captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff.ew on the nour tonight: the outbreak spreads. fears rise, as the coronavirus continues its march across the globe, and world stock markets drop again, in one of the bleakest weeks since the financial collapse. then, "ending the longest war." after nearly two decades of fighting in afghanistan, the u.s. prepares to sign a peace deal with the taliban. plus, our lisa desjardins is in south carolina, where voters this weekend will have tef final word be the democrats' super tuesday primaries. >> i'm not going to say, "who can beat trp?" i'm going to say, "who can stand in and have a fair fight against trump?" and let the >> woodruff: and, riday. mark shields and david brooks

are here to analyze the white house response to the outbreak, and e presidential hopefuls the cusp of crucial days of voting. all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engi that connects us.

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thank you. >> woodruff: the coronavirus outbreak is generating new infections and new commercial chaos tonight. fears of a global economic crisis sent wall street on another wild ridtoday, ending its worst week since october of 2008. the dow jones industrial average fell nearly 1,100 points before a late-day recovery. it ended up losing 357 points to close at 25,409. the nasdaq managed to rise one point, and the s&p 500 fell . but at the white house this morning, economic adviser larry kudlow said that he fairly quickly.ket to come back >> i acknowledge that the atuation could deteriorat i acknowledge the risks, but given what we know factually, looks to me like the market has gone too far.

i just thi everybody, whether you're an investor, or wther you're an ordinars mainstream -- people should not overreact. >> woodruff: the market frenzy came as more than 3,500 new cases were reported ineveral countries today that have the largest outbreaks outside of china. disruptions to plans and typical business are growing throughout the globe. in geneva, the swiss government becamehe latest to ban large public events, scrapping an international auto show. >> ( translated ): we know this will have a significant impact on public life, but thmove is expected to provide protection to public health. >> woodruff: reports poured in tfrom around the globe th coronavis, covid-19, has disrupted events, commerce and travel. as airlines cut flights to a number of asian countries, including japan, tokyo disneyland and other parks were closed.in

taly, where cases have steadily increased, officials say jitters overafhe virus have cted tourism. collapsed all over.bookings have hotels are in a difficult so it's a very comed situation that we must face immediately. ur>> woodruff: one swiss ice company even put in place a "no-handshaking" policy. in iran, workers sprayed disinfectant at a shiite shrine, as friday prayers in parts of the country were cceled. in seoul, south korea, hundreds flocked to stores to buy masks, and workers continued to canvas public places spraying disinfectant.ro as fears over virus rise, world health organization officials raised the risk assessment to the highest level. >> health systems around the world are not ready, and need to be better prepared to absorb the impact of the virus. it's time to prepare, it's time

to get ready, it is time to acte and the peopleto take a reality check now. >> woodruff: the list of american-based businesse events also grew. meetings and amazon told all its employees to defer non-essential travel, even within the united states. yesterday, facebook said it would cancel its biggest event of the year, an annual conference known as "f8. at the same time, the politics of the virus intensified. in washington, white house actinghief of staff mick mulvaney accused democrats and the news media of stoking fears to hurt president tr >> the reason they're paying so much attention to it today, is that they think this is going to be what brings down the president. t.at's what this is all ab >> woodruff: on capitol hill, democrats in tn, blamed the white house for politicizing the outbreak. >> the career profsionals say

that this community spread is inevitable, it's going happen, it's a question of when, not if. but the political people are "oh, this is nothing, it's passing over."od >> woodruff:, the centers for disease control and prevention said it aims to have virus testing kits in every state by the end of next week.n more t trillion of value were wiped out from american stocks this week, just dayset after the mare at record highs. the week was so tumultuous that federal reserve chairman jayun powell took thual step of issuing a statement about the fundamental strength othe economy. coronavirus poses risks, and said that the fed would act if needed, signaling a possible rate cut. later, a white house official confirmed to our yamiche alcindor that they are considering pursuing a targeted tax cut package. that's a lot to discuss with carl tannenbaum.

he is the executive vice president and chief economist for northern trust. carl tannenbaum, welcome to the "newshour". so the market didn't end the day as down asthey were earlier, but, still, another wild ride. how do you interpret the forces at work here? >> i think, over the last week, judy, the markets have been undergoing a massive reevaluation of the consequences of the coronavirus. o the dan the infection certainly is one thing, but i think what the market may be reacting to in the main is how public health officials in the private sector will react to all of thi the preventative measurings taken by both of those will tend to impede commerce. and while they will be quick to implement them, they may be slow to remove them as the cot clears. what this means is an interruption in the globalsu ly chains which are used to make many manufactured goods and an interruption in services businesses such as travel and hotel, so this is both a supply

and demand shock. in light of all that, maybe the marketeeded to reevaluate its expectations for economic activity and corporate profits. >> woodruff: so what is i that's going on in the economy and in the reaction too the ys that is most conceing to people like you who look at alls >> well, in heavier industries, if you can't get par to your plant, you can't finish products, and certainly the way that things are working in asia, it's very, very difficult to get those o supplies at the moment. companies are tied closely into china and other asian vendors and that means their business id very slow ultimately limay have to furlough workers for a little whil for services businesses, those involved ithe hpitality industry, the logistics industry, the movement of peopln products across the country is very, very sloshings and there's a psycholaty developed ill need to be imagined carefully. people without the benefit of clear information often assume the worst and can create i don't

know assumption and investment sumpleses that can perpetuate a negative cycle. >> woodruff: how did you reae thd statement from chairman powell? >> i think the statement was entirely appropriate. the situation sun folding, but it is clear that this just isn't a market correction, that there is something fundamental underneath it,nd in order for the fed to continue to pursue jectives, it may need to lower interest rates, even though that's not exactly the right it will restore confidence and help financial conditions from gettin wtoo tight. druff: if that's not entirely the right tool, what could be the right tool?yo and when u hear the white house is considering d somethg with tax cuts, what does that say to you? >> well, like the flu itself, sometimes the bet remedy i just to let it run its course. but there are therapies tt can be applied in the interim in order to help buffer the symptoms. and in the case of fiscal policy, certainly some aidto

prepare health officials for dealing with whatever might come our way as well as some hp for industries that might be particularly impaired, would help them from taking further steps that could be damaging to our economy. >> woodruff: and what does that say about tax cuts, i'sf thhat the administration wand to do, could that bect efe? >> i think some fiscal measures would be helpful. it's early, so i nhaven't see the specifics, but they should be designed so they hit with the most force ovethe next three to six months. even in a worse case scenao, seems likely that global supply cranes will be back on to line with it iathat windond so what we need help with is the short term. >> woodruff: all right, a lot towigest, carl tannenbauh h.rthern trust. thank you very m the centers for disease control's netimeline for getting coronavirus diagnostic testing kits to every state was welcome news today. but, there have been questions about the country's ability to do enough tests in the event of break. o it has also raised larger questions about the health

system's ability to deal with a major surge of patients. dennis carrolls the former director of the u.s. agency for international development's emerging threats division. he currently heads "the virome project," a non-profit global partnershiworking to prepare for potential future viral threats. c dennroll, welcome to the "newshour". >> thank you. >> woodruff: so, right now, does the united states have in place the systems, the materials that it needs to address what may be coming? >> t short answer is no. we do have the plans for what is need, and i tnk the public health community in the united states, certainly those at centers for disease control, have a very excellent plan over the years on how to deal with exactly this situation. d for o months, we've known, since the beginning of january, that this is an eminenthreat. a month ago, the w.h.o. signaled this was a public health event

of international concern, which should have initiated political leadership a step forward and began authorizing the use of these plans. what we've not seen is the execution or the leadership from the political communities. >> woodruff:o you're saying it's been slow, slower than it should have been. what i want to ask you especifically about are testing kits, a lot of focus on those. are there enough available now for what may be coming in the near future? >> oh, absolutely not. mean, i think the strategic use of k thes as defined by the centers for risease control t now likely limit where we are testing and it's largely around populations comg in from what we know to be infected areas, largely asia. we know nothing about what may oray not be circulating within the united states. so we've oy tested 500 people. south korea has tested tens of thousands of people.

>> woodruff: a there kits available elsewhere around the globe that the u.s. could access? >> well, i don't really have sight into that, but it's challenge on the part of thea kits, and it's a eal exception. historically, the u.s. and centers for disease controls has been a leader in being able to generate these kits r other outbreaks. what we're looking at is a conseqndnce of uerfunding and underattention to the systems that are inquired tio make ths happen to. you just can't turn on a spigot d make a kit available. >> woodruff: we've heard secretarof health and human services ax caesar said the risk of americans contracting the virus remains low but said some 30% of americans could become infected and the vast majority wld have low-level symptoms, but 30, does that alarm you?

does that sound like what you would expect,iven what we see so far? >> well, first off, the worrg healthization declared that this is a very high-level emergency today for the whole globe. i think what we are recognizingd is that 't know how many people will be infected, but what we do know is that it will be community transmission will go on, we need to prepare for that, and significant parts to have the population -- significant parts of the population will be infected. the numbers we see coming ut of asia in terms of mortality, we should be very concerned about that happening here in the united states. >> reporter: what would give you comfort?what do you want tog from federal government, the important points inside the federal vernment that would give you the confidence that, frankly, that the country is more ready than you say it is n ght now? >> well, we've s the past

that an effective respo begins with leadership at the top, and that has a way of trickling down through the entire system, and, so, you ask what i would like to see. the white house really taking this issue seriously andiz recog that this represents an extraordinary public health risk to the people of the united states. >> woordruff: dennis roll, sobering words. thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in the other news, a federal appeals court in san francisco temporarily blocked the trump administraon's "remain in mexico" policy. under it, nearly 60,000 asylum seekers, legal, have been returned to mexico while their cases are decided. today's ruling halts e policy in california and arizona, the border states in the court's jurisdiction.

the administration is expected to appeal. immigration court system separately, the feral proposed raising fees for using federal immigration cour. the price of appealing a decision would go from just over $100 to nearly $1,000. immigration groups said that would make it too expensive to challenge deportation orders. mounting chaos in northwestern syria touched off heavy fighting and urgent diplomacy today, and set a new wave of refugees in motion. enreign affairs correspond nick schifrin has our report. >>tchifrin: on the border t separates turkey from syria, the two countries' militaries, are hammering each other. turkey has launched multiple attacks against syrian government forces, in retaliation for syrian air strikes that killed 33 turkish soldiers last night. >> ( translated ): over 200 syrian regime targets were heavily struck by aircraft, unmanned aerial aircraft and land-based resources immediately following this heinous attack.

>> schifrin: inside syria,ta the turkish mi is siding with syrian rebels in idlib against syrian president bashar al-assad, and ally russia. nearby, the turkish military has depled to its outposts along near the border. inrian civilians are force refugee camps, where children, little girls, have little to defend ainst a new adversary: the cold. these displaced families have spent years fleeing th violence, and are hoping to escape to turkey. >> ( translated ): if the syrian regime and its russian and iranian allies are in char, en we have no option but to go to turkey, and from turkey, to go to europe. >> schifrin: but in turkey, syrian refugees who have spent months or years sheltering, are trying to enter greece, after turkey hinted at opening its western border. some migrants aren't waiting, t boarding dingimake the perilous journey by sea, stoking memories of 2015, when almost a million refugees risked their lives to cross the mediterranean and seek asylum in europe. to try and reduce tensions,

today, turkish president recep tayyip erdogan spoke with russian president vladimirn. pu erdogan also spoke with president trump. meeting, nato secretary generale stoltenberg called on russia and syria to stop bombing civilians.al >> ion them to stop their offensive, to respect international law and to back u.n. efforts for a peaceful soluti t. >> schifri u.s. says it supports the turkish operation,. but the as not yet provided material support to for the pbs newshom. nick schifrin. >> woodruff: in afghanistan, one-week lull in violence has set the stage for the u.s. and the taliban to sign a peace agreement torrow. president trump announced today that secretary of state mike in qatar.ll witness the signing we will get the details, later in the program.ca india'tal city, new delhi, tried to return to calm today after hindu-muslim rioting this

week left 40 people dead. police upped their presence in the capital, where some neighborhoods were burned and wrecked. residents voiced both caution and complaints. >> ( translated ): there is a peaceful environment now, but not that mh, as people are still very scared.to they are scareven leave their homes and go out. >> ( translated ): if the administration was as active ou hours ago as they are now, then these riots certainly not have happened. >> woodruff: the violence erupted after months of protests against a citizenship law that favors non-musms. back in this country, president trump has nominated congressman john ratclfe to be director of hetional intelligence. he initially saiould nominate the texas republican last july.an the talled until now after senate republicans questioned ratcliffe's lack of an experience in the intelligence field. back in thisountry, the

u.s. house judiciary committee launched an investigation of attorney general william barr and the justice department. mocratic chairman jerry nadler said the focus is possible inlitical meddling in crimal cases. it includes barr's push for a lighter sentenceor rer stone, president trump's ally who was convicted of lying to congress. still to come on the newshour: after nearly two decades of fighting, the u.s. and then taliepare to make a deal. to south carolina, where voters are on the eve of making their primary choice. mark shields and david brooks break down the politics of the outbreak. plus, much more. >> woodruff: in early october 2001, the first u.s. military personnel set foot in afghanistan. today, there are u.s. soldiers deployed to afghanistan who were not born in october 2001.

tomorrow, in qatar, the united states will sign an agreement with the taliban, whe government the u.s. deposed more than 18 years ago, and begin a process that may end america's ngest war. nick schifrin is back, with this look at the detnd the stakes. >> schifrin: along the banks ofo the kabul rivey, after decades of war, there is a rare and preciousommodity available in the mar t: hope. >> (anslated ): we are happy and hopeful that the killing of the afghanwill end. mothers will no longer lose their children, and god willing, a lasting peace agreement will be signed. and afghans will start a comfortable life. >> schifrin: for sevenays, kabul has been quiet enough for the u.s. and afghan top military officials to take a stroll. general scott miller and actinga defense ministdullah khalid say they have held their fire, and the taliban have proven a willingness ality to significantly reduce violence.e' >> seeing what we would call a downward trend in violence, which is great for the

afghan people. it's great for the country ofn. afghanis >> ( translated ): the sacrifices of our hard-working afghan forces and patience of our great nation caused this reduction in violence. we hope, inshallahthis results in a ceasefire and enduring peace. >> schifrin: now that theuc "ron in violence" week has succeeded, tomorrow in doha, lead u.s. negotiator zalmay khalilzad is expected to sign a peace deal with lead taliban negotiator mullah radar. the top u.s. priority is the peace deal's first item: taliban repudiation of al qaeda and isis. >> it contains provisions for the taliban to renounce support of al qaeda in various ways. no training areas, no funding, no-- certainly no organization to plan any kind of s. >> schifrin: scott warden rects the united states institute of peace's afghanistan and central asia program. he says progresse taliban renouncing terrorists, will lead to a staged s. withdrawal.

>> it's conditional on whether the taliban upld their agreements, particularly with regard to the links that they have to terrorism, which they are severing. >> schifrin: the biggest challenge may betem number three: direct negotiations between the taliban and a split afghan government. ashraf ghani has celebrated his re-election as president. but his chief rival, abdullahsa abdullah he is president, and rejected recently announced results of last year's election. >> there needs to be some degree of political stability and security in afghanistan, or else th.safe havens will come ba and so while this is talking about u.s. troop withdrawal and liban counter-terrorism guarantees, nonef that will be worth very much over time if there's not a political resolution. schifrin: direct taliba afghan government talks are scheduled to begin march 10, likely in oslo, but the afghan government hast yet agreed on a promised prisoner release, or its negotiating team. ghani wants his team. the u.s. wants a more inclusive group. >> there are definitely

significant divisions among the political groups within afghanistan, and the degree of unity there is at the talks translates to the degree of strength and leverage that the afghan governmens side will have against the taliban's vision of a future afghanistan. so, the lack of unity is an impediment to quick or suessful negotiations. >> schifrin: the taliban have never renounced eir sire to dominate the country. since 2001, when the u.s. overthrew a taliban gornment, afghanistan has transformed: women are educated. there are modern communications. and afghans advocate for aay directn who governs them. human rights advocates such as shukria jalalzay fear progress is delicate.>> ( translated ): , women's concerns are considered seriously and their voes are heard. the question is, when the taliban comes to the country, would they accept women in the same way or not? >> schifrin: but for ihe u.s., thiss the most serious effort to end the war. milita and diplomatic

officials are united that there's no military solution, and president trump is uninterested in keeping u.s. troops in afghistan if they're mostly advising afghans. >> they have to police their own country. i can tell you, after 19 years, people back home.r young >> schifrin: and so the u.s. hopes that tomorrow will be the beginning of the end of the longest war, that long ago became a grinding, and bloody stalemate. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >>rsoodruff: just about 12 h from now, the polls open in south carolina, e crucial last democratic primary before super tuesday. lisa desjardins reports onow voters in the palmetto state are

responding to the presidential candidates' closing arguments. >> desjardins: you want to win in south carolina, you get off the highway and steer for places like sumter, where joe biden was today for his final pitch, and where the population is nearly blacks make up the overwhelming majority of democrats in this state, and biden's key support. >> this nation isnre looking for lution, as some of my colleagues talk about. they're looking for progress. they're looking for re >> desjardins: sumter is near the state's middle, part of a rion of counties with larg black populations on either side of one particular highway, interstate 95. another, down the road, isge orrg county. >> how are you guys doing? >> desjardins: where billionaire activist tom syer has returned peatedly for months. his black and rural support hasi him second place here, he insists to us. >> south carolina is a chance for me to actually show that i can in fact pull together a diverse coalition, and actually

get the momentum you're talking about. >> desjardins: but for black voters, this vote is about a wide set of issues. university, that means under- funded historically black colleges, and overburdened students. s>> i think i have two lo right now. i don't like loans. >> making college free or even, just, you knking it affordable for students to attend the school of their choice. >> desjardins: while elibeth warren has created buzz here, especially when appearing on campus with singer john legend, the progressive top dog is vermont senator bernie sanders. >> and that is why we will invest in education and young ople and jobs, not more jails and incarceration. >> desjardins: his voters are part of a movement. >> i think he could do it. i think enough democrats would get behind him. i think, if he were to explain himself to more people about like, don't be afraid of the word "socialism." >> i'm a democratic socialist, pprd

democrat. i've moved farther and farther to the left as trump and his cohort got stronger. >> desjardins: hisudiences are rge here, but the past two a daleast, they have also been largely white. which brings us backden, and why his strength remains. >> contrary to popular belief, we are a diverse voting block. >> desjardins: community leader harold mcclain invitto his home, where he barbecues in big batches and stockpiles his hometown ginger ale. >> lisa, this is a south carolina bevage. >> desjardins: harold, that's a south carolina beverage. the son of a shareopper, he was the first in his family to go to college. as a student protester in 1968, he survived the orangebu massacre, in which state police shot at 200 students, killing three. >> i lived that. and the community hasn't changed

a whole lot from then until now. >> desjardins: the environment and water quality are real concerns. >> i'm not the only one that sees these issues. i think my culture sees these unues as readily as every other culture in this y. >> desjardins: so is a sense of community. he trusts biden, believes he can unify, and that sanders goes too far. >> if you give everybody everything, then they don't know how to worfor anything. >> desjardins: take one more drive, this time to a place few ndidates go, and where even more is at stake. fairfield county has struged after decades of a long domino run of major job and business loss. the relatively new restauranam next door ising that things can change, but lsun tucker is about that, and about his vote. >> i know there's still a lot of people out of work a economy is really bad. i me, everything is high, no higher price.

but no more pay. i that's about iust think it's biden or sanders. i'm not sure which way i'm yet. >> the decision is hard.i' harder, say, this time around, opposed to last. >> desjardin crystal paulk owns restaurant next door. it's a family business, down to their famous donuts. she too is undecided, with one question: >> who can-- i'm not going to say "who can beat trump?" i'm going to say, who can stand in and have a fair fight against trump? and let the people decide. >> desjardins: electability is a key argument from former south bend indiana mayor pete buttigieg, also crisscrossing minnesota senator obucharle has been in and out of the state. but the title fight here is three-way: biden, sanders and steyer. oads and inbac small towns over who appeals to really understands their issues>

oodruff: and lisa joins mero now,a joe biden rally in spartanburg, south carolina. so lealo to you, lisa. just yesterday you were standing in that spot after a bernie sanders rally. what are the dfferences you're seeing? es,fascinating dichoto judy. yesterday, bernie sanders was at this college but in the basketball arena with 2,000 supporters. this is the volleyball court with joe biden, smaer, about 600 people. however, joe biden has the voters everyone wants in this state in many more umbers than bernie sanders, african-americans. saers highlhite. this crowd seems to be half and half, if not moren- afriericans. that's what biden wants to see. of course, he wants a big win tomorrow.re one ote, judy, talking to voters here tonight, i feel the anxiety level forra dem coming down, still some

indecision but a little less s anxious than w in other states. >> woodruff: lisa, what do the people say about how important south carolina is and what comes next? >> the idea here is that bi needs not just a win but a decisive win. s campaign tells me is he will get momentum being seen as a winner going into sur tuesday. other campaigns says there's not enough time to build new mentum. super tuesday will be enormous for michael bloomberg. the buttigieg campaign wants to stay in the top three in general. this is going to be a very big week. >> woodruff:o question, lisa desjardins, from all over the state of south carolina. thank you, lisa. and for more on the state of the democratic primary, we turn to the analysis of shields and brooks.nd that is ated columnist mark shields, and "new york times" columnist david brooks. to both of you, plashing, e st pick up whsa left off.

the people she's talking to are saying this is a state that joe biden has to win. s how do y the democratic race? >> i see it the way lisa does. it's between tom steyer, bernie sanders and joe biden. shape.den appears to be in good he was helped by the endorsement of jim clyburn.he the dean of south carolina democrats. it's unlikelyattleground, judy. no democrat has carried south carolina in the last 11 presidential elections. no democrats thaare elected in the united states senate from south carolina, in this century. i mean, it's little bit like nipublicans coming down t to see you or massachusetts. in, clybu endorsing eloquently, biden said he would win by double digits. we'vestablished winning is coming in first. if joe biden ws by 8 points, is that a disappointment? does he have to win by 12 or 15?

right now it does look good for him and he needs iest perately because he has skeleton pains in the rest of the super tuesday states. >> woodruff: what does uth carolina look like to you? >> i was thinking 10 points. in the polls it's around 13 or so, if you take the averages. if he has a 10-point win, he can stay afloat. people say there'sogic to his candidacy and to think he could be the one, you get a finalist versus sanders, it could be him. if h he doesn't do that well, i don't see the logic for the biden candidacy. b this is ht shot here, and if he does poorly or even loses, to me, he's not going to be the one on onesa. ers, it will be interesting to see how many african-american votes he can get. he d well wih latinos in nevada. he snt four years cultivatingli s to that community, less so with african-americans. but if he can do well enoh, we'll have to include his ceiling was much hiring than we thought it was and he romps into super tuesday. >> woodruff: so, mark, y

picked up on the strength of these campaigns after south carolina. whatever happens, whether it's joe biden wioh the g lead r joe biden just barely or somewhere in the, what shape are these campaigns in to go on to sup tuesday? 14 states, 1350 delegates. >>o mpaign. every campaign's message, is i momentum as money. and michael bloomberg has the money. bernie sanders had the momentum up to this point, but there's no way, judy, that you can simultaneous campaigns in 14 states, especially big, complex states like texas and california and north carolina and virginia. so it reay -- it's up for grabs. i've talked to at least half a dozen people in vginia in the st week who said that they had no idea. it's active democets. no who they're going to vote for. you know, they don't know.

they're kind of narrowing it down. i don't know what the significance is going to be. i think bernie is in the besti shape anhink we have to come back to winners coming in fi t. >> woodrufst shape overall. >> overall. i will say this, if joe bidenav doesa 12, 14-point win in south carolina, it hurts mikebl mberg. it really in a wayrnelps sanders because it diffuses the opposition. it doesn't focus on one single formidable challenger whether bloomberg or biden. then i just thought the debate tuesday night was a disaster for the democrats. they were haranguing, yelling, interrupting, talking over, with the exception of bloomberg and buttigieg, and they were the only two i thought that sort of showed some restraint. i woodruff: how do you set lining up, coming out of >> first super tues a mistake to me this early. we should not be closing down

the race so early into itwhich is essentially what's going to happen with 40% of the delegates chosen. second, i think sanders looks strong in california and texas and the bigger states. what mark says about voers not being prepared like the other voters, i was in south centr l.a. last week and i talked to 15 people and i think these e the latino-american community maki sparks in this comnity and of those people, i'd say a bunch, maybe the mority, certainly, could name the candidates. they were against trump, they knew that, that was clear, but they didn't include in. if you ask about local politicsv theyopinions. national politics swoops in and people have to make the view but they have been focon more important things in their lives. i would make a call to bill clinton and barack obama. i thinke sanders represents a challenge to their style of democratic party and the only two people who can create unity in an ai-nders week are barack obama and bill

clinton. if they came in and said we're going to organize so we don't divide the vote five or six ways, they would be the one to do that. i thk they'll sit on the sidelines, but if they want tndo de the democratic party as they understand it, this is the moment wre they say it's going to be biden or x and we're all going to work together. i thnk the has to be leadership otherwise, it looks like bernisanders walks, away. >> and right now, we know that mike bloomberg has the money. the questi is can he get the votes? if jen gets a big win and gets the votes, the question is can he get themoney. he has television -- ads in six figures in 13 states. bloomberg spent $187 million among these states. joe biden has spent less than a he doesn't have -- in california, as david's paper reported yesterday in a terric piece, he has one office.

when they went there, it was padlocked. when he went back the second time, they had taes setp for volunteers and there were more tables set up than volunteers. so, if he does win, it's a great tribute to his popularity, to the good feelings that people have for barack oba and for joe biden. t's it's not any campaign tha been persuasive. >> it is -- i mean, it's hard to even imagine gearing up for 14 states in three days if you'reno already there. >> can't do it. >> woodruff: what about davidod saying somhas to come out of the great leadership of the guidance?c party and give som what do you think. >> i'll wait for that duo to emerge arm in arm and say we're here selflessly to say to the democratic party, you know, i it be welcomed. but don't set up waiting for it. >> no, i understand that.

>> woodruff: coronavirus. david, the number of cases are growing. we saw what's been happening to the marketll over the world this week. the president yesterday or this week named vice present pence to head the government response' but re already hearing sniping, criticism. i mean, what do you secong from the federal government? does it give you confidence that e country is ready? >> not exactly. so i wasst durbed. tony fauci is often a guest in our program, supposed to do all five sunday shows from the national institutes of health, ad he withdraw and why is stery but seems to be something to do with the white house, didn't get ther pemission he needed and that's not a good sign. fauci tells theruth. larger issue, we build a fire department, dump the fire out and say we don't d another fire department anymore so we

close down the fire tment, another fire, and we have to department. build ano so we've learned a lot about these diseases, but i was just ld that the white house shut down the global health office within the national security council, so that's shutting down something we're obviously going to need beceeause we haven hit by disease after disease and we shut down the fire department in between them. there's no s.w.a.t. team to go in. seems post hoc every time. >> woodruff: mike bloomberg said the country needs somebody in place all the time, not just when there's a crisis, to name someone. l>> this is made foroomberg, really, the issue and in terms of com opetencf management, saying leadership instead of management. say management, he loses 15 million workers on the spot. but, i mea he's right. of.s got a record he can speak

helt in public health, he's established. but, judy, the question comes, is this 329 million americans in a 34r *e89 crisis or is it a personal political crisis for aa 72old man sitting in the white house? the president has personalized this, that somehow, his first is denial tt there's no problem, and then his opponents are out to get him.st and it , you know, all i can compare it to is that terrible moment in a subway trip between two scheduled stops and the train stops, and it goes dark, and everybody sits there in terror. and what you'rwaiting for is a strong, informed, intelligent voice come on and say this is what's happened, this is what is being don we, this t we're asking for you and this is how we're going to get out of this. and that is missing. and when you silence t voices of people like tony fauci, the

people acenters for disease control, i think you lose that. you want everyone speaking through a single megaphone headed by mike pence in 2000, saying smoking isn't deadlyca e not everyone who smokes die of smoking. only a third die of smoki related illnesses. there doesn't give you a dege of confidence. >> woodruff: does it become -- how much of an issue, david, does this becee among th democratic presidential candidates? >> it could take ove or the election. i have really no idea. i'm not qualified to know how big this will spread but i saw an article most americans have some form of it. if we cancel events, if the gather in crowds, that's can't suddenly a gigantic event, and so many people who are trump's

critics, or who even simple these with him andn't think he was a great manager or, leadey ve been saying for years well, at least we haven't had a real crisis, and suddenly we get a rel crisis. i don't see any upside for trump. i see significantdownside and a lot of upside for the democrats since they are the party of aralthcare and since the the pete party of government. so think it couldlly shock us how big this becomes. it already isn other countries. >> woodruff: it already is, mark. >> it is, judy. >> woodruff: t seconds. okay, ten seconds. well, i've enjoyed being with you. (laughter) >> woodruff: that was unfair. thank you.'l >> woodruff: wmake up for it next time. >> oh, you better, judy. (laughter) >> mar >> woodruff: mark shields, david brooks, thank you. >> woodruff: some 2,000 singers

have passed through the dallas years. cir in the last five the idea is to boost spirits, while people try to get back on their feet, and to raise public awareness about what it means to be homeless. e ffrey brown went to dallas recently to see tion's largest street choir at work. the report is part of our occasional series on homelessness, "without a home," and our ongog coverage of artsnv and culture, "." ♪ have you ever felt like nobody was there? >> brown: a lifting of voices at wednesday morning rehearsal, where the words from the song" you will be found" hold real meaning. ♪ ♪ this is the "dallas street choir," whose memrs carry their worldly belongings with them, including sleeping bags used the previous night inte sh and outdoors. ♪ ♪ jonathan palant is the group's

under and conductor. >> it's wonderful that we have such a large choir here in dallas because so many people are takingrom this choir. ey are receiving the benefits of music, of family, of togetherness. it's also sad that we have so ucmany people that requirea service. i would love for this just to bl the choir, but it's not. it has to be the street choir.wn >> bthe "stew pot" in downtown dallas is a day shelter that offs food, clothing, health and other services, even an art studio. and, once a week, those who want to sing line up outsste for a fiump welcome, and an hour's worth of music andplift, along with a snack and a $2 bill for their efforts. palant, a professor athe university of texas, dallas, started the street choir five

yes ago, when credo, one o several choruses he leads-- largely ite, middle class, employed or retired-- was given a piece of music to sing that told of the hardships of living on the street. something felt wrong >> it didn't make sense, unless we were to incorporate the community, unless we were to reach out. unless we were to educate. >> brown: why was it obvious, m though, thic would be the way to reach these people? >> i am simply using what it is i do to bring people together. i think the arts in general are a powerful tool to tear down walls and barriers and perceptions anstigmas and stereotypes. to show that we're more the same than not. ♪ ♪ >> brown: the "dallas street choir" has been a success: it now presents some 15 concerts a

year at schools, churches, large corporate gaerings, often performing alongside other choruses. and in 2017, having gotten the attention and support of important opera figures like singer frederica von stade, the group even sang at carnegie hall. ♪ ♪ but that doesn't change the day-to-day circumstances for these peop, who came to homelessness through a litany of causes, including addiction,ne mental i, job loss and evictions, and in some cases, convictions and incarceration. (♪ "gone at last" ♪) >> brown: during our visit, 55-year-old darrell payne, who'd served time in prison and is now in a shelter, took one of the leads on the paul simon song" gone at last." long streak of that bad luck ♪ but i pray

it's gone at last ♪pr >> mers goes out to those people out there on the streetst 'cause it e deep inside. >> brown: what is coming to the street choir doing for you? >> it makes me grow stronger. makes voice stronger. >> brown: the mantra of theda as street choir: "homeless, not voiceless." misty zacharias is another wednesday regular.s sh artist as well as a singer. why did you want to be in the choir? >> i think it was an empty spot inside of me and i didn't even know about it until i heard then si i get to meet beautiful people. >> brown: to meet beautiful people? >> yes, they are beautifat. no matter hey are going through, you know, that is something inside of them. but rerdless of anything, if you ask them, you tell them "good morning," they're going to give you a big smile back and say "good morng."

>> brown: the problem here in dallas, though, as in other u.s. cities, is growing worse-- seen at the public library and elsewhere. some members of the street choir spend their nights at the bridge homeless recovery center, a large facility that takes in some 800 people a day and offers 24/7 support, including physic and mentalealth care. chief development officer nick colletti is proud of the work done here-- it's received national attention.t also notes the paradox of rising homelessness-- 9% jumpse each of st two years-- in a city with a booming economy. >> we do have a shortage of affordable housing sutions for folks here in dallas. we all understand that when it e mes to homelesess, every one of us is one sintastrophic moment away from being homeless. whether it's a medical catastrophe, whether you losere your job, yovicted. whatever could happen, right? s >> brown: two choir memb met experienced that kind of

sudden shift. 64-yr-old bjorn herrmann grew up in sweden and told us he'd had a restaurant equipment business here before losing it, and eventually his homeral years ago. his friend, 54-year-old jesse seay grew up in dallas, and says he once made a good living and had a three-beoom house before d.u.i. violations and three years in prison d where he is today, a life filledith a new kind of stress. >> of having to think about where i'd rather be, opposed to where i am. it can get really stressful out here, and it's sometimes dangerous. i think that the choir has been like a big thing for all of us right now. it's kind of like a getaway to do something that we love to do. it just gives me lik spiritual peace, the singing. >> being homeless is not a disability. >> brown: on this day, in fact, jesse seay told the group he'def just lthe streets and was >> i hopefully wilbecome.

homeless again. i'm really going to try hard not to. i'm looking for a brighter future. >> brown: you going to keep singing here? >> yeah. >> absolutel absolutely. >> absolutely. for anything.et jonathan down >> no! >> brown: jonathus palant is to that loyalty from his a reet singers. he's also used testion raised as we talked in a storage room filled with basic supplies for the homeless. resources being put into music, into a choir-- why is that the place to put resources? >> what we offer through music is personal integrity. you may not have four walls, but our singers will tell you "four walls a home does not make." ♪ ♪ >> brown: and this message is spreading. palant heads a network called the "nationallliance for music in vulnerable communities," with music programs now in 12 cities. for the pbs newshour, i'm

jeffrey brown in dallas. it woodruff: personal inte and a whole lot more. what a story. on the newshour online, you cank keep tf the live results from the south carolina primary tomorrow. that's on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. tune in later tonight and join moderator robert costa for a special 60-minute "washington week," previewing super tuesday and thsouth carolina primary, with live reports from journalists around the country. tomorrow's edition of pbs newshour weekend looks at maracaibo, venezuela, once one the most vibrant cities ws the world, now in shambles. and that is the ur for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. ha a great weekend. thank you, and good night. >> major funding f the pbs newshour has been provided by:

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hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. >> the risk to the american >> with one eye on the markets, president trump plays down the coronavirus. as health officials warn of a potential pandemic, we get the f facts from tmer head of the cdc. and, once revered as a living saint, the halo has come crashing down. how did everyone miss the real story of alleged sex abuser jean vanier? we talk to his biographes. michael higg plus -- >> they are the people who swooped in after the houng bust when 8 million americans lost their homes and profited. >> aaron glantz takes down the