THAT IT ISSUED 60 SUMMONSES AND
MORE THAN $150,000 IN FINES.
WILLIE.
>> STEPH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JOINING US NOW IS NEW YORK
GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO.
HE HAS A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED
"AMERICAN CRISIS, LEADERSHIP
LESSONS FROM THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC."
GOVERNOR CUOMO, GOOD MORNING.
IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
WE’LL TALK ABOUT THE BOOK IN
JUST A MOMENT BUT I WANT TO
FIRST ASK YOU ABOUT THE STATE OF
AFFAIRS HERE IN NEW YORK.
WE KNOW THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS
ARE RISING.
NEW YORK AFTER THAT MARCH, APRIL
AND MAY WE SUFFERED THROUGH GOT
ITS ARMS AROUND CORONAVIRUS.
BUT IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE’RE
HEADING INTO A FALL AND WINTER
WHERE PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT
WHAT’S COMING AHEAD.
SO HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS
NEXT PERIOD AS GOVERNOR?
>> THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING, WILLIE.
WE ARE COMING INTO A FALL AND
PEOPLE SHOULD BE WORRIED.
THE EXPERTS ALL ALONG HAVE BEEN
TELLING US IN THE FALL THE FLU
COMES BACK, PEOPLE GO INDOORS,
SCHOOLS OPEN SO YOU SHOULD LOOK
FOR A RISE.
IN NEW YORK WE’RE DOING
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
OVERALL THE NEW YORK SITUATION
IS VERY, VERY GOOD.
WE’RE ABOUT 1% INFECTION RATE,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE LOWEST RATES
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WE DO A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
TESTING.
WE DO MORE TESTING IN ONE DAY
THAN MOST STATES DO IN A WEEK.
SO WE CAN TARGET VERY SMALL
CLUSTERS, WE CALL THEM, WHERE
CASES ARE STARTING AND THEN WE
ATTACK THOSE CLUSTERS.
THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING RIGHT
NOW.
WE HAVE A CLUSTER IN BROOKLYN AND IN QUEENS PRIMARILY, WHICH
AND IN QUEENS PRIMARILY, WHICH
IS PRIMARILY A HASIDIC JEWISH
COMMUNITY THAT DOESN’T WANT TO
ACCEPT THE SOCIAL DISTANCING
RULES, ET CETERA.
SO IT’S ABOUT 2% OF THE
POPULATION.
BUT WE’RE FOCUSING ON THAT 2%.
AND WE KNEELEDNEED THE ABILITY T
ON THESE SMALL CLUSTERS NOW.
BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T CATCH A
CLUSTER, THEN IT BECOMES A
CONTAGION.
>> GOVERNOR, AS YOU KNOW THERE
ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
THIS CITY AND STATE AND AS
SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN NEW YORK
AND LIVES IN NEW YORK AND HAS
KIDS IN SCHOOL IN NEW YORK
BELIEVES IT’S INEVITABLE THINGS
WILL SHUT DOWN AGAIN BECAUSE OF
WHAT WE’VE HEARD FROM PUBLIC
HEALTH EXPERTS ABOUT THE FALL
AND THE WINTER.
ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER SHUTDOWN?
>> NO, I’M NOT THERE YET,
WILLIE.
I DON’T BELIEVE IT’S INEVITABLE.
I BELIEVE IT’S POSSIBLE, I DON’T
BELIEVE IT’S INEVITABLE.
I THINK WE HAVE TO GET SMARTER
AS A COUNTRY.
WE HAVE TO GET SMARTER AS
STATES.
WE’RE DEALING WITH A VIRUS.
WE HAVE TO USE THE SCIENCE AND
GET MORE SOPHISTICATED, AND
THAT’S WHERE WE ARE IN NEW YORK.
LOOK, WE’RE CLOSING DOWN AREAS
THAT ARE ABOUT ONE OR TWO SQUARE
MILES, RIGHT?
THESE ARE TINY AREAS.
BUT WE HAVE THAT KIND OF DATA.
AND IF YOU CAN TARGET THAT WAY
AND CLOSE DOWN SMALL AREAS, THEN
IT’S NOT INEVITABLE THAT THE
SPREAD GETS SO LARGE THAT YOU
WOULD HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN AN
ENTIRE CITY OR A STATE.
>> SO, GOVERNOR --
>> GET SMART IS THE POINT,
WILLIE.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BOOK,
"AMERICAN CRISIS."
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE
DETAILS OF IT.
BUT JUST BROADLY THE IDEA OF IT.
CAN YOU SEE WHY A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINK IF YOU SAY WE’RE IN THE
HALFTIME OF THIS, THAT WRITING A
BOOK, A RETROSPECTIVE IN THE
MIDDLE OF IT, CELEBRATING THE
THINGS THAT YOU DID RIGHT, FEELS
OFF AND STRANGE GIVEN WHAT MAY
BE AHEAD?
>> NO.
WILLIE, IT’S NOT A CELEBRATION
AT ALL.
THE GAME ISN’T OVER.
IT IS HALFTIME.
WE DIDN’T LOSE, IT’S ONLY
HALFTIME.
AND WE HAD SOME SUCCESS.
BUT WE ALSO ARE MAKING A LOT OF
MISTAKES.
AND WHEN WE GO INTO THE LOCKER
ROOM AS A NATION AND WE TALK
ABOUT THE FIRST HALF, WE BETTER
LEARN BECAUSE IF WE DON’T LEARN
THE LESSONS, THE SECOND HALF IS
GOING TO BE WORSE, I CAN TELL
YOU THAT.
WE HAVE TO STOP THE DENIAL.
WE HAVE TO STOP THE POLITICS.
WE HAVE TO STOP THE PARTY SAN
PARTISANSHIP.
WE’RE DEALING WITH A VIRUS.
THE VIRUS DOESN’T RESPOND TO
POLITICS.
WE’RE SEVEN MONTHS INTO THIS.
THE PRESIDENT HAS A ROSE GARDEN
CEREMONY, GETS COVID, COMES OUT
AND SAYS THAT WAS NO BIG DEAL.
I MEAN IT’S INCREDIBLE HOW
LITTLE WE HAVE LEARNED IN SEVEN
MONTHS, AND WE HAVE TO GET
SMARTER AND WE HAVE TO GET
BETTER.
>> SO WITH 33,000 NEARLY PEOPLE
DEAD IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK,
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED AS YOU
WRITE ABOUT IN THE EARLY STAGES
THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO LATER?
FOR EXAMPLE, WAS IT A MISTAKE TO
SEND THOSE COVID-POSITIVE
PATIENTS BACK INTO NURSING
HOMES?
>> YEAH, HERE’S THE FIRST LESSON
FOR THIS NATION, WILLIE.
HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW THE VIRUS
WAS COMING TO THE UNITED STATES?
THEY CALL IT THE CHINA VIRUS.
IT WASN’T THE CHINA VIRUS, IT
WAS THE EUROPEAN VIRUS.
YOU HAD SARS, YOU HAD MERS, YOU
HAD EBOLA, YOU HAD DENGUE.
HOW DID YOU NOT HAVE A MEDICAL
WATCHDOG SYSTEM?
WHERE WAS THE CDC?
WHERE WAS THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY?
THE REASON NEW YORK’S NUMBERS
WERE SO HIGH WAS BECAUSE THE
VIRUS WAS COMING HERE FOR MONTHS
UNDETECTED.
IT MOVED FROM CHINA TO EUROPE
AND THEN FLIGHTS WERE COMING
FROM EUROPE.
THE PRESIDENT BANNED CHINA
TRAVEL JANUARY 29th --
>> DID YOU MAKE ANY MISTAKES IN
THIS PROCESS?
>> OH, YES.
>> YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
>> YES, THAT WAS THE FIRST POINT
WAS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
MISSED IT COMING HERE.
SECOND, WE WERE THE FIRST STATE
TO DO A MASK MANDATE, WILLIE.
I COULD HAVE DONE IT EARLIER.
THE EXPERTS WERE SAYING THE
MASKS DIDN’T WORK.
COMMON SENSE SAID THE MASKS
WOULD WORK.
I COULD HAVE DONE THAT EARLIER.
TESTING, WE GOT TESTING AS FAST
AS WE COULD.
IN RETROSPECT, WE SHOULD HAVE
UNDERSTOOD THAT SOME VIRUS LIKE
THIS WOULD COME BACK AFTER MERS
AND SARS AND HAVE MORE
SOPHISTICATION FOR TESTING.
THAT IT TOOK THIS NATION SEVEN
MONTHS TO COME UP WITH A REAL
TESTING REGIMEN AND WE’RE STILL
NOT DOING IT, THAT WAS A
MISTAKE.
>> I’VE GOT ONE MORE QUESTION
FOR YOU QUICKLY BEFORE WE GO.
THERE’S AN AXIOS REPORT THAT
SAYS THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN IS
LOOKING VERY CAREFULLY AT YOU AS
A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE TO BECOME
ATTORNEY GENERAL IF JOE BIDEN
WINS THIS ELECTION.
YOUR ADVISOR WAS ADAMANT IN HIS
DENIAL.
IF YOUR OLD FRIEND, JOE BIDEN,
CAME TO YOU IF HE WERE ELECTED
AND SAID GOVERNOR, I’D LIKE YOU
TO BE MY ATTORNEY GENERAL, YOU
WOULD SAY WHAT?
>> I WOULD SAY YOU ARE AN OLD
FRIEND, YOU ARE A GOOD FRIEND,
YOU’RE GOING TO WIN THIS
ELECTION, YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE
PRESIDENT, I’LL HELP YOU ANY WAY
I CAN.
I’M A NEW YORKER.
I SAID I WOULD SERVE AS
GOVERNOR, AND THOSE RUMORS,
WILLIE, THOSE ARE ONLY FROM
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET ME OUT OF
NEW YORK.
I DON’T KNOW WHY, BUT THAT’S
WHERE THAT IS COMING FROM.
>> SO YOU WOULD SAY NO, YOU
WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL JOB.
>> I HAVE NO INTEREST IN GOING
INTO WASHINGTON.
I SAID WHEN THIS COVID SITUATION
STARTED, JUST SO I HAD TOTAL
CREDIBILITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF
THE STATE, I’M NOT RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT, I’M NOT RUNNING FOR
VICE PRESIDENT, I DON’T WANT TO
GO TO WASHINGTON.
I JUST AM GIVING YOU THE
STRAIGHT ADVICE AS YOUR GOVERNOR
AND THAT’S WHERE I AM.
>> ALL RIGHT, GOVERNOR ANDREW