The Takeout

Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate joins Major from his home in Florida to evaluate the administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak and explain what needs to happen before life gets back to normal. Fugate compared the virus to a forest fire that can flare up if we aren't careful. A vaccine, he said, is the ultimate antidote. If you're a fan of this podcast and want to know more about COVID-19, download and subscribe to Major's new podcast "Debriefing the Briefing," a short-form program that recaps the daily White House coronavirus task force briefings and provides key insight into the federal government's effort to contain the outbreak. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY! SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND LEAVE A RATING/REVIEW* In one of the shortest briefings yet, President Trump said the death rate is beginning slow. The vice president announced members of the military are now relieving hospital workers in New York City as demand on the USNS Comfort and at the Javits Center hasn’t been as high as expected. Major's guest tonight is former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate. Fugate compared the outbreak of coronavirus to a forest fire. Hear their full conversation first thing Friday morning on Major's other podcast "The Takeout." More than 460,000 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 infections. The disease has claimed over 16,000 American lives. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY! SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND LEAVE A RATING/REVIEW* The World Health Organization and China bore the brunt of President Trump's disfavor during Wednesday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing. Both the President and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated they were considering withdrawing funds from the WHO in the future for being what the President called, “China-centric.” New CDC recommendations were also rolled out that included guidelines on essential workers and when they can return to work after being exposed to COVID-19. The Task Force also announced that Rhode Island and Philadelphia were increasing areas of concern. Major is joined by CBS News White House Correspondent Paula Reid to discuss the President’s criticism of the WHO and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY! SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND LEAVE A RATING/REVIEW* President Trump said this week and next will be very painful weeks, even if one person dies. “And I will protect you if your governor fails.” The vice president suggested there are signs some of the COVID-19 hotspots may be cooling off slightly. CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin joins Major to talk about the military's role in the federal response to the outbreak and to explain what happened aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The president said he had no role in the resignation of acting Navy secretary Thomas Modly, who just days ago relieved the ship's captain of his command after the captain had written a letter about deteriorating conditions on board. “He didn’t have to be Ernest Hemingway," Mr. Trump said.  Modly called Captain Brett Crozier either "naive or stupid" for writing the letter and sending it over unclassified channels. To learn more about listener data and our privacy pr

President of the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Maya Macguineas joins Major for a chat on the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, the covid-19 relief bill signed into law in late March. Is it enough? What's missing in it? Will there be another bill? What about the debt? Pull up a chair! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY!* The coronavirus task force briefed for more than two hours Monday. The president weighed in on British PM Boris Johnson, his conversation with Joe Biden, Navy Captain Brett Crozier and the grave week ahead. Mr. Trump and his lieutenants expressed optimism of signs of an improving medical situation. “We are going to have maybe a rough little more than a week. But there is tremendous light at the end of that tunnel,” President Trump said. Major is joined by CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY!* In the briefing Saturday, President Trump warned there will be “a lot of death probably” over this week and next – a timeframe that will be “horrendous.”  Dr. Deborah Birx said she expects peak daily death tolls in New York, Detroit and Louisiana in about 6-7 days. She said the next two weeks are “extraordinarily important, adding this is not the moment to go to the grocery or the pharmacy.  The president continued pushing hydrochloroquine, a a drug approved to prevent malaria, as treatment for covid-19. The FDA is still doing clinical tests and there is no scientifically valid data that proves it’s efficacy.  Major has the latest on the medical and financial tolls ahead of what is shaping up to be a grim week in America.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY!* President Trump announced CDC recommendations that people wear basic cloth face coverings in public places like groceries and drugstores. The guidance is voluntary and President Trump was clear: he will not wear one. “You can do it or not,” he said. Dr. Deborah Birx said she has emerging concerns about Colorado, Pennsylvania and DC. She said there are 150 countries working on a treatment and “it’s devastating” for every single country.   The federal government today issued $3.5+ billion in loans to small businesses.  CBS Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger joins Major and explains the outbreak’s impact on jobs numbers.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oregon Republican Greg Walden joins Major from his home office in this time of social distancing. Walden, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says he has "great faith" in President's Trump's team handling the coronavirus outbreak and believes Dr. Anthony Fauci is a "national treasure." How will we vote in November? Will congress be able to conduct business as usual? Is there another economic stimulus bill in the works? Join us for a chat on the virus, stay for a discussion of Walden's mountain dulcimer hobby. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY!* The two-hour 16-minute briefing – the longest yet – started and ended with a discussion of the economy. In between was a back-and-forth about masks and an impassioned plea from Dr. Deborah Birx for people to take seriously the federal guidelines. Had Americans in certain "hotspot" cities heeded those warnings earlier, she intimated, the infection and mortality curves could have been flatter. Major is joined by Dr. Ali Mokdad, a University of Washington professor working on COVID-19 infection modeling. A recommendation about wearing masks will be issued in the coming days. Birx said she does not want people to have a false sense of security with a mask on and ignore social distancing and hand-washing protocol. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*SEARCH 'DEBRIEFING THE BRIEFING' AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW FEED TODAY!* President Trump is considering domestic air travel restrictions that would target hot-spot cities. He is also mulling restrictions on rail transit. And the U.S. will soon have more ventilators than it needs, President Trump said.  CBS News Medical Contributor Dr. David Agus joins Major to sum up Wednesday's White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing....in brief.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A clearly chastened President Trump deferred to Dr. Deborah Birx to deliver sobering news to the nation Tuesday night: the coronavirus task force projects between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will die from COVID-19. CBS News White House correspondent Ben Tracy joins Chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett to recap the headlines from Tuesday's briefing which lasted two hours and eleven minutes, the longest such briefing yet. President Trump said it was a “matter of life and death” that people abide by the federal guidelines for the next 30 days. He said Americans should prepare for a “very, very painful” next two weeks when the death rate is expected to spike. “This could be a hell of a bad two weeks.” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Simon's latest HBO miniseries "The Plot Against America" explores a historical what-if. What if famed aviator Charles Lindbergh became president? It tells the story through a Jewish family from New Jersey, fearful of Lindbergh's "America First" rhetoric and xenophobic tendencies in the early 1940s. Simon began his career as a police reporter with the Baltimore Sun and may be best known for creating "The Wire," widely considered one of the best television shows ever made. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Gary Gulman digitally joins the podcast to talk about his career and how comedy has played a part in his life before, during and after his fight with depression. Gulman, who has performed stand-up on late night television shows and on his HBO special 'The Great Depresh,' also talks about isolation and how people both with and without mental health issues can take on social distancing and quarantine successfully.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Major interviews Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden on the coronavirus outbreak, how he would handle it differently than the Trump administration and he discusses the future of his campaign. Biden says the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis is "larger than anything we've ever faced in modern times." The interview was recorded Wednesday, March 25, and portions of it originally aired on the CBS Evening News. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The coronavirus outbreak has changed the way we live. Aside from its potentially devastating physical health implications, the outbreak has taken a toll on Americans' psyche. What happens if I'm infected? What about older relatives? I just lost my job. What do I do? When can I see friends again? For this special bonus episode, available only to our podcast listeners, Major spoke with Dr. Lynn Bufka, a psychologist at the American Psychological Association, about how to cope with stress and anxiety during these most turbulent times. Recorded remotely via Zencastr. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may not know the name but you've almost certainly seen his work. Join Major for a delightful conversation with two-time Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times photographer Doug Mills. President Trump can't stand Doug's employer, but he thinks Doug is a "genius." Mills explains his approach to covering the White House and Capitol Hill and how he's made some of the recognizable photographs of the last thirty years. Recorded at the Newseum in Washington, DC (when the Newseum still existed, long before the coronavirus outbreak). To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Vice President Joe Biden has surged into the delegate lead while Senator Bernie Sanders says he's not going anywhere in the race for the Democratic nomination. Our political wisemen (and CBS News contributors) Terry Sullivan and Jamal Simmons join Major for fried chicken and beer at Astro Beer Hall in Washington, DC. Sullivan, a Republican, most recently managed Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign. Simmons, a Democrat, worked for Bill Clinton and advised Barack Obama's campaign and White House. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Public health expert and George Washington University professor Dr. Leana Wen answers your questions about Coronavirus. Join Major and Dr. Wen for lunch at Village Square Cafe in Baltimore. And while you're at it, WASH YOUR HANDS! To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hawk Newsome, chairman of Black Lives Matter-Greater New York, joins Major at The Lit. Bar in The Bronx. Newsome explains what the movement is all about and why he's "More like Malcolm and a lot less like Martin." The Lit. Bar opened nearly a year ago and is currently the only bookstore in The Bronx. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices