:48:18,360
So we got the template
and the paperwork.
951
00:48:18,394 --> 00:48:19,830
You couldn't get
the comments back
952
00:48:19,863 --> 00:48:22,265
until you mail in
the document.
953
00:48:22,298 --> 00:48:23,767
Even though you'd
email a document,
954
00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,068
you had to burn it to a CD
or a USB
955
00:48:26,102 --> 00:48:27,870
and physically send
the document as well.
956
00:48:27,903 --> 00:48:30,840
The original process suggested
957
00:48:30,874 --> 00:48:34,310
testing 50 positive samples,
958
00:48:34,343 --> 00:48:36,278
but in that case in the U.S.,
there were 14 known cases.
959
00:48:36,312 --> 00:48:38,848
But even getting
that one sample,
960
00:48:38,881 --> 00:48:42,952
that one positive sample,
was the hardest part.
961
00:48:42,986 --> 00:48:45,856
And obtaining clinical material
from the CDC
962
00:48:45,888 --> 00:48:48,959
is very difficult.
963
00:48:48,992 --> 00:48:51,827
And I think that was
when you realize
964
00:48:51,861 --> 00:48:55,432
that the FDA and the CDC
maybe hadn't talked a ton.
965
00:48:55,464 --> 00:48:59,269
Swing your partner
around and 'round.
966
00:48:59,301 --> 00:49:00,836
And around.
And around.
967
00:49:00,870 --> 00:49:02,238
While federal agencies failed
968
00:49:02,272 --> 00:49:05,442
to talk to each other, the
virus swirled in mid-February
969
00:49:05,475 --> 00:49:09,346
through a series of square
dances in suburban Seattle.
970
00:49:09,379 --> 00:49:12,449
With every do-si-do,
the virus changed partners.
971
00:49:12,481 --> 00:49:13,983
But without testing,
972
00:49:14,017 --> 00:49:17,521
scientists couldn't
follow the spread.
973
00:49:17,553 --> 00:49:20,557
The emergency steps meant
for speed and innovation
974
00:49:20,589 --> 00:49:23,926
slowed the process down
to a crawl.
975
00:49:23,959 --> 00:49:26,929
The White House could have
cut through the red tape.
976
00:49:26,963 --> 00:49:28,865
The mystery
is why those in power
977
00:49:28,897 --> 00:49:32,935
didn't force the bureaucracy
to find a quick solution.
978
00:49:32,968 --> 00:49:35,137
While we were on pause,
979
00:49:35,171 --> 00:49:38,073
the anxiety level
of our members just increased
980
00:49:38,106 --> 00:49:41,243
exponentially, day after day.
981
00:49:41,276 --> 00:49:45,414
There was just more
frustration, concern,
982
00:49:45,448 --> 00:49:50,386
frankly sadness,
because we weren't
983
00:49:50,419 --> 00:49:55,024
able to do our job.
984
00:49:55,057 --> 00:49:58,160
That was really tough.
985
00:50:00,028 --> 00:50:02,231
While testing
in the U.S. was stalled,
986
00:50:02,265 --> 00:50:04,568
in South Korea, the government
was already moving
987
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:07,102
to contain the virus
by utilizing
988
00:50:07,135 --> 00:50:10,540
a comprehensive national
testing and tracing program.
989
00:50:13,343 --> 00:50:14,944
I think they did
a much better job.
990
00:50:14,977 --> 00:50:17,613
I think starting
from the testing roll-out,
991
00:50:17,647 --> 00:50:19,115
a lot of our jealousy early on
992
00:50:19,147 --> 00:50:20,916
was just how rapidly
they were able
993
00:50:20,950 --> 00:50:23,919
to test a large proportion
of their population.
994
00:50:23,952 --> 00:50:25,054
And they were testing
995
00:50:25,088 --> 00:50:27,256
relatively younger
asymptomatic people
996
00:50:27,289 --> 00:50:30,559
as well as older people
who had more severe diseases,
997
00:50:30,593 --> 00:50:34,064
and they were able
to do contact tracing.
998
00:50:34,097 --> 00:50:37,399
Because of the laws
that were passed in 2016,
999
00:50:37,432 --> 00:50:40,870
enabling contact tracers
to obtain vast amounts
1000
00:50:40,903 --> 00:50:43,472
of information in the name
of disease control,
1001
00:50:43,506 --> 00:50:46,475
there was a large amount
of data
1002
00:50:46,508 --> 00:50:48,978
that authorities here
can access.
1003
00:50:49,011 --> 00:50:51,080
Cell tower information,
1004
00:50:51,113 --> 00:50:54,283
CCTV footage,
credit card data.
1005
00:50:54,316 --> 00:50:56,385
And this information
was pushed out
1006
00:50:56,419 --> 00:50:58,955
to the general public
using cell phone alerts.
1007
00:51:33,089 --> 00:51:34,324
♪ To glance behind ♪
1008
00:51:37,426 --> 00:51:42,097
♪ The Phantom of the Opera ♪
1009
00:51:42,131 --> 00:51:43,433
♪ Is here ♪
1010
00:51:43,466 --> 00:51:44,567
If two people singing
1011
00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:46,336
could spread the disease,
1012
00:51:46,368 --> 00:51:48,338
imagine thousands
singing in one room.
1013
00:51:54,109 --> 00:51:56,512
A major outbreak was traced
to the Shincheonji Church,
1014
00:51:56,546 --> 00:51:58,948
a doomsday Christian cult.
1015
00:52:02,084 --> 00:52:05,421
Led by a self-proclaimed
messiah, Chairman Lee.
1016
00:52:05,455 --> 00:52:07,557
- Hallelujah.
- "Hallelujah."
1017
00:52:10,093 --> 00:52:11,493
The Korean
government descended
1018
00:52:11,526 --> 00:52:12,794
on the city of Daegu,
1019
00:52:12,828 --> 00:52:17,033
where the church had
its primary place of worship.
1020
00:52:17,066 --> 00:52:19,069
By testing, tracing,
and isolating
1021
00:52:19,102 --> 00:52:20,703
the followers of Chairman Lee,
1022
00:52:20,736 --> 00:52:22,539
officials tried
to prevent the virus
1023
00:52:22,571 --> 00:52:26,142
from spreading
to the rest of the city.
1024
00:52:26,175 --> 00:52:29,011
Thousands of additional
people had been exposed.
1025
00:52:29,044 --> 00:52:32,214
It led to South Korea's
numbers soaring.
1026
00:52:32,247 --> 00:52:36,519
Because South Korea had
already started ramping up
1027
00:52:36,551 --> 00:52:40,622
diagnostic test production,
they were able to seek out
1028
00:52:40,656 --> 00:52:43,360
every member of this church
in Daegu
1029
00:52:43,392 --> 00:52:45,227
and get them tested.
1030
00:52:45,260 --> 00:52:47,696
The President of South Korea
has put the country
1031
00:52:47,729 --> 00:52:51,200
on the highest possible alert
after the number of cases
1032
00:52:51,234 --> 00:52:55,672
jumped to more than 760
and the death toll rose to 7.
1033
00:52:55,705 --> 00:52:58,675
Because of the surge
of cases in Daegu,
1034
00:52:58,707 --> 00:53:01,243
South Korea started opening up
these centers.
1035
00:53:20,129 --> 00:53:22,531
Drive-through testing
1036
00:53:22,564 --> 00:53:25,801
and special testing booths
protected healthcare workers
1037
00:53:25,834 --> 00:53:28,604
while dramatically increasing
testing capacity.
1038
00:53:28,638 --> 00:53:32,675
And manufacturers were able
to keep up with the volume.
1039
00:53:32,707 --> 00:53:36,512
South Korea also
stepped up production of PPE
1040
00:53:36,546 --> 00:53:40,450
to protect health workers
and the public alike.
1041
00:53:40,482 --> 00:53:45,388
Early adoption of testing
would save South Korea.
1042
00:53:45,421 --> 00:53:47,424
At the same moment
in the United States,
1043
00:53:47,457 --> 00:53:50,560
testing was still halted,
and the nation was blind
1044
00:53:50,593 --> 00:53:54,263
to where and how
the virus was spreading.
1045
00:53:54,296 --> 00:53:56,165
Because of all we've done,
1046
00:53:56,198 --> 00:53:59,735
the risk to the American
people remains very low.
1047
00:53:59,769 --> 00:54:03,406
When you have 15 people, and
the 15 within a couple of days
1048
00:54:03,439 --> 00:54:05,774
is going to be down to close
to zero, we're doing great.
1049
00:54:05,807 --> 00:54:08,343
Other countries
have not been doing great.
1050
00:54:08,377 --> 00:54:10,080
Our consumer
is very, very strong,
1051
00:54:10,113 --> 00:54:13,216
very powerful economically.
1052
00:54:13,249 --> 00:54:15,484
Underneath
the booming economic wave
1053
00:54:15,517 --> 00:54:18,854
was an invisible undertow
of disease.
1054
00:54:18,888 --> 00:54:21,458
By mid-February,
pandemic models indicate
1055
00:54:21,490 --> 00:54:24,159
that there were thousands
of cases spreading
1056
00:54:24,193 --> 00:54:27,296
through Seattle, Chicago,
San Francisco, and New York.
1057
00:54:30,332 --> 00:54:33,836
By mid to late February,
the sort of top experts...
1058
00:54:33,870 --> 00:54:37,173
Robert Redfield,
Nancy Messonnier,
1059
00:54:37,205 --> 00:54:39,843
Anthony Fauci, Azar...
1060
00:54:39,876 --> 00:54:42,479
they decide,
"We gotta tell the president
1061
00:54:42,511 --> 00:54:45,881
"that we have to become
more aggressive
1062
00:54:45,914 --> 00:54:48,117
"about warning
the American public
1063
00:54:48,151 --> 00:54:50,220
that this is where
we're headed."
1064
00:54:51,787 --> 00:54:55,225
The problem was the president
just that next day
1065
00:54:55,258 --> 00:54:58,461
left for another foreign trip
to India.
1066
00:54:58,493 --> 00:55:01,196
Well, I look forward to being
with the people of India.
1067
00:55:01,229 --> 00:55:03,465
We're gonna have many millions
and millions of people.
1068
00:55:03,499 --> 00:55:05,734
They wanted to brief
the president obviously
1069
00:55:05,767 --> 00:55:08,137
before you sort of made
this sort of...
1070
00:55:08,171 --> 00:55:09,705
right turn on messaging.
1071
00:55:12,508 --> 00:55:13,776
Yeah, we're
very much involved.
1072
00:55:13,809 --> 00:55:15,444
We're very...
1073
00:55:15,477 --> 00:55:18,447
very cognizant
of everything going on.
1074
00:55:18,481 --> 00:55:20,415
We have it very much
under control.
1075
00:55:20,448 --> 00:55:21,850
Thank you very much, everybody.
1076
00:55:21,883 --> 00:55:24,620
And the doctors knew that
this wasn't the kind of thing
1077
00:55:24,653 --> 00:55:26,321
that you brief
over the telephone,
1078
00:55:26,354 --> 00:55:30,325
so they decided,
"We'll set up a briefing
1079
00:55:30,359 --> 00:55:32,862
for the president
the day he gets back."
1080
00:55:32,894 --> 00:55:36,265
Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
1081
00:55:36,298 --> 00:55:38,867
rolled out the red carpet
for President Trump.
1082
00:55:43,539 --> 00:55:46,176
Namaste.
Namaste.
1083
00:55:49,211 --> 00:55:52,281
President Trump often judges
events based on their size.
1084
00:55:52,314 --> 00:55:54,684
The bigger the better,
so it's fitting
1085
00:55:54,716 --> 00:55:56,586
that this stadium
was absolutely packed
1086
00:55:56,618 --> 00:55:59,856
with more than 100,000 people.
1087
00:55:59,888 --> 00:56:01,223
The rally kicked off
a whirlwind trip
1088
00:56:01,256 --> 00:56:04,461
packed with the pageantry
that the president so loves.
1089
00:56:06,761 --> 00:56:11,401
As of this morning,
we still have only 14 cases
1090
00:56:11,434 --> 00:56:13,303
of the China coronavirus
1091
00:56:13,336 --> 00:56:15,705
detected here
in the United States.
1092
00:56:15,738 --> 00:56:18,308
We have three cases
1093
00:56:18,341 --> 00:56:20,843
among Americans repatriated
from Wuhan,
1094
00:56:20,876 --> 00:56:24,781
and we have 40 cases
among American passengers
1095
00:56:24,814 --> 00:56:28,818
repatriated from the
"Diamond Princess" in Japan.
1096
00:56:28,850 --> 00:56:31,320
We're trying to engage
in radical transparency
1097
00:56:31,354 --> 00:56:34,323
with the American public
as we go through this.
1098
00:56:34,356 --> 00:56:36,325
This morning, Dr. Messonnier
from the CDC
1099
00:56:36,359 --> 00:56:38,328
provided
the usual tele-briefing.
1100
00:56:38,361 --> 00:56:39,796
There was
a bit of confusion,
1101
00:56:39,828 --> 00:56:41,863
and it was Nancy Messonnier's
understanding
1102
00:56:41,897 --> 00:56:45,001
that the green light
had been given
1103
00:56:45,033 --> 00:56:46,903
for that new message
1104
00:56:46,935 --> 00:56:50,339
to be delivered
before briefing the president.
1105
00:56:50,372 --> 00:56:53,376
So at her next conference call
for reporters,
1106
00:56:53,408 --> 00:56:56,680
she went to town.
1107
00:57:12,662 --> 00:57:14,564
I remember being shocked,
1108
00:57:14,597 --> 00:57:18,267
thinking, "Does she realize
what she just said?"
1109
00:57:29,812 --> 00:57:31,981
I can't say that I know
1110
00:57:32,013 --> 00:57:34,584
what was
in Nancy Messonnier's mind,
1111
00:57:34,617 --> 00:57:37,754
but it wouldn't be hard
to guess
1112
00:57:37,787 --> 00:57:39,922
that there must have
been a level of frustration
1113
00:57:39,955 --> 00:57:42,292
built up inside the CDC
1114
00:57:42,325 --> 00:57:45,995
about a president who
doesn't take this seriously.
1115
00:57:46,028 --> 00:57:48,598
I mean, you know,
that was palpable.
1116
00:57:55,004 --> 00:57:58,775
Statements were made
for the first time
1117
00:57:58,807 --> 00:58:02,744
to prepare the psyche
of Americans
1118
00:58:02,778 --> 00:58:06,316
for what we, the scientists,
knew was coming.
1119
00:58:13,555 --> 00:58:17,359
It was a turning point
in this outbreak
1120
00:58:17,392 --> 00:58:21,897
because the truth was finally
broken through that shell
1121
00:58:21,930 --> 00:58:24,499
of so many people
standing there every day
1122
00:58:24,533 --> 00:58:27,370
telling Americans,
"We have it under control.
1123
00:58:27,403 --> 00:58:30,039
"We have it contained.
It's not a problem.
1124
00:58:30,071 --> 00:58:31,673
It's going away."
1125
00:58:31,707 --> 00:58:34,844
Those were the messages
every day up until that point.
1126
00:58:41,649 --> 00:58:45,088
She gives that briefing
at virtually the exact moment
1127
00:58:45,120 --> 00:58:47,022
that Trump
is walking up the steps
1128
00:58:47,055 --> 00:58:48,957
on "Air Force One" in India.
1129
00:58:48,990 --> 00:58:51,626
On a larger scale,
communities and cities
1130
00:58:51,660 --> 00:58:55,464
may need to modify, postpone,
or cancel mass gatherings.
1131
00:58:55,497 --> 00:58:58,400
Nancy Messonnier's comments
tank the market.
1132
00:58:58,434 --> 00:59:00,769
1,000 point drop in the DOW.
1133
00:59:00,803 --> 00:59:02,138
Stocks fall sharply
as fears spread
1134
00:59:02,171 --> 00:59:05,808
that growing coronavirus
will slow the global economy.
1135
00:59:05,841 --> 00:59:07,977
It was essentially
a kind of freak out.
1136
00:59:08,010 --> 00:59:10,146
The stock market
taking another beating
1137
00:59:10,178 --> 00:59:13,148
after a sharp new warning
from the CDC.
1138
00:59:13,182 --> 00:59:14,183
Also, tonight...
1139
00:59:14,216 --> 00:59:16,519
Trump doesn't like
to be surprised.
1140
00:59:16,551 --> 00:59:19,622
The one gleaming,
wonderful thing
1141
00:59:19,655 --> 00:59:23,459
that was giving him and his
advisors hope was the economy.
1142
00:59:23,492 --> 00:59:25,160
It was the silver bullet.
1143
00:59:25,193 --> 00:59:28,497
That was how he was going
to win a second term.
1144
00:59:29,964 --> 00:59:33,403
That, combined
with Messonnier's threat
1145
00:59:33,435 --> 00:59:37,039
of what she was suggesting...
shut the country down...
1146
00:59:37,071 --> 00:59:38,840
"You're saying something
1147
00:59:38,874 --> 00:59:40,910
"that's gonna threaten
the economy,
1148
00:59:40,943 --> 00:59:44,513
and by definition,
threaten my reelection."
1149
00:59:44,546 --> 00:59:46,548
It's an 18-hour flight back.
1150
00:59:46,582 --> 00:59:48,651
By the time Trump lands,
1151
00:59:48,684 --> 00:59:53,089
the whole thing had spun out
of control, and he was livid.
1152
00:59:53,122 --> 00:59:56,192
He calls up Alex Azar,
wakes him up,
1153
00:59:56,225 --> 00:59:58,694
screaming at him...
what had happened?
1154
00:59:58,727 --> 00:59:59,728
"Do you know Nancy Messonnier
1155
00:59:59,761 --> 01:00:02,564
had scared the shit
out of people?"
1156
01:00:05,667 --> 01:00:08,771
The CDC said yesterday that
they believe it's inevitable
1157
01:00:08,803 --> 01:00:10,872
that the virus will spread
in the United States,
1158
01:00:10,906 --> 01:00:13,676
and it's not a question
of if, but when.
1159
01:00:13,709 --> 01:00:15,477
Do you agree
with that assessment?
1160
01:00:15,510 --> 01:00:17,146
Whatever happens,
we're totally prepared.
1161
01:00:17,178 --> 01:00:18,914
We have the best people
in the world.
1162
01:00:18,948 --> 01:00:19,982
Notably missing
1163
01:00:20,015 --> 01:00:21,850
from "the best people
in the world"
1164
01:00:21,883 --> 01:00:24,453
was Dr. Nancy Messonnier.
1165
01:00:24,486 --> 01:00:27,557
It didn't surprise me
that the moment she said that,
1166
01:00:27,589 --> 01:00:29,858
that she would be removed
from that platform.
1167
01:00:29,892 --> 01:00:33,995
I'm going to be announcing
exactly right now
1168
01:00:34,028 --> 01:00:36,465
that I'm gonna be putting
our Vice President, Mike Pence,
1169
01:00:36,499 --> 01:00:37,800
in charge.
1170
01:00:37,832 --> 01:00:39,769
I'm gonna ask Mike Pence
to say a few words, please.
1171
01:00:39,801 --> 01:00:42,004
Thank you.
Mike?
1172
01:00:42,037 --> 01:00:43,805
After the episode
with Nancy Messonnier,
1173
01:00:43,839 --> 01:00:47,243
when Pence's team
takes over from Azar,
1174
01:00:47,276 --> 01:00:50,780
essentially the message
gets contained.
1175
01:00:51,814 --> 01:00:53,582
Not in the least.
1176
01:00:53,615 --> 01:00:55,684
I was delighted that I get to
have the Vice President helping
1177
01:00:55,718 --> 01:00:56,752
in this way.
1178
01:00:56,785 --> 01:00:58,754
Delighted.
Absolutely.
1179
01:00:58,787 --> 01:01:00,823
Now at the helm
of the task force,
1180
01:01:00,856 --> 01:01:02,258
Pence promptly promoted
Deborah Birx,
1181
01:01:02,290 --> 01:01:06,495
a doctor and a diplomat,
to be a spokesperson.
1182
01:01:06,528 --> 01:01:09,998
Dr. Birx, who is our right
arm at the White House on this,
1183
01:01:10,031 --> 01:01:11,934
and frankly, one of the
leading experts in the world
1184
01:01:11,966 --> 01:01:13,235
on infectious disease,
I think is...
1185
01:01:13,269 --> 01:01:14,671
Pence trusted Birx
1186
01:01:14,703 --> 01:01:17,906
on account of her Christian
faith and political instincts.
1187
01:01:17,939 --> 01:01:21,142
She'd become a go-to-explainer
for a White House interested
1188
01:01:21,176 --> 01:01:24,280
in packaging science
to serve partisan goals.
1189
01:01:24,312 --> 01:01:26,581
We really want
to understand
1190
01:01:26,615 --> 01:01:29,584
where the virus is spreading,
who we have to protect,
1191
01:01:29,618 --> 01:01:31,187
who's the most vulnerable.
1192
01:01:31,220 --> 01:01:33,622
That would have
been easy to understand
1193
01:01:33,656 --> 01:01:36,158
if there had been
a national testing program,
1194
01:01:36,191 --> 01:01:38,294
but that was still stalled.
1195
01:01:38,327 --> 01:01:40,296
While countries
all over the world
1196
01:01:40,328 --> 01:01:42,664
were testing thousands
of cases,
1197
01:01:42,698 --> 01:01:46,002
the United States was testing
fewer than 100 a day.
1198
01:01:46,035 --> 01:01:49,605
At that stage, the
only labs across the country
1199
01:01:49,638 --> 01:01:52,208
that could legally test
for COVID
1200
01:01:52,240 --> 01:01:54,643
were a few
public health laboratories
1201
01:01:54,676 --> 01:01:56,178
and the CDC itself.
1202
01:01:56,211 --> 01:01:59,582
The frustration
was just boiling over,
1203
01:01:59,615 --> 01:02:01,250
and I remember going
to these meetings
1204
01:02:01,283 --> 01:02:03,118
with our clinical lab director,
1205
01:02:03,151 --> 01:02:06,088
and she'sliterally on the
phone with the FDA and the CDC
1206
01:02:06,120 --> 01:02:08,890
like, "You need to help us!
You need to help us."
1207
01:02:08,923 --> 01:02:11,126
After almost a month
1208
01:02:11,160 --> 01:02:14,062
of labs across the country
being unable to test,
1209
01:02:14,095 --> 01:02:16,598
the Trump Administration
finally made a decision
1210
01:02:16,631 --> 01:02:19,068
it could have made
weeks earlier.
1211
01:02:19,100 --> 01:02:21,836
On February 26th,
1212
01:02:21,870 --> 01:02:25,775
the FDA and the CDC
laid out the strategy,
1213
01:02:25,807 --> 01:02:28,243
and that was that we would
be able to get up and running
1214
01:02:28,276 --> 01:02:30,879
by using the original test kit,
1215
01:02:30,912 --> 01:02:35,150
but by throwing out
the N3 component.
1216
01:02:35,184 --> 01:02:36,819
Overnight with, you know,
1217
01:02:36,852 --> 01:02:38,888
with some crossing out
of lines on some paper,
1218
01:02:38,921 --> 01:02:41,691
the same test kits
that had been shipped out
1219
01:02:41,723 --> 01:02:45,995
to the state public health
labs were functional.
1220
01:02:46,028 --> 01:02:49,231
That amended EUA was
Wednesday, February 26th,
1221
01:02:49,263 --> 01:02:51,867
and you can watch the testing
curve in the United States.
1222
01:02:51,899 --> 01:02:54,102
I mean it really
didn't start going up
1223
01:02:54,135 --> 01:02:57,105
until that week.
1224
01:02:57,138 --> 01:03:00,142
Here in Washington State
at the state lab,
1225
01:03:00,175 --> 01:03:02,979
they had positive results
the very first time
1226
01:03:03,011 --> 01:03:06,948
they performed
authorized tests.
1227
01:03:06,981 --> 01:03:08,117
After desperate pleas
1228
01:03:08,149 --> 01:03:09,751
from health care providers,
1229
01:03:09,785 --> 01:03:12,754
the FDA also relaxed
regulations and
1230
01:03:12,787 --> 01:03:16,992
let manufacturers and hospital
labs use their own tests.
1231
01:03:17,026 --> 01:03:20,062
But it was too little,
too late.
1232
01:03:20,095 --> 01:03:24,700
The disease had spread to half
the states in the country.
1233
01:03:24,732 --> 01:03:27,636
And test kits were
in such short supply
1234
01:03:27,669 --> 01:03:29,838
that they were limited
to patients
1235
01:03:29,872 --> 01:03:33,743
who met rigid guidelines
set by the CDC.
1236
01:03:33,776 --> 01:03:36,678
Early on, our testing
was limited to people
1237
01:03:36,711 --> 01:03:40,115
who had traveled from China,
or they had had contact
1238
01:03:40,149 --> 01:03:43,685
with someone who was known
tested positive for COVID-19.
1239
01:03:43,718 --> 01:03:45,854
So written in our guidelines,
1240
01:03:45,888 --> 01:03:49,158
by necessity because we had
a strained testing supply,
1241
01:03:49,191 --> 01:03:51,827
it was designed to miss
community transmission,
1242
01:03:51,859 --> 01:03:53,896
meaning transmission
that happens
1243
01:03:53,928 --> 01:03:56,898
throughout the community
that's not connected to travel,
1244
01:03:56,932 --> 01:03:59,267
that we know at some point's
gonna happen.
1245
01:03:59,301 --> 01:04:02,271
And it's like we're
looking in this area,
1246
01:04:02,303 --> 01:04:04,039
and we know that
transmission's gonna happen
1247
01:04:04,073 --> 01:04:06,042
over here, and we're
gonna miss it
1248
01:04:06,075 --> 01:04:07,376
because we can't test for it.
1249
01:04:13,881 --> 01:04:15,984
On February 27th,
1250
01:04:16,017 --> 01:04:19,220
the new testing
recommendations came out.
1251
01:04:19,254 --> 01:04:20,456
Do you mind
removing the mask?
1252
01:04:20,488 --> 01:04:22,323
- Is that okay?
- Oh, no, not at all.
1253
01:04:22,356 --> 01:04:25,994
Didn't know what your rules of
engagement were there, so...
1254
01:04:26,028 --> 01:04:28,997
The new addition was
this line that said,
1255
01:04:29,031 --> 01:04:32,768
"If you have severe
lower respiratory pneumonia,
1256
01:04:32,801 --> 01:04:35,037
"severe pneumonia or ARDS...
1257
01:04:35,069 --> 01:04:37,439
"Acute Respiratory
Distress Syndrome...
1258
01:04:37,472 --> 01:04:39,340
you should consider testing."
1259
01:04:39,374 --> 01:04:41,477
With the updated guidelines,
1260
01:04:41,510 --> 01:04:44,479
we initiated testing
in two individuals,
1261
01:04:44,513 --> 01:04:47,783
and both of those individuals
tested positive.
1262
01:04:47,816 --> 01:04:50,386
So that evening after
we got the first two back,
1263
01:04:50,419 --> 01:04:54,890
we looked around the
intensive care unit and said,
1264
01:04:54,923 --> 01:04:57,827
"Okay, who else is sick
with pneumonia
1265
01:04:57,859 --> 01:04:59,729
"that has not been diagnosed
with influenza
1266
01:04:59,761 --> 01:05:01,830
or another respiratory virus?"
1267
01:05:01,863 --> 01:05:04,999
And we selected
nine more individuals.
1268
01:05:05,033 --> 01:05:07,937
Eight of those turned out
to be positive for COVID.
1269
01:05:07,970 --> 01:05:12,006
It was an astounding
revelation.
1270
01:05:12,039 --> 01:05:14,843
The revelation was
that while testing protocols
1271
01:05:14,877 --> 01:05:18,881
were on hold, the disease
had spread uncontrollably,
1272
01:05:18,914 --> 01:05:20,915
which would lead
to economic disaster
1273
01:05:20,948 --> 01:05:25,386
and loss of tens of thousands
of lives.
1274
01:05:25,419 --> 01:05:28,857
The real question is,
did more people die?
1275
01:05:28,890 --> 01:05:31,860
Did more dislocation
and economic problems
1276
01:05:31,894 --> 01:05:35,330
and societal change
have to happen than did?
1277
01:05:35,363 --> 01:05:38,233
The period that
in our reporting
1278
01:05:38,267 --> 01:05:40,770
that we have called
"The Lost Month,"
1279
01:05:40,803 --> 01:05:44,006
that really was the time
1280
01:05:44,039 --> 01:05:47,243
when things happened
in the United States
1281
01:05:47,276 --> 01:05:50,111
much more slowly
than they happened in,
1282
01:05:50,144 --> 01:05:51,546
for example, South Korea,
1283
01:05:51,580 --> 01:05:54,250
and it became impossible
to do containment.
1284
01:05:56,385 --> 01:05:58,854
Because the U.S.
failed to contain the virus,
1285
01:05:58,886 --> 01:06:00,388
state governments
moved to lockdowns
1286
01:06:00,421 --> 01:06:02,992
to avoid runaway contagion
1287
01:06:03,024 --> 01:06:05,093
and to prevent hospitals
from being overwhelmed.
1288
01:06:05,127 --> 01:06:08,898
Over 100,000 small businesses
would close and never reopen.
1289
01:06:08,930 --> 01:06:13,068
7 million Americans would be
infected by the disease.
1290
01:06:13,100 --> 01:06:16,037
But back in late February,
the government refused
1291
01:06:16,071 --> 01:06:18,540
to confront the reckoning
that was about to come.
1292
01:06:18,573 --> 01:06:20,809
We have done
an incredible job.
1293
01:06:20,843 --> 01:06:22,511
We're going to continue.
1294
01:06:22,544 --> 01:06:24,413
It's going to disappear
one day.
1295
01:06:24,446 --> 01:06:26,482
It's like a miracle.
It will disappear.
1296
01:06:26,515 --> 01:06:28,417
The president
is also quoted by saying,
1297
01:06:28,450 --> 01:06:31,120
"The virus we're talking
about having to do,
1298
01:06:31,153 --> 01:06:33,923
"you know, a lot of people
think it goes away in April
1299
01:06:33,955 --> 01:06:35,089
with the heat."
1300
01:06:35,122 --> 01:06:37,126
Dr. Fauci, does this go away
in April?
1301
01:06:37,158 --> 01:06:39,127
If it acts like influenza,
1302
01:06:39,160 --> 01:06:42,497
the heat will actually make it
diminish in its impact,
1303
01:06:42,531 --> 01:06:45,334
but we have no way of knowing
how it's gonna act.
1304
01:06:45,367 --> 01:06:48,403
Does the CDC agree
that this is a problem
1305
01:06:48,437 --> 01:06:51,040
that is going to go away
without intervention?
1306
01:06:51,073 --> 01:06:53,107
I think it's prudent
to assume
1307
01:06:53,140 --> 01:06:57,146
that this pathogen will be
with us for some time to come.
1308
01:06:57,178 --> 01:06:59,514
The President's expressing
confidence this team,
1309
01:06:59,548 --> 01:07:01,350
the public health
infrastructure in this country,
1310
01:07:01,383 --> 01:07:03,419
state and local,
that we can deal with this.
1311
01:07:03,452 --> 01:07:06,287
We will prepare for this.
We will work together on this.
1312
01:07:06,321 --> 01:07:08,223
He's trying to calm
a public that...
1313
01:07:08,256 --> 01:07:11,392
we see in China, panic can be
as big of an enemy as virus
1314
01:07:11,426 --> 01:07:12,595
in these situations,
1315
01:07:12,627 --> 01:07:14,530
and so there is always
that balance to...
1316
01:07:14,562 --> 01:07:16,999
Mr. Secretary, I don't want
to panic over this either.
1317
01:07:17,031 --> 01:07:18,267
The stock market's crashing.
1318
01:07:18,300 --> 01:07:19,635
He's outright contradicting
1319
01:07:19,667 --> 01:07:22,037
everything that you all
have just said.
1320
01:07:22,069 --> 01:07:23,305
Outright contradiction!
1321
01:07:23,338 --> 01:07:25,140
I think he's
expressing confidence in...
1322
01:07:25,173 --> 01:07:27,042
With no medical basis for it!
1323
01:07:27,075 --> 01:07:28,377
That's what you've
just explained to us.
1324
01:07:28,410 --> 01:07:29,545
Come on, sir.
1325
01:07:29,577 --> 01:07:31,579
The gentleman's time
has expired.
1326
01:07:31,613 --> 01:07:34,250
You're doing a great job for
the president, Mr. Secretary.
1327
01:07:34,283 --> 01:07:36,618
Now the Democrats are
1328
01:07:36,651 --> 01:07:40,955
politicizing the coronavirus.
1329
01:07:40,988 --> 01:07:43,124
You know that right?
Coronavirus.
1330
01:07:45,961 --> 01:07:48,330
One of my people came up
to me and said,
1331
01:07:48,363 --> 01:07:51,332
"Mr. President,
they tried to beat you
1332
01:07:51,365 --> 01:07:53,001
"on Russia, Russia, Russia.
1333
01:07:53,035 --> 01:07:56,405
They tried
the impeachment hoax."
1334
01:07:56,437 --> 01:07:59,073
And this is their new hoax.
1335
01:07:59,106 --> 01:08:01,109
And so far,
1336
01:08:01,142 --> 01:08:04,312
we have lost nobody
to coronavirus
1337
01:08:04,345 --> 01:08:08,449
in the United States.
1338
01:08:08,482 --> 01:08:10,986
Nobody.
1339
01:08:11,019 --> 01:08:13,222
The next day,
that would change.
1340
01:08:15,222 --> 01:08:18,026
Today, Public Health... Seattle
and King County... is announcing
1341
01:08:18,060 --> 01:08:21,363
three new presumptive positive
cases of novel coronavirus,
1342
01:08:21,395 --> 01:08:24,632
COVID-19, including
one person who died.
1343
01:08:24,665 --> 01:08:27,535
We have expressed
our condolences to the families
1344
01:08:27,569 --> 01:08:29,939
of the individual
who has passed away.
1345
01:08:29,971 --> 01:08:32,106
It was one of the first
two patients diagnosed,
1346
01:08:32,140 --> 01:08:35,477
it was my patient,
and all we saw was a future
1347
01:08:35,510 --> 01:08:39,448
of extremely ill individuals
like this.
1348
01:08:39,480 --> 01:08:41,115
So it was a challenging moment,
1349
01:08:41,149 --> 01:08:44,686
a daunting moment,
to come to that realization.
1350
01:08:44,720 --> 01:08:47,289
Today, health officials
in Washington State
1351
01:08:47,321 --> 01:08:50,659
announced four new deaths,
bringing the total to six,
1352
01:08:50,691 --> 01:08:53,227
all in the Seattle area.
1353
01:08:53,261 --> 01:08:55,464
By early March,
King County, Washington
1354
01:08:55,497 --> 01:08:58,499
had become the epicenter
of the coronavirus in the U.S.
1355
01:08:58,533 --> 01:09:01,736
due to the Lifecare
Nursing Home.
1356
01:09:01,770 --> 01:09:04,406
They're not answering
the phones, the lines are busy.
1357
01:09:04,439 --> 01:09:07,476
All the families
are really worried,
1358
01:09:07,508 --> 01:09:10,479
not knowing if our loved ones
are even alive.
1359
01:09:10,512 --> 01:09:13,349
It was a blur of activity.
1360
01:09:15,150 --> 01:09:17,720
We realized that our hospital
1361
01:09:17,753 --> 01:09:21,090
was now the tip
of the iceberg.
1362
01:09:21,123 --> 01:09:24,660
We soon found out
how deep that iceberg went.
1363
01:09:24,693 --> 01:09:26,995
Because test kits
were in short supply,
1364
01:09:27,029 --> 01:09:28,629
access was limited to patients
1365
01:09:28,663 --> 01:09:32,668
who were dangerously close
to respiratory failure.
1366
01:09:32,700 --> 01:09:34,168
The death count began to rise.
1367
01:09:34,202 --> 01:09:35,604
COVID began spreading
1368
01:09:35,637 --> 01:09:39,174
to health care workers
and first responders.
1369
01:09:39,207 --> 01:09:43,145
The job situation
put them at increased risk.
1370
01:09:43,177 --> 01:09:47,148
Nurses' aides in nursing homes
1371
01:09:47,181 --> 01:09:49,050
without the protective
equipment or training
1372
01:09:49,083 --> 01:09:51,252
they needed
to be safe and secure.
1373
01:09:51,285 --> 01:09:53,788
Individuals who have jobs
1374
01:09:53,821 --> 01:09:56,025
that were considered
essential jobs,
1375
01:09:56,057 --> 01:09:58,359
they're stocking
grocery shelves
1376
01:09:58,392 --> 01:10:01,396
and helping to pick up trash
in communities
1377
01:10:01,430 --> 01:10:04,700
and sweep the streets.
1378
01:10:04,732 --> 01:10:06,368
While many affluent Americans
1379
01:10:06,400 --> 01:10:07,735
worked on computers at home,
1380
01:10:07,769 --> 01:10:10,105
low-paid essential workers,
1381
01:10:10,137 --> 01:10:12,807
many without masks
and the ability to distance,
1382
01:10:12,841 --> 01:10:15,044
were jammed
into sites of contagion
1383
01:10:15,077 --> 01:10:18,079
like delivery depots,
industrial farms, factories,
1384
01:10:18,113 --> 01:10:21,383
funeral homes,
and meatpacking plants.
1385
01:10:21,415 --> 01:10:24,686
If the impact of the disease
was divided by occupation,
1386
01:10:24,718 --> 01:10:28,589
it was also sundered
by age and race.
1387
01:10:28,623 --> 01:10:30,125
My grandmother used to say,
1388
01:10:30,158 --> 01:10:31,593
"You know, when the country
gets the flu,
1389
01:10:31,626 --> 01:10:33,294
black people get pneumonia."
1390
01:10:33,328 --> 01:10:37,132
It's well-known in our circles
that we have worse outcomes
1391
01:10:37,164 --> 01:10:39,834
when it comes to a lot
of these different diseases,
1392
01:10:39,868 --> 01:10:42,638
you know, and part of that
is systemic racism.
1393
01:10:42,671 --> 01:10:45,574
A lot of it is
access to healthcare.
1394
01:10:45,606 --> 01:10:48,077
If you have the money, you
can get the best healthcare
1395
01:10:48,110 --> 01:10:50,279
in the world,
but without those resources,
1396
01:10:50,311 --> 01:10:54,315
you have inadequate care
and sporadic care.
1397
01:10:54,348 --> 01:10:59,087
So any kind of disease spread
then falls hardest
1398
01:10:59,120 --> 01:11:03,624
on communities that
are already at a health risk.
1399
01:11:03,658 --> 01:11:05,394
What are we dealing with?
1400
01:11:05,427 --> 01:11:08,597
With this coronavirus,
COVID-19?
1401
01:11:08,629 --> 01:11:12,200
We're dealing with clearly
an emerging infectious disease
1402
01:11:12,234 --> 01:11:15,270
that has now reached
outbreak proportions
1403
01:11:15,302 --> 01:11:17,172
and likely
pandemic proportions.
1404
01:11:22,244 --> 01:11:24,480
The "Grand Princess"
Cruise Ship has been moored
1405
01:11:24,512 --> 01:11:26,214
off the coast of California.
1406
01:11:26,248 --> 01:11:29,451
I want to commend the efforts
of our Coast Guard
1407
01:11:29,484 --> 01:11:32,588
that heroically flew
coronavirus tests
1408
01:11:32,620 --> 01:11:34,455
to the ship.
1409
01:11:34,489 --> 01:11:38,160
21 tested positive
for the coronavirus.
1410
01:11:39,660 --> 01:11:41,329
On his way
to a weekend trip
1411
01:11:41,363 --> 01:11:45,267
to Mar-a-Lago,
Trump made a stop at the CDC.
1412
01:11:45,300 --> 01:11:47,235
Watching the president go
1413
01:11:47,269 --> 01:11:50,305
to the Centers
for Disease Control,
1414
01:11:50,337 --> 01:11:53,341
he discussed with a reporter
1415
01:11:53,374 --> 01:11:56,544
the fact that one of the cruise
ships was still offshore.
1416
01:11:56,578 --> 01:11:59,381
I'd rather have them stay on
1417
01:11:59,413 --> 01:12:01,516
because I like the numbers
being where they are.
1418
01:12:01,550 --> 01:12:04,418
I don't need to have
the numbers double
1419
01:12:04,452 --> 01:12:06,254
because of one ship.
1420
01:12:06,288 --> 01:12:09,758
For the first time,
it occurred to me
1421
01:12:09,790 --> 01:12:11,325
that the government
of the United States
1422
01:12:11,359 --> 01:12:14,829
was intentionally
slow walking testing.
1423
01:12:14,863 --> 01:12:17,466
In this big vast land
of ours,
1424
01:12:17,498 --> 01:12:21,336
this great country of ours,
we have 240 cases.
1425
01:12:21,369 --> 01:12:23,672
Most of those people
are gonna be fine.
1426
01:12:23,704 --> 01:12:25,439
The vast majority
are going to be fine.
1427
01:12:25,472 --> 01:12:27,208
We've had 11 deaths.
1428
01:12:27,242 --> 01:12:28,177
All of our state labs
1429
01:12:28,209 --> 01:12:31,312
now have the ability
to test for this virus...
1430
01:12:31,346 --> 01:12:32,513
And they have had.
1431
01:12:32,547 --> 01:12:34,216
The testing has been
amazing, actually,
1432
01:12:34,248 --> 01:12:35,383
what they've been able
to produce
1433
01:12:35,417 --> 01:12:37,352
in such a short period of time.
1434
01:12:37,385 --> 01:12:40,289
Anybody that wants a test
can get a test.
1435
01:12:40,321 --> 01:12:43,357
Anybody who wanted
a test knew that was a lie.
1436
01:12:43,391 --> 01:12:45,494
Just finding a facility
was hard.
1437
01:12:45,526 --> 01:12:47,462
People with the disease
were denied tests
1438
01:12:47,494 --> 01:12:49,297
on account of supply backlogs,
1439
01:12:49,330 --> 01:12:52,767
which also caused delays
in results.
1440
01:12:52,801 --> 01:12:55,303
The next day,
while Trump golfed,
1441
01:12:55,337 --> 01:12:57,873
Pence and Redfield went
to Cruise Lines of America.
1442
01:12:57,905 --> 01:13:00,309
We all recognize
the recent challenges
1443
01:13:00,342 --> 01:13:01,977
on the "Diamond Princess,"
1444
01:13:02,010 --> 01:13:04,780
and the ongoing challenge
with the "Grand Princess,"
1445
01:13:04,812 --> 01:13:06,614
and we want to ensure
that the American people
1446
01:13:06,647 --> 01:13:10,351
can continue as we deal
with the coronavirus
1447
01:13:10,385 --> 01:13:13,321
to enjoy the opportunities
in the cruise line industry
1448
01:13:13,355 --> 01:13:14,723
and be confident.
1449
01:13:14,756 --> 01:13:16,557
I would not encourage anyone
1450
01:13:16,591 --> 01:13:18,459
to change their plans
at this point
1451
01:13:18,493 --> 01:13:21,830
based on what the epidemiology
is here in Florida.
1452
01:13:21,863 --> 01:13:23,332
They should enjoy Disneyland.
1453
01:13:23,364 --> 01:13:25,666
They should enjoy
the rest of Florida.
1454
01:13:25,699 --> 01:13:27,868
There is this
back and forth,
1455
01:13:27,901 --> 01:13:29,837
the medical folks saying
we need to take this seriously,
1456
01:13:29,870 --> 01:13:31,573
we need to be aggressive,
1457
01:13:31,605 --> 01:13:33,774
the economic folks pushing back
and saying, "Yeah, but..."
1458
01:13:33,807 --> 01:13:35,877
Fauci would march up
and answer questions.
1459
01:13:35,909 --> 01:13:37,912
Do you believe that people,
1460
01:13:37,945 --> 01:13:41,315
even if they're healthy, should
get onboard a cruise ship?
1461
01:13:41,348 --> 01:13:42,618
I would recommend strongly
1462
01:13:42,650 --> 01:13:44,885
that they do not
go on a cruise ship.
1463
01:13:44,918 --> 01:13:47,756
And then Trump or Pence
would come back
1464
01:13:47,788 --> 01:13:49,357
and sort of contradict him.
1465
01:13:49,391 --> 01:13:51,026
We're gonna work
with the cruise line industry
1466
01:13:51,059 --> 01:13:53,361
to improve the safety,
1467
01:13:53,395 --> 01:13:56,265
improve the health environment
on cruise lines.
1468
01:13:56,297 --> 01:13:58,899
Frankly, the testing
has been going very smooth.
1469
01:13:58,932 --> 01:14:00,901
If you go to the right agency,
1470
01:14:00,935 --> 01:14:03,004
if you go to the right area,
you get the test.
1471
01:14:03,038 --> 01:14:04,772
Will you admit that
there is a serious problem
1472
01:14:04,806 --> 01:14:06,040
in this country
1473
01:14:06,074 --> 01:14:10,012
obtaining access to testing
for coronavirus?
1474
01:14:10,044 --> 01:14:12,681
My colleague is looking at me
to answer that.
1475
01:14:12,713 --> 01:14:14,783
- Here we go.
- Okay.
1476
01:14:14,815 --> 01:14:16,818
The system
is not really geared
1477
01:14:16,851 --> 01:14:19,321
to what we need right now.
1478
01:14:19,354 --> 01:14:21,722
- That is a failing.
- A failing, yes.
1479
01:14:21,756 --> 01:14:23,691
It is a failing.
Let's admit it.
1480
01:14:23,725 --> 01:14:26,061
Dr. Fauci said
earlier this week
1481
01:14:26,093 --> 01:14:28,997
that the lag in testing
was, in fact, a failing.
1482
01:14:29,029 --> 01:14:31,032
Do you take responsibility
for that?
1483
01:14:31,065 --> 01:14:33,068
Yeah, no, I don't take
responsibility at all.
1484
01:14:33,101 --> 01:14:34,636
We're doing a great job.
1485
01:14:34,668 --> 01:14:36,771
Yeah, we have 40 people
right now... 40.
1486
01:14:36,805 --> 01:14:38,339
Compare that
with other countries
1487
01:14:38,373 --> 01:14:40,409
that have many, many times
that amount.
1488
01:14:42,110 --> 01:14:44,946
To keep new cases
from entering our shores,
1489
01:14:44,979 --> 01:14:48,717
we will be suspending
all travel from Europe
1490
01:14:48,749 --> 01:14:51,419
to the United States
for the next 30 days.
1491
01:14:52,854 --> 01:14:53,821
There was a problem
1492
01:14:53,855 --> 01:14:55,557
with Trump's
sudden travel ban...
1493
01:14:55,589 --> 01:14:57,993
it had no plan attached.
1494
01:14:58,025 --> 01:15:00,494
If we do get back
to the U.S., then what happens?
1495
01:15:00,528 --> 01:15:04,665
Do we go into quarantine?
Do we go home?
1496
01:15:04,699 --> 01:15:06,935
Returning Americans
flooded U.S. airports,
1497
01:15:06,967 --> 01:15:10,671
where they were jammed in
makeshift COVID checkpoints.
1498
01:15:10,704 --> 01:15:13,607
They were perfect conditions
for more contagion,
1499
01:15:13,641 --> 01:15:17,479
as travelers from Europe
spread the virus into the U.S.
1500
01:15:26,620 --> 01:15:29,458
The message to New Yorkers
from the beginning has been,
1501
01:15:29,490 --> 01:15:31,560
"This is something
we all can handle together.
1502
01:15:31,592 --> 01:15:33,595
Go about your lives.
Go about your business."
1503
01:15:36,998 --> 01:15:38,700
The Governor confirming
1504
01:15:38,732 --> 01:15:42,070
that coronavirus has arrived
here in Manhattan.
1505
01:15:42,102 --> 01:15:45,473
The coronavirus spreads
tonight as Governor Cuomo
1506
01:15:45,507 --> 01:15:48,944
announces five more
positive cases in New York.
1507
01:15:53,614 --> 01:15:56,484
The number of confirmed
cases has reached 121.
1508
01:15:56,517 --> 01:15:58,986
Today, Governor Cuomo
announcing a ban
1509
01:15:59,020 --> 01:16:01,990
on any gatherings
of 500 people or more.
1510
01:16:02,022 --> 01:16:05,560
And 613 confirmed cases
of coronavirus in New York.
1511
01:16:05,592 --> 01:16:08,896
That is more
than any other state.
1512
01:16:08,930 --> 01:16:11,566
I'm glad to see that you're
practicing social distancing.
1513
01:16:11,598 --> 01:16:13,435
That looks very nice.
1514
01:16:13,467 --> 01:16:16,604
We're announcing new guidelines
for every American to follow.
1515
01:16:16,637 --> 01:16:19,640
Avoid gathering in groups
of more than 10 people,
1516
01:16:19,673 --> 01:16:23,544
and avoid eating and drinking
in bars, restaurants.
1517
01:16:23,578 --> 01:16:25,914
And if everybody in America
does what we ask for,
1518
01:16:25,946 --> 01:16:27,815
we will see
a dramatic difference,
1519
01:16:27,848 --> 01:16:29,717
and we won't have to worry
about the ventilators,
1520
01:16:29,751 --> 01:16:31,753
and we won't have to worry
about the ICU beds.
1521
01:16:31,785 --> 01:16:34,955
Our volume
is just exploding.
1522
01:16:34,989 --> 01:16:37,459
We have so many people
in the hallways.
1523
01:16:37,492 --> 01:16:41,430
A day or so ago, we put
14 people on ventilators.
1524
01:16:41,462 --> 01:16:45,065
Mayor de Blasio says that
there have been 100 new cases
1525
01:16:45,098 --> 01:16:46,868
in the city today alone.
1526
01:16:46,900 --> 01:16:49,437
So we're going to put out
an executive order today.
1527
01:16:49,471 --> 01:16:52,207
New York State on pause.
1528
01:16:52,239 --> 01:16:54,074
19 million New Yorkers are
being asked to stay at home
1529
01:16:54,107 --> 01:16:55,577
as much as possible.
1530
01:16:55,610 --> 01:16:58,079
Now topping
85,000 confirmed cases
1531
01:16:58,111 --> 01:17:00,214
and more than 1,400 deaths.
1532
01:17:00,248 --> 01:17:02,784
I hate to say this,
but it's true...
1533
01:17:02,816 --> 01:17:05,553
we are now the epicenter
of this crisis
1534
01:17:05,587 --> 01:17:08,223
right here
in the nation's largest city.
1535
01:17:08,256 --> 01:17:12,494
And if this goes on for
a month, or two, or three,
1536
01:17:12,526 --> 01:17:16,564
or five like it did in China,
we don't have what we need.
1537
01:17:18,199 --> 01:17:21,236
This is not a country that
was built to be shut down.
1538
01:17:21,269 --> 01:17:24,573
We're not gonna let the cure
be worse than the problem.
1539
01:17:24,605 --> 01:17:26,774
Worried about the economy,
1540
01:17:26,807 --> 01:17:28,877
Trump tried
to limit shutdowns,
1541
01:17:28,909 --> 01:17:31,245
but the virus
was out of control.
1542
01:17:31,279 --> 01:17:34,216
By April, over 3,000
New Yorkers had died,
1543
01:17:34,248 --> 01:17:37,218
surpassing the death toll
of 9/11.
1544
01:17:37,252 --> 01:17:41,189
ICUs were over capacity with
patients who couldn't breathe.
1545
01:17:41,221 --> 01:17:43,724
Ventilators were
in short supply,
1546
01:17:43,757 --> 01:17:47,128
and many of those who got them
did not survive.
1547
01:17:50,064 --> 01:17:51,600
We had seen the pandemic
1548
01:17:51,632 --> 01:17:54,101
was really taking off
in New York City.
1549
01:17:54,135 --> 01:17:56,238
We were in a central area
of Virginia
1550
01:17:56,270 --> 01:17:58,706
where there's not
a huge population,
1551
01:17:58,739 --> 01:18:01,075
and it was like being
on a coastal city
1552
01:18:01,109 --> 01:18:02,744
and you hear
about an earthquake
1553
01:18:02,776 --> 01:18:04,512
that happens offshore.
1554
01:18:04,546 --> 01:18:06,780
You know that
a tsunami is coming.
1555
01:18:06,814 --> 01:18:08,682
You just don't know
when it's gonna happen
1556
01:18:08,716 --> 01:18:11,887
and how severe it's gonna be.
1557
01:18:11,919 --> 01:18:13,721
A U.S. Marine in Virginia
1558
01:18:13,754 --> 01:18:16,223
has tested positive
for the coronavirus.
1559
01:18:16,257 --> 01:18:18,960
This is the first
positive case in Virginia,
1560
01:18:18,993 --> 01:18:20,328
and here's what we know.
1561
01:18:20,360 --> 01:18:24,031
I remember one day, I was
rounding in our COVID ICU,
1562
01:18:24,065 --> 01:18:27,168
and our unit is structured
kind of like a V,
1563
01:18:27,200 --> 01:18:31,006
so there's one wing here,
another wing over there.
1564
01:18:31,038 --> 01:18:32,640
And you know, these are some
of the sickest patients
1565
01:18:32,673 --> 01:18:33,908
I've ever taken care of
in my life.
1566
01:18:33,941 --> 01:18:36,243
They're on breathing machines,
dialysis machines.
1567
01:18:36,276 --> 01:18:37,678
They are needing
lots of medicines
1568
01:18:37,712 --> 01:18:40,915
to keep them sedated and calm.
1569
01:18:40,949 --> 01:18:43,084
And I'm trying to get
through morning rounds,
1570
01:18:43,117 --> 01:18:44,753
and I see that on one wing,
1571
01:18:44,785 --> 01:18:48,323
it's almost
all Hispanic last names.
1572
01:18:48,355 --> 01:18:50,024
And then, on the other wing,
1573
01:18:50,057 --> 01:18:53,662
it's almost all Black names.
1574
01:18:53,695 --> 01:18:57,198
I grew up an hour away
from where I'm working.
1575
01:18:57,230 --> 01:18:59,600
These are the family names
that I grew up with,
1576
01:18:59,633 --> 01:19:02,069
and I know these families.
1577
01:19:02,102 --> 01:19:04,806
And I just was trying
to focus on the medical part
1578
01:19:04,838 --> 01:19:06,040
and just getting through it,
1579
01:19:06,074 --> 01:19:09,077
but I just felt this weight
on my chest.
1580
01:19:09,110 --> 01:19:11,713
I'm a Black male
in the United States
1581
01:19:11,745 --> 01:19:13,847
and my family members
have chronic diseases
1582
01:19:13,881 --> 01:19:15,650
at high rates,
1583
01:19:15,682 --> 01:19:17,953
and I've been dealing
with this my whole life.
1584
01:19:17,985 --> 01:19:21,288
And now I have family members
who are contracting COVID.
1585
01:19:21,321 --> 01:19:25,226
Those are smiles and hugs
and tears and barbeques.
1586
01:19:25,258 --> 01:19:28,329
They're not numbers
on a paper.
1587
01:19:28,363 --> 01:19:30,198
Through the spring,
1588
01:19:30,230 --> 01:19:33,068
the death toll would rise
to 100,000.
1589
01:19:33,101 --> 01:19:34,769
It was a terrifying marker
1590
01:19:34,802 --> 01:19:37,672
for the failure
of the American response.
1591
01:19:37,704 --> 01:19:40,742
The U.S. was 4%
of the world's population
1592
01:19:40,775 --> 01:19:44,379
and 20% of the deaths
from the virus.
1593
01:19:44,412 --> 01:19:47,248
Despite the fatal consequences
of inaction,
1594
01:19:47,280 --> 01:19:49,818
the government could not solve
basic problems
1595
01:19:49,851 --> 01:19:52,020
like supplies for test kits.
1596
01:19:55,189 --> 01:19:58,827
In March, we started to see
the global supply chain
1597
01:19:58,860 --> 01:20:00,929
really get jammed up.
1598
01:20:00,962 --> 01:20:05,834
So it was extraction kits,
swabs.
1599
01:20:05,867 --> 01:20:08,970
The major producer of swabs
1600
01:20:09,003 --> 01:20:10,939
is in the Lombardy region
of Italy.
1601
01:20:10,971 --> 01:20:14,008
And Italy had just gone
on lockdown,
1602
01:20:14,042 --> 01:20:17,678
and the swabs company
was in a no-fly zone,
1603
01:20:17,712 --> 01:20:19,414
so the U.S. supply
is basically going...
1604
01:20:19,446 --> 01:20:21,149
grinding to a halt.
1605
01:20:21,181 --> 01:20:25,753
Every single step of the way,
we've encountered an issue
1606
01:20:25,787 --> 01:20:28,390
or a problem
with the supply chain.
1607
01:20:28,422 --> 01:20:30,992
Potential supply chain
problems
1608
01:20:31,025 --> 01:20:34,796
had been identified
in "Crimson Contagion."
1609
01:20:34,829 --> 01:20:38,033
The focus was on testing
supplies and lifesaving PPE.
1610
01:20:38,065 --> 01:20:41,269
The most critical items needed
were N95 masks,
1611
01:20:41,302 --> 01:20:44,005
whose firm fit and tight mesh
offered healthcare workers
1612
01:20:44,038 --> 01:20:48,043
real protection
from the disease.
1613
01:20:48,075 --> 01:20:51,311
We had estimated the number
of N95 respirators
1614
01:20:51,345 --> 01:20:53,847
that would be needed.
1615
01:20:53,881 --> 01:20:57,718
That number was 3 1/2 billion.
1616
01:20:57,752 --> 01:21:00,321
And we had a fraction
1617
01:21:00,354 --> 01:21:02,790
of what we would need
in the stockpile.
1618
01:21:02,824 --> 01:21:05,427
And all of those had
a five-year shelf life,
1619
01:21:05,459 --> 01:21:07,761
and a lot of those,
1620
01:21:07,794 --> 01:21:11,899
they were purchased
almost ten years ago.
1621
01:21:11,932 --> 01:21:15,903
Despite Ebola,
despite Zika, despite H1N1,
1622
01:21:15,936 --> 01:21:18,939
filling up the national
stockpile for some virus
1623
01:21:18,972 --> 01:21:21,075
that we don't even know
is ever gonna come
1624
01:21:21,109 --> 01:21:24,245
has never been
the top priority.
1625
01:21:24,278 --> 01:21:26,815
You can say the Obama
Administration didn't do enough
1626
01:21:26,847 --> 01:21:29,450
to leave the next
administration prepared.
1627
01:21:29,484 --> 01:21:31,419
You can also say,
"Well, that's true,
1628
01:21:31,452 --> 01:21:36,024
but the Trump Administration
had three and a half years."
1629
01:21:36,056 --> 01:21:38,358
The Strategic National
Stockpile was not intended
1630
01:21:38,391 --> 01:21:42,730
to be everything that we would
need for an entire crisis.
1631
01:21:42,763 --> 01:21:45,333
I think in mid-January,
the U.S. government
1632
01:21:45,365 --> 01:21:47,401
should have been looking
at the stockpile
1633
01:21:47,435 --> 01:21:48,669
to see what was in it
1634
01:21:48,703 --> 01:21:52,906
and how we were gonna pivot
to manufacture more.
1635
01:21:52,940 --> 01:21:54,509
We should have been
having the conversation
1636
01:21:54,542 --> 01:21:57,979
about the Defense
Production Act in January.
1637
01:21:58,012 --> 01:22:00,381
There's talk
of invoking war powers
1638
01:22:00,413 --> 01:22:04,852
to require U.S. companies
to manufacture some goods.
1639
01:22:04,886 --> 01:22:06,087
That's right,
1640
01:22:06,119 --> 01:22:07,788
so that's called
the Defense Production Act.
1641
01:22:07,821 --> 01:22:08,922
I believe it came
into existence
1642
01:22:08,955 --> 01:22:10,024
during the Korean War.
1643
01:22:10,056 --> 01:22:12,793
Effectively, we can determine
1644
01:22:12,827 --> 01:22:15,129
that our production should get
to the front of the line.
1645
01:22:15,163 --> 01:22:17,464
We'll use it if we need to,
but we obviously...
1646
01:22:17,498 --> 01:22:19,534
if we can work cooperatively
with any vendor,
1647
01:22:19,566 --> 01:22:21,435
we'd rather do that.
1648
01:22:21,468 --> 01:22:24,004
"Let the market
work its magic."
1649
01:22:24,038 --> 01:22:27,107
That was the guiding
philosophy for Azar and Trump,
1650
01:22:27,141 --> 01:22:29,310
but their anti-government
strategy
1651
01:22:29,342 --> 01:22:33,180
ignored basic rules
of supply and demand.
1652
01:22:33,213 --> 01:22:37,118
Without a large order from
the United States government,
1653
01:22:37,150 --> 01:22:39,119
there really wasn't an
incentive for these companies
1654
01:22:39,153 --> 01:22:42,190
to start maximizing
their throughput.
1655
01:22:42,222 --> 01:22:46,293
I was getting reports from
Mike Bowen, one of the few
1656
01:22:46,327 --> 01:22:49,364
remaining producers
of face masks and respirators
1657
01:22:49,396 --> 01:22:51,031
in the United States
1658
01:22:51,065 --> 01:22:54,903
who had his finger on the pulse
of the supply chain.
1659
01:22:54,936 --> 01:22:59,274
I'm a salesman telling
a story that nobody believes.
1660
01:22:59,306 --> 01:23:02,075
The story is that the U.S.
mask supply is gonna collapse
1661
01:23:02,109 --> 01:23:03,244
and people are gonna die.
1662
01:23:03,276 --> 01:23:05,279
It doesn't cost much to fix.
1663
01:23:05,312 --> 01:23:08,216
That's the story.
1664
01:23:08,248 --> 01:23:12,986
Around 2005, all of the major
mask makers left the country.
1665
01:23:13,020 --> 01:23:15,824
It put the U.S. mask supply
1666
01:23:15,856 --> 01:23:17,457
in the hands of foreign control
1667
01:23:17,490 --> 01:23:20,961
and could be subject to
diversion during a pandemic.
1668
01:23:20,994 --> 01:23:23,430
And that's what I've been
warning about for years.
1669
01:23:23,463 --> 01:23:25,867
I wrote Barack Obama
20 letters.
1670
01:23:25,900 --> 01:23:28,937
"Tell America's hospitals
that they are going to be
1671
01:23:28,970 --> 01:23:30,571
"in a position to not be
able to protect their staff
1672
01:23:30,605 --> 01:23:31,573
and their patients."
1673
01:23:31,605 --> 01:23:34,309
I voted for Donald Trump.
1674
01:23:34,342 --> 01:23:37,345
I thought, "You know,
if I contact enough people
1675
01:23:37,378 --> 01:23:39,914
"in the administration,
somebody, one of these people
1676
01:23:39,946 --> 01:23:41,882
"are gonna look at this and go,
'Hey, this is a problem.
1677
01:23:41,915 --> 01:23:43,217
Maybe we ought
to call this guy.'"
1678
01:23:43,251 --> 01:23:45,285
And no, I couldn't get any...
1679
01:23:45,319 --> 01:23:47,622
I didn't get
any response there.
1680
01:23:47,654 --> 01:23:51,124
In January,
Bowen's predictions came true.
1681
01:23:51,158 --> 01:23:53,494
As China struggled to contain
the outbreak of COVID,
1682
01:23:53,526 --> 01:23:58,165
it limited the export of N95
masks to the United States.
1683
01:23:58,199 --> 01:23:59,968
At the end of January,
1684
01:24:00,001 --> 01:24:01,369
I'm hearing
from all over the world.
1685
01:24:01,403 --> 01:24:05,240
People are freaking out about
masks, and needing masks.
1686
01:24:05,272 --> 01:24:06,908
And that's when I got ahold
of Rick and said,
1687
01:24:06,940 --> 01:24:08,376
"Hey, here's what
I'm seeing out here.
1688
01:24:08,409 --> 01:24:10,411
This is gonna be bad."
1689
01:24:10,444 --> 01:24:14,382
He was sounding the
alarm bells almost every day.
1690
01:24:14,414 --> 01:24:16,917
We can't protect
America's population.
1691
01:24:16,950 --> 01:24:19,253
That's too late, but I said
I can at least make
1692
01:24:19,287 --> 01:24:22,222
enough masks to protect
America's healthcare workers.
1693
01:24:22,256 --> 01:24:26,261
I reminded him that we had
these four respirator lines.
1694
01:24:26,293 --> 01:24:30,163
To activate them we would need
more people, raw materials,
1695
01:24:30,196 --> 01:24:34,334
emergency NIOSH approval, and
large non-cancellable orders.
1696
01:24:34,368 --> 01:24:36,370
I see that our country's
gonna have a problem,
1697
01:24:36,404 --> 01:24:37,605
I get ahold of Rick.
1698
01:24:37,637 --> 01:24:40,073
I pushed every one
of those emails
1699
01:24:40,106 --> 01:24:42,109
up to the Strategic
National Stockpile
1700
01:24:42,142 --> 01:24:44,645
and Critical
Infrastructure Team.
1701
01:24:44,678 --> 01:24:49,316
I reminded them
of the H5N1 scare,
1702
01:24:49,350 --> 01:24:54,088
when people rushed to buy
masks and hoard masks.
1703
01:24:54,120 --> 01:24:56,524
The response I got was,
1704
01:24:56,556 --> 01:25:00,127
"We will just change
the CDC guideline.
1705
01:25:00,160 --> 01:25:04,631
And we'll just tell people,
don't do that."
1706
01:25:04,664 --> 01:25:06,600
Basically in March,
they realized
1707
01:25:06,633 --> 01:25:08,235
that the healthcare workers
1708
01:25:08,269 --> 01:25:10,305
are not going
to have enough PPE,
1709
01:25:10,337 --> 01:25:13,440
so they basically issued
a warning to the public,
1710
01:25:13,473 --> 01:25:17,011
"Do not use face masks."
1711
01:25:17,043 --> 01:25:20,514
Do you have any sense
of how many more N95 masks
1712
01:25:20,547 --> 01:25:23,617
would be on the market had the
federal government taken you up
1713
01:25:23,650 --> 01:25:27,187
on your offer to reactivate
N95 manufacturing lines
1714
01:25:27,221 --> 01:25:28,589
in January?
1715
01:25:28,622 --> 01:25:32,592
About 7 million
N95 respirators per month.
1716
01:25:32,626 --> 01:25:34,995
I sounded the alarm every day
1717
01:25:35,029 --> 01:25:38,732
about the shortage
of N95 respirators,
1718
01:25:38,766 --> 01:25:41,336
and we were doing nothing.
1719
01:25:41,369 --> 01:25:43,705
The numbers continue
to surge in hotspots
1720
01:25:43,738 --> 01:25:47,275
like California, Michigan,
Louisiana, Florida,
1721
01:25:47,307 --> 01:25:49,243
and especially,
of course, New York.
1722
01:25:49,275 --> 01:25:51,979
Medical resources
are stretched to capacity
1723
01:25:52,012 --> 01:25:53,381
and beyond.
1724
01:25:57,217 --> 01:26:01,122
We had saved
some outdated N95 masks
1725
01:26:01,154 --> 01:26:03,323
that were part
of the Ebola response,
1726
01:26:03,356 --> 01:26:05,659
but quickly we ran out
of those supplies,
1727
01:26:05,693 --> 01:26:09,629
so we had to make do.
1728
01:26:09,663 --> 01:26:12,200
Some of the N95 masks
that we received
1729
01:26:12,232 --> 01:26:14,502
had been in storage
for years and years,
1730
01:26:14,534 --> 01:26:17,104
and while the actual
mask itself worked fine,
1731
01:26:17,137 --> 01:26:18,772
the rubber band was brittle.
1732
01:26:18,806 --> 01:26:21,109
So there were people
in the room
1733
01:26:21,141 --> 01:26:25,178
taking care of a patient,
and the mask just snaps off.
1734
01:26:25,212 --> 01:26:27,714
The CDC is now
advising healthcare workers
1735
01:26:27,748 --> 01:26:30,585
to ration masks,
to use expired masks,
1736
01:26:30,618 --> 01:26:33,588
even use bandanas or scarves
as a last resort.
1737
01:26:36,390 --> 01:26:40,395
Our usage increased
by several hundredfold.
1738
01:26:40,427 --> 01:26:44,664
We could see our equipment
supply going down dramatically.
1739
01:26:44,698 --> 01:26:47,635
So you kind of clamp down a
little bit and say, you know,
1740
01:26:47,668 --> 01:26:51,339
"We're gonna save it for these
very specific encounters."
1741
01:26:51,372 --> 01:26:53,708
So now, from the perspective
of a healthcare worker,
1742
01:26:53,740 --> 01:26:56,077
you're taking away my safety.
1743
01:26:56,110 --> 01:26:59,313
And what people really
wanted was a big enough supply
1744
01:26:59,346 --> 01:27:02,183
so that anyone who felt that
they were at a higher risk
1745
01:27:02,216 --> 01:27:03,685
could be safe.
1746
01:27:10,356 --> 01:27:15,162
One mask to be worn
for 12 hours.
1747
01:27:15,195 --> 01:27:16,730
It's just ridiculous.
1748
01:27:16,763 --> 01:27:19,600
No protective equipment,
the gowns.
1749
01:27:19,632 --> 01:27:22,336
We have to improvise
with what we have.
1750
01:27:24,805 --> 01:27:27,175
We have people coming in
sewing masks, sewing shields,
1751
01:27:27,208 --> 01:27:29,544
making things out of plastics.
1752
01:27:29,577 --> 01:27:31,712
This is what we're doing now?
1753
01:27:31,744 --> 01:27:33,413
I mean that would be like
a soldier going to war
1754
01:27:33,446 --> 01:27:35,283
and making a plastic gun
to bring with him.
1755
01:27:35,315 --> 01:27:37,151
This is what's happening.
1756
01:27:47,194 --> 01:27:49,297
- PPEs!
- Every day!
1757
01:27:49,329 --> 01:27:50,464
PPEs!
1758
01:27:50,498 --> 01:27:52,200
Every day!
1759
01:27:52,232 --> 01:27:55,436
We're here in the community
fighting every day,
1760
01:27:55,468 --> 01:27:59,573
and we need some help.
1761
01:27:59,606 --> 01:28:02,577
In February, the
Trump Administration actually
1762
01:28:02,610 --> 01:28:05,446
created the China-COVID
Procurement Service
1763
01:28:05,479 --> 01:28:08,415
to encourage
American producers like 3M
1764
01:28:08,449 --> 01:28:11,486
to sell their entire
inventories of N95 masks
1765
01:28:11,519 --> 01:28:14,122
to China.
1766
01:28:14,154 --> 01:28:17,157
When American hospitals
desperately needed N95s,
1767
01:28:17,190 --> 01:28:18,758
they were forced
to import them
1768
01:28:18,792 --> 01:28:20,561
and pay up to 10 times more
1769
01:28:20,593 --> 01:28:23,631
than the price charged
by American producers.
1770
01:28:23,663 --> 01:28:27,734
PPE has been sporadic,
but we do what we have to do.
1771
01:28:27,767 --> 01:28:30,203
We're nurses,
and we learn to adapt
1772
01:28:30,236 --> 01:28:32,739
and to get the job done
and get the care provided,
1773
01:28:32,772 --> 01:28:34,441
and that's what
we're gonna continue to do.
1774
01:28:34,475 --> 01:28:35,642
Sporadic for you,
1775
01:28:35,676 --> 01:28:37,712
but not sporadic
for a lot of other people.
1776
01:28:37,744 --> 01:28:38,912
Oh, no, I agree,
Mr. President.
1777
01:28:38,945 --> 01:28:40,547
Because I've heard
the opposite.
1778
01:28:40,580 --> 01:28:44,252
I've heard that they are
loaded up with gowns now.
1779
01:28:44,284 --> 01:28:46,319
And you know, initially,
we had nothing.
1780
01:28:46,352 --> 01:28:49,257
We had empty cupboards.
We had empty shelves.
1781
01:28:49,289 --> 01:28:51,525
We had nothing because
it wasn't put there
1782
01:28:51,559 --> 01:28:53,427
by the last administration.
1783
01:28:53,459 --> 01:28:55,562
In the midst of the crisis,
1784
01:28:55,596 --> 01:28:57,899
President Trump goes on TV
and says, "Don't worry.
1785
01:28:57,931 --> 01:29:00,367
We've got plenty of PPE
for healthcare workers."
1786
01:29:00,400 --> 01:29:03,303
What was your reaction
when you saw that?
1787
01:29:03,337 --> 01:29:05,506
I know what
my reaction was.
1788
01:29:05,538 --> 01:29:08,275
I turned to my wife and said,
"That's complete bullshit.
1789
01:29:08,309 --> 01:29:11,244
He has no idea
what he's talking about."
1790
01:29:11,278 --> 01:29:14,515
I'm getting 500
to 1,000 emails a day.
1791
01:29:14,547 --> 01:29:18,351
I'm getting emails from people,
not businesses.
1792
01:29:18,385 --> 01:29:20,387
I'm getting emails from moms.
1793
01:29:20,421 --> 01:29:23,624
I'm getting emails from old
people, "Please send me masks."
1794
01:29:26,694 --> 01:29:30,531
And I can't.
1795
01:29:30,564 --> 01:29:32,499
You make a product
that can protect people.
1796
01:29:32,533 --> 01:29:35,203
I can't help
all these people.
1797
01:29:38,806 --> 01:29:41,876
The PPE shortage
continued on for months,
1798
01:29:41,909 --> 01:29:44,312
even after Trump put
one of his most trusted
1799
01:29:44,345 --> 01:29:45,913
family members in charge
1800
01:29:45,945 --> 01:29:48,248
of procuring
protective equipment.
1801
01:29:51,318 --> 01:29:53,486
Jared Kushner formed
his own task force
1802
01:29:53,520 --> 01:29:54,821
to get supplies.
1803
01:29:54,855 --> 01:29:56,857
Was that confusing?
Like did you...
1804
01:29:56,890 --> 01:29:58,726
It was extremely confusing.
1805
01:29:58,758 --> 01:30:00,328
The president
wanted to make sure
1806
01:30:00,360 --> 01:30:02,562
that we had the best people
doing the best jobs
1807
01:30:02,596 --> 01:30:05,299
and making sure that we had
the right people focused
1808
01:30:05,332 --> 01:30:06,901
on all the things
that needed to happen
1809
01:30:06,934 --> 01:30:09,669
to make sure that we can
deliver in these unusual times
1810
01:30:09,703 --> 01:30:12,839
for the American people.
1811
01:30:12,873 --> 01:30:15,576
My old boss called me
and said he heard that
1812
01:30:15,609 --> 01:30:19,347
Jared Kushner's task force
needed younger volunteers
1813
01:30:19,379 --> 01:30:21,281
who had general skills
and were willing
1814
01:30:21,315 --> 01:30:24,352
to work seven days a week
for no money,
1815
01:30:24,385 --> 01:30:27,454
and if you fit those criteria,
that you should head to D.C.
1816
01:30:27,488 --> 01:30:31,458
and help
with the pandemic response.
1817
01:30:31,492 --> 01:30:33,261
I definitely
had some apprehension
1818
01:30:33,293 --> 01:30:34,595
about working
for the administration,
1819
01:30:34,628 --> 01:30:36,364
but it felt like the country
1820
01:30:36,396 --> 01:30:38,431
and the world
were under attack.
1821
01:30:38,464 --> 01:30:40,935
It seemed like if there
was something to do to help,
1822
01:30:40,967 --> 01:30:43,703
that was the right thing to do.
1823
01:30:43,736 --> 01:30:45,373
They basically gave us a day
1824
01:30:45,405 --> 01:30:50,010
to show up in D.C.
at the FEMA Headquarters.
1825
01:30:50,043 --> 01:30:52,379
We walked
into Conference Room A,
1826
01:30:52,413 --> 01:30:55,283
which was this windowless,
subterranean conference room.
1827
01:30:55,315 --> 01:30:57,318
There were televisions
all around the walls
1828
01:30:57,351 --> 01:30:59,754
all playing FOX News.
1829
01:30:59,787 --> 01:31:02,390
One representative from FEMA
1830
01:31:02,422 --> 01:31:04,324
and one representative
from the military
1831
01:31:04,357 --> 01:31:06,627
gave a quick pep talk.
1832
01:31:06,659 --> 01:31:09,396
They kept saying "the stuff,"
and by that they meant PPE.
1833
01:31:09,430 --> 01:31:11,499
And they kept saying, "There's
stuff all around the world.
1834
01:31:11,531 --> 01:31:12,699
"There's stuff in the U.S.,
and we need
1835
01:31:12,732 --> 01:31:15,636
to get it to hospitals
as fast as possible."
1836
01:31:15,668 --> 01:31:18,372
Everyone stood up and started
filing into different offices,
1837
01:31:18,404 --> 01:31:20,807
and I remember the only people
left were the volunteers.
1838
01:31:20,841 --> 01:31:23,343
We thought we would be
auxiliary support
1839
01:31:23,377 --> 01:31:25,513
for an existing procurement
team that just needed
1840
01:31:25,546 --> 01:31:27,815
to be expanded
as quickly as possible
1841
01:31:27,847 --> 01:31:29,984
and we would, you know,
do data entry for contracts.
1842
01:31:30,016 --> 01:31:32,586
And instead, we were the team.
1843
01:31:32,619 --> 01:31:35,456
I think when people imagined
the federal government response
1844
01:31:35,489 --> 01:31:38,426
in the war room, they thought
it would be this big,
1845
01:31:38,458 --> 01:31:41,561
you know, energized
group of experts,
1846
01:31:41,595 --> 01:31:45,533
not ten 20-year-old volunteers
all just with private laptops.
1847
01:31:45,565 --> 01:31:47,033
No industry relationships,
1848
01:31:47,066 --> 01:31:50,337
no experience working
in supply chain.
1849
01:31:50,370 --> 01:31:53,341
So we started cold-emailing
people we knew
1850
01:31:53,373 --> 01:31:54,941
who had business relationships
in China,
1851
01:31:54,975 --> 01:31:56,877
looking for factories online,
1852
01:31:56,909 --> 01:32:00,947
and emailing them from
our personal Gmail accounts.
1853
01:32:00,980 --> 01:32:03,016
Because we had never
done this before,
1854
01:32:03,050 --> 01:32:04,918
you know, there were all these
really basic questions
1855
01:32:04,952 --> 01:32:07,754
about how a federal procurement
operation should work.
1856
01:32:07,788 --> 01:32:09,457
We would call factories
and say,
1857
01:32:09,489 --> 01:32:11,624
"We think the federal
government can send you a check
1858
01:32:11,658 --> 01:32:13,593
in 60 days,"
and they would say,
1859
01:32:13,627 --> 01:32:16,097
"There's someone
with a briefcase of cash,
1860
01:32:16,129 --> 01:32:18,732
and they are offering
to pay me right now."
1861
01:32:18,766 --> 01:32:20,935
And we would run
around the FEMA building
1862
01:32:20,967 --> 01:32:23,671
looking for someone who could
tell us what payment terms
1863
01:32:23,704 --> 01:32:25,840
the federal government
was allowed to offer,
1864
01:32:25,873 --> 01:32:29,143
and no one ever told us.
1865
01:32:29,176 --> 01:32:32,546
One week into our work,
several government employees
1866
01:32:32,579 --> 01:32:34,849
walked into the room
and handed out NDAs
1867
01:32:34,882 --> 01:32:36,550
and told us we had
to sign the NDAs
1868
01:32:36,583 --> 01:32:38,486
or leave the room immediately,
1869
01:32:38,519 --> 01:32:40,687
and we all had built
our own relationships
1870
01:32:40,721 --> 01:32:44,725
with manufacturers, and it
felt like if we walked away,
1871
01:32:44,757 --> 01:32:46,559
it would negatively affect
our ability
1872
01:32:46,592 --> 01:32:49,596
to buy this critical,
lifesaving equipment.
1873
01:32:49,629 --> 01:32:54,534
And so we all begrudgingly
signed the NDA.
1874
01:32:54,568 --> 01:32:56,070
In the room,
there were those TVs
1875
01:32:56,102 --> 01:32:57,837
all around the walls
playing the news.
1876
01:32:57,870 --> 01:32:59,774
They always had
a death counter.
1877
01:32:59,806 --> 01:33:01,742
And so every hour
we were sitting there,
1878
01:33:01,775 --> 01:33:04,779
trying to buy PPE that
we all knew could save lives,
1879
01:33:04,811 --> 01:33:06,780
and we were watching the
number of deaths in the U.S.
1880
01:33:06,814 --> 01:33:09,083
tick higher
and higher and higher.
1881
01:33:09,115 --> 01:33:11,819
And that weighed on all of us.
1882
01:33:11,851 --> 01:33:13,586
The president also
instructed me to make sure
1883
01:33:13,619 --> 01:33:15,722
that I break down
every barrier needed
1884
01:33:15,756 --> 01:33:18,691
to make sure that
the teams can succeed.
1885
01:33:18,725 --> 01:33:20,761
The first time Jared Kushner
came into the room,
1886
01:33:20,793 --> 01:33:23,196
he had this big entourage,
and he said,
1887
01:33:23,230 --> 01:33:25,199
"I want to make this
as effective as possible.
1888
01:33:25,231 --> 01:33:27,435
"Tell me the problems
that you have,
1889
01:33:27,467 --> 01:33:29,202
and I will solve them today."
1890
01:33:29,235 --> 01:33:31,571
And we said, "We need
to be able to pay upfront."
1891
01:33:31,605 --> 01:33:34,442
And he said, "Done,"
1892
01:33:34,475 --> 01:33:37,044
but there was no action taken
that we saw whatsoever.
1893
01:33:37,077 --> 01:33:39,747
In the entire time
that I was a volunteer,
1894
01:33:39,779 --> 01:33:43,983
our team did not directly
purchase a single mask.
1895
01:33:44,016 --> 01:33:46,519
Kushner failed
to protect doctors and nurses,
1896
01:33:46,552 --> 01:33:48,122
but he was willing
to trade government help
1897
01:33:48,154 --> 01:33:50,824
for political benefits.
1898
01:33:50,857 --> 01:33:54,028
When the Democratic Governor
of California, Gavin Newsom,
1899
01:33:54,061 --> 01:33:56,564
desperately needed
testing swabs,
1900
01:33:56,596 --> 01:33:58,598
Kushner said Trump
would grant the request
1901
01:33:58,632 --> 01:34:00,568
on two conditions:
1902
01:34:00,601 --> 01:34:01,769
Newsom would have
to get on the phone
1903
01:34:01,802 --> 01:34:03,938
and ask Trump personally
1904
01:34:03,971 --> 01:34:07,775
and then thank him publicly.
1905
01:34:07,807 --> 01:34:09,243
I want to thank
the president,
1906
01:34:09,275 --> 01:34:13,213
not only for being available
for a phone call
1907
01:34:13,247 --> 01:34:15,883
at a moment's notice,
but being willing
1908
01:34:15,915 --> 01:34:19,587
to directly commit to all of us
in the state of California.
1909
01:34:19,619 --> 01:34:21,689
Built
around personal relationships,
1910
01:34:21,721 --> 01:34:24,257
Kushner's task force was run
by his college roommate
1911
01:34:24,290 --> 01:34:26,760
and Ivanka Trump's
former assistant.
1912
01:34:26,793 --> 01:34:29,597
Rather than rely on
experienced public officials,
1913
01:34:29,629 --> 01:34:32,867
the task force prioritized
private tips in a spreadsheet
1914
01:34:32,900 --> 01:34:34,602
called "VIP Update,"
1915
01:34:34,635 --> 01:34:36,570
which included
two Republican dentists
1916
01:34:36,602 --> 01:34:39,172
and a FOX News personality.
1917
01:34:39,205 --> 01:34:41,574
The whole philosophy
of the task force
1918
01:34:41,607 --> 01:34:43,977
was that the government
can't get things done
1919
01:34:44,011 --> 01:34:45,546
and they thought
the private market
1920
01:34:45,579 --> 01:34:47,848
could largely settle
this issue,
1921
01:34:47,881 --> 01:34:50,117
but it was only once
they had tried and failed
1922
01:34:50,150 --> 01:34:52,086
that they'd started to blame
other people and say,
1923
01:34:52,119 --> 01:34:54,788
"Actually, this was your job
the whole time."
1924
01:34:54,820 --> 01:34:56,957
You have instances where
in cities, they're running out,
1925
01:34:56,989 --> 01:34:58,525
but the state
still has a stockpile.
1926
01:34:58,559 --> 01:35:00,226
And the notion
of the federal stockpile
1927
01:35:00,260 --> 01:35:01,794
was it's supposed
to be our stockpile.
1928
01:35:01,828 --> 01:35:03,631
It's not supposed
to be states' stockpiles
1929
01:35:03,663 --> 01:35:05,298
that they then use.
1930
01:35:05,332 --> 01:35:08,669
My understanding
is the only reason
1931
01:35:08,702 --> 01:35:12,272
the federal stockpile exists
is to distribute it to states.
1932
01:35:12,306 --> 01:35:15,075
The people in charge
on the task force said,
1933
01:35:15,107 --> 01:35:16,776
you know,
talking about the president...
1934
01:35:16,810 --> 01:35:18,646
love him or hate him,
he's a marketing genius.
1935
01:35:18,678 --> 01:35:20,647
He came up with the strategy
to blame the states,
1936
01:35:20,681 --> 01:35:22,049
because the federal government
1937
01:35:22,082 --> 01:35:23,684
hasn't been able
to do this effectively.
1938
01:35:25,351 --> 01:35:30,123
Federal government
has assets and abilities
1939
01:35:30,156 --> 01:35:32,760
that no state
can possibly mobilize.
1940
01:35:32,793 --> 01:35:35,329
They have a global
supply chain.
1941
01:35:35,361 --> 01:35:36,997
They have a logistic capability
1942
01:35:37,029 --> 01:35:38,731
through
the Department of Defense
1943
01:35:38,765 --> 01:35:40,601
and Department
of Homeland Security
1944
01:35:40,633 --> 01:35:43,570
to get stuff in
and distribute it
1945
01:35:43,604 --> 01:35:45,905
to places all over the country.
1946
01:35:45,939 --> 01:35:49,276
President Trump flipped that
on its head.
1947
01:35:49,309 --> 01:35:54,181
Then there became this mad
rush for each and every state
1948
01:35:54,213 --> 01:35:58,217
to try and find equipment
on their own.
1949
01:36:01,288 --> 01:36:04,992
Breaker one nine,
this here's Rubber Duck.
1950
01:36:05,025 --> 01:36:06,927
Mercy sakes alive,
1951
01:36:06,959 --> 01:36:10,064
looks like we've
got us a convoy.
1952
01:36:10,096 --> 01:36:14,701
We continued to source and
ship as much PPE as we can
1953
01:36:14,735 --> 01:36:17,304
by whatever means necessary.
1954
01:36:17,337 --> 01:36:19,607
♪ Arizona, noon,
on the seventh of June ♪
1955
01:36:19,640 --> 01:36:21,709
♪ When they highballed
over the pass ♪
1956
01:36:21,742 --> 01:36:26,245
We had the governor of
Massachusetts using a plane
1957
01:36:26,279 --> 01:36:30,217
from the New England Patriots
to bring equipment from China.
1958
01:36:30,249 --> 01:36:32,285
♪ 'Cause we got
a little ol' convoy ♪
1959
01:36:32,319 --> 01:36:35,189
The equipment is now in the
hands of the National Guard,
1960
01:36:35,221 --> 01:36:38,758
who will deliver it
to an undisclosed location.
1961
01:36:38,792 --> 01:36:40,394
♪ Convoy ♪
1962
01:36:40,427 --> 01:36:43,030
Whoo-hoo!
1963
01:36:43,062 --> 01:36:45,132
We had the governor
of Maryland
1964
01:36:45,164 --> 01:36:47,700
using contacts of his wife's
1965
01:36:47,734 --> 01:36:52,839
to bring equipment in
from South Korea.
1966
01:36:52,873 --> 01:36:55,709
He felt it important enough
to guard that equipment
1967
01:36:55,742 --> 01:36:58,345
when it landed in Maryland,
because he didn't want it
1968
01:36:58,378 --> 01:37:01,949
confiscated by
the federal government.
1969
01:37:01,981 --> 01:37:03,751
We're competing against
every other state,
1970
01:37:03,784 --> 01:37:05,219
every other country.
1971
01:37:05,252 --> 01:37:08,656
Now we're even competing
against the federal government.
1972
01:37:08,689 --> 01:37:13,327
It's like being on eBay
with 50 other states,
1973
01:37:13,360 --> 01:37:16,296
bidding on a ventilator.
1974
01:37:16,329 --> 01:37:19,733
You see the bid go up
'cause California bid.
1975
01:37:19,766 --> 01:37:23,937
Illinois bid, Florida bid,
New York bids,
1976
01:37:23,970 --> 01:37:26,073
California rebids.
1977
01:37:26,105 --> 01:37:29,376
And then FEMA starts bidding.
1978
01:37:29,409 --> 01:37:33,313
So FEMA is driving up
the price.
1979
01:37:33,346 --> 01:37:35,049
What?
1980
01:37:35,815 --> 01:37:39,052
I stand here as someone
who has had confirmed orders
1981
01:37:39,086 --> 01:37:44,091
for millions of pieces of gear
evaporate in front of us,
1982
01:37:44,123 --> 01:37:47,160
and I can't tell you
how frustrating it is.
1983
01:37:47,194 --> 01:37:49,096
I get a feeling if there's
somebody had the chance to
1984
01:37:49,128 --> 01:37:50,797
sell to you or had the chance
to sell to me,
1985
01:37:50,830 --> 01:37:53,300
I'm gonna lose
every one of those.
1986
01:37:53,333 --> 01:37:55,035
All right, Charlie.
Thank you very much.
1987
01:37:55,068 --> 01:37:57,204
Well, we do like you going out
seeing what you can get,
1988
01:37:57,236 --> 01:37:59,205
if you can get it faster,
1989
01:37:59,239 --> 01:38:02,843
and the price is always
a component to that also,
1990
01:38:02,876 --> 01:38:05,779
and maybe that's why
you lost to the feds.
1991
01:38:05,811 --> 01:38:08,247
I'll tell you,
that's probably why, but...
1992
01:38:08,280 --> 01:38:10,484
If the goal was
to get PPE to the states,
1993
01:38:10,516 --> 01:38:12,418
why would
the federal government
1994
01:38:12,452 --> 01:38:15,222
be driving up the price
to outbid them?
1995
01:38:15,254 --> 01:38:19,092
Or was driving up the price
the whole point?
1996
01:38:19,126 --> 01:38:20,894
This morning,
our first project
1997
01:38:20,927 --> 01:38:21,929
that we called Airbridge...
1998
01:38:21,962 --> 01:38:24,198
that's Airbridge,
that's the name.
1999
01:38:24,230 --> 01:38:26,300
And it was a flight
that landed in JFK
2000
01:38:26,333 --> 01:38:29,036
and contained
nearly 2 million masks.
2001
01:38:29,069 --> 01:38:31,038
This is the first
of 50 flights,
2002
01:38:31,070 --> 01:38:33,973
and that will probably
increase substantially.
2003
01:38:34,007 --> 01:38:36,376
Project Airbridge
was a plan to subsidize
2004
01:38:36,409 --> 01:38:40,848
the efforts of private
companies to buy and sell PPE.
2005
01:38:40,881 --> 01:38:43,117
Max Kennedy's team
would find the PPE
2006
01:38:43,150 --> 01:38:45,486
and negotiate
the lowest possible price.
2007
01:38:45,519 --> 01:38:48,055
Private companies
would then pay the bill.
2008
01:38:48,087 --> 01:38:49,856
Then the federal government
would pay
2009
01:38:49,890 --> 01:38:53,761
to fly the PPE stateside
from overseas.
2010
01:38:53,793 --> 01:38:54,961
And we had partnered
2011
01:38:54,994 --> 01:38:58,498
with the five largest
medical distributors.
2012
01:38:58,531 --> 01:39:00,400
Once we shipped it
to the United States,
2013
01:39:00,432 --> 01:39:02,903
they would take over
and sell directly
2014
01:39:02,936 --> 01:39:05,939
to whoever they would like,
at whatever price they wanted.
2015
01:39:05,971 --> 01:39:08,941
Just to clarify,
that explains why states say
2016
01:39:08,975 --> 01:39:11,111
they're bidding like
they're on eBay,
2017
01:39:11,144 --> 01:39:13,780
because the supplies are
going to the private sector,
2018
01:39:13,814 --> 01:39:15,949
and then they have to go there
to get the supplies.
2019
01:39:15,981 --> 01:39:17,818
That's normally
how things work, right?
2020
01:39:17,851 --> 01:39:20,320
So I'm not here to disrupt,
2021
01:39:20,352 --> 01:39:24,557
uh, a supply chain.
2022
01:39:24,591 --> 01:39:26,493
The U.S. government
was handing a huge amount
2023
01:39:26,525 --> 01:39:28,261
of business to these
five companies
2024
01:39:28,294 --> 01:39:30,096
that were chosen
fairly arbitrarily.
2025
01:39:32,332 --> 01:39:34,901
There were increasing concerns,
I think, from competitors,
2026
01:39:34,935 --> 01:39:36,236
that these five companies
were getting
2027
01:39:36,269 --> 01:39:38,571
a hugely unfair advantage,
2028
01:39:38,605 --> 01:39:42,075
and so I was asked on several
different occasions explicitly
2029
01:39:42,107 --> 01:39:46,312
to find a justification to have
selected these companies way...
2030
01:39:46,346 --> 01:39:49,216
you know, months after
they had been selected.
2031
01:39:49,248 --> 01:39:51,284
At least one of
these companies, Cardinal,
2032
01:39:51,318 --> 01:39:56,522
saw its PPE orders surge
to 12 times the normal volume.
2033
01:39:56,556 --> 01:39:58,458
Profit-making was also part of
2034
01:39:58,490 --> 01:40:00,993
the pandemic pricing plan
at Gilead,
2035
01:40:01,026 --> 01:40:03,462
which manufactured
the one drug, Remdesivir,
2036
01:40:03,495 --> 01:40:06,400
that was effective
at treating COVID.
2037
01:40:06,432 --> 01:40:08,935
The federal government owned
patents on the drug,
2038
01:40:08,968 --> 01:40:11,171
and it paid
for essential research.
2039
01:40:11,204 --> 01:40:13,540
But the Trump administration
permitted Gilead
2040
01:40:13,573 --> 01:40:16,443
to charge more than
$3,000 a patient
2041
01:40:16,476 --> 01:40:20,114
for a treatment that cost
less than $10 to manufacture.
2042
01:40:21,948 --> 01:40:25,252
I left in mid-April,
and my takeaway
2043
01:40:25,284 --> 01:40:27,220
was really that
I still feel like
2044
01:40:27,253 --> 01:40:28,622
I haven't worked
for the government.
2045
01:40:28,654 --> 01:40:31,591
We were so far outside of it.
I mean, we were...
2046
01:40:31,624 --> 01:40:33,961
every single person
we reported to
2047
01:40:33,994 --> 01:40:36,463
up the chain of command
was a political appointee.
2048
01:40:36,495 --> 01:40:39,565
The number of FEMA employees
I met, you know,
2049
01:40:39,598 --> 01:40:40,633
I could count on one hand,
2050
01:40:40,667 --> 01:40:42,336
and they were fleeting
interactions.
2051
01:40:42,369 --> 01:40:45,539
It taught me about how
this administration works,
2052
01:40:45,571 --> 01:40:48,040
and I think it largely works,
or it seemed to work,
2053
01:40:48,074 --> 01:40:49,643
in this case,
outside of the government.
2054
01:40:52,145 --> 01:40:54,580
In the course
of three years,
2055
01:40:54,614 --> 01:40:57,384
there was
a systematic dismantling
2056
01:40:57,417 --> 01:41:01,088
of what expertise
had been built
2057
01:41:01,120 --> 01:41:03,089
and what framework
had been built
2058
01:41:03,123 --> 01:41:06,627
to respond to the very
kind of global pandemic
2059
01:41:06,659 --> 01:41:09,395
that we're dealing with.
2060
01:41:09,428 --> 01:41:12,632
It's preventing the people
who were there
2061
01:41:12,665 --> 01:41:17,337
from doing the jobs
that they'd been hired to do.
2062
01:41:17,369 --> 01:41:20,073
Tell me a little bit
about how chloroquine
2063
01:41:20,105 --> 01:41:24,110
and hydroxychloroquine first
came into your point of view.
2064
01:41:24,144 --> 01:41:25,412
You know...
2065
01:41:25,445 --> 01:41:27,648
How did this come up?
2066
01:41:27,681 --> 01:41:29,616
I wish I'd never
heard of chloroquine
2067
01:41:29,649 --> 01:41:33,553
or hydroxychloroquine,
honestly.
2068
01:41:33,586 --> 01:41:37,024
Elon Musk started
the ball rolling with a tweet.
2069
01:41:37,056 --> 01:41:38,992
Momentum for the drugs
picked up steam
2070
01:41:39,025 --> 01:41:40,661
over the next few days
on FOX News,
2071
01:41:40,694 --> 01:41:44,364
where their names
were dropped 176 times.
2072
01:41:44,396 --> 01:41:47,234
Early evidence suggests that
chloroquine...
2073
01:41:47,266 --> 01:41:49,502
- Chloroquine.
- Hydroxychloroquine.
2074
01:41:49,535 --> 01:41:51,437
Those look very promising.
2075
01:41:51,471 --> 01:41:55,042
Then Trump started reading
from the FOX script.
2076
01:41:55,074 --> 01:41:56,642
It is known
as a malaria drug,
2077
01:41:56,676 --> 01:41:59,178
and it's been around
for a long time.
2078
01:41:59,212 --> 01:42:02,049
And it's shown
very encouraging...
2079
01:42:02,082 --> 01:42:04,551
very, very encouraging...
early results.
2080
01:42:06,086 --> 01:42:08,622
I believe it was March 23rd.
2081
01:42:08,654 --> 01:42:14,060
I got a call from Secretary
Azar's chief counsel.
2082
01:42:14,093 --> 01:42:18,030
The White House wanted us
to move quickly
2083
01:42:18,064 --> 01:42:20,066
on making this drug available.
2084
01:42:20,100 --> 01:42:23,136
At my direction, the federal
government is working to help
2085
01:42:23,168 --> 01:42:27,273
obtain large quantities
of chloroquine.
2086
01:42:27,306 --> 01:42:29,675
I called my scientific team
in BARDA,
2087
01:42:29,708 --> 01:42:32,111
and they said, "No way."
2088
01:42:33,279 --> 01:42:36,550
There was no data to support
that they had any benefit
2089
01:42:36,583 --> 01:42:39,086
against the coronavirus.
2090
01:42:39,119 --> 01:42:43,023
They pushed back,
but Dr. Kadlec reiterated
2091
01:42:43,056 --> 01:42:46,694
that directive to us and said,
"Get on it, get it done."
2092
01:42:48,128 --> 01:42:51,999
We came up with option of an
emergency use authorization.
2093
01:42:52,031 --> 01:42:54,767
We could put boundaries in it,
2094
01:42:54,801 --> 01:42:57,104
restrict the drug
to only be used
2095
01:42:57,137 --> 01:43:00,440
in people who are
hospitalized.
2096
01:43:00,472 --> 01:43:02,341
And I was proud of our team
2097
01:43:02,374 --> 01:43:04,543
for coming up
with that compromise
2098
01:43:04,577 --> 01:43:08,347
that we thought would
protect the Americans.
2099
01:43:08,381 --> 01:43:10,484
Have you ever heard of
a Dr. Zelenko?
2100
01:43:10,516 --> 01:43:12,151
Yes.
2101
01:43:13,153 --> 01:43:17,356
He is a very mysterious
presence that seemed to be
2102
01:43:17,390 --> 01:43:21,128
involved in the context
of this chloroquine story.
2103
01:43:21,160 --> 01:43:23,029
- Hi.
- Hi.
2104
01:43:24,763 --> 01:43:28,068
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko
became a right-wing folk hero
2105
01:43:28,101 --> 01:43:30,670
and the Trump team promoted
him as an essential expert
2106
01:43:30,703 --> 01:43:32,571
on the use of
hydroxychloroquine
2107
01:43:32,605 --> 01:43:36,276
as a magical remedy for COVID.
2108
01:43:36,309 --> 01:43:38,712
For the last
almost 16 years,
2109
01:43:38,744 --> 01:43:41,047
I've been a primary care doctor
for a community
2110
01:43:41,080 --> 01:43:43,516
of around 35,000 people.
2111
01:43:43,550 --> 01:43:46,686
It's a village
in the town of Monroe.
2112
01:43:46,718 --> 01:43:49,722
It's similar
to an urban environment
2113
01:43:49,756 --> 01:43:53,459
in terms of how close
people live with each other.
2114
01:43:53,493 --> 01:43:55,361
So it's not surprising that
2115
01:43:55,395 --> 01:43:58,065
the virus came
and started spreading.
2116
01:43:58,097 --> 01:44:02,068
And I realized that, my God,
I have an inferno.
2117
01:44:02,101 --> 01:44:04,770
I have a real outbreak.
2118
01:44:04,803 --> 01:44:07,074
I know all these people,
they're like family to me.
2119
01:44:07,106 --> 01:44:10,176
So it was personal.
2120
01:44:10,209 --> 01:44:11,811
The whole world
was focusing on
2121
01:44:11,845 --> 01:44:14,080
building more respirators,
more hospitals,
2122
01:44:14,114 --> 01:44:15,315
and there was nothing
being offered
2123
01:44:15,347 --> 01:44:17,216
to primary care doctors.
2124
01:44:17,249 --> 01:44:18,517
You know,
we're front-line soldiers
2125
01:44:18,551 --> 01:44:20,687
with no bullets, no weapons.
2126
01:44:20,720 --> 01:44:23,089
So then you have to improvise.
2127
01:44:24,757 --> 01:44:26,426
Dr. Zelenko improvised
2128
01:44:26,458 --> 01:44:28,360
what he thought
was a magic bullet
2129
01:44:28,394 --> 01:44:30,564
that contained his own
unproven mash-up
2130
01:44:30,596 --> 01:44:33,833
of zinc, azithromycin,
and hydroxychloroquine.
2131
01:44:35,901 --> 01:44:38,204
But there was no
reputable clinical trial
2132
01:44:38,238 --> 01:44:40,207
that confirmed
Zelenko's claims
2133
01:44:40,239 --> 01:44:44,376
that early use of his cocktail
could cure COVID.
2134
01:44:44,409 --> 01:44:48,114
I wasn't doing research.
I was just treating patients.
2135
01:44:48,147 --> 01:44:49,348
But I'm not stupid.
2136
01:44:49,382 --> 01:44:51,485
I saw exactly
what was happening.
2137
01:44:51,517 --> 01:44:53,252
Patients stopped dying.
2138
01:44:54,587 --> 01:44:56,388
I just found potentially
2139
01:44:56,422 --> 01:44:58,391
one of the most important
pieces of information
2140
01:44:58,423 --> 01:45:00,627
in the history of information.
2141
01:45:00,659 --> 01:45:03,162
I'm not a politician.
I don't have any connections.
2142
01:45:03,195 --> 01:45:07,367
So how else does a person
who's unconnected
2143
01:45:07,400 --> 01:45:09,669
reach the highest levels
of government?
2144
01:45:09,702 --> 01:45:11,570
It's called social media.
2145
01:45:11,604 --> 01:45:16,176
Um, hello, President Trump.
2146
01:45:16,208 --> 01:45:19,912
My name is
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.
2147
01:45:19,945 --> 01:45:21,614
So I made a YouTube video
2148
01:45:21,647 --> 01:45:23,550
addressed to the president
of the United States,
2149
01:45:23,583 --> 01:45:26,486
and the next day, his chief of
staff, Mark Meadows, calls me.
2150
01:45:28,520 --> 01:45:31,190
We had a conversation,
and that started a process
2151
01:45:31,223 --> 01:45:32,691
that eventually led me to
2152
01:45:32,725 --> 01:45:35,829
the FDA commissioner,
Stephen Hahn.
2153
01:45:35,861 --> 01:45:37,564
It's not every day you get
2154
01:45:37,596 --> 01:45:38,931
the commissioner of the FDA
calling you on your cell phone.
2155
01:45:38,964 --> 01:45:40,534
According to the FDA...
2156
01:45:44,904 --> 01:45:46,806
There was not
a scientific reason
2157
01:45:46,838 --> 01:45:48,841
to push either one
of those drugs.
2158
01:45:48,874 --> 01:45:52,244
The reason they were pushing
them so hard was because
2159
01:45:52,278 --> 01:45:55,882
the president was claiming
that they were a miracle drug.
2160
01:45:55,914 --> 01:45:58,784
Someone had given him
this advice.
2161
01:45:58,818 --> 01:46:03,556
I happen to be taking it.
I happen to be taking it.
2162
01:46:03,589 --> 01:46:06,392
I'm taking it.
Hydroxychloroquine.
2163
01:46:06,426 --> 01:46:08,294
Right now, yeah.
2164
01:46:08,328 --> 01:46:09,663
Did you hear
what he said afterwards?
2165
01:46:09,695 --> 01:46:12,498
"Yeah, I received a letter..."
2166
01:46:12,531 --> 01:46:14,568
From a doctor the other day,
2167
01:46:14,601 --> 01:46:17,204
from Westchester, New York,
around the area.
2168
01:46:17,236 --> 01:46:18,904
He didn't want anything.
He just said,
2169
01:46:18,937 --> 01:46:21,274
"Sir, I have
hundreds of patients,
2170
01:46:21,306 --> 01:46:24,644
and I give them
hydroxychloroquine."
2171
01:46:24,677 --> 01:46:26,413
So that was a letter
2172
01:46:26,445 --> 01:46:27,846
I sent to the president.
2173
01:46:27,879 --> 01:46:30,482
But I thought it was
a very well-crafted letter
2174
01:46:30,516 --> 01:46:33,320
by a man
who's a respected doctor.
2175
01:46:33,352 --> 01:46:34,687
He said it was
a well-crafted letter.
2176
01:46:34,721 --> 01:46:35,821
I was proud of that.
2177
01:46:46,565 --> 01:46:48,867
It was really frustrating,
2178
01:46:48,900 --> 01:46:51,637
because here we are
on the front lines,
2179
01:46:51,671 --> 01:46:53,807
we're trying to do
everything we can,
2180
01:46:53,839 --> 01:46:55,874
and if, you know, there's
a chance that this could work,
2181
01:46:55,908 --> 01:46:57,677
let's go ahead and try it.
2182
01:46:57,709 --> 01:46:59,445
But then, consistently,
2183
01:46:59,479 --> 01:47:01,548
the trials that had been
high quality looking at this
2184
01:47:01,580 --> 01:47:03,949
have shown that
there's no benefit to it.
2185
01:47:03,982 --> 01:47:05,952
And we have moved on
to other therapies.
2186
01:47:05,985 --> 01:47:08,955
But unfortunately, you know,
it can come back and be revived
2187
01:47:08,988 --> 01:47:12,659
by a tweet from a leader
who still believes in it.
2188
01:47:12,691 --> 01:47:14,461
The next day, if you admit
2189
01:47:14,494 --> 01:47:17,264
a patient with COVID-19,
some of them are gonna ask,
2190
01:47:17,297 --> 01:47:18,865
"Are you gonna give me
the Trump drug?"
2191
01:47:18,897 --> 01:47:21,635
And if you go through a long
explanation of, you know,
2192
01:47:21,668 --> 01:47:23,670
"Actually,
there's no benefit,"
2193
01:47:23,703 --> 01:47:26,306
it's really hard
to explain this.
2194
01:47:26,338 --> 01:47:28,774
And it would be
so much more helpful
2195
01:47:28,807 --> 01:47:32,611
if the leader of the country,
who sets the example, said,
2196
01:47:32,645 --> 01:47:34,446
"We should follow
the science on this."
2197
01:47:34,480 --> 01:47:36,383
I've seen things
that I sort of like,
2198
01:47:36,415 --> 01:47:38,885
so what do I know?
I'm not a doctor.
2199
01:47:38,918 --> 01:47:41,521
It was about six days
after that EUA.
2200
01:47:41,553 --> 01:47:45,057
I woke up to an email string
2201
01:47:45,091 --> 01:47:50,062
that had our Assistant
Secretary for Health,
2202
01:47:50,096 --> 01:47:55,302
our Director of FEMA,
our ASPR, Dr. Kadlec,
2203
01:47:55,334 --> 01:48:00,573
and the FDA all saying
we need to flood the streets
2204
01:48:00,605 --> 01:48:02,675
of New York and New Jersey
2205
01:48:02,708 --> 01:48:06,078
with that drug
as quickly as possible.
2206
01:48:06,111 --> 01:48:10,582
And in that email discussion,
someone was brave enough...
2207
01:48:10,615 --> 01:48:11,783
they said, "But wait a minute.
2208
01:48:11,816 --> 01:48:16,021
The EUA says 'for hospitalized
patients only.'"
2209
01:48:16,055 --> 01:48:19,459
They said, "No, it needs
to go into the pharmacies.
2210
01:48:19,492 --> 01:48:21,328
"It needs to
go out everywhere.
2211
01:48:21,360 --> 01:48:23,696
"The EUA doesn't matter.
2212
01:48:23,730 --> 01:48:25,632
Push the drug out now."
2213
01:48:27,467 --> 01:48:29,502
The same FDA that
dragged its feet for weeks
2214
01:48:29,534 --> 01:48:31,604
at approving vital COVID tests
2215
01:48:31,637 --> 01:48:34,541
suddenly worked at lightning
speed to greenlight use
2216
01:48:34,574 --> 01:48:36,810
of a drug with no proven
effect on the disease,
2217
01:48:36,842 --> 01:48:39,645
just because the White House
wanted it done.
2218
01:48:39,678 --> 01:48:41,580
If this drug works,
2219
01:48:41,614 --> 01:48:45,051
it will be wonderful,
it'll be so beautiful.
2220
01:48:45,083 --> 01:48:47,419
It'll be a gift from heaven.
2221
01:48:47,453 --> 01:48:49,455
I lost it.
2222
01:48:49,489 --> 01:48:52,859
I lost all respect
for that chain of command,
2223
01:48:52,891 --> 01:48:55,961
for that security
2224
01:48:55,994 --> 01:49:00,434
that we as Americans
have put in those people.
2225
01:49:01,501 --> 01:49:07,673
And that is the moment that
I decided to break protocol
2226
01:49:07,707 --> 01:49:12,111
and alert Americans
in a different way.
2227
01:49:12,145 --> 01:49:14,080
In the doctrine
of politics,
2228
01:49:14,113 --> 01:49:16,615
Rick Bright committed
a mortal sin.
2229
01:49:16,649 --> 01:49:18,952
He went to the press.
2230
01:49:18,985 --> 01:49:22,489
It was two weeks exactly
after that
2231
01:49:22,521 --> 01:49:26,959
that I learned that I had been
removed from my position.
2232
01:49:29,662 --> 01:49:32,865
It's not easy to come forward
in this administration, okay?
2233
01:49:32,899 --> 01:49:37,771
I'm not trying to be soft
in here, but it is not easy.
2234
01:49:38,937 --> 01:49:43,909
It was a very hard process
2235
01:49:43,943 --> 01:49:48,949
to lay our careers on the line
to push back.
2236
01:49:50,449 --> 01:49:52,117
Time is running out because
2237
01:49:52,150 --> 01:49:55,020
the virus is still
spreading everywhere.
2238
01:49:55,053 --> 01:49:58,958
The window is closing
to address this pandemic.
2239
01:49:58,990 --> 01:50:01,895
So, you know, Dr. Bright
is up there testifying today.
2240
01:50:01,927 --> 01:50:06,765
And on hydroxychloroquine,
Dr. Bright literally signed
2241
01:50:06,798 --> 01:50:10,069
in the application
for FDA authorization of it.
2242
01:50:10,101 --> 01:50:13,172
We will either be remembered
for what we did
2243
01:50:13,205 --> 01:50:16,208
or for what we failed to do
to address this crisis.
2244
01:50:16,242 --> 01:50:18,645
I watched this guy for
a little while this morning,
2245
01:50:18,677 --> 01:50:21,747
and he looks like an angry,
disgruntled employee
2246
01:50:21,780 --> 01:50:23,582
who, frankly,
according to some people,
2247
01:50:23,615 --> 01:50:25,217
didn't do a very good job.
2248
01:50:25,251 --> 01:50:28,154
Would you describe
the government's response
2249
01:50:28,186 --> 01:50:31,524
as a success or a failure?
2250
01:50:31,556 --> 01:50:33,659
I believe we could have
done better.
2251
01:50:35,727 --> 01:50:37,864
Watching the
administration's response
2252
01:50:37,896 --> 01:50:41,600
to Bright was frightening.
2253
01:50:41,633 --> 01:50:43,669
We all wanted to help,
but we didn't wanna be
2254
01:50:43,703 --> 01:50:46,673
on the front page
of a newspaper.
2255
01:50:46,705 --> 01:50:49,074
I spoke to a couple
of attorneys
2256
01:50:49,107 --> 01:50:51,010
who said it's so unusual
for the government
2257
01:50:51,043 --> 01:50:55,214
to require an NDA at all,
let alone for volunteers
2258
01:50:55,248 --> 01:50:57,217
who don't have any access
to government systems.
2259
01:50:57,249 --> 01:50:59,752
We had no access to any
confidential information.
2260
01:50:59,784 --> 01:51:01,820
The only thing we were
basically being prevented
2261
01:51:01,854 --> 01:51:04,923
from talking about was the fact
that the response was...
2262
01:51:04,957 --> 01:51:06,793
seemed to be largely bungled.
2263
01:51:06,825 --> 01:51:09,561
To date, we've facilitated
the supply
2264
01:51:09,595 --> 01:51:13,132
of more than 38 million
N95 masks nationwide.
2265
01:51:13,164 --> 01:51:15,033
And I would watch the news,
and I'd hear
2266
01:51:15,066 --> 01:51:16,836
the Trump administration
talk about the work
2267
01:51:16,869 --> 01:51:18,972
that was happening,
and what was happening did not
2268
01:51:19,004 --> 01:51:20,640
match what the administration
was speaking about.
2269
01:51:22,542 --> 01:51:23,776
So I did send in
2270
01:51:23,809 --> 01:51:25,845
a whistleblower report
to Congress,
2271
01:51:25,878 --> 01:51:28,648
as well as calling
several journalists
2272
01:51:28,681 --> 01:51:31,918
who I basically
just found online.
2273
01:51:31,950 --> 01:51:33,619
It was nerve-racking.
2274
01:51:33,653 --> 01:51:35,288
I was worried about the NDA,
2275
01:51:35,320 --> 01:51:39,191
I was worried about
potential retribution.
2276
01:51:39,225 --> 01:51:41,294
But I just wanted people
to know what was happening,
2277
01:51:41,327 --> 01:51:43,195
and know not enough
was being done.
2278
01:51:45,297 --> 01:51:46,865
Beyond attacking
whistleblowers,
2279
01:51:46,899 --> 01:51:49,068
Trump dismissed
five inspectors general
2280
01:51:49,101 --> 01:51:51,304
in the space of six weeks.
2281
01:51:51,337 --> 01:51:55,642
One had raised concerns
about PPE shortages.
2282
01:51:55,675 --> 01:51:57,610
Another was
supposed to investigate
2283
01:51:57,642 --> 01:51:59,212
how the Trump administration
would spend
2284
01:51:59,244 --> 01:52:02,748
$2.3 trillion
in coronavirus relief.
2285
01:52:04,316 --> 01:52:06,785
While money did flow
to unemployed Americans,
2286
01:52:06,819 --> 01:52:08,922
a small group
of hedge fund investors
2287
01:52:08,954 --> 01:52:10,789
and real estate tycoons,
2288
01:52:10,823 --> 01:52:12,892
like Jared Kushner
and Donald Trump,
2289
01:52:12,925 --> 01:52:15,195
got millions of dollars
in tax breaks.
2290
01:52:16,829 --> 01:52:19,799
Trump protected
the richest Americans,
2291
01:52:19,832 --> 01:52:22,802
even as he continued to ignore
the most basic recommendations
2292
01:52:22,834 --> 01:52:26,071
of scientists trying
to protect everyday people.
2293
01:52:26,105 --> 01:52:28,775
The CDC is recommending that
2294
01:52:28,807 --> 01:52:32,044
Americans wear a basic cloth
or fabric mask.
2295
01:52:32,078 --> 01:52:35,080
They can be either purchased
online or simply made at home,
2296
01:52:35,114 --> 01:52:37,016
probably material
that you'd have at home.
2297
01:52:37,048 --> 01:52:39,319
Really a voluntary thing.
You can do it.
2298
01:52:39,351 --> 01:52:41,587
You don't have to do it.
I'm choosing not to do it.
2299
01:52:41,620 --> 01:52:44,591
But some people may wanna
do it, and that's okay.
2300
01:52:44,623 --> 01:52:46,224
I made a lot of predictions
that came true
2301
01:52:46,257 --> 01:52:49,695
about this pandemic,
but masks being politicized...
2302
01:52:49,729 --> 01:52:51,731
it's just amazing to me.
2303
01:52:51,763 --> 01:52:54,033
♪ Live and let die ♪
2304
01:52:54,065 --> 01:52:56,202
♪ ♪
2305
01:52:56,235 --> 01:52:57,303
The deadly implications
2306
01:52:57,336 --> 01:52:59,705
of the president's disdain
for science
2307
01:52:59,739 --> 01:53:02,275
weren't lost on
whoever picked the soundtrack
2308
01:53:02,307 --> 01:53:05,110
for Trump's tour
of a mask factory in Arizona.
2309
01:53:05,144 --> 01:53:08,847
♪ Live and let die ♪
2310
01:53:08,881 --> 01:53:11,284
♪ ♪
2311
01:53:11,316 --> 01:53:14,287
It was confusing
campaign photo op:
2312
01:53:14,320 --> 01:53:17,290
federal officials refusing
to wear safety masks
2313
01:53:17,323 --> 01:53:20,760
in a sanitized factory
that manufactured them.
2314
01:53:22,061 --> 01:53:23,863
The mask seems to represent
2315
01:53:23,895 --> 01:53:26,732
which side of the political
aisle that you're on,
2316
01:53:26,766 --> 01:53:29,402
and somehow, showing up
without a mask on
2317
01:53:29,435 --> 01:53:31,104
in close proximity with others
2318
01:53:31,137 --> 01:53:33,706
says that I support
the president.
2319
01:53:33,739 --> 01:53:36,075
You're fucking
democratic pigs!
2320
01:53:36,107 --> 01:53:38,211
I'll take that fucking mask
off your face!
2321
01:53:38,244 --> 01:53:40,113
No more masks!
2322
01:53:40,145 --> 01:53:42,080
No more masks!
2323
01:53:42,114 --> 01:53:43,750
That is dangerous.
2324
01:53:43,783 --> 01:53:45,385
People have died
because of the misinformation.
2325
01:53:45,418 --> 01:53:48,688
I have absolutely
no doubt about that.
2326
01:53:48,721 --> 01:53:51,257
In April, after
weeks of economic shutdown
2327
01:53:51,289 --> 01:53:52,824
and with contagion and death
2328
01:53:52,857 --> 01:53:55,028
still running high
in much of America,
2329
01:53:55,061 --> 01:53:58,398
Trump announced the plan
for reopening the country.
2330
01:53:58,431 --> 01:54:00,667
Our team of experts
now agrees
2331
01:54:00,699 --> 01:54:04,202
that we can begin
the next front in our war,
2332
01:54:04,235 --> 01:54:08,974
which we're calling
Opening Up America Again,
2333
01:54:09,007 --> 01:54:10,242
and that's what we're doing.
2334
01:54:10,275 --> 01:54:13,680
We're opening up our country.
2335
01:54:13,712 --> 01:54:15,313
The next day,
he began to tweet
2336
01:54:15,346 --> 01:54:17,816
in encouragement of protests
against lockdowns
2337
01:54:17,850 --> 01:54:19,986
meant to contain
spread of the virus.
2338
01:54:23,922 --> 01:54:25,925
Frustration's understandable.
2339
01:54:25,958 --> 01:54:27,827
People wanted
to get out of their homes
2340
01:54:27,860 --> 01:54:28,795
to get back to work.
2341
01:54:28,828 --> 01:54:30,229
USA!
2342
01:54:30,262 --> 01:54:31,864
But without
a national program
2343
01:54:31,896 --> 01:54:33,466
to safeguard public health,
2344
01:54:33,498 --> 01:54:36,735
how is the economy going
to get back on its feet?
2345
01:54:36,769 --> 01:54:37,904
So I said to my people,
2346
01:54:37,936 --> 01:54:40,806
"Slow the testing down,
please."
2347
01:54:40,839 --> 01:54:43,176
Texas, hitting a record
number of hospitalizations.
2348
01:54:43,208 --> 01:54:47,179
Florida recording an
astonishing 11,400 cases,
2349
01:54:47,212 --> 01:54:50,348
smashing its single day high.
2350
01:54:50,382 --> 01:54:51,650
Opening up
the country without
2351
01:54:51,684 --> 01:54:54,887
a national program for masks,
testing, and tracing
2352
01:54:54,919 --> 01:54:57,390
did have consequences.
2353
01:54:57,422 --> 01:54:59,191
Throughout the summer,
2354
01:54:59,225 --> 01:55:00,959
the death toll
hovered around 1,000 a day,
2355
01:55:00,993 --> 01:55:03,229
or two 9/11s every week.
2356
01:55:05,230 --> 01:55:08,200
In South Korea,
a nation of 51 million,
2357
01:55:08,234 --> 01:55:10,203
there was no
national shutdown,
2358
01:55:10,235 --> 01:55:13,238
and less than 500 people
died from the disease.
2359
01:55:15,306 --> 01:55:18,510
For a lot of people around
me in South Korea,
2360
01:55:18,543 --> 01:55:22,448
perceptions of the U.S.
have really been shaken.
2361
01:55:22,480 --> 01:55:25,184
South Koreans, like a lot of
other people around the world,
2362
01:55:25,217 --> 01:55:27,954
had a certain
perception of the U.S.
2363
01:55:27,986 --> 01:55:32,492
as a barometer and a benchmark
for how a country works,
2364
01:55:32,525 --> 01:55:34,460
how a country should run.
2365
01:55:34,493 --> 01:55:37,897
There is a real sense
of disbelief.
2366
01:55:39,431 --> 01:55:41,100
Thousands descended
on beaches
2367
01:55:41,132 --> 01:55:43,001
in Greece over the weekend,
while in Italy,
2368
01:55:43,034 --> 01:55:47,139
more shops and restaurants
are again welcoming customers.
2369
01:55:47,172 --> 01:55:48,473
The crowds are returning
2370
01:55:48,507 --> 01:55:50,843
to the stadiums
here in New Zealand.
2371
01:55:50,876 --> 01:55:52,477
As many countries
opened up,
2372
01:55:52,511 --> 01:55:54,946
others faced new outbreaks.
2373
01:55:54,980 --> 01:55:59,886
Some, like Brazil and India,
saw cases continue to soar.
2374
01:55:59,918 --> 01:56:01,486
But even in countries
like South Korea,
2375
01:56:01,520 --> 01:56:03,890
where the virus
was initially contained,
2376
01:56:03,922 --> 01:56:07,492
cases spiked when people
ignored scientific guidance.
2377
01:56:09,328 --> 01:56:11,364
Nowhere was that problem
more severe
2378
01:56:11,396 --> 01:56:13,498
than in the United States.
2379
01:56:13,531 --> 01:56:19,105
♪ America, America ♪
2380
01:56:19,137 --> 01:56:21,306
Ignoring expert
advice became an act
2381
01:56:21,339 --> 01:56:23,976
of patriotism in
the Trump administration,
2382
01:56:24,008 --> 01:56:26,378
Where even the push
for a safe vaccine
2383
01:56:26,412 --> 01:56:29,448
was pursued with reckless
disregard for science.
2384
01:56:29,480 --> 01:56:31,249
We're moving aggressively
2385
01:56:31,283 --> 01:56:34,387
to accelerate
developing a vaccine.
2386
01:56:34,419 --> 01:56:37,323
To actually get a vaccine
that you know works
2387
01:56:37,355 --> 01:56:39,224
is gonna be a year
to a year and a half.
2388
01:56:39,257 --> 01:56:40,827
Do me a favor.
Speed it up.
2389
01:56:40,860 --> 01:56:43,529
Speed it up.
2390
01:56:43,561 --> 01:56:47,432
Stakes are so high
around vaccines.
2391
01:56:47,466 --> 01:56:49,901
Because we need a vaccine
2392
01:56:49,935 --> 01:56:54,307
if we want to begin
to end this pandemic.
2393
01:56:54,339 --> 01:56:56,342
But the question is,
who distributes it?
2394
01:56:56,374 --> 01:56:59,212
Who prioritizes it?
2395
01:56:59,244 --> 01:57:01,881
A lot of people say
this should be the CDC.
2396
01:57:01,913 --> 01:57:05,083
"They should be
front and center in this."
2397
01:57:05,117 --> 01:57:08,253
But the CDC has been
largely silenced.
2398
01:57:08,287 --> 01:57:10,155
After a few CDC scientists
2399
01:57:10,189 --> 01:57:12,959
voiced concerns
about the federal response,
2400
01:57:12,992 --> 01:57:15,927
Trump installed an official
to censor or rewrite
2401
01:57:15,961 --> 01:57:17,963
any CDC findings
that contradicted
2402
01:57:17,997 --> 01:57:19,565
the rosy predictions
of the White House.
2403
01:57:21,432 --> 01:57:25,203
Can we trust scientists who
allow data to be compromised
2404
01:57:25,236 --> 01:57:28,207
by demands
for political loyalty?
2405
01:57:35,446 --> 01:57:37,216
My last question to you is,
2406
01:57:37,248 --> 01:57:39,852
what is your personal takeaway
from this pandemic?
2407
01:57:42,587 --> 01:57:46,625
Um...
2408
01:57:46,659 --> 01:57:49,929
53,000 deaths from
coronavirus.
2409
01:57:49,962 --> 01:57:52,531
Sometimes late at night
when I'm driving home
2410
01:57:52,564 --> 01:57:56,235
and I'm tired of listening
to talk radio on NPR,
2411
01:57:56,267 --> 01:58:00,640
I'll turn on the other NPR
station and listen to jazz.
2412
01:58:08,146 --> 01:58:10,048
I've never listened to jazz
in my life.
2413
01:58:22,226 --> 01:58:25,131
I've always been very thankful
for the people around me,
2414
01:58:25,163 --> 01:58:29,334
and I think that's
come with age, partly.
2415
01:58:29,368 --> 01:58:32,171
And now that we're all
wearing masks all the time,
2416
01:58:32,204 --> 01:58:35,374
there is an astounding amount
of information
2417
01:58:35,406 --> 01:58:37,976
that you can get out of
looking at people's eyes.
2418
01:58:38,010 --> 01:58:41,681
Which, when the rest of your
face is completely obscured,
2419
01:58:41,713 --> 01:58:47,986
become extremely telling
of what's going on,
2420
01:58:48,020 --> 01:58:51,290
whether your eyes are happy
or sad or smiling.
2421
01:58:53,559 --> 01:58:58,596
This is going to be the 1918
influenza epidemic story,
2422
01:58:58,629 --> 01:59:01,600
and it will be written about
for the next 100 years.
2423
01:59:01,632 --> 01:59:06,604
And I think that realization
should really drive
2424
01:59:06,637 --> 01:59:09,475
a lot of our behavior
and our choices.
2425
01:59:12,578 --> 01:59:16,182
There's so much
that the virus has exposed,
2426
01:59:16,214 --> 01:59:20,386
the lessons are just gonna be
ongoing over time.
2427
01:59:20,418 --> 01:59:26,224
And the degree of suffering
is just so immense
2428
01:59:26,257 --> 01:59:28,727
that it's hard to
really conceptualize it.
2429
01:59:28,761 --> 01:59:31,129
And it's gonna
take a long time for us
2430
01:59:31,163 --> 01:59:33,199
to really figure out
the consequences of this,
2431
01:59:33,231 --> 01:59:34,699
because there are consequences
2432
01:59:34,732 --> 01:59:36,267
for the people
who survive this.
2433
01:59:38,404 --> 01:59:41,173
We spend billions of dollars
every year
2434
01:59:41,205 --> 01:59:45,176
on missiles that, hopefully,
will never fly,
2435
01:59:45,209 --> 01:59:49,448
on weapons that, hopefully,
we will never use.
2436
01:59:49,480 --> 01:59:52,450
We have to take health
security
2437
01:59:52,484 --> 01:59:57,088
as seriously as we do
defense security.
2438
01:59:57,122 --> 01:59:59,592
I think the career staff
and scientists were in place.
2439
01:59:59,624 --> 02:00:01,493
They were battle-tested.
2440
02:00:01,526 --> 02:00:03,729
They knew their role,
they knew the plan,
2441
02:00:03,762 --> 02:00:06,499
and they were prepared to act.
2442
02:00:06,531 --> 02:00:11,369
They put on their uniform
to respond to this pandemic,
2443
02:00:11,403 --> 02:00:14,140
and then there was
nowhere to go.
2444
02:00:16,175 --> 02:00:19,811
There is a misconception
that public health failed.
2445
02:00:19,845 --> 02:00:22,615
The truth is that
political leaders
2446
02:00:22,647 --> 02:00:25,818
failed to follow
public health guidance,
2447
02:00:25,851 --> 02:00:30,256
and that's what caused
avoidable disease, death,
2448
02:00:30,288 --> 02:00:32,190
and economic destruction.
2449
02:00:33,559 --> 02:00:36,162
Politicians are the problem.
2450
02:00:36,195 --> 02:00:38,664
We've gotta believe
in the scientists.
2451
02:00:38,696 --> 02:00:42,301
And we've got politicians
who don't believe in science.
2452
02:00:42,333 --> 02:00:44,369
America is lagging behind
2453
02:00:44,403 --> 02:00:47,539
every other country, almost,
in their response, and I...
2454
02:00:47,573 --> 02:00:51,610
hey, you gotta blame
the manager.
2455
02:00:51,642 --> 02:00:53,178
If we're to blame
the manager,
2456
02:00:53,212 --> 02:00:54,446
we must be able to answer
2457
02:00:54,480 --> 02:00:56,848
an essential
political question:
2458
02:00:56,882 --> 02:01:00,252
What did the president know,
and when did he know it?
2459
02:01:00,284 --> 02:01:02,421
Eight months
after the pandemic began,
2460
02:01:02,454 --> 02:01:03,823
we got the answer.
2461
02:01:08,360 --> 02:01:10,496
On February 7th,
two weeks before
2462
02:01:10,529 --> 02:01:12,865
anyone in America
had died from the disease,
2463
02:01:12,897 --> 02:01:15,234
journalist Bob Woodward
asked Donald Trump
2464
02:01:15,266 --> 02:01:19,637
if he knew how contagious
and dangerous COVID might be.
2465
02:01:19,671 --> 02:01:21,339
It goes through air, Bob.
2466
02:01:21,373 --> 02:01:23,342
That's always tougher
than the touch, you know?
2467
02:01:23,374 --> 02:01:24,709
The touch, you don't
have to touch things, right?
2468
02:01:24,743 --> 02:01:26,879
But the air,
you just breathe the air,
2469
02:01:26,912 --> 02:01:29,214
and that's how it's passed.
2470
02:01:29,248 --> 02:01:31,684
It's also more deadly
than your...
2471
02:01:31,717 --> 02:01:34,353
even your strenuous flus,
you know?
2472
02:01:34,386 --> 02:01:37,256
So this is deadly stuff.
2473
02:01:43,794 --> 02:01:47,399
Our manager
failed us.
2474
02:01:47,431 --> 02:01:49,467
But the disease also revealed
2475
02:01:49,501 --> 02:01:53,538
more fundamental problems
with our government.
2476
02:01:53,571 --> 02:01:58,343
We will see more pandemics
and other existential threats.
2477
02:01:58,377 --> 02:02:00,479
All on account
of manmade problems,
2478
02:02:00,512 --> 02:02:03,749
we must prepare
to solve together.
2479
02:02:03,781 --> 02:02:06,151
Our ability to reckon
with the future
2480
02:02:06,185 --> 02:02:09,655
will depend on how much
we learn from our recent past.
2481
02:02:09,687 --> 02:02:13,391
When the day comes when we can
finally take off our masks,
2482
02:02:13,425 --> 02:02:16,729
will we be ready to fix
what's really broken?
2483
02:02:16,762 --> 02:02:20,499
♪ Time has come today ♪
2484
02:02:20,531 --> 02:02:25,236
♪ Young hearts
can go their way ♪
2485
02:02:25,270 --> 02:02:28,841
♪ Can't put it off
another day ♪
2486
02:02:28,873 --> 02:02:32,810
♪ I don't care
what others say ♪
2487
02:02:32,843 --> 02:02:35,914
♪ They think
we don't listen anyway ♪
2488
02:02:35,948 --> 02:02:39,552
♪ Time has come today ♪
2489
02:02:39,584 --> 02:02:42,387
Hey!
2490
02:02:46,324 --> 02:02:48,260
Oh!
2491
02:02:48,293 --> 02:02:51,664
♪ The rules have
changed today ♪
2492
02:02:51,696 --> 02:02:55,568
♪ I have no place to stay ♪
2493
02:02:55,601 --> 02:02:59,505
♪ I'm thinking
about the subway ♪
2494
02:02:59,538 --> 02:03:03,575
♪ My love has flown away ♪
2495
02:03:03,609 --> 02:03:07,413
♪ My tears have
come and gone ♪
2496
02:03:07,445 --> 02:03:11,249
♪ Oh my Lord,
I have to roam ♪
2497
02:03:11,283 --> 02:03:14,887
♪ I have no home ♪
2498
02:03:14,919 --> 02:03:18,690
♪ I have no home ♪
2499
02:03:30,968 --> 02:03:34,707
♪ Now the time has come ♪
2500
02:03:34,739 --> 02:03:38,843
♪ There's no place to run ♪
2501
02:03:38,877 --> 02:03:42,448
♪ I might get burned up
by the sun ♪
2502
02:03:42,480 --> 02:03:46,318
♪ But I had my fun ♪
2503
02:03:46,351 --> 02:03:50,022
♪ I've been loved
and put aside ♪
2504
02:03:50,055 --> 02:03:53,758
♪ I've been crushed
by the tumbling tide ♪
2505
02:03:53,792 --> 02:03:55,227
♪ And my soul ♪
199022
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