The Takeout with Major Garrett

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The Great Tony Hale Apr 17, 2020

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We take a break from politics this week with actor Tony Hale. Or do we? Hale played Gary Walsh, uber-loyal personal assistant to Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), in the HBO series "Veep." It has been said that no scripted television show captures the essence of official Washington better than "Veep." Learn more about the show, Tony's other roles and how he's spending his quarantine at home in Los Angeles. Join us!

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 16 Apr 17, 2020

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President Trump and the coronavirus task force introduced phased guidelines to help states and communities get back to normal – or as close to it as possible. There is no timeline for implementation. It will be up to governors and local leaders to decide when and how to get back to business. Some states, the president said, could be ready tomorrow, while others, like New York and New Jersey, will take significantly longer.

“The last thing we want …to come back too soon. We want them to come back when they’re ready.”

Task force officials emphasized that “science” and “common sense” formed the foundation of the administration’s re-opening guidelines.

Steve Moore, an outside advisor to President Trump and a member of the president's "re-opening" task force, is Major's guest. His view: restart the economy immediately or risk even greater consequences.

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 14 Apr 15, 2020

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In tone, message and duration, Tuesday’s briefing was quite a departure from Monday’s combative and lengthy affair.

The president hopes to reopen “beautiful little pieces” of the country sooner than the May 1 deadline his administration has set. He said 20 or more states have only a few cases.

After claiming on Monday nearly unlimited power to compel states to act, a more deferential President Trump said he hopes governors will be “respectful of the presidency.” He said he would authorize governors to implement a re-opening plan at the time and manner of their choosing and if they don’t do a good job, he will “come down on them very hard.”

CBS News Legal Contributor and constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley joins Major to talk about limits on presidential power and states' rights.

The US is also halting payments to the World Health Organization until a review is completed in 60-90 days. Mr. Trump said WHO bungled its response to the outbreak and he is concerned taxpayer dollars are being misused by the multinational organization. He accused WHO of favoring China. “They must be held accountable.”

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 13 Apr 14, 2020

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After a weekend that saw the US death toll surpass 20,000, President Trump barely acknowledged the carnage. Instead he offered a combative – and at times flailing and desperate - defense of his administration’s response that included a campaign-style video montage accusing the media of downplaying the outbreak. He also stated that his power in this time of crisis is virtually unlimited.

The briefing spanned 2 hours and 23 minutes, the longest and most whiplash-inducing of its kind thus far.

60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, whose story Sunday outlined the challenges facing frontline medical personnel in New York, joins Major Garrett to discuss the disconnect between the reality in America's hospitals and the president's rhetoric.

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 10 Apr 10, 2020

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Deciding when and how to re-open the US economy will be the biggest decision of President Trump’s life, he said, without acknowledging that many of those decisions will be made by mayors, governors and private industry. He said he would listen to the medical professionals on his team and political and economic advisors, too, but added his primary metric was “right here” and pointed to his head.

The president believes the overall covid-19 death toll could be “substantially under” the administration’s projection of 100,000 fatalities. Trump said “you can’t be happy” with 60,000 dead Americans, but that projection is significantly lower than then initial estimate.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams delivered this message to young people of color whom he said are at higher risk because of social factors: heed the federal government’s advisories “If not for yourself, then for your Abuela, do it for your grand-daddy, do it for your big mamma, do it for your pop pop.”

Adams also said minorities shouldn’t drink, smoke or do drugs.

Major is joined by president and CEO of the NAACP Derrick Johnson.

Disaster Master Craig Fugate Apr 10, 2020

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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.

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 9 Apr 10, 2020

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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.

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 8 Apr 09, 2020

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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.

Debriefing the COVID-19 Briefing: April 7 Apr 08, 2020

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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.

Bonus episode: Budget Guru Maya MacGuineas Apr 07, 2020

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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!

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