1 00:00:01,933 --> 00:00:04,066 JUDY WOODRUFF: Let's hear about the fallout of all of this and how it's playing out in 2 00:00:04,066 --> 00:00:08,500 the heartland from the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine. 3 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:13,500 He tested negative for the coronavirus last night, just hours after testing positive. 4 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:17,600 And, Governor, we're glad to know that you did test negative. 5 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,133 And I want to ask you about testing in just a moment, but let's start with the economy 6 00:00:22,133 --> 00:00:27,133 and employment, because we do have new unemployment numbers out today. They did slightly improve 7 00:00:27,733 --> 00:00:29,700 this past month. 8 00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:33,833 But, overall, as you just heard, a lot of Americans still feeling very stressed. Tell 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,633 us what you're hearing from Ohioans about the jobs picture and unemployment. 10 00:00:38,633 --> 00:00:43,600 GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Well, we have some people like those that you just interviewed 11 00:00:45,100 --> 00:00:48,666 who are very worried. They're worried about paying the rent. 12 00:00:51,166 --> 00:00:54,466 When we look at our state revenues that are coming in, one of the things that our economists 13 00:00:56,433 --> 00:01:00,233 say is that it's clear that this money that Congress -- extra money, extra unemployment 14 00:01:02,300 --> 00:01:07,300 money, was very valuable for the individuals who got it and was also, frankly, very valuable 15 00:01:08,933 --> 00:01:11,400 for the economy and for other people, so it had a real ripple effect. 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,100 People spent it. And it really was very, very significant. 17 00:01:15,100 --> 00:01:20,066 So, we hope Congress comes up with a compromise here and gets something done. 18 00:01:20,066 --> 00:01:22,600 JUDY WOODRUFF: Governor, let's talk about your test. 19 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,100 As we said, you first tested positive yesterday, then negative. And I understand you're going 20 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:31,100 to have another test tomorrow. What does this experience, though, tell you about the state 21 00:01:32,233 --> 00:01:34,766 of testing right now in this country? 22 00:01:34,766 --> 00:01:38,766 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: You know, Judy, the second test I had, which is kind of the gold standard, 23 00:01:40,833 --> 00:01:43,500 is the test that almost every one of your viewers who are watching this, at least those 24 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:46,366 from Ohio, have gotten. 25 00:01:46,366 --> 00:01:51,333 About 1.3 million Ohioans have been tested. Over 90 percent have been this particular 26 00:01:53,366 --> 00:01:57,733 type of test. So, the first test I took was a quick test. And not all quick tests are 27 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:01,966 the same. But this was an antigen test. 28 00:02:01,966 --> 00:02:04,633 I'm not a scientist, but what they tell me is that you're -- basically, they're measuring 29 00:02:04,633 --> 00:02:09,633 the protein which is on the coronavirus itself. And they're not as reliable. I'm told they're 30 00:02:12,066 --> 00:02:14,266 roughly 70 percent reliable. 31 00:02:14,266 --> 00:02:19,266 Usually, if it's wrong, it's a false negative. I guess I'm one of the strange ones, I got 32 00:02:21,233 --> 00:02:25,100 a false positive. But the test that we took yesterday at Ohio State afterwards -- and 33 00:02:27,033 --> 00:02:31,800 then they ran it twice -- and my wife was tested as well -- that really is the gold 34 00:02:33,766 --> 00:02:35,866 standard. And it's what most people, the test most people have received. 35 00:02:35,866 --> 00:02:40,833 I think all the states are really looking at, how do we improve the testing, but how 36 00:02:42,833 --> 00:02:46,933 do we ramp this testing up? And this antigen test may play a role. We're looking at it 37 00:02:47,866 --> 00:02:49,900 to see maybe how we can use it. 38 00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:54,766 But you have to accept the fact that you get a quick result, but the result is not nearly 39 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,733 as reliable as it would be in a diagnostic test. 40 00:02:59,733 --> 00:03:03,500 JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, I know you and five other governors have just come together to sign 41 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:08,066 I guess a kind of a compact where, you're going to work together, pool your resources 42 00:03:08,066 --> 00:03:13,066 to try to ramp up testing in all five or six of these states. 43 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:18,533 But here we are, Governor, we are more than six months into when the first case of COVID 44 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,833 was discovered in the United States, and we still are behind on testing. 45 00:03:25,866 --> 00:03:29,300 Should something have been done sooner at the national level or in some nationally coordinated 46 00:03:30,733 --> 00:03:32,700 way to get us to a better place than we are right now? 47 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:37,133 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Well, Judy, we all wish we had more testing. It's been a problem for 48 00:03:37,133 --> 00:03:39,233 most states, maybe all states. 49 00:03:39,233 --> 00:03:44,233 We have lagged behind in testing. Frankly, we have never been a state that was red hot. 50 00:03:46,233 --> 00:03:50,500 So, the priorities have never been towards Ohio. And we like it that way, in the sense 51 00:03:51,933 --> 00:03:55,733 we don't want to be red hot. But we need more testing in Ohio. 52 00:03:55,733 --> 00:04:00,700 Now, we have tripled the testing in Ohio. We're averaging now about 22,000, 23,000 tests 53 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:04,800 a day. Frankly, we need to double it again, and then we probably need to double it after 54 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,833 that. 55 00:04:06,833 --> 00:04:09,666 So, we're moving. We're trying to grow some of our own, in the sense of expanding our 56 00:04:09,666 --> 00:04:14,666 labs in Ohio. I try to own some of that. We're also reaching out to a lot of different companies. 57 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,500 The market is starting to move, finally. More companies are offering different types of 58 00:04:21,366 --> 00:04:23,400 tests that are out there. 59 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:26,566 But the lesson, I think, from what happened with me is, we have got to be careful. We 60 00:04:26,566 --> 00:04:30,766 have got to make sure we have got reliable tests. And we have got to try to get our times 61 00:04:30,766 --> 00:04:35,766 down. It's two things, get our tests back quicker and also get more tests and more capacity. 62 00:04:37,700 --> 00:04:42,700 That, plus the social distancing and wearing the masks, those are the three things, the 63 00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:48,233 masks, the social distancing and the quicker tests, and get those tests back, that's the 64 00:04:49,700 --> 00:04:53,433 key to us being able to go out and resume our lives. 65 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,866 I tell people, that's the -- that's freedom. The masks are freedom. Social distancing gives 66 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:02,166 us freedom, and these tests give us freedom. 67 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:05,566 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Governor, there have been a couple of in-depth reports that have been 68 00:05:05,566 --> 00:05:10,100 published in the last few days looking at why the United States, with all of our resources 69 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:15,100 and all of our wealth, is one of the worst countries on the planet with regard to COVID. 70 00:05:16,533 --> 00:05:21,533 And it points to mistakes made in the beginning and throughout. 71 00:05:24,166 --> 00:05:28,000 What do you look to here? I know we don't - - you said a moment ago you don't want to 72 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:33,000 spend a lot of time looking back, but could, should Washington, should the leadership at 73 00:05:35,066 --> 00:05:39,533 the national level have been more forceful in taking this seriously and getting people 74 00:05:40,700 --> 00:05:43,200 to respond and pouring more resources into it? 75 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,433 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Judy, I think there's a couple of big lessons that we need to take 76 00:05:46,433 --> 00:05:48,633 away from this. 77 00:05:48,633 --> 00:05:53,633 One lesson is, we have to invest in public health. Democrats and Republicans alike have 78 00:05:55,633 --> 00:05:58,066 not invested in public health the way we should. We have got to do it at the national level. 79 00:05:58,066 --> 00:06:01,733 We have got to do it at the state level. And we have got to be committed to that for the 80 00:06:01,733 --> 00:06:04,266 long run. 81 00:06:04,266 --> 00:06:07,000 And the other, of course, long-term lesson is, we can't rely on other countries to manufacture 82 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,000 all our products that we need in regard to medical care. We have got to make more of 83 00:06:13,833 --> 00:06:15,800 them right here in the United States. 84 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,333 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, Governor, very quickly, presidential election. 85 00:06:19,333 --> 00:06:24,333 President Trump was in Ohio yesterday talking about the campaign. Among other things, he 86 00:06:26,333 --> 00:06:30,966 spoke about Joe Biden, said that Joe Biden is against the Bible, against God, that he 87 00:06:32,233 --> 00:06:34,333 wants to hurt God. 88 00:06:34,333 --> 00:06:38,566 Is this the kind of message that you think is the path to victory for the president? 89 00:06:38,566 --> 00:06:43,166 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: I think the path to victory is for the president to focus on the basic 90 00:06:43,166 --> 00:06:45,600 things. 91 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,933 The president -- until this coronavirus came along, our economy was doing well. I'm optimistic, 92 00:06:51,866 --> 00:06:54,766 we get this thing behind us, we are going to see our economy flip back. I think the 93 00:06:54,766 --> 00:06:59,500 president needs to talk about that, his vision there. 94 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:04,500 For those of us who are more conservative, we're very happy with his court appointments 95 00:07:06,500 --> 00:07:09,733 to the -- to not just the Supreme Court, but to the circuit court and the district courts. 96 00:07:09,733 --> 00:07:14,100 I think those are the -- some of the things that the president will focus on. 97 00:07:14,100 --> 00:07:17,833 JUDY WOODRUFF: We're going to leave it there, Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio. 98 00:07:17,833 --> 00:07:19,333 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Thanks, Judy. 99 00:07:19,333 --> 00:07:20,300 JUDY WOODRUFF: And, again, glad that test came back negative. 100 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:21,300 Thank you. 101 00:07:21,300 --> 00:07:21,433 GOV. MIKE DEWINE: Thanks, Judy.