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Erin Burnett Outfront

Pence: U.S. Doesn't Have Enough Virus Tests For Expected Demand; Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) Discusses About Vice President Claim There's No Enough Coronavirus Test Kits Today to Meet The Anticipated Demand; Helicopter Airlifts Coronavirus Test Kits to Cruise Ship With Quarantined Passengers; Sanders Cancels Mississippi Rally to Focus on Michigan; Iran Battling One of the World's Largest Coronavirus Outbreaks; Goodbye Warren. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 05, 2020 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: He was supposed to be executed right at the top of the hour. The Supreme Court says not happening now.

To our viewers, thanks for watching. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, mixed messages from the President and the Vice President on coronavirus as the number of deaths and infections goes up.

Plus, coronavirus veers on a cruise ship off the San Francisco coast. Test kits were just airdrop from a helicopter for about 100 passengers who are being checked for the illness at this hour.

And the fight for the Warren endorsement. Biden even trying to get to her by tweeting at her dog.

Let's go OUTFRONT.

Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, the number of Americans with coronavirus rising, 221 Americans infected up from 157 at this time last night. The death toll here in the United States now at 12 and today Vice President Mike Pence, the man heading up the effort to fight coronavirus admitting there may not be enough tests to meet demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We don't have enough test today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OK. Just yesterday the Vice President though sending a very different message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PENCE: Any American that wants to be tested for the coronavirus on

their doctors' indications can be tested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OK. Well, just to state the obvious, question, how can everyone be tested if there are not enough tests? Two very different messages from the Vice President of the United States who's in charge of this in just a 24-hour period.

Still, today, President Trump bragging about how well he has contained the virus here in the United States. He tweeted, "With approximately 100,000 coronavirus cases worldwide, and 3,280 deaths, the United States, because of quick action on closing our borders, has, as of now, only 129 cases (40 Americans brought in) and 11 deaths. We are working very hard to keep those numbers as low as possible."

Well, is that tweet too much too soon? Well, I mean, as I said, the number of Americans infected is now 221, not 129 as Trump said. Now sure, the President tweeted that seven hours ago, but seven hours ago, the moment he sent that tweet, the number of infected Americans was 163, not 129 as Trump said.

These are not small details, the number of Americans with this virus for the President of the United States to get right when tweeting on a topic which has frightened Americans, a topic where his credibility is crucial. And in fact, the experts at the CDC are saying something different. They are warning that this could get even worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. NANCY MESSONNIER, DIRECTOR, CDC NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASE: What is happening now in the United States may be the beginning of what is happening abroad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: It is a different message, a different warning than the President is sending.

Boris Sanchez is OUTFRONT at the White House. And Boris, President Trump tweeting but then refusing to answer questions about coronavirus from the press today.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right, Erin. The President repeatedly trying to look on the bright side of the coronavirus even frequently contradicting what we've heard from his own officials. The President, as you said, leaving the White House earlier today, not taking questions from reporters specifically about the number of coronavirus tests that are available for Americans.

He did tweet earlier in the day trying to clarify remarks that he made last night on Fox News, in which he said that people who have coronavirus often get better while going to work. The President stated that clearly even though on Twitter today he said that he did not - the CDC has made clear that if you have any inkling that you might be sick, you stay home so that you don't infect your co-workers, further, the President trying to downplay the mortality rate of coronavirus saying that he has a hunch that it's lower than 1 percent.

Of course, the CDC has repeatedly said that the mortality rate is closer to double that, at least. The President here clearly trying to downplay the effects of coronavirus important because he sees what's happening in the stock market and he's concerned that the virus could have damaging effects on the American economy as he's going into an election. So he continues to say that everything is fine, hoping that it won't hurt his chances for another four years in the White House, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Boris, thank you very much. Well, it is having significant impacts on the economy. If you look at what companies are saying right now about earnings. It is incredible what we're seeing.

OUTFRONT now, Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington. Her state has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the United States, 70 people infected, 11 fatalities there. And Senator Murray is also the top Democrat on the Senate Health Committee.

Senator, I appreciate your time tonight.

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: So look, you heard Vice President Pence. He says that today we don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand. That is important that he's being honest about it, but also a very sobering admission.

[19:05:01]

Do you have confidence that the United States will have enough tests to meet demand to actually even know who has the coronavirus when those tests are needed?

MURRAY: Erin, there's no way and with the mixed messages, the chaotic back and forth the you're going to be fine, you're not going to be fine, we have a million, we only have 75,000 is creating real confusion at home in my state.

Families right now are being told if you're sick, stay home. They cannot get tested, so they can't verify that so everyone is told to stay home. Community leaders, school districts, mayors, county executives are making decisions about closing down public events. Businesses are closing and telling their employees thousands of them to stay at home, whether they're sick or not today.

This is having a huge impact. I've been talking to parents. Our school districts have been closed and they're saying I don't have daycare, I don't have a way to take care of my kids. Families who are told don't come to work and if you're sick, stay home.

And they don't have sick leave, they don't have any way to pay their rent or put food on their table. This confusion, this lack of testing is causing real confusion and chaos and it's dangerous. BURNETT: So you sent a letter I know to Vice President Pence demanding

answers about the delays with testing. You're laying out the real world implications of those delays. Have you heard back from him?

MURRAY: I have not heard back from him. There's two issues. One is what the heck happened. Two months ago, you were telling us where you were going to have tests out there, then some kind of issue happened and they said they didn't work, but we're going to get them out right away and then they never did.

And then we're told we're going to have a million by the end of the week. Obviously, we're not. The President and Vice President are telling us different messages. And on the ground, we are not seeing enough tests to make decisions.

The second thing is we need these tests out there so people can make the kinds of decisions that are impacting their families, their businesses and our economy, obviously. And without them, we don't know the number of people that actually have been impacted, so it has tremendous impact not to have the facts.

BURNETT: Right. And you're on the Senate Health Committee, you've been briefed on the information that's out there. You referenced some of the issues with testing, but another issue is just whether these tests work.

We know a woman was released from quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, after she tested negative twice, but then her third test came back positive, but those results didn't come back until after she was released. So do you even know - I mean, now, look, that could be the way the virus acts. We don't know. It could be faulty testing. Do you know whether the tests actually work?

MURRAY: Well, I don't know who to ask to get that assurance. I will say this that. Dr. Fauci, the folks at CDC, I believe are telling us the best information they can.

BURNETT: Yes.

MURRAY: But oftentimes they're overridden by someone at the administration or someone who's just trying to calm fears who don't realize that the impact of what they are saying is real. We need tests that we know work and we need to get them out there quickly. And if we don't have that, then we need to tell businesses to make and families to make a decision based on containing this very contagious virus.

BURNETT: So some schools in your state, you reference this, have closed because of coronavirus. That is a big deal for those children and missing the school and the learning for the families for countless people. You held a hearing today with the Education Secretary Betsy Devos, you brought up this issue. What do you think needs to happen?

Obviously, you want to be on the side of safety, but when you're keeping millions of children out of school who are not sick, is that the right thing to do? I mean, what's the right thing to do here? MURRAY: These are the decisions every school district is struggling to

make the correct decision. One school district that I know of in the Seattle area, 30,000 plus kids is now telling them to stay home for several weeks. Their absentee rate was at 20 percent.

They have a high number of employees who are over 60. Public health is telling you if you're over 60, that this virus can have a serious impact. So stay home so they had school employees now coming home. They're working really hard to try and make sure the kids are getting an education.

But I will tell you parents who don't have paid sick leave are now having to stay home with their kids or kids are staying home alone or they're staying with grandparents who are at that age of the highest impact or they're hanging out in the mall. So these are really difficult decisions for school districts to make.

I can tell you from on the ground in Washington State, everyone is trying to do the best that they can. But what this means is we need policies in place in this country that are there for us when we have these kinds of public health emergencies.

BURNETT: So the bottom line though, your state, Starbucks is based there today, they said the coronavirus as it is right now could cut earnings by 30 percent. That's 30 percent from Starbucks. Airlines are cutting back. The CEO of Southwest says that the impact on air travel has a 9/11 like feel, which is an absolutely stunning thing to say when you think about the nature of 9/11.

[19:10:06]

Do you worry, Senator, that fear here has far outplaced reality or not?

MURRAY: I will tell you this, that the way we replace fear is by having real, concrete information. Without the tests that are credible, we don't have that. And therefore, we don't know and community leaders and school districts and businesses don't know how to make the wisest decisions.

So that's why I really hold this administration accountable and I'm demanding that they get us answers.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Senator Murray. I appreciate your time tonight. As I said from Washington State, the hardest hit state thus far in this country.

And next, coronavirus tests airdropped from a helicopter onto a cruise ship. There are more than 3,000 people onboard this cruise ship and it has been anchored now off the coast of San Francisco.

Plus, Bernie Sanders taking a detour, canceling an event in Mississippi, heading straight to Michigan tomorrow. Can he stop Joe Biden's momentum?

And Michael Bloomberg with a big announcement tonight even though he's out of the race.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:14:40]

BURNETT: Tonight passengers and crew aboard a second cruise ship, a second cruise ship are being tested for coronavirus. The California Air National Guard helicopter delivering the tests to the Grand Princess, which is currently off the coast of San Francisco.

The test will be administered to about 100 passengers and crew who have been identified for testing. All passengers on the ship are now being order to remain in their staterooms.

Now, remember when this happened on the prior, the Diamond Princess, remember it stayed for - it was weeks that they were stuck on that ship.

Previously, this ship had a man on it who had coronavirus, eventually became the first person in California to die from the virus. Dozens of people who were on that trip with him are now still on that ship.

So Dr. Jonathan Quick is with me, former Director of the World Health Organization and Dr. Celine Gounder, an Infectious Disease Specialist and epidemiologist, and host of the Epidemic, an American diagnosis podcast.

I appreciate both of you with us to give us some answers here. Dr. Gounder, is there a legitimate chance? People look at this, yet another cruise ship here and now people are again sort of stuck on the ship. We saw the air dropping of the tests to the actual ship. Is there a legitimate chance the virus could still be on that ship?

CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASES SPECIALIST AND EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Well, it's not just that. It sounds like this man left the ship within the last 14 days, so in other words, that's within the incubator period, within the window of someone having been exposed directly to him and still being incubating the virus.

So I think it's not just a question of contamination of the environment, but also of having had direct contact with this gentleman.

BURNETT: So Dr. Quick in New York, a thousand people right now, and this is the latest numbers we have, are being asked to self- quarantine. And this is due to the virus spreading from one person, one man, one lawyer to his family. So now you've got a thousand people related to that asked to self-quarantine.

And this comes as New Hampshire, a man who was asked to self- quarantine while awaiting results of the tests failed to do so, went to a party at Dartmouth and was eventually then he got his results back and he was positive for coronavirus. So during his self quarantine he had gone to this party, he had coronavirus.

Are you concerned about this whole concept of self-quarantine which is going to become bigger and bigger that people won't do it?

GOUNDER: Well, I can only speak for my own experience with this - oh, sorry, go ahead.

DR. JONATHAN QUICK, FORMER DIRECTOR AT THE WHOLE HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Yes. The defense that we have is quarantine and a key thing is confidence and trust and public understanding. You want to avoid in a sense imposing police-type controls on people. Some of the things that have been done are basically they have a self-quarantine partner, definitely a daily call and we went through this with Ebola. We had people coming back from Ebola and we had self-quarantine.

I think what we've learned is that we need to apply some social pressures and as I say a, maybe, a quarantine partner to be sure that people don't break quarantine.

BURNETT: Dr. Gounder, President Trump has contradicted medical professionals as we're all aware time and again. Here's one example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, if, you know, we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work - some of them go to work, but they get better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get sick, stay home. You're not helping your colleagues by going to work sick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: And Dr. Gounder, here's the President and the NIH Infectious Disease Chief talking about a vaccine for coronavirus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I've heard very quick numbers. You're talking about three to four months.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: In order to get a vaccine that's practically deployable for people to use is going to be at least a year to a year and a half at best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Dr. Gounder, how worrisome are these contradictions?

GOUNDER: Well, I don't know if it's intentional or if it's misunderstanding. For example, I think there may be some confusion as to what is an experimental or candidate vaccine and what is a vaccine that has gone through all of the different stages of clinical trials necessary to test its safety and efficacy. It is true, we do have an experimental vaccine that is about to go into phase one clinical trials, but that also means that it's about another 18 months away from and this would be going at warp speed from making it through stage one, stage two and stage three.

So I can't speak to intent, but there does seem to be some confusion in terms of interpreting the scientific facts.

BURNETT: How much spread do you think there will be, Dr. Gounder? We look at this, you look at the numbers and where you are right now, they're growing quite rapidly, when you look at the percentage increase, you have 40 percent. Some of that is testing, some of that is in increased cases, but Dr. Quick, you're also a very low numbers, so that's why your percentage increase is so high. How big do you think this could become?

GOUNDER: Well, I would anticipate you're going to see a big percentage increase up front and it doesn't necessarily represent that you're seeing cases truly spike in that way.

[19:20:06]

We saw this as they change case definitions in China that you would see all of a sudden a big jump and then things would level off a little bit. When we institute testing in a widespread way, you will see cases go up rapidly because you're finally catching what you hadn't been catching all along.

So I would not let that alarm people. But I think that is to be expected.

BURNETT: Dr. Quick, what do you think? Obviously, you have the WHO earlier today talking about - I'm sorry, the head of the CDC saying what's happening now in the United States maybe the beginning of what's happening abroad. When you hear that, what do you think?

QUICK: Well, that's a reality. We don't know how fast or how far it's going to go. One of the key things is to track what's happening on the new cases per day. And a month ago, we had 130 cases outside of China. Today we have 12,000 and it is continuing to rise each day.

So watching that that epidemic curve and the reality is we're not sure what's going to slow that down. We have seen in several countries, they've been able with really good reaction to level off. But in most of the countries where it's taken off, it hasn't.

Now, we have to remember there are countries where it's gotten to. Most of those only have two or three cases. So for those can be contained, we may be able to hold this back in a number of places.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you both very much for your time.

And a lot more here on the facts, which is what matters in a time when fear has had already such a huge economic impact. Join Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson for a CNN GLOBAL TOWN HALL tonight, Coronavirus Facts and Fears. That is tonight at 10:00 Eastern here on CNN.

And next, Bernie Sanders last minute change of plans. Has Joe Biden's big Super Tuesday forced to Sanders to have a new strategy? And Andrew Yang, big plans, he's out of the Presidential race, but he's doing something new. He'll tell you what tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:26:13]

BURNETT: New tonight, change of plans. Bernie Sanders has canceled plans to campaign tomorrow morning in Mississippi. Instead, he's going to go straight from Phoenix where he is about to hold a rally to Michigan tomorrow morning.

Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT. She's at the Sanders rally tonight. So Kyung, obviously, this is a shift. He's not trying to hide it. He's focusing on what is a must achieve just five days away to the next primaries.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, and that is going to be the big prize and Bernie Sanders doubling down on his strategy here, Erin. What he is saying is that he is going to sell himself hard to the State of Michigan, a state known for its union workers, for its working people that he is the one, the candidate who can represent the working class.

And it is Joe Biden, by contrast he is going to say, who is someone who has to speak to bigger fundraisers, that he is not the one who's going to be fighting for the working people of America. It's certainly going to be a difficult argument for him to make, especially since he is coming up against working class, Joe.

Something that we're seeing here in Arizona, a lot of people streaming in and this is the sort of enthusiasm that he's hoping is going to carry over into Michigan as he heads there tomorrow. A critical state.

Sanders saying that he will lean into the fact that Joe Biden supported trade deals like NAFTA, that Bernie Sanders did not support that. That it is a deal that Sanders believes has proven to be unpopular in the Midwest, that that's an argument that helped him win the state of Michigan in 2016, just barely from Hillary Clinton.

But he feels, Erin, that by making these arguments that he's the one who's going to walk away on Tuesday with 125 delegates from the State of Michigan, Erin.

BURNETT: A very rich delegate hall and bigger obviously than or close to the margin, sorry, not quite between the two right now.

OUTFRONT now, Chief Political Analyst Dana Bash, former Press Secretary for President Clinton, Joe Lockhart, who is a Joe Biden supporter and Natalia Salgado, the Political Director for the Center For Popular Democracy Action and a Bernie Sanders supporter.

OK. So Dana, let me start with you, Sanders making a last minute change. So he's not trying to hide it, he is making it clear Mississippi may not be where he can win or the focus will benefit him.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

BURNETT: He needs to win Michigan and he's going to spend more time there and making no bones about it. What does that tell you?

BASH: That his campaign, they know what they're doing and they look at the numbers, they understand very well where his support is and is not. At the beginning of this campaign, he was hoping that he would do better with African-American voters than he did in 2016.

So far that hasn't happened for him and on Tuesday night it was a southern sweep for Joe Biden, particularly with the help of African- American voters and the expectation inside Sanders world is that will happen again with Mississippi.

On the other hand, Michigan was the place four years ago, that breathed new life into Bernie Sanders campaign when he was up against Hillary Clinton. He needs to do well there for that reason, but also just because of the raw numbers that Kyung was talking about. I mean, it's 125 delegates, that's the biggest prize of the night this coming Tuesday.

BURNETT: So Natalia, Bernie Sanders, obviously, beat Hillary Clinton in Michigan, as Dana said. It was a big turning point for him. But on Super Tuesday, one of the negative surprises for Sanders was that he lost some states that he won four years ago, Maine, Minnesota and Oklahoma and didn't do as well in his home state of Vermont.

So does that give you any concern when you look at Michigan, which clearly he views as a must win and must win big with that rich delegate hall?

[19:30:01]

NATALIA SALGADO, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY ACTION, ENDORSED SANDERS: I think that, you know, looking back at 2016, he won by 20,000 votes. Fifteen percent of the electorate are black folk, African-American voters.

So, he's going in -- I'm not absolving the campaign of what they need to do with the black community. There's clearly work that needs to get done. But I do think what's going to happen here is that he's going to show the Biden campaign for what it is. You know, Joe likes to call himself working class Joe. I think what folks are tired with is the virtue signaling. What Senator Sanders has shown is that beyond the rhetoric, he also stands by the issues that matter to workers and everyday people.

And in a state like Michigan where the auto industry union has really sort of set the tone for the state, that is going to resonate with folks on the ground.

So, Joe, earlier today Biden slammed Sanders. Senator Sanders said his resurgence is in part because he's supported by the corporate establishment. Maybe not even in part. He's talked a lot on the reliance to donors and Joe Biden is going to Washington for another dinner with big donors.

So, here's what Bernie said, I'm sorry, Biden said about Bernie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's ridiculous. Bernie, you got beaten by overwhelming support I have from African-American community, Bernie. You got beaten because of suburban women, Bernie. You got beaten because the middle class, hardworking folks out there, Bernie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: You know, that's the argument he's making is that it's the voters.

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BURNETT: The argument Sanders is making is that, you know, all these billionaire donors and this money and now, Bloomberg's money can sway a lot of voters and that is what's happening here.

LOCKHART: Well, if you look at the facts, Bloomberg didn't sway any voters. He got -- he, you know, came in a distant third most places, some places fourth. And the day before Super Tuesday -- the day before South Carolina, Joe Biden was broke. Campaign was running out of the money.

So, I think this is -- I think this is just Senator Sanders' way of campaigning which is demonizing whoever he's running against and saying they're part of somehow a corporate -- it's insulting to the African-Americans who voted for Biden. It's insulting to the suburban women as Joe Biden said. This was a groundswell of support not from the -- you know, Bernie Sanders outspent Joe Biden in all of these states.

BURNETT: Right.

LOCKHART: But this is what the voter wanted.

BURNETT: So, Dana, though, obviously, it's more complicated than I'm -- that I'm going to put it here. But when you look at states like Mississippi, right, states that in the general election are not Democratic states, you can win them in a primary. But if you look at states like Michigan, if Bernie Sanders is able to win states that possibly could be turned Democratic, what does that say if Biden is wracking up wins in red states when he's got to also show he can wrack up states in some of the big, big blue states like California and Michigan -- Michigan obviously is a swing -- but in other places.

BASH: That's a really, really astute question because -- I mean. just look back, the Clinton campaign took Michigan for granted, just assuming it would be a blue state. And it wasn't. You know, it turned -- it turned red and it helped give Donald Trump his victory.

And it was clear that the people that supported Bernie Sanders -- not all of them, but some of the people who came out in support of Bernie Sanders during the primary didn't see her as the candidate for them. And some of them obviously said either we're going to stay home or we are union workers who think Donald Trump is our guy because of the trade issues we just heard about and others.

So, that's no small thing. And so, when we look at the exit polls on next Tuesday, no matter who wins, where the win comes from and where the delegates come from are going to be really key to helping answer that question about whether Joe Biden learned Hillary Clinton's lesson or not.

BURNETT: So, the other big news story today, Senator Elizabeth Warren dropping out of the race. Biden and Sanders, I mean, they're laying it on thick, trying to win her over. Biden even tweeted to her dog saying; And to Bailey, Champ and Major would love to have you over any time.

And Senator Sanders writing a pair of tweets, including praise for Warren: Without her, the progressive movement would be as strong as it is today.

I mean, these are love notes at the highest order, let's just be honest about that, Natalia.

So, Warren's not making an endorsement but she's had talks with both Biden and Sanders. What do you think she's holding out for? What would it take for Sanders to get her?

SALGADO: Thinking about the highest love note possible. I can't find two candidates who agree more on the issues that matter to marginalized communities. At the end of the day, I think that Senator Warren has really run a campaign of moral clarity and also has displayed her policy chops. And in addition to that has always added in a layer of centering women of color, especially black women.

[19:35:06]

BURNETT: Joe -- yes, go ahead.

SALGADO: Go ahead.

I think that when she makes her decision, I think ultimately the same way she read her campaign, a campaign of moral clarity, a campaign whose fundamentals were based on the issues, that will come into play and will ultimately decide her decision for her.

BURNETT: Joe, before we go, Warren tried to say recently her Medicare for All plan is different than Sanders. She tried to distinguish herself. But she's been with team Bernie on this course a lot. You know, earlier on, she said, yes, I'm with Bernie for Medicare for all. I'm with Bernie. She's said it again and again.

Could someone that said I'm with Bernie, I'm with Bernie, endorse Biden?

LOCKHART: I think she could. And if I'm with Bernie was still valid, she would have endorsed Sanders today. The way I look at it she's got leverage with Joe Biden. She could go to Joe Biden and say you need my support. Let's talk policy. Let's talk the things. I want to move you a little left. So, I think she's actively considering endorsing both.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you all very much.

And next, billionaire Michael Bloomberg out of the race for president. His money, though, is not. He has a big announcement tonight.

And this man was leading the charge against coronavirus in Iran. You see him. Days after this television appearance, he was diagnosed with coronavirus. We're going to take you inside the spiraling crisis inside that country which is threatening some in the regime itself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:40:22]

BURNETT: Tonight, Michael Bloomberg rolling out a new ad. And, yes, you heard me right, he is still spending big time to defeat Trump even though he dropped out of the race for president. In fact, the Bloomberg aide tells CNN the billionaire former New York City mayor will employ hundreds of former campaign staffers to help the eventual Democratic nominee.

OUFRONT now, Andrew Yang, former Democratic presidential candidate.

And, Andrew, you know, you know Mayor Bloomberg. You've talked to him since he dropped out of the race, something he clearly did not want to do, right? He thought he was going to do better than he did, I mean, being honest. He wanted to be the nominee.

Did you talk -- did you talk about this?

ANDREW YANG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I haven't talked to mike since he dropped out. I talked to him beforehand.

BURNETT: Yes.

YANG: Clearly, this was not the scenario that he projected or his team had projected. But it's great he's going to keep resources in the field because his resources and personnel and technology are second to none in the Democratic field. If the Democrats are going to win in the fall, he's going to be a big part of it.

BURNETT: So, everyone wanted to know what you are going to do next? People are always asking, at CNN, what's he doing? What's he doing? What's Andrew Yang?

So, today, you launched something called Humanity Forward.

So, what is your number one goal?

YANG: Well, our goal is the champion the ideas of my campaign around the future of work, universal basic income, a human-centered economy, and the fact that your data should be ours even if we lent it to the technology companies. So, we're launching this new non-profit today and we have $3 million plus in pledges to give to the American people in the form of universal basic income and show that this economy should work for us and not the other way around.

BURNETT: So, universal basic income, right? That's a core part of it. I mean, you talk about data but it was the core part of that, it was as center piece of your campaign. You have said, Andrew, that if Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders were to buy into that idea to support that idea, it would go a long way toward earning your endorsement.

Now, you know what they said in the past, you have this somewhat of a smirk, like a Mona Lisa look on your face. But to people who don't know, here's what Biden and Sanders said about universal basic income.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: A job's about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. Getting an annual wage to sit home and do nothing, you strip people.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we believe in is guaranteeing a job in this country to anybody who is prepared to work. I think that's the better approach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: OK. So, they -- obviously, they have dismissed it. Did you see either of them changing their view and earning your endorsement with your very young, very enthusiastic support base?

YANG: I talked to Joe just a few days ago and Joe and I have had several private conversations about the seriousness of the fourth industrial revolution. Joe believes we are going through this profound technological shift, and though we agree on the diagnosis --

BURNETT: You mean automation and things like that --

YANG: Yes, yes, Joe is deeply concerned about it. And we agree on the diagnosis -- we're not on the same page in terms of the prescription or the approach. Bernie and I debated on a debate stage about the universal basic income versus federal jobs guarantee. I think a federal jobs guarantee might seem good in principle but would be kind of disastrous in real life if implemented.

BURNETT: I think I remember asking you that question in that debate.

But -- so, you talked to Joe Biden personally but no to Bernie Sanders. Are you going to endorse or --

YANG: Bernie called me after I suspended and he, you know, he was very warm and congratulatory. I have said number one that I want someone to come out for some of the policies that I championed. But, also, I have a very healthy degree of respect for the Democratic process.

I think the goal is to have a nomine and then I will campaign my heart out for the nominee to beat Donald Trump in the fall.

BURNETT: So, speaking of campaigning, you told a news outlet that you were, quote, looking for a run at mayor of New York in 2021. This is maybe the biggest job in the country, one the biggest jobs in the country. I mean, right, biggest city, we all know this. Some candidates have already jumped in.

What are you waiting for to make your choice?

YANG: Well, Erin, I'm a problem solver and I want to see, frankly, what the other candidates bring to the table, what New York might look like under their leadership. If they're on the same page as I am in terms of a lot of things I want to do for the city, then, frankly, I don't feel as pressing a need to jump in. Many of the problems I focused on in my presidential campaign are going to grow in scope and seriousness over time. So, we're looking at the New York mayoral race, but it's one of the several things we're looking at.

BURNETT: OK. So, I want to as you another -- a question about the story that we air, very personal story to you about Evelyn, your wife. She broke her silence about being sexually abused by her doctor in 2012 when she was pregnant. I can't imagine how hard it was for her to talk about this.

[19:45:04]

And she did and she has made such a huge impact, because since that story aired, her lawyer tells us and you know even more, 52 additional women have come forward and said that this doctor did similar things to them. This is incredible.

YANG: Well, I just want to thank you, Erin, and also Dana for the incredible interview with Evelyn. It was deeply personal, and she felt like you presented it in the best possible way. And I've been staggered by the outpouring of gratitude, really, to Evelyn for telling her story because there are dozens of other women who have come forward about the same doctor.

And now, the D.A. has reopened investigation of this doctor. We all know this doctor should not be anywhere but prison. And the fact that you and you're helping Evelyn unearth this story helped bring this doctor closer to justice is something we're deeply grateful to you for.

BURNETT: Well, I think a lot of people are deeply grateful to Evelyn for what she did. The courage to do that is -- I think anybody watching, man or woman, can imagine how incredibly brave that was.

Thank you, Andrew.

YANG: Thank you, Erin. It's great to be here.

BURNETT: And next, one of the biggest coronavirus outbreaks outside of China. The situation in Iran deteriorating tonight.

And Jeanne says goodbye to Elizabeth Warren, the presidential candidate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:28]

BURNETT: Tonight, Iran, home to one of the largest outbreaks of the coronavirus outside China, the virus spreading to all 31 provinces in the country. More than 3,500 cases so far. And what's so strange about this is it is at the highest levels of Iran's government.

Sam Kiley is OUTFRONT and I want to warn you, though, that some of the images out of Iran that you will see in this piece are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The grim ranks of the unburied clutter the floor of an Iranian morgue, a glimpse into the reality of the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside of China and Korea. Funerals held up while bodies are tested for disease.

ALI RAMEZANI, BEHESHT-E MASOUMEH MORGUE (through translator): What we are dealing with is how to handle the bodies of coronavirus victims versus non-coronavirus victims, as the instructions for burial are different for each.

KILEY: Health officials initially telling the country that the situation is stable. They seemed unable to manage the wave of infections even among themselves. The Iranian official tasked with combating the outbreak was diagnosed himself soon after this public appearance.

The official numbers more than 3,500 Iranians have been infected and over 100 have died. But there are tales the true toll could be much higher.

Iran is now disinfecting public transport, screening in Qom, and setting up websites to help self-diagnosis and quarantine, 300,000 extra health workers have been deployed from the hard-line Basij militia. Not before a senior adviser to supreme leader died from the virus.

The disease has spread from Iran to the Middle East and now New York, where a woman arriving from Iran has been recently diagnosed. The White House has banned new arrivals from Iran, while the president has offered help from the U.S.

TRUMP: If we can help the Iranians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so. We would love to be able to help them. And all they have to do is ask.

KILEY: No appeal from Iran is likely, given the attitude of the supreme leader.

ALI KHAMENEI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER (through translator): This outbreak did not just happen in our country, you know and have heard it is happening in many countries today. The difference is that many countries have kept it hidden.

KILEY: One senior U.S. health official demonstrating uncommon candor over U.S. efforts to fight the epidemic.

ROBERT KADLEC, M.D., ASST. SECY OF PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: Quite frankly, right now, the only thing we really have is kind of 18th century public health.

KILEY: Driving home the idea that this isn't a nationalistic issue, it's a global catastrophe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY: Erin, Iran is a nation under very stringent sanctions imposed by the Trump administration that significantly inhibits its ability to react to import the much needed medical supplies that it needs. But nonetheless, it's clear that they're able to mobilize all of the power of an authoritarian state to deal with it.

That unfortunately is not the case elsewhere in the Middle East, where war is going to be the principle problem in dealing with this virus -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Sam, thank you very much.

And just to emphasize how serious this crisis is in Iran, two senior politicians and a top cleric have died from coronavirus. That's right. And look at this, a vice president who is seen in this picture on the left seated just a few feet away from the president, Hassan Rouhani. That person is one of several officials who have tested positive for coronavirus according to state media. Her condition was disclosed just a day after the picture you see here.

Jeanne Moos is next.

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[19:58:07]

BURNETT: Here is Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to swallow. Her beer swiggin', selfie-snappin' presidential campaign is over.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elizabeth Warren has dropped out of the race.

MOOS: She got over 100,000 selfies down to a science, moving from one to the next in five seconds with periodic hydration. Her presidential run may be over. But she was definitely the most dashing candidate.

REPORTER: How are you?

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Sorry, I'm running for a train. REPORTER: I got -- you're the only presidential -- you're the fastest

presidential nominee.

MOOS: She never made to it the nomination, though she did make the train.

(on camera): You know what else is quick? Her wit.

(voice-over): With Warren out, the race just got a little dumber, tweeted one fan.

Someone else wondered if she ever pondered --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is going to be my Mike Pence? Who is going to look at me with adoring eyes?

WARREN: I already have a dog.

MOOS: Bailey the Golden Retriever was there when Warren launched the campaign, and he was there when she ended it, always supplying a dog's eye view via the Bailey cam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bailey!

MOOS: Elizabeth Warren got no respect for her dancing. But hey, neither did her rival, Tom Steyer and Pete "Raise the Roof" Buttigieg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go Pete!

MOOS (on camera): For one voter, Warren dropping out will be like losing a sister.

(voice-over): A twin sister.

Warren volunteer and doppelganger Stephanie Oyen says she's sad. Warren would have been a great president. They'd met in person twice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dream big. Fight hard. We can. With Warren, we have plans

MOOS: Plans for another year, perhaps. If the campaign needed a laugh, they got it from Bailey.

Warren's press secretary tweeted that Bailey just swiped someone's burrito. We're sure Bailey will shake off losing his bid for first dog, but not losing that burrito.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: And thanks for joining us.

Anderson starts now.