Well, im not going to bother. Woodruff all that and more, on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by life welllived. Financial Services Firm raymond james. For 25 years, consumer cellulars goal has been to provide Wireless Service that helps people communicate and connect. We offer a variety of nocontract plans, and our u. S. Based Customer Service team can help find one that fits you. To learn more, visit www. Consumcellular. Tv. Johnson johnson. Bnsf railway. Fidelity wealth management. The john s. And james l. Knight foundation. Fostering informed and engaged communities. More at kf. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff President Trump is making new headlines tonight on covid19 this time, on the economic front. He ss he is halting negotiations with democrats on a new pandemic economic recovery bill for now. That comes as he works on his own recovery from covid. White house correspondent Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage. Alcindor covid relief talks are on hold tonight until ter the election. Today, President Trump tweeted that he has instructed his representatives to stop negotiating, and instead focus on confirming his Supreme Court nominee. And, he accused House Speaker nancy pelosi of not negotiating in good faith. That comes as the virus is coursing through the white house, and the president is trying to project strength. The goal of showing confidence was on full display monday evening, when President Trump returned to the executive mansion. Critics called the madefortv moment political eatre. The president s first act . Removing his face mask while still contagious, with white house staff nearby. Federal Health Guidelines say he should be in isolation. Within an hour, the white house released a campaign adstyle video hailing his return, and as the u. S. Death toll topped 210,000, there was this upbeat message dont let it dominate you. Dont be afraid of it. Youre going to beat it. We have the best medical equipment. We have the best medicines. Alcindor in fact, most americans dont have access to the same level of care and drug eatment the president has received. Today, President Trump also falsely claimed that covid is less deadly than the seasonal flu. That prompted twitter to add a warning that the post containe misleading andotentially harmful information. Facebook blocked the post entirely. All of this comes with less than 30 days to go until election day, and with the president plainly eager to get back to campaigning. He tweeted this morning that he was feeling great, and was already looking forward to next thursdays president ial debate. But he remains on a powerful combination of drugs, as he continues to battle the coronavirus. Yesterday, even his personal physician acknowledged hes no out of the woods just yet. Today, dr. Sean conley issued a statement that President Trump was reporting no symptoms, and that his vital signs and physical exam remain stable. Vice president pences doctor also said he remains healthy, and continues to test negative for the virus. A spokesman for his democratic challenger, senator kamala harris, saidhe has tested negative as well. They are slated to debate tomorrow night in salt lake city. Meanwhile, the backlash over mr. Trumps actions in recent days has intensified. Last night, democratic rival joe biden weighed in at an nbc town hall in miami. The only thing i heard was one of the tweets saying that, you know, dont be so concerned about all this, essentially. Theres a lot to be concerned about. 210,000 people have died. Alcindor today, the Biden Campaign released a video of former First Lady Michelle Obama delivering what was billed as her Closing Argument against reelecting the president. Today, more americans have died from this virus than died in the wars in iraq, afghanistan, vietnam, and korea combined. Take all those lives bravely sacrificed and double it. Thats roughly the scale of this tragedy. And our commanderinchief, sadly, has been missing in action. And his willful mismanagement of the covid crisis is just one example of his negligence. Alcindor this afternoon, biden was back on the campaign trail again, this time in gettysburg, pennsylvania, where he appealed for unity in the face of crisis. The country is in a dangerous place. Our trust in each other is ebbing, hope seems elusive. Too Many Americans see our instead of treating each others party as the opposition, we treat them as the enemy. This must end. Alcindor back in washington, questions remain about just when the president became infected, and how many people have been exposed since. At least two more white house staffers tested positive today, adding to the growing number of covid infections among the president s inner circle. And, the pentagon announced that all but one of the Service Chiefs are selfquarantining after a top coast guard official tested positive. Even so, the white house turned down an offer from the centers for Disease Control and prevention to help with Contact Tracing. Instead, they are opting to use their own inhouse epidemiologist. This afternoon, the Trump Administration also dropped its initial objections and approved new food and Drug Administration guidelines for covid19 vaccine approval. The rules will most likely prevent a vaccine from being cleared for use before election day. Woodruff and yamiche joins me now, along with our lisa desjardins. So hello to both of you. Lisa, i want to come to you yamiche, i want to come to you first with what we mentioned at the top of the show, and that is the president is saying that he is pulling out of negotiations with the democrats to try to find a covid Economic Relief bill. T what do we know about that . Well, in a surprising mo, the president decided to go to twitter to announce that he unilaterally was pulling out of the covid 19 relief negotiation. And the issue here is that the president essentially is saying that this is a waste of time and should not be going on. The president tweeted that he was lashing out at democrats and he also made a promise i want to share. He said nancy pelosi is asking for 2. 4 trillion to bail out poorly ru highcrime democratic states, money that is in no way related to covid 19. Immediately after uh which, i will pass a major stimulus bill. Its not surprising these talks broke down because they have been going on for weeks and democrats and republicans are very far apart, but it is surprising that the president is deciding hes going to go do this on his own. This comes hours after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said he was urging congress to pass more relief funds because the stimulus the economy, while doing well, needemore help from congress. He said it would be tragically, possibly, if the recovery did not get that help. It is that Senate Majority leader mitch much says he agrees with the president in backing out of these negotiations. The other thing to note is there are a lot of americans who are worried about whether or not they will be able to weather this economic storm during this pandemic and there are political strategists that says the president is on tricky ground because democrats says hes focused on himself and not the negotiations and here hes saying i want the Supreme Court nominee more than millions of relief for americans. Woodruff so to lisa, what are democrats saying, how do they see this, and what do we know about how this will affect or not the American People . There is a lot of confusion at the u. S. Capitol over what happened and not just from democrats. We also have seen republicans just in the last hour or so come out and say they also have a problem with the president s actions here. But lets go to the top democrat in the country. House speaker nancy pelosi, here is her reaction today. She put out a statement, and part of that said, President Trump showed his true colors, putting himself first above at the expense of the country. It is true these talks were still not complete. However, pelosi and treasury secretary mnuchin had been speaking for days and were still talking today when this broke down. Who did this effect, judy . The truth is Small Businesses have been getting by but many are running out of cash. The season is chnging and for restaurants who will not be able to offer outdoor seating in the next month, this could be particularly harmful. But two airlines have announced in the last week they expect furloughs of over 80,000 workers. If no relief, those could go in place as early as thursday. So much news today, i want to report that out of the capitol we have a sense of what the covid ki of position is at the capitol. The House Administration committee tell me that 123 presumed positive cases of covid have been accounted for at the the capitol since march, so thats over a sevenmonth time line. Woodruff 123 cases. So, yamiche, back to you. Today we know the president , of course, still infected with the coronavirus. He is now back to saying that its essentially nothing to worry about. He says hes immune. What to we know about the president s attitude . Well, the president continues to falsely compare the coronavirus to the seasonal flu, and when you look at the two, the numbers just dont bear out. The coronavirus has killed more americans just this year than the flu has killed americans in the last five seasons. When you look at the numbers, theyre staggering. So i want to put up a chart for people. The c. D. C. Estimates the deadliest flu season in the last five seasons was in 2017 and 2018 and 61,000 americans dead, compared to 210 americans who died of the coronavirus this year and the n the last five years the estimated deaths from flhovered around 20,000 to 40,000 americans who died. So a lot of people are angry at the president for continuing to make this comparison. Its remarkable. Another thick is to note the president is saying hes immune. A lot of people are saying the president doesnt understand whats going on and theres a lot of anger that there were people who were struggling through this virus and who dont see the president as being empathetic to that. Woodruff so very quickly in just a few seconds, yamiche, the president paint ago rosy picture. His campaign paint ago rosy picture, but not exactly what his doctor is saying. Thats right, the president s doctors saying hes stable and not reporting any sump toms, but we donteally know exactly when the president got the environments we dont know how many people have been exposed. We know there are a total of four White House Press officials testing positive. So a lot of people worrying in the building behind me who are very anxious about this, and the president continues to want to put on the face of confidence when there are a lot of people o are scared. Woodruff all right, so much to report on, yamhe alcindor, lisa desjardins, thank you both. Woodruff as weve been reporting, the president is telling americans not to be afraid of coronavirus, while the death toll in the u. S. Tops 210,000. Cases are climbing again in much of the country. But attitudes about the threat vary greatly. Our amna nawaz explores why so Many Americans think fears about the virus are overblown. Nawaz its become the story of two pandemics. Ev as the virus surges in multiple states, hundreds of americans die every day, and the s. Leads the world in infections and deaths millions of americans dont see the virus as a threat. Why . To try to understand, we spoke today to bruce penuel. Things are different. Nawaz . A 68yearold retired Police Officer from collegeville, pennsylvania, and in chattanga, to 57yearold pam oneill. I am a former nurse and im from tennessee. Nawaz . Also, to 41year old addul ali, a smallbusiness owner. I live in a little town called kannapolis, north carolina. Nawaz . All republicans, planning to vote for President Trump. None believe the virus is as bad as experts warn. We asked them all if they know anyone whos been sick or died from covid . By the grace of god, i havent had any family members to get sick because of it. I do have some friends that have had family members that have been sick. No, i do not know anyone whos had covid or has passed away from covid. I dont know personally of anyone who has died from it. I do believe the pandemic has been overblown, that we are taking too many cautions and changing our lives too drastically. Nawaz we asked how much the pandemic impacts their day to day lives . I dont think my daytoday life, ing retired, has been affected greatly by it. Often im outside, obviously, and im not wearing a mask outside, but im not afraid to talk to people. You know, im not hiding. From a business perspective, you know, at the beginning, it was really tou, but now, you know, as things just starting to open back up, were recovering a little bit more. I do wear my mask when i go out, because it is mandated. I think theres a lot of good information for those who are going to look for it, to, you know, take a look at it, to let you know that this is survivable. Nawaz we asked how worried they are that they or someone in their community will get sick . We dont know a lot about it. So, i dont know exactly how im going to get it. Chances are, if you catch it, you know, and youre in reasonably good health, that youll be okay. So, you know, i havent been worried about getting it. So, i feel very confident that since i dont have any preexisting, Underlying Health issues, that i would not only survive covid, but i may be one of those lucky ones that might actually be asymptomatic. These are people who dont necessarily feel the immediacy of this. Nawaz Lee Miringoff is the director of the Marist College institute for public opinion, home of the marist poll. When youre talking about americans who dont see the virus as a threat, who are you talking about . They are people who tend to be in more rural areas, where the, you know, the virus is often as much, as pronounced. But they tend to be people who are part of the president s base. They tend to be male. They tend to be people who are not likely to have a college education. The folks who are supporting trump, that group, that core group, are the ones who are most likely to follow him on this issue. Nawaz the partisan divide is clear in the latest pbs Newshour Marist npr poll, showing while 76 of republicans trust the president s pandemic message, only 5 of democrats do. But miringoff says regardless of what theyre experiencing now, americans are mostly on the same page about whats ahead. A majority of americans think that this is not going to end any time soon. That there isnt a light at the end of the tunnel in any immediate way. So what were seeing is a lot of people who think this is were in for the long haul, despite what the president says. Nawaz for the pbs newshour, im amna nawaz. Woodruff lets fill in the picture now about what we do know about the risks of covid, and provide some perspective on misinformation dr. Tom frieden is president of resolve to save lives, a Global Public health initiative. He was director of the c. D. C. From 2009 to 2017, during the h1n1, ebola and zika outbreaks. And, Graham Brookie is director and managing editor of the Atlantic CouncilsDigital Forensic research lab. And we welcome both of you to the newshour. Dr. Tom tom, to you first, we have just dr. Tom frieden, we heard one gentleman say he believes the pandemic had been overblown, another voter said he didnt think it was that serious, and yet another saying she believed if she got it she thought she would be asymptomatic. If you could speak to these voters, what would you say to them . I think we have to move bass these openshut dichotomies. The fact is, for most people who get the virus, its going to be mild or even asymptomatic, but, because so many people get it, because its so infectious, its very deadly for us as a society, as a community, and thats something that rail emphasizes that were all connected. The more we recognize that even if you dont feel sick at all, you might give it to someone who gets it and someone who dies from it. Thats why there have been well over 200,000 deaths in this country and a Million Deaths around the world from this novel veers thats never been around before. We have tools to confront it. We have to apply all of them together. Not one of them, but all of them together, and the more we recognize that were connected, even if we have to stay apart some, the more we can control it. Woodruff dr. Frieden, am i correct the number of cases of the virus is still increasing in a number of states . In most of the u. S. , is virus is currently increasing. The virus has the upper hand because were not following science. The virus doesnt listen to spin. The virus doesnt Pay Attention to politics. In fact, what Infectious Diseases including this virus generally do is they prey on the fissures, on the breakpoints in society, whether thats partisanship or racism or migrate workers who dont have health services, and the approach thats going to be most effective is a comprehensive approach that includes an all of the above, masks, social distancing, quarantining, hand tan sizing sanitizing and a vaccine. One of those reasons for the attitude you reviewed is the failure to communicate. There are clear principles of how to communicate in a health emergency. Be first, be right, be credible, be emp they can, give people concrete things to do. What we have lacked throughout this entire federal response is the voice of science speaking from the administration, explaining what were learning, when were learning it and what people can do to protect themselves, families and their communities. Woodruff excuse me. I do want to turn to Graham Brookie for a moment as someone who has looked at. This where would you say this misinformation comes from or the sense that people can eare lacks about this virus . Well, thats a very good question and frankly comes from an overall lack of trust in fucial ways we would typically hear reliable information about this. This goes back to what the World Heal Organization coined in february, which is an infodemic, which, in a crisis situation, its an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not, that leads to a situation in which its very, very difficult for regular people to understand exactly what the facts are and what the risk is associated witthe virus up to this day. And, Graham Brookie, quickly following on that, how much of what the president has said, i mean even until today saying its nothing to be afraid of, is contributing, do you think, to peoples perceptions . Theres no doubt that donald trump is the largest spreader of specific and important types of misinformation today, especially about coronavirus or covid 19. One study from Cornell University released last week found that the president himself is the largest driver of disinformation about coronavirus, and theres an example that we had just early,erlily this morning where he compared it again, as dr. Frieden mentioned, to the common flu. That is not the case. But the president s social Media Presence is just the tip of the iceberg with an entire amplification ecosystem of both right wing media, influencers, conspiracy communities, theyre engaged on this and that convergence takes these information narratives and makes them more mainstream. Woodruff dr. Frieden, when we see, for example, this week reports that the white house turned down an offer from the c. D. C. To help with Contact Tracing after this big outbreak at the white house, what are we to make of that . This was such a teachable moment, one that testing alone doesnt prevent spread of covid, you need a comprehensive policy. The white house got too reliant on testing, thats why may have they have an outbreak there. Two, that someone whos sick needs to isolate. Three, that everyone who is exposed needs to be quarantined so thaw dont spread it to others. This could have been a great teachable moment to explain what we can do to get ahead of the virus. Instead, we see delayed or incomplete or completely absent warning of people who have been exposed. Contact tracing may not be a great term because it sounds like youre snooping on people, but fundamentally what youre doing is youre warning people who have been exposed so that they can protect themselves and their families because you might not know you have been exposed, you might not know youre infectious because you could have no symptoms yet pass it to someone who could die from it. So a systematic response to stop the spread, we have not seen the end of this. It is quite likely additional cases will emanate from the cluster from the different exposure that occurred. We dont know the basics of when the president was negative, positive and all the exposures there. This is the kind of investigation that the c. D. C. , local and state Health Departments do day in and day out. Its not easy to do, its quite in depth, but if done well it helps you figure out why it happened and helps you stop it before it spreads. Woodruff finally, Graham Brookie, for people who are watching this, who may think the virus is overblown, frankly dont know where to turn for information because of some of whats come out to have the white house and the president himself, not to mention other sources, where can people turn for Accurate Information . Well, always look to sources that are both accountable and transparent. First and foremost, im not a doctor. I would point directly to dr. Frieden. He is one of the most reliable sources thats out there. He is consistently updating the public with what we know and dont know. Thats reliable information. For the normal social media user, while on your phone or tuned into the tv at night, always check the source which guards against disinformation, the spread of false information intentionally, also check the sources source which guards against misinformation. When you hear Something Like this people are saying, thats probably not very reliable and you can ke an extra step in order to protect yourself and get the best information about coronavirus. Graham brookie and dr. Tom frieden, we thank you both so much. Thank you, judy. Woodruff and one note before we leave this topic. Dr. Rick bright, former head of a major federal Vaccine Agency turned whistleblower resigned from the agency today. He filed a whistleblower complaint back in may. In a statement today, brights attorney said hes since been sidelined and accused the agency of putting, quo, politics over science. Woodruff in the days other news, the state of florida extended Voter Registration until this evening, after its Online System crashed on monday. It happened hours before the original deadline, and it may have stopped thousands of people from signing up. Republican Governor Ron Desantis says the system was overwhelmed. If 500,000 people descend at the same time, it creates a bottleneck. And thats what we see. So there are people who would go and they would try again, but it obviously wasnt smooth because you had so much traffic. Woodruff meanwhile, Top National Security officials offered new assurances of the november elections integrity. In a video message, the heads of the f. B. I. , the National Security agency and others insisted all votes will be safeguarded. President trump has repeedly claimed that mailin votes, especially, cannot be trusted. Hurricane delta has grown into a potentially disastrous category 4 storm tonight, with sustained winds at 140 miles an hour. It is bearing down on mexicos yucatan peninsula, before swinging north to strike the u. S. Gulf coast by friday. On yucatan today, heavy winds and rain battered cancun and other resort areas. Another storm struck the region last weekend, killing six people. In texas, a white Police Officer has been charged with murder, in the killing of a black man in wolfe city. The Texas Rangers say Jonathan Price was shot as he walked away, after a reported fight at a convenience store. The statement says officer shaun lucas first used a stun gun on price, then opened fire. Russian dissident Alexei Navalny charged today that the kremlin had him poisoned to head off losses in next years parliamentary elections. Doctors have said he tested positive for the sovietera nerve agent novichok. Today, navalny made his first video appearance since leaving a hospital in germany. He pointed at russian intelligence. translated the assassins that use chemical weapons are specially trained people. It couldnt just be a rogue oligarch or corrupt official, because the combination of novichok, people with access to it, and knowing how to use it, is about five people in the intelligence service. Woodruff meanwhile, the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons, a global watchdog group, confirmed that it was a nerve agent attack. Russia has denied any involvement. In kyrgyzstan, Elections Officials today voided sundays parliamentary Election Results that favored pro government parties. Mass protests had erupted in the capital, bishkek, and other cities in the Central Asian state. Smoke bellowed from bishkeks Central Government building this morning after protesters stormed in. Hundreds were injured in clashes with police. Three scientists have won this years nobel prize in physics for their work on black holes. Briton roger penrose, german Reinhard Genzel and american andrea ghez were honored today. It is believed that black holes are tied to the creation of galaxies, and that they swallow light and even time. But, ghez says much about them remains a mystery. Because theyre so hard to understand, is what makes them so appealing. This idea that there are objects that represent the breakdown of our understanding of the physical world and where you get this mixing of space and time. Woodruff ghez is just the fourth woman to be awarded the nobel prize for physics. Democrats on the u. S. House Judiciary Committee called today for curbing big tech companies. A 450page report found amazon, google, facebook and apple have abused their market dominance by charging excessive fees and extracting valuable data from users. Recommendations include forcing the firms to divest related businesses. Also today, facebook announced a ban on groups that promote q anon. Thats the Conspiracy Theory claiming theres a child trafficking ring run by celebrities and socalled deep state officials. Qanon portrays President Trump as doing battle with the conspiracy. On wall street, a rally turned into a rout after President Trump halted stimulus talks with democrats. The Dow Jones Industrial average had been up 200 points, but ended by losing 375 points to close at 27,772. The nasdaq fell 177 points, and the s p 500 slipped 47. And, rock and roll hall of Famer Eddie Van Halen has died, after battling throat cancer. He was acclaimed as a genius on guitar, and starting in 1978, his band, van halen, scored a long list of hits, including the classic jump, with David Lee Roth singing. Ah, might as well jump go ahead and jump might as well jump go ahead and jump jump guitar solo woodruff Eddie Van Halen was 65 years old. Still to come on the newshour dreams on hold. Those looking to become new u. S. Citizens are stalled by covid19 covid19 continues to cause a surge in the need for Food Assistance. And, legendary naturalist David Attenborough provides a grim assessment of the climate crisis. Woodruff the coronavirus woodruff the coronavirus pandemic has upended life for almost everyone in the United States. But, it has also significantly disrupted the efforts of those looking to become american citizens, and who are eager to vote in the november election. As john yang reports, covid has made the alreadystrenuous path to citizenship in the u. S. Even harder. Yang in texas, registered nurse vanessa solomon is on the frontlines of the battle against the coronavirus. She was born in st. Martin in the caribbean, and came to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old. They entered on visitors visas, and stayed illegally when they expired. She says that wasnt a problem until she was in high school. I wanted to attend college, and thats when i realized that i was pretty much stuck in a situation that i had absolutely no control over. Yang solomon mared a u. S. Citizen and became a permanent resident a foreign citizen authorized to permanently live and work in the United States. Last june, she applied to become a u. S. Citizen through a process called naturalization. Once trump came into office and all these immigration issues me around, policy started changing, i realized that i was not as stable as i thought i was. Yang her inperson interview and required civics test with the u. S. Citizenship and immigration services, or u. S. C. I. S. , was scheduled for march. That gave her hope that she would become a citizen in time to register to vote in this falls election. But then the pandemic hit. U. S. C. I. S. Closed its offices, and solomons application got stuck in a processing backlog of about 700,000 people waiting for their applications to be approved. In a statement to the newshour, a u. S. C. I. S. Spokesperson wrote while it is true that our production may likely be down, due to the previous temporary suspension of inperson services as a result of the covid19 pandemic, it is also true we will end the fiscal year with approximately 600,000 new citizens. Thats compared with 834,000 new citizens naturalized last year. Analysts say some 300,000 applicants now in the pipeline wont become citizens in time to vote in november. Officials say citizenship applications surge every four years, timed to beat Voter Registration deadlines. Thats what led Fernando Valle to apply last november, after taking a free citizenship class at the museum of the American Revolution in philadelphia. He had come to the United States from his native mexico in 2005 on a work visa, and became a permanent resident in 2015, after marrying his husband. Once i knew, you know, there was going to come a big election for this year, that was something that made me put the time. I prepared the paperwork to comple the application. Yang when he applied, he was told that the processing time was nine months. That would have given him plenty of time to register to vote. But it wasnt until Early September that his interview was scheduled. The date . October 23, four days after pennsylvanias Voter Registration deadline. Is this delay frustrating for you . Because youve done everything you should do . Its very frustrating because ive been following all the instructions, all the paperwork, all the timelines that in this case, the u. S. C. I. S. Office, you know, indicates. Its heartbreaking to see, you know, these delays. Yang the Republican National convention featured President Trump presiding over a white house naturalization ceremony for five new citizens. It was definitely a gimmick, right . Yang shev dalaldheini is director of Government Relations for the American Immigration lawyers association. Its a way to say, oh, we care about immigrants, and we do it. But while they showed those five individuals getting their naturalizationeremony, it doesnt tell you the story of the hundreds of thousands of people who are still waiting in line. These are all legal immigrants. These are all people who are trying to do it right, trying to do it by the laws that were set forth by congress, taking every step that they need to take. Yang dalaldheini says challenges on the path to citizenship will increase on october 2, when the government plans to raise the fees an applicant must pay to almost 1,200, an increase of more than 80 . And so, by making the choice to increase these naturalization applications so significantly, it truly just ys we dont want you as american citizens. Yang u. S. C. I. S. Says the increase is necessary. In july, the agency, which is funded almost entirely by fees, said current levels would leave it underfunded by about 1 billion per year. Late last month, the agency announced unprecedented spending cuts in order to avert big furloughs threatened earlier this year, but acknowledged the step will increase backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs. Morale is extremely low. Its never been any lower than it is now. Yang longtime naturalization officer Kenneth Palinkas is executive Vice President of the union that represents u. S. C. I. S. Employees. You have no idea how this impending furlough weighed heavily on the workers, their families, their associates, their lives. It was very difficult. We still have the furlough hanging over our heads, too. Yang palinkas says he sympathizes with applicants. Theyre coming in for the righteous reasons. They want to become u. S. Citizens. Yang like vanessa solomon, the texas nurse. I have paid my taxes. Ive built a life here. And i feel as though i have contributed towards society. Yang earlier this month, she got good news she became a citizen on september8, in plenty of time to register to vote. That oath of citizenship means that after all of these years of working hard to prove myself to this city and to the system, that i am eligible for rights. Yang but for valle and hundreds of thousands of other applicants like him, the wait continues. For the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff President Trump today said he was breaking off talks and would no longer try to negotiate a deal on a covid relief bill until after the election. But, for millions of americans, the economic pressure is not letting up. Nearly half of the 22 million jobs lost during the pandemic have not yet been recovered. Hunger, Food Insecurity and need remain a constant. Stephanie sy has the latest. Sy judy, the most recent survey by the Census Bureau found that more than 18 million American Adults said they sometimes or often didnt have enough to eat in the past week. A survey in august found up to 14 of adults with kids said their children were in that same at. Food banks are stretched to the brink. Communities in the gulf coast have been seeing their share of all of this, a problem that is magnified during Hurricane Season. The latest stormhurricane delta, is expected to make landfall by the weekend. Michael ledger is the c. E. O. Of feeding the gulf coast, and joins me now. Michael, thank you so much for your time. Give us a sense of how long the lines have been at the food banks, how desperate the need youre seeing there on the gulf coast. Yes, the need is exploded. Weve seen over 50 increase in need with covid. Its put people in a very vulnerable position. We had one in six individuals and one in four children struggling with hunger, and weve seen that number now increase to one and five adults and one in three children. We had a mega fod pantry where we distributed approximately 90,000 pounds of food at a large football stadium. The distribution started at 9 00. They filled every spot waiting in line for food and we still turned cars away attend of it. Reporter incredible. One in three children in the United States food insecure. When you look at whos lining up in the events, what strikes you as most worrying . Are you see ago lot of families with Young Children who are hungry . Absolutely. Our Child Nutrition Program has been working around the clock. All four our programs are running simultaneously right now and three of the four in alabama are running. We have kids in need impacted amazingly. Folks have to pay the electric bill, its either on or off, but when it comes to food, you mit try to stretch your budget, then you leave yourself food insecure. With schools closed or kids unable to go to school, the need for supplemental nutrition is increased drayt matcally. Woodruff i. Reporter it appears the white house is not going to make a deal with the democrats for Coronavirus Relief funding before the election, which could tie up Food Assistance benefits. Myel, if washington could see what you are seeing on the ground, what would they be doing . I think if they were on the ground, they would see people impacted every day. Those who werent vulnerable because they jobs had been eliminated or they had been reduced, the hours, the restaurants only working 50 capacity on limited hours, of course the parents arent bringing the paycheck home they would have. We have people in our lines, a gentleman named terry just the other day, he had four girls under the age of seven, had lost a job due to covid, and did not know how he was going to feed them. When he left, he was tearyeyed and thanking us for making sure he knew how he was going to put food on his table for his kids that week. When you tell stories like that to someone, they can feel the impact and we certainly hope the legislators are aware of those situations and we believe they are. Reporter michael, youre in the midst of an historically active Hurricane Season with yet another hurricane heading your way this weekend. How is that affecting operations . Yes, as we respond to covid and now sally, just three weeks out, having put out 18 million meals since covid with 1. 5 million meals for sally, our folks are stretched thin, working really hard. Im so proud of the team. Obviously were in a more vulnerable spot and all those impacted by sally find thvls more vulnerable now. Were going to be working around the clock to address the needs that arise at it pertains to hunger with the delta bearing down on us. We hope to be ready and up to the challenge. And i hope your team stays safe as you do this important work. Michael ledger, c. E. O. And president of feeding the gulf of mexico, thank you. Thank you. Woodruff there is perhaps no one whose name is more synonymous with documenting the Natural World than filmmaker sir David Attenborough. He has been at it since the 1950s, and in his latest book and film, both out this week, he offers a grave and alarming witness stateme about the crisis facing our planet. William brangham talked with the 94yearold recently. It is part of our ongoing arts and culture series, canvas. The living world is a unique and spectacular marvel. Brangham no one has given us a more intimate or stunning look at our planet than sir David Attenborough. Dazzling in their variety and richness. Brangham but now, after a near70 year career, he says were running the planet headlong into disaster. The way we humans live on earth is sending it into a decline. Human beings have overrun the world. Brangham in his new Netflix Documentary and companion book, both titled a life on our planet, the famed filmmaker wants us to recognize whats happening, and to act before its too late. I spoke with him recently from his home in london. Sir David Attenborough, its a great honor to have you on the newshour. Thank you very much for being here. Anyone who knows your work knows that youve increasingly talked out mans impact on the Natural World. But this film really hits this point very directly. Was it your sense that things had just gotten so bad that that needed to be the focus of this project . Yes, i think ive been speaking about this the last 20, 30 years, really. Its just what anybody who knows the Natural World, and spends time looking at the Natural World, stares it in the face. And anybody with whom that happens feels a huge responsibility to talk about it. Brangham as you say in the film, and in the book, that when you were a young man and going to all these exotic places, you had the sense at the time that that mans imprint was not being felt. Was there a moment where you first recognized and said, i see it now . I see very directly the imprint that humanity is having on the planet . Yes. The problem is making global assessments like that. Mean, you can go to a glacier that you were there maybe five, ten years ago, and it has retreated, but you think, oh, well, thats just this glacier. Maybe theres another one thats increasing. But there are some things that are irrevocable, and so dramatic and distressing that you cant brush them awa the one which i suppose was the tipping point, was when i dived on a coral reef, which id known well, on the Great Barrier reef in australia, and suddenly saw a cemetery. Suddenly it was dead. And these these corals, this extraordinary, wonderful construction of corals, was dead, white. And that was a shock. Brangham there is, if i may say, a genuine sense of sadness and melancholy that is throughout this project. I mean, in the past, you would often talk about mans impact on the world, but would move on, in a sense, then move to the next story, to the next scene. This film, you really clearly seem to say we are not moving on. I cannot stress this point strong enough. Well, you put it very well. That is exactly what i think. And we you know, you you feel that sitting in london or new yo or wherever, you may feel the what the wilderness is, out there. And of course, its interesting, and of course, we know theoretically we depend upon it. But when but now, its more serious than that. It affects every man and woman and child on this planet. I mean, im an elderly chap. And i look at my grandchildren anwonder whats going to happen. And all i know is that if you see these things and realize what they mean, you simply cant sit back anday, well, im not going to bother. Brangham i should say, i dont want to leave people with the sense that you dont address what we might do to remedy this, and a good portion of the book and of the film is looking at solutions. This film is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. Brangham attenborough argues for rapid shift to renewable energy, to sustainable agriculture, for a slowing of population growth, and for what he calls a rewilding of the land and the oceans, to give them time to rebound. How confident are you that we will, in fact, move from these isolated examples to a true moment for change . Im not. Im not in the leastonfident we will do so in time. And i certainly feel, although the situation is worse, i believe that the world is becoming more aware of what needs to be done to a much greater extent than only, say, five, ten years ago. It does seem to me aorldwide realization of the crisis which we are facing, and its been spearheaded, of course, by young people, and quite rightly, too, its their future. But the kids of today, thats their life, you know. And and we owe it to them to do everything we can to make sure that disasters averted. Brangham what about the role that our own human complacency plays in all of this . We all love the benefits of our gaspowered cars and our airconditioned homes, and when we talk of a sixth extinction or Global Climate change, its its still very easy for so many people to put this view out of their minds and just keep on. But actually, even your country is more unlikely for that to happen than in mine. I mean, you have faced disaster after disaster. Youve got rising sea levels you had the cyclones, hurricanes moving through with greater ferocity and frequency than ever before. We see on our Television Newsreel coverage of appalling things that happened in your country. Devastation, because of climate change. Seemed to me, overwhelming. And its nice to say, oh, its nothing, its just a passing phase. It isnt. And the statistics show it isnt. It is a Major Movement thats happening. And your country and my country and the rest of the world have got to do something about it. I mean, can we know what to do brangham do you have to dig deep down to come up with this optimism, or is the is the long arc of your career that gives you this optimism . What is it . I dont regard myself an optimist, to be truthful. But having said that, if i am to and if thats to happen, its got to be supported by the electorate, who says we want it to happen. We want to solve it. And tell us what the price is. But we want to pay it. Brangham the book and the film is called a life on our planet my witness statement and vision for the future. Sir David Attenborough, thank you so much for talking with us, and thank you for your remarkable career. Thank you so much. Woodruff before we go, i want to invite you to a very special youth election town hall tonight hosted by amna nawaz, created specifically for, with and by teenagers from our student reporting labs network, and in partnership with the poynter institutes mediawise program. Before hearing from amna, heres a short preview. Now the 2020 election is here and political messages are everywhere. In fact, sometimes it feels like everything is political. Its a lot. Lets be real some of the information we get is important and useful. And some of it is false. How can we know who and what to trust. Are we prepared for this election and what comes afterwards . Jernz. Thats us. Makes up 10 of all american voters. Gen z is predicted to make up the largest Electoral Group by 2024. Thats just four years from now. America hasnt seen a wave of young voters this big since the 70s. Thats a lot of responsibility so lets face facts. Lets find out how our actions as citizens matter. Lets make sure what we read and share is the truth. This is our future on the line. This is our time. Its our time. Woodruff this looks like it will be a really unique event, amna, what can we expect . Nawaz thats right, judy, we hear a lot about firsttime voters and gen z activists, but this is an entire hour devoted to talking with teens and young adults about this historic election, the pandemic and what is going on in their lives. But this is also about media literacy. So weve partnered with the poynter institutes media wise program, and their factcheckers will show how young people can sort through misinformation online and help their communities become better informed, as well. The town hall is tonight at 7 00 p. M. Eastern. You can visit the newshours website or watch on the pbs newshours youtube channel, facebook and twitter. So needed. Thank you, am na. Were looking forward to that. And that is the newshour for tonight. Im judy woodruff. Join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and well see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by when the world gets complicated, a lotoes through your mind. With fidelity wealth management, a dedicated advisor n tailor advice a recommendations to your life. Thats fidelity wealth management. Consumer cellular. Johnson johnson. Bnsf railway. Financial Services Firm raymond james. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democrati engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ptioning sponsored by wshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org. Hello, everyone. Welcome to amanpour co. Heres whats coming up. Its been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about covid. The president insists hes on the mend. What does public or americas adversaries really know . I asked elliot abrams. And mide east expert vali nasr joins me. Then how will history judge our leaders in this time of crisis . Perspective with the historian margaret macmillan. Plus, the hardest job in the world. The journalist john dierson talks about the american presidency with walter isaacson