BUSINESSES. LIZ, BACK TO YOU.
LIZ: DEIRDRE, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
TO REPUBLICAN SENATOR
MARCO RUBIO, NOW BLASTING
DEMOCRATS, NANCY PELOSI AND
CHUCK SCHUMER, SAYING ELECTED
OFFICIALS SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING
POLITICS WITH THE CORONAVIRUS,
TRYING TO SCORE POINTS AS PEOPLE
ARE GETTING SICK AND DYING.
LOOK WHO IS HERE?
2020 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE, TULSI GABBARD THE
FIRST FEMALE COMBAT VETERAN TO
RUN FOR PRESIDENCY.
THE CONGRESSWOMAN OF HAWAII IS
WAR VETERAN OF TWO TOURS OF DUTY
IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
A MAJOR IN THE U.S. ARMY
NATIONAL GUARD.
NATIONAL GUARD. SERVED ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ARMED
SERVICES, HOMELAND SECURITY
COMMITTEES.
COMMITTEES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE,
CONGRESSWOMAN, WELCOME.
CONGRESSWOMAN, WELCOME. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF POLITICAL
ATTACKS ON THE PRESIDENT OVER
THE RESPONSE HERE?
>> NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PLAY
POLITICS.
POLITICS. THE PRESIDENT, LEADERS IN
CONGRESS, THE HOUSE AND SENATE,
EVERY AMERICAN WE NEED TO COME
TOGETHER TO TREAT THE SITUATION
WITH THE SERIOUSNESS THAT IT
DESERVES.
DESERVES. SETTING ASIDE PARTISAN BICKERING
WHEN REALLY THERE IS A VERY REAL
THREAT TO THE HEALTH, WELL-BEING
AND LIVES OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WE HAVE GOT TO TREAT THE
SITUATION AS THOUGH THERE IS A
WAR-TIME SETTING EXCEPT NOW THE
ENEMY IS THIS VIRUS, THAT POSES
A THREAT TO THE LIVES OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. WE HAVE TO DEDICATE BEST
RESOURCES, DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS,
TRAINING, TESTING KITS WE NEED
TO DO ALL WE CAN TO PREVENT THIS
THREAT TAKING AHOLD AND
AFFECTING PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. LIZ: YEAH.
LIZ: YEAH. WE’RE WATCHING WHAT SCIENTISTS
ARE SAYING OUT OF CHINA AND
EUROPE, THAT THIS IS STRONGER
THAN CZARS.
THAN CZARS. IT IS AN HIV-LIKE MUTATION.
MEANS IT HAS THE ABILITY IN THAT
SENSE TO MORE POWERFULLY BIND TO
HUMAN CELLS.
HUMAN CELLS. UP TO 1000 TIMES STRONG THAN
CZARS.
CZARS. TO YOUR POINT, CONGRESSWOMAN,
CNN BRIAN STELTER TWEETED OUT,
SINCE THE DAWN OF THE TRUMP ERA,
COUNTLESS EXPERTS WARNED THAT
THE PRESIDENT’S LACK OF
CREDIBILITY WILL IMPERIL THE
COUNTRY IN A EMERGENCY.
AS CORONAVIRUS WORSENS, THOSE
FEARS MAY BE COMING TRUE.
CNN DID CUT OUT OF THE
PRESIDENT’S PRESS CONFERENCE AND
BRIAN STELTER TWEETED THAT OUT.
YOUR REACTION?
YOUR REACTION? >> THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR
FINGERPOINTING.
FINGERPOINTING. THIS IS TIME FOR ACTION.
THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE
SOONER.
SOONER. WE’RE RECOGNIZING WHERE GAPS
EXIST.
EXIST. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION.
WE’RE SEEING THERE IS VAST
SHORTAGE OF TESTING KITS IN THIS
COUNTRY WHERE THE CDC HAS VERY
NARROW BIDE LINES WHO THEY ARE
WILLING TO TEST.
I THINK THE CASE IN CALIFORNIA
VERY CLEARLY POINTING OUT WHERE
THOSE GAPS NEED TO BE FILLED.
WE HAVE TO HAVE TESTING KITS AT
EVERY SINGLE HEALTH CARE
FACILITY, TESTING KITS AT OUR
SCHOOLS, AT OUR PORTS OF ENTRY,
FIRST-RESPONDERS.
FIRST-RESPONDERS. MAKE SURE THOSE COMING IN HEY, I
HAVE A CONCERN, THOSE COMING
FROM COUNTRIES WHERE WE’RE
SEEING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKS
OCCURRING, THEY HAVE TO BE
TESTED BEFORE THEY EVEN GET ON
THAT PLANE.
THAT PLANE. LIZ: THE PRESIDENT IS ACCUSING
SPEAKER PELOSI TRYING TO CREATE
A PANIC.
A PANIC. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DID A FACT
CHECK OF THE DEMOCRATS SAYING
YOU’RE WRONG TO SAY THE
PRESIDENT CUT BUDGETS FOR CDC,
NIH.
NIH. THE PRESIDENT MADE A BUDGET
REQUEST THAT HAS NOT BEEN
ENACTED.
ENACTED. YOUR REACTION TO WHAT IS GOING
ON IN IRAN, GET YOUR THOUGHTS.
IRAN, THE REGIME OF IRAN ACCUSED
OF COVERING UP THE SPREAD OF THE
VIRUS THERE AND CENSORING OFF
HOMEPAGES OF MAJOR LOCAL MEDIA
TO INCREASE LAST WEEK’S ELECTION
TURNOUT TO SHOW HARD-LINERS ARE
STILL IN CHARGE.
REACTION WHAT IS GOING ON IN
IRAN?
IRAN? >> LOOK IT IS CONCERN ANYWHERE
IF THEY’RE NOT TAKING
PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY TO PREVENT
THE SPREAD OF THIS VIRUS, THAT
POSES A THREAT, NOT ONLY TO THE
PEOPLE OF IRAN OR IN CHINA OR
JAPAN OR SOUTH KOREA OR ITALY
BUT, WE LIVE IN A VERY SMALL
GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY. TO APPROACH THIS FROM ISOLATED
PERSPECTIVE IS A CAUSE FOR
FAILURE FOR ALL OF US.
IT IS WHY I BELIEVE STRONGLY
JUST AS THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS
THEY ARE WORKING, THEY HAVE GOT
COMMUNICATIONS WITH LEADERS IN
JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA, WE ALSO
HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE
WORKING WITH THE COUNTRY LIKE
IRAN AND NOT ALLOW THIS
ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP TO GET
IN THE WAY OF PROTECTING THE
SAFETY AND SECURITY OF BOTH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND PREVENTING
THIS FROM BEGINNING A PANDEMIC
THAT SPREADS AROUND THE WORLD.
I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT FOREIGN
POLICY AS DOMESTIC POLICY.
THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE WHY IT’S
CRITICAL.
CRITICAL. AS PRESIDENT I WILL LEAD WITH A
FOREIGN POLICY FOCUSED ON
COOPERATION RATHER THAN KIND OF
CONFRONTATIONAL APPROACH WE’VE
SEEN MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
FOR US TO WORK WITH OTHER
COUNTRIES, EVEN THOSE WITH
SERIOUS DIFFERENCES ON AREAS OF
SHARED INTEREST, PREVENTING A
PANDEMIC, LIKE TACKLING
COUNTERTERRORISM, NUCLEAR
COUNTERTERRORISM, NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND SO MANY
OTHERS.
OTHERS. >> YOU KNOW THE CRACKS IN THE
REGIME’S CREDIBILITY IN IRAN IS
INCREASING BY THE DAY.
WE HAVE SHOWN THIS VIDEO.
WE’LL SHOW IT AGAIN.
TRULY I UNBELIEVABLE,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
CONGRESSWOMAN. IRAN’S DEPUTY HEALTH MINISTER
APPEARED ON IRAN STATE TV TO
DENY COVERING UP THE OUTBREAK
BUT LITERALLY BEING SEEN GETTING
THE CORONAVIRUS ON CAMERA.
HE IS IN QUARANTINE.
WE HAVE IRAN’S FORMER AMBASSADOR
TO THE VATICAN PASSED AWAY FROM
THE CORONAVIRUS.
THE CORONAVIRUS. IRAN’S VICE PRESIDENT ALSO
CONTRACTED IT.
CONTRACTED IT. THIS SAME REGIME, CONGRESSMAN,
YOU’RE AWE WEAR OF THIS
THREATENED MIDDLE EAST WITH
BALLISTIC MISSILES, DRONES,
THREATENED TO SHUT THE STRAIT OF
HORMUZ.
HORMUZ. ARE YOU SEEING CREDIBILITY
ISSUES WITH THE REGIME?
>> IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO
STAY VERY MISSION FOCUSED ON
CRISIS AND THREAT BEFORE US.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THERE ARE
ISSUES THERE.
ISSUES THERE. THERE ARE LONGSTANDING CONCERNS
THAT IRAN FOREIGN POLICY
CONVERSATION IS ONE THAT NEEDS
TO HAPPEN IN PARALLEL TO US
BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH LEADERS
IN IRAN, IN ITALY, IN JAPAN,
SOUTH KOREA, CHINA, ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES THAT ARE
EXPERIENCING THESE OUTBREAKS IN
ORDER TO PREVENT THEIR CONTINUED
SPREAD.
SPREAD. WE’VE GOT TO APPROACH THIS WITH
A WIN-WIN MENTALITY OF SAYING,
LOOK, YES IN ORDER FOR OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE TO WIN AND BE
SUCCESSFUL IN THIS, PREVENTING
THIS THREAT FROM TAKING HOLD WE
ALSO HAVE TO WORK TOWARDS THIS
WIN AND PREVENTING ITS SPREAD IN
OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. LIZ: BACK TO THE U.S., FINAL
QUESTION, BEFORE WE GO TO
COMMERCIAL BREAK, CONGRESSWOMAN,
ARE YOU HEARING FROM OTHER
DEMOCRATS IN THE HOUSE THAT YOU
SHOULDN’T REALLY BE TRYING TO
SCORE POLITICAL POINTS OFF THE
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK?
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK? >> HONESTLY I’M NOT PAYING MUCH
ATTENTION TO THE CHATTER ON THE
HOUSE FLOOR TODAY.
WHEN I WENT IN FOR VOTES.
I REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON LOOKING
AT WHERE THE PROBLEM SETS THAT
EXIST IN OUR COUNTRY, IN MY HOME
STATE OF HAWAII.
THAT IS A MAJOR HUB AND PORT FOR
FLIGHTS COMING IN FROM ACROSS
THE ASIA-PACIFIC AND HOW WE CAN
SOLVE THEM.
SOLVE THEM. IT IS WHY I CALLED YESTERDAY FOR
TO US TEMPORARILY SUSPEND
FLIGHTS COMING FROM JAPAN, SOUTH
KOREA, ITALY, JUST LIKE THE
FLIGHTS FROM CHINA WERE
SUSPENDED BECAUSE THAT ACTUALLY
WORKED TO HELP PREVENT THIS FROM
GETTING TO OUR SHORES.
WE NEED TO SUSPEND THESE FLIGHTS
UNTIL WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO
PROVIDE THESE TESTS AT THEIR
SITE OF DEPARTURE BEFORE PEOPLE
GET ON THE PLANE TO COME TO OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. LIZ: WHAT’S BEEN IN THE REACTION
IN CONGRESS TO YOUR IDEA AND THE
ADMINISTRATION?
ADMINISTRATION? IS IT GOING TO GET DONE?
IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN?
>> WE’LL SEE.
I’M HOPING THEY REACT AND
RECOGNIZE THAT INITIAL ACTION
TAKEN TO SUSPEND FLIGHTS FROM
CHINA NATIONALLY WAS THE RIGHT
STEP TO TAKE.
LET’S MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE IN
THAT DIRECTION.
THAT DIRECTION. UNDERSTANDING, YEAH, IT MAY
CAUSE A LITTLE HARM OR HARDSHIP
IN THE SHORT TERM BUT THAT WILL
PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE
HARDSHIP ON THE LIVES OF
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND OUR ECONOMY
IF THESE FLIGHTS ARE SUSPENDED
AFTER THE FACT, AFTER THE
CORONAVIRUS FURTHER TAKES HOLD
AND ROOT HERE IN THE COUNTRY.
WE NEED STRONG LEADERSHIP AND
NOW IS THE TIME FOR THAT.
LIZ: CONGRESSMAN, KIND ENOUGH TO
STAY WITH US FOR ANOTHER