Major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. The engine that connects us. For 25 years, Consumer Cellular has been offering lands designed to help people do more of what they like. How our service team can help you find a plan that fits you. To learn more, visit consumercellular. Tv. Raymondjames. Johnson johnson. Fostering informed and engaged communities. More at kf. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions. And friends of the newshour. This program was made possible by the Corporation Public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Judy President Trump is being taken to Walter Reed National military Medical Center in bethesda, maryland, tonight after testing positive for the coronavirus overnight. White House Press SecretaryKayleigh Mcenany said hes experiencing mild symptoms, and was being airlifted to the military hospital, she says, out of an abundance of caution. There are reports tonight that the president s symptoms include a low grade fever, fatigue, nasal congestion and cough. Mcenany said hes expected to stay at walter reed for several days, and will work from the hospitals president ial suite. Word of his positive test raised more questions than it answered, and brought much uncertainty to the state of the president ial campaign and beyond. Our White House CorrespondentYamiche Alcindor begins our coverage. Yamiche the Global Pandemic hitting home at the white house. President trump now infected with the very virus hes been fighting to contain, while at the same time downplaying. Today in a tweet at 12 54 a. M. , the president announced that both he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. He wrote, we will begin our quarantine and Recovery Process immediately. In the meantime, the white house scrambled to do Contact Tracing and officials there expressed optimism. The chief of staff mark meadows. The American People can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job, will remain on the job, and im optimistic he will have a very quick and speedy recovery. He has mild symptoms. As we look at that, the doctor will continue to provide expertise. Yamiche and white House Press Secretary kaylieigh mcenany spoke on fox news this afternoon. Hes having mild symptoms, but hes feeling good, hes in good spirits. I spoke to him last night and he absolutely was hard at work. Yamiche but that revelation comes hours after news broke that hope hicks, a close trump advisor who traveled with the president this week, had the virus. That sparked immediate concern of exposure amongst the president s inner circle and washingtons top officials. This morning, Vice President pence and his wife karen announced they tested negative. Pences doctor said he does not need to quarantine. The health and Human Services secretary alex azar who testified before Congress Today on political interference in the u. S. s Covid Response also tested negative. But news broke this morning that Republican NationalCommittee ChairwomanRonna Mcdaniel tested positive on wednesday. She was last with the president last friday. Meanwhile, the democratic president ial nominee former Vice President joe biden tested negative for the virus. He said in a tweet that he, quote, will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president. The president s infection upends an already unprecedented campaign. I dont wear a mask like him, everytime you see him hes got a mask. I put a mask on, you know, when i think i need it. Yamiche the president has long downplayed the virus and cast doubt on the necessity of social distancing and facial coverings. Its a little like a regular flu that we have flu shots for. And well essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner. Yamiche and back in march, he told Journalist Bob Woodward in a phone interview that he intentionally downplayed the virus severity. I wanted to always play i down. I still like playing it down because i dont want to create a panic. Yamiche at the president ial debate this week, he claimed his Large Campaign rallies arent risky events. Critics quickly pointed out that former gop president ial candidate herman cain died of coronavirus after attending one of the president s indr rallies in oklahoma. At a Charity Dinner before his positive test result last night, the president was optimistic that the pandemic would end soon. The end of the pandemic is in sight. Yamiche meanwhile, hospitalizations have hit their highest levels since may in at least nine states across the u. S. National cases have surpassed 7. 2 million. This morning, housspeaker nancy pelosi said she hopes President Trumps positive test result is a turning point for his attitude towds the virus. This is tragic, its very sad. But it also is something that again, going into crowds unmasked and all the rest, its sort of a brazen invitation for this to happen. Sad that it did, but im nonetheless hopeful that itll be a transition to a saner approach to what this virus is all about. Yamiche today, Global Markets quickly fumbd as news of his infection broke around the world. President trump is not the first head of state to test positive for the virus among them, the u. K. s Prime Minister boris johnson, and brazilian president jair bolsonaro. World leaders sent the president their well wishes. Russian president Vladimir Putin wrote in a memo that he is sending sincere support to President Trump. But some struck a more critical note. French government spokesman briel attal said the president s infection is a sign that the virus spares no one, including those who are the most skeptical about its reality and gravity. What more do we know about the president s health tonight . Yamiche stephanie, this is a remarkable moment and cannot be said enough that the president is dealing with a historic art of his presidency. The president is arguably the most attracted american in this country and could not attacked himself from the coronavirus. He could not protect the first lady or the white house. This is a president of the white house says has been moved to walter reed. White house officials continue to stress that he is experiencing mild symptoms. Though symptoms include nasal congestion, a lowgrade fever as well as fatigue. He says that he is feeling in good spirits. The white house doctor says that he has given him a treatment of a single infusion of an experimental antibody cocktail to help him with his symptoms. The white house doctor says that the president will continue to take vitamin d, zinc, and aspirin for how we got here and how this happened to President Trump. You have to look at the calendar of his events in his extensive travel leading up to this. We will put up this graphic. The president had more rallies since last thursday. There was a rally in jacksonville, florida area and there were rallies in virginia and pennsylvania. Last saturday, that is when you saw that rose garden eve where he announced that he was going to be nominating judge Amy Coney Barrett. Her nomination in a pretty packed crowd where a lot of people were not Wearing Masks, having in there myself. Then he traveled to cleveland, ohio, on tuesday. This is where things get pretty critical. The president , ang with his family, traveled to minnesota. Hope hicks was then diagnosed with the coronavirus on wednesday night. The next day, t president , knowing that hope hicks was diagnosed, he went to new jersey for fundraiser. Over thursday night, he was diagnosed himself with things sitting for the coronavirus. What this all means the president was traveling when he knew that he was in close contact with someone who had the virus. I pressed the white house to ask how the president made that decision and why it was seen as ok for him to make that trip. They said that the white house operations authorized the president to do that. Can the president keep working through this coronavirus issue that his having and infection that he is now fighting . The white house insists that he continues to be in command and there is no change in either in the u. S. Government. They say that they got the president will continue to work from walter reed. They are also saying that he is continuing to work at the white house. That means that his calendar was cleared all day. We are not sure with the president was doing other than talking to people. The Trump Campaign says that they are postponing all events Going Forward and any sort of event that might be happening well be virtual. That is his diagnosis and treatment going forwd tonight. Stephanie so many potential exposures from that calendar, so many people have reason to worry. But a lot of people have also pointed out [indiscernible] yamiche what we saw was that the president in the white house was not always adhering to the Health Guidelines for their own government. At the Trump Administration has a specific set of guidelines. They tell people to social distance, wash her hands, wear masks, but we saw at the white house was white house officials walking around, Holding Events and not having masks on. Tonight, the Security Council released a statement saying that their employees world be mandated will be mandated to wear masks. We saw the announcement of judge barrett as the president s nominee. I was at that event and i can tell you that i saw with my own two eyes that there were people not Wearing Masks, all standing close together. The president also had the convention on the lawn of the white house. There were there were hundreds of people not Wearing Masks. Critics of the president saying that this was the president not mirroring the behavior that would get the nation safely through the pandemic, and as a result, it was almost inevitable that he would and the white house would become a place where they would be spreading the virus to other people. Stephanie members of congress were in the vicinity of the president and tonight, we learned of another positive test. Yamiche what we have here is a number of members of congress that tested positive. You have mike lee, he was not wearing a mask. He was very close behind mike pence. Mike pence has tested positive. He was also at the white house on saturday. There are photos of him wearing a mask, but he met with judge barrett, mike lee, who is also quarantining. The soontobe Justice Barrett on tuesday. What you see as republican officials testing positive and also being in close proximity to the republican nominee for the supreme court. Stephanie so much to keep track of. The Vice President testing negative, but senator tom tillis of carolina testing positive and he is also a member of the judiciary committee, which is key as we all know. Yamiche alcindor with the latest, thank you. Yamiche thanks so much. Judy there are many other questions about the president s personal health, the duration of qurantine and whom else might have been exposed in recent days. Dr. Ashish jha is the dean of the Brown University school of Public Health and joins me now. Given what we have seen now, the president is about to leave white house to go to walter reed for several days you have heard i think what we have about the president s symptoms. What does that all add up for you . Dr. Jha thank you for having me on. This is very concerning for the president and the country. In terms of the president and his health, we do not have a lot of information. Do know we do know cute deceived an experimental therapy, but it seems like it is moving pretty quickly. He was diagnosed last night. He is heading to the hospital tonight. It concerns me. I do not want to overstate it. I do not have a lot of details, none of us do. But this is a concerning and i think worrying development. It feels like her than abundance of caution. But let us pray that he will turn around quickly. Judy worrying it because they went ahead and gave him this infusion of antibody cocktail . Worrying because of his age . Worrying because he is told we are told that he is overweight or his height . What makes you worry . Dr. Jha it is a bit of all those things. He is highrisk because of his age and weight. You do not know about his comorbid conditions. It feels like his clinical situation has gotten worse since yesterday did a typical course r someone with this virus may be several days before they start feeling worse. This feels like it is moving faster than usual. We do not know a lot here. I do not want to overstate we know what we now. He is the president of the United States and we have to have a height level of concerned heightened level of concern. Judy how much information are you getting . Dr. Jha this has been a challenge out of this white house. One of the reasons why it is so important for political leaders and the white house to build credibility with the American People is exactly for mormons like this. In a moment of crisis, we need to trust what is coming from there. We have not always gotten straight information. I am worried. My hope is that the white house does level with the American People, is transparent, and shares formation. But we will have to see what comes out of the white house in terms of what is going on. Judy i will just rept what i sa a moment ago talking to yamiche. The picture normally, they allow the press to take pictures, video of the president leaving the white house and getting onto the helicopter. So far this evening, they are not allowing that picture. We are continuing to watch to see if that changes. We know that the president has been traveling a lot. We just heard yamiche report on his schedule for the last two weeks, holding these rallies, very little mask wearing, very little social distancing, how much could all that have contributed . Dr. Jha yeah. There are two sets of issues in my mind. It is very clear that the white house has not been doing an adequate job of protecting the president and the results of that are now in front of us. The idea that people could go up and be next to him without wearing a mask, that people were not doing social distancing, all of those really put the president at risk. The fact that that was allowed and in some ways encouraged really strikes me as very problematic. Here we are. Now, the big challenge in front of us is to figure out who has been in contact with the president , the first lady, with miss hicks. In identifying who needs to be quarantined, tested, and given his schedule, we are probably talking about dozens, but more likely, hundreds of people. There is a very large effort in front of us in terms of tracking everybody down and figuring out what to do with them. Judy and what would you say about joe biden at this point . He was in michigan today. He flew there from delaware, he didnt event mikey was wearing a mask. He did an event, he was wearing a mask. Is it a good idea for him to be on the road even socially distanced and wearing a mask . Dr. Jha another concerning part of this do not know exactly when the president was infected, but it is reasonable to guess that the president was likely infectious on tuesday night during the night of the debate. Mr. Biden would not count as an official contact because they did not get within six feet, but they did share a stage for 90 minutes. Clearly, the Vice President is at some risk. It has been good to hear that he has been tested negative. He is going to continue to get elite tests. If he continues to get negative test into next week, i will feel better. But mr. Biden needs to be careful at this moment because he has been around somebody who was infected and infectious. Judy dr. Jha, thank you very much. I am told right now that there are video, pictures being permitted at the white house right now. For the press to see the president leaving the residence. I am told that he is walking to the helicopter. We will attempt to bring those pictures to our audience as soon as we have them. Think then you very much. Thank you very much. And for a look at how the president s diagnosis affects the executive branch and what it means for the countrys National Security, were joined by leon panetta. He served as the white house chief of staff to president clinton, then director of the cia and secretary of defense in the obama administration. What does this moment mean for the country . Leon it is a serious moment that i think raises a lot of National Security and occasions because this involves the president of the United States and whether or not he is able to fulfill the duties of the president. And in a very dangerous world with a number of crises that we are facing here at home and abroad, there are concerns about whether or not the United States of america can in fact provide the governing that is necsary in