captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, the official u.s. death toll passes 16,000, as 10% of the u.s. workforce files for unemployment, ripping a hole in an already wounded economy. i speak with former chair of the federal e, janet yellen, on how we might recover. and, hearing from americans across all industries, on how they're coping with new unemployment amid the country's nancial tailspin. plus, a closer look at housing. ter nearly one third of renters couldn't make their payments last week, a core component of the u.s. economy is at risk of falling apart. >> that can then lead to unraveling of property tax, revenu insurance proceeds,

of utility bills it's a domino. on tonight's "pbs hour."d more >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: fidelity is here to help you work through the unexpected, with financial planning and advice for today and tomorrow. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> financi services firm raymond james.

>> carnegie corporation of new york. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made n possible by the corporatr public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the corona-virus pandemic that is taking thounds of american lives, h new economic numbers today told of staggering losses in the labor market at the same time, the u.s. death toll passed 16,000. william brangham has more, on this day's developments. >> reporter: the economic damage from the covid-19 pa has claimed new victims.

for the second straight week, the number of americans making jobless claims topped 6.5-million. that means at least one in ten american workers lost their jobs in the last three weeks, putting overall unemployment at nearly 17-million people. to address this crisis, the federal reserve today announced its latest effort-- more than $2-trillion dollars in support loans for households andss busi, both small and large. fed chair jerome powell spoke os a wehosted by the brookings institution: >> our role, as i mentioned in my remarks, is really to try to provide some stability and relief during this period when the economy is partly shut down. >> reporter: as the economy continues ittrsharp downward d, cities across the country are still bracing for coronavirus infections to go up. philadelphia is now a potential hotspot, as mayor jim kenney warned this morning. >> we are still in ad where the numbers are climbing. so let this milestone of 5,000

confirmed cases be a reminder that we are not, by any means, out of this woods. >>eporter: in chicago, the >> reporter: in new york city-- still the epicenter of america's outbreak mayor bill deblasio called for more widespread testing to better understand the spread of the virus. >> we're going to need more testing. if we're going to use testing in any other strategic ys or pinpointed ways, we've got to have a bigger supply. this has beethe underlying challenge from day one. >> reporter: but new york state reported a sharp dro hospitalizations. governor andrew cuomo: >> we're flattening the curve so far. we should all be concerned, especially newrs. "well, we're flattening the curve, that's good news." it is good news. "well, now i can relax." no, you can't relax. >> reporter: at the same time, the daily number of deaths inw neyork reached a record high for a third straight day-- hitting at least 799 today. meanwhile, supplies of protective gr in the national strategic stockpile are

dwindling. the department of health and human services says the reserve is nearly masks and other critical equipment. eris all comes as the cent for disease control and prevention issued new guidelinew last night forkersn essential industries like health care or food supply. it now says people who've been exposed to the virus m returnhe to the job if:are symptoms; if they heir no temperature before worr and if they wface mask at all times. but, addg to the confusing advice about masks: a new study from the national academy of sciences points out th" limited, indirect evence" that homemade, fabric masks offer much protection. it calls for more research to be do. overseas, no one could be found outside, the streets of barcelona, spain, reined largely empty as the government today extended by two weeks its national stay-at-home order.

the virus has hit spain especially hard, but today the prime minister said new cases there may be leveling off. >> ( translated ): after these weeks when the battle has been agonizing, we are seeing that t the fit started the pandemic is starting to be put under control. we find ourselves near the beginning of the downward slope. >> reporter: in britain, prime minister boris johnson was moved out of the i.c.u. as his condition improves.er else new hot spots seem to be emerging. japan and parts of india are now ong the places reporting spikes in w infections. r the "pbs newshour," i'm william brangham >> woodruff: despite today's u.s. jobs numbers, wall street focused more on the federal resee's latest economic resc

effort. the dow jones industrial average gaed 285 points to close a 23,719. the nasdaq rose 62 points. and the s&p 500 added 39and finished its best week since 1974--p 12%. financial markets are closed tomorrow for good friday. the latest jobless the latest jobless claims cast a stark spotlight on an emerging economic crisis in america, one that's likely to worsen in the weeks and months ahead. we're going to show how this is affecting individuals families, and then look at what more should be considered by the government. let's begin with a small sampling of voices of workers who were laid off or furloughed. we asked viewers to describe the problems and choices they are facing. >> my name is louis vasquez and >> my name is dirk bokeloh. i live in seattle, washington. >> my name is louis vasquez and

i'm in los angeles, california. >> tamika anderson, i'm 38, i'm from west philadelphia. janitorial >> my name is lisa ann der, and i live in san diego, california. >> my me's scott saxon. i live in kenmore, washington. >> i'm not going tble to eat. i'm not gonna be able to pay my gas, my electric, myent to buy the things that i need to buy on a day-to-day basis just to survive. >> even the smallest thing like going to eat at mcdonald's becomes a luxury because you're like, oh, that ten bucks could buy me like, you know, cereal for a month or something. >> we need food, we need electricity, we need to stay ine our those kinds of things, then. then you just are looking at survival. >> i've been laid off for a

little, about two-and-a-half weeks now, and still have not been able to get any sort ofnt employnsurance approved. i'm a type one diabetic, so, you know, the rising cost of insulin is something i've watched from i've always had really goode employer provided health care. but i'm looking at this sudden cut off where that won't be the case anymore. and kind of stockpiling as much insulin as possible now. >> i can't pay any of my bills for this month, definitely not next month. so i'm calling up, like, the banks and the credit card companies to, you know, see what we can do. >> i never thought that i would ever have to apply for food stamps, whatever welver again. you know, that was something i d d at a young age when i son. i vowed to, you know, keep a job and keep ince coming in. so i wouldn't have to, you know, do those typthings again. >> i hate to use the word

they are the ones that said, i think you need to look into ashamed, but i really was because i thought... i thought i was stroer than that. more prepared than that. but the longer i started thinking of how long this would be and how my daughter would be affected, that's when i made the shift. it's not just out me.ha >> i'vconversations with my parents about having to probably move back home if it doesn't, if i can't find work or unemployment, which is kind of sad because, you know, no one ever wants to think, oh, my gosh, i'm about to turn 50 years old and i'm going to have to move back home.ea but that's thety of it, just to survive. >> woodruff: one immediate problem millions of americans are facing is paying their rentg or mor

nearly a third of people who rented an apartment did not pay any of their rent duringf he first weekril, according to one analysis. a separa of small businesses have not paid their full rent or mortgage ateither. paul solman lookhe problems renters andciandlords are ng, part of his reporting for "making sense". come on. >> reporter: eunice bae is an actress. sporadic short-term gigs. monthly manhattan rent. >> dude! so i wasn't making a lot of money this winter and i actually fell behind on rent, one month. ( sirens )>> eporter: and then along came covid-19. >> i was actually doing well enough this first quarter that i was on the path to finally being able to pay off that missing month, and then the virus hit. and then everything went away. >> reporter: with theaters dark everywhere in the country, work non-existent, bae ickly called unemployment insurance. >> i am one of the lucky few that i got through to unemployment on monday after 389

calling attempts. every time i hit the green button, i made a tally mark. success story. i hea that's a >> reporter: but successfully filing is another matter entirely.>> ou need to stipulate each employer, their federal employen fication number and your last day of working. as a gig worker, i had, i think months, but for th i did 18 any paperwork fromyet't gotten because it's not the end of the year. so, i don't know if i've been i don't know if i'ible. i don't know how much i'll be getting, or when, if at all. >> reporter: bae's is the plight of tenants everywhere in this country right now. so much so that brooklyn landlord mario salerno, who also runs a sizable auto repair business, has become a nework hero, and local media celebrity, for waiving the april rentor his 200 or so tenants. >> i had tenants that said they

can't work, they didn't have money to pay me. i says, "don't worry about paying me, worry about your neighbor, worry about your family." >> reporter: but fellow brooklyn landlord chris athineo- nine buildings, 150 units-- says he can't afford such largesse. >> my oldest building was built in 1850, when i think millard fillmore was president of theit states. we have facades that need to be maintained. roofs, plumbin electrical. i mean, it never ends. >> repter: not to mention utilities, staff salaries, and the largest obligation of all... includes an escrow amount for our real estate taxes. i do fear that if there's a big drop off in rent collection, people are not working, can't pay rent, then how will i payga the mo? >> reporter: jan lee's family has owned two buildings in manhattan's chinatown for nearly a century. but the 22 apartments are "rent stabiliz," a form of semi-rent control. his three commercial properties subsidize the

residential tenants, he says. >> and the cosmetic store closed even before the lockdown happened, because, you know, she also d facials and obviously this close, intimate contact. of course, nobody would want to come and she dn't want to do them either. >> reporter: his other two commercial leases are fo restaurants-- one of them, hop kee, a chinatown landmark for over 50 years. >> the situation leaves a lot of people with no choice but to close up-- so hopefully 's reporter: so will jan l commercial tenants keep paying their rent? >> i only received rent from one of my commercial tenants, and i don't think i'll receive any rent for the-- for the month of may. >> reporter: and if he can't pay his real estate taxes on july 1? >> there's an automatic lien on your property. that lien is sold to a third party, companies that purchase liens. and it's up to them to charge whatever they want for the interest. and it's always in doubledi ts. it's way more than your, your worst credit card.di >> doublts? >> oh, absolutely. you're looking at a potential

foreclosure very, very, very quickly of small property owners. >> reporter: george sweeti of e city's independent budget office says foreclosure could take awhile.th bu still leaves the big question ... is the city gonna cut small eilandlords some slack on taxes? >> it may wi- it may decide to do that.es but-- when it hat it has on think about where the mey will come from to make up thert lost protax revenue. the city needs that property tax revenue to do its basic services: teach kids, pay the fire, pay the sanitation. and right now there's not evidence that the federal government, with all of its stimulus programs, is nna deliver much assistance to local governments. >> reporter: meanwhile, an online movement has started in new york and elsewhe: hashtag cancel rent. >> that can lead to unraveling of property tax revenues, of insurance proceeds, of utility bills.

>> reporter: new york state has put a 90-day moratorium onev tions, but says housing economist nick retsinas, if tenants use that as a reason to stop paying rent. >> i wouldn't call a tickingt' time bomb, butcertainly a loud alarm clock that says in 90-120 days, all of a sudden these rents will become due. and these, these people e still unemployed, waiting in an unemployment line, getting unemployment insuran, they're not going to be able to pay their rent and the alarm will go off. ♪ ♪ka >> reporr: oy-- for eunice bay, the theatre industry is moribund. and look tg ahead... re's a lot more people out of work competing for a very fiete amount of jobs and ma even less jobs than before, because some theaters may not be able to open up after this is all done.ca >> i have a apartment and i have a couple of tenants whose leases we expiring and they've already told me they're not planng to renew their lease. i'm afraid, how am i going to

rent those apartments? the whole city is shut down. certainly no one is moving here from outside of new yorkb.ity to get a >> reporter: and no one is coming to chinatown. >> the restaurants don't have bookings. we are very, very close to that my family has up foring three generations. and we are not unique. >> reporter: and thus, the looming cascade: no jobs to no rent to no taxes. in which case, how do cities like new york come back when its people return to the streets? for the pbs newshour, paul solman, still home. >> woodruff: the federal reserve announced today it will push some $2.3 trillion in loans to small and mid-sized businesses, as well as to cities and states. that move, together with other programs, mean the fed's current actions exceed the entire scope of its response to the 2008 financial collapse. to take a broad look at the economic hardship americans are feeling, and the federalrv re response, we're joined by janet yellen. she chaired the federal reserve

board from 2014-2018, and is now a distinguished fellow at the brookings institution. janet yellen, thank you very much fojoining us. you've seen these stories, you've heard people's stories. we know the statistics. how does this compare to anything you've ever seen,nown or studied before? >> well, thanks for having me, judy. this is completely unprecedented in u.s. history. you know, we've got data this rning on new claims for employment insurance. over the last three weeks, lost their jobs.n americans have that's more than 10% of the workforce in three weeks. it's a devastating blow, we've never seen anything like it. the unemployment rate looks like it's going tso rocket to

levels we haven't seen since the great depression, they will probably exceed -- probably already do -- what we had during the great financial crisis. but this is a downturn in the ectuomy. very fotely, we started with an economy that was healthy before this hit the banks were in good shape, americans, at least overall on, average had relatively low debt burdens, so this is a terrible situation, but the hope is that if we can get the pandemic under control, deal with the public heal crisis, that the economy will recover much more speedily than it did from any past downturn. >> woodruff: does the government have the capacity to keep people afloat who need that

help for te duration of this crisis? >> well, they certainly have created the capacity, and i am impressed by what both the fiscal authorities and the fed have done so far. it simply is essential to support households and businesses through an incredibly difficult perii in whch they are facing losses of jobs andin mes and are struggling to meet every day expense force this is due to no fault of their own and no problems with theob market or their businesses. so congress has passed the cares act, that plus two earlier acts, we're seeing a fiscal response that is now a little bit larger than what congress did in response to the financial crisis

in 200 now, if this continues, congress will have to do more, and they'rtalking about ackage. and the federal reserve response has been utterly heroic. my hat is off to my successor chair powell and his colleagues for what they've announced and the creativity of whathey're doing. >> reporter: in terms of what congress has done -- and i know you have been advising some of the democrats in congress -- the people we just heard who are struggling who completely lost their jobs, how confident aru e at most of them are going to be helped? >> well, i think most of them will be helped. eligibility for unemployment insurance is very broad. congress extended it toor

selfrs, to gig workers, and the federal government is going to top what the states do by $600 a week. so that is very meaorngful su you know, as you know, it's really hard, in some states, particularly, to get through. you call on the phone, its very hard. >> woodruff: exactly. the systems are utterly overwhelmed, and i know how frustrating it must be. someone's been laid off, they need to buy groceries and pay e rent and they can't get through to the unemployment office. t re is a problem, procedural problems of getting that money out. but, in the coming weeks, the you know, there are direct payments coming to householdsnd >> woodruff:n terms of people who own small small businesses, who wereery worried, and we heard some of that in paul soomon's report a

moment ago, between what congress has done and the federal reserve as done, are they, are most of them going to be me whole or at lest be able to survive? >> well, you know, again, there are startup problems wih very big programs, buthe pcheck protection program that congress passed and funded with $350 billion, every busins under 500 employees is eligible for that uand if thee the money to protect their workforce and keep thone and, in addition, for utilities and rent, those loans will turn into grants now, they need to go to banks to apply. the banks are absolutely swamped. probably the progr i going to

require further apppriations, and it's probably going to be pretty frustrating to get the money in hand, but it's there and it's coming, and it should bevailable to a wide range of businesses. >> woodruff: i know a lot of people are asking that questio we've alady heard about people having difficulty getting through, but you're saying its going to take time, but it's >> yes, i think the funding is there, and if this period of aockdown lasts for more than month or two, congress will have to do more. the fed has almost unlimited capacity with backing by congress to lenrd thoughout the economy.il so it be possible to mainly -- t households and businesses through this very difficult time.

and it's reay important tt ehey do so because we want th economy to get back on track when the public health situation allows it. >> woodruff: janet yellen, we thank you so much. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: in the day's othero news: ats in the united states senate blocked the trump administration's ruest for another $250 billion dollars in pandemic relief for small business. they said they support tt idea, but also want a similar sum for hospitals and stat. the brief debate played out in a mostly empty senate chamber. >> do not block emergency aid you do not oppose just because you want something more.

nobody believes this is the senate's last word on covid-19. >> yes we do need some of this money, we know that, but equally important, let's fix some of th. ki and there are kinks in this program. woodruff: majority leader mcconnell, in turn, blocked the democrats' counter proposals. e two sides are holding more talks, but it is unclear when they might come to agreement. there is more fallout from the viral outbreak aboard the u.s. navy aircraft carrier "theodore roosevelt". reports today say a trip byng acavy secretary thomas t modly to addre ship's crew in guam cost upwards of $240,000. modly resigned on tuesday, after firing, then sharply czing the captain. in yem, a partial ceasefire was supposed to take effect today, ithe five-year-old civil war-- in response to the "covid-19" pandemic.

tia saudi-led coalition fi shiite rebels said it would halt erations for two weeks. the rebels-- allied with iran-- dismissed it as a ploy. iraq's political troubles continue, with the president today tapping intelligence chief mustafa al-kadhimi to be prime minister-designate. he is the third person to hold the title in just over a month. the others quit, amid political infighting. president barham saleh underscored public demands for change today, voiced during months of protests. >> ( translated ): today we meet in the presence of these who represent the iraqi political spectrum. all are keen to form a national will, and committed to thetional reforms program sought by the iraqi people who are expecting us to fulfill their rits in a free and dignified life. >> woodruff: al-kadhimi now has days to win support of powerful sectarian factions anda fouling coalition.

back in this country, severero storms tore h parts of the midwest and south overnight.po in indiana, a ible tornado just outside indias.sville-- the storm tore off roo damaged the town's main road. erall, dozens of homes a buildings were damaged, and thousands lost power, but no one was killed. and, the trump administration today proposed opening more than twndmillion acres to hunting fishing-- at more than 100 wildlife refuges andish hatcheries. they include san diego bay i california and everglades headwaters in florida, among others. the public has 60 days to comment. still to come on the "newshour," two states, two takes-- the governors of california and mississippi on how they're handling the crisis. chef and philanthropist jose andres on feeding the vulnerable amid covid-19. and keeping faith during the

pandemic-- how religion is evolving to meet the moment. t>> woodruff: states acro country have taken aggressive measures to lessen the effects of covid-19, some more california was amo first. to report cases of the virus. day the state has around 17,000 confirmed cases and roughly 450 coronavirus lated deaths to help us understand where his state stands rinht now, i'm by california governor gavin newsom. much for joining us on thevery "newshour".ia califo40 million people

live in your state and, yet, at this point, if i read the numbers correct, you have only about a tenth the number of cases yof neork, which has half as many people as california does. how do you en plat? >> you know, look, my heart goes out to everybody on the east coast, particularly in new york, new jersey an and elsewhere, an, at the end of e day, i can only equate for what we have done. we were able to move a little earlier an some for one reason, that we have been at this from this g-go january of this year, when we started i bringirepatriated flights from mainland china. a number of states didn't wane thights coming into their state. we brought six of them in, wete stworking with the trump administration, c.d.c. and others, and it really generated a lot of interest in the virus, a lot of cosciousness in the virus and, of course, we had that grand priess cruiseline that did the same and, as a consequence, i tnk the people of this state really started to

familiarize themsees with the issue a little before, perhaps, even others. >> woodruff: you are y clearly u must be getting some of the equipment that you need becrese it's beenported you're lending, what is it,00 ventilators to states like w york that ed theright now. it's been reported some of your local officials in california think they are going to be needing these things. how do you make decisions like that? >> we make them on an as-needed basis. there's no greater need in this country now, more acute needa than the s we sent the ventilators to, not just new jersey and new york but illinois. we sent some to maryland, d.c. and nevada. at the end of the daywe just can't sit on a cache in our storage facilities, these ventilators, when we know quite literally they can be used to save lives today. they are on loan. the governors made it clear if we need them back, we'dll sen them right back. but the good news, our current capaty with your hospital system, as i'm talking to you at

this moment, we have over 8,000 within our hospital system and hundreds more in our state warehouse. so as we see the groh, and we are seeing the growth in the number and the utilization increase, we will deployas ventilatoreeded. >> woodruff: so is it your sense that this cay none dr, this difficulty -- conundrum, this difficulty every governor says he or she is having difficulty getting the essential uipment they ned, does that seem to be getting under control? >> no, it's not where it eds to be, candidly, i will say that. yesterday, we anounced a major deal where we now are the impetus for helng create a new supply chain in china by getting warehouse facility -- a manufacturing facility, excuse me, up and running. the state of california alone is

committing to $1.48 billion of purchases in new contracts that we wre able to source, not onlhy in but elsewhere. so we're using our purchasing power not only tocompete for existing p.p.e. stock but ao help create new supplies supplies that could ultimately help more of us across this country. >>uff: california's economy, i read that, what, 925,000 californians in a recent week, just this past week, applied for unemployment benefits. when will those individuals be >> the $600 federalp they need? contribution, the additional $600 that's been made available for xt four months, those checks start going out this sunday. our unemoyment capacity is about $450 on the high end of the month added to the 600. that's weekly checks. those checks will start gng

out. weite capable for doing p to 2.5 million people who filed fon unemployment ce march 12 in the state of california. we put 800 new staff to address the needs of a system that isno simply overwhelmed because the magnitude of this crisis. >> woodruff: governor, are you even beginning to think about when you might be able to lift the stay-at-home order? >> we are. we're doing thacut conently. meet the moment, address the crisis head on, buy us time, we've tone that. we've seen th have been able to bend the curve, which buys us time to incsureaspply, alternative care sites beyond the hospital system, create ack within the hospital system by reducing the total number of patients for nonelective surgeries, rrioritize, reposition our workforce, and significantly add to our p.p.e., all of that has given us time to prepare. that said, we also are taking the time to prepare for a new

maintain our vig and,e to obviously, not be complacent,g and we're try figure out where the spots will lie, what we can do first, and we've got a whole team working 24-7, but that will be determined on the sis of two tings, individual behavior, people still practicing physical disncing and continuing to stay at home of the virus and the healthality directives coming from the counties, not just our state officials. >> wooodruff: gvernor gavin newsom of california. thank you. we wish you the best as you continues to deal with this. thank you. >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: from the west coast now, to the southeast. the coronavirus crisis has played out on a much different time line in mississippi, than it has in current hot spots like new york and new jersey. amna nawaz explores why.

>> naz: mississippi was one the last states in the country to record a known coronavirus se-- and one of the most recent to adopt "stay at home" or "shelter in place" policies statewide. with me now to discuss his state's response is govern tate reeves. governor, welcome back to the "newshour". thank you for making the time. you had your first cosenfirmed n march 11. you didn't issue a statewide shelter-in-place order until april 3. why did you wait so long before >> i would tell you that different states are at different points in their cycle, we know that. obviously, where we find ourselves on the east coast compared to where we find ourselves in the south, it's very different in terms of when the first cases were ieferred. we believe that shelter-in-place orders are a last resort. they are orders that obously are critically important at a critical time in the cycle but

we don't believe shelter-in-place orders make sense for weeks and weeks and months and months on end becaus when we have a public health crisis before us that we're trying to deal with s mae our hospitals are not in a surge position in which we run out of either ventilators or hospital beds iu beds, we also know we have a looming economic cisis for almost 100,000 mississippians over the st three weeks that filed unemployment claims, many of mom who have niver utlized the system before. we've got to be aware of that as well. we're trying to look at both those interests and make sure we protect all mispisisss in this very, very unique time. >> woodruff: you mentioned wanting to keep the hospitals at or below capacity. how many ventilators does mississippi have and how manygo have yoen from the national stockpile? >> well, wanhaven't receive ventilators from the national stockpile, but what we have do w ve gone out and we have been very active on the open

market. president trump and vice president pence were very clear about this from the beginng, everything from ventilators to p.p.e. to other supplies that we need, it wascr ibly important that states and hospital systems and everyone in the system continuet tolize their existing supply chains and not simply depend the federal government for everything. we've worked with our partners in the feweeral levelave worked with our traditional supply chains, and while no onei is get as much as they want, we have been able to meet the demands for our healthcare rkers, for our ergency first responders with respect to p.p.e. and othweer items've set a system in place where, nuch like our trauma system i our state, widely considered one of the best ithe nation and, by te way, onf the first in the nation to be put in place, we've worked wth our hospitals, wie worked with our doctors, we've worked with everyone in our state to ensure that not only do we have the capacity to meet the potential demand but we've also put alternate care sites available in south

mississippi, in central mississippi, in north mississippi, so if there is,n fact, an overflow needed, which we do not currently anticipat but, if there is, we are ready and able to deal with it. r orter: but, governor, i apologize for the interruption, i know your time is limited, i'm looking for a number here. how many ventilators do you have when you say youave enough to meet the demand? >> we have approximately 400 ventilators thatre available. w the latest models is suggesting we'll need approximately 100 ventilators. but you have to understand that those 400 ventilators that are being reported do not include 500 additional ventilato that have put into action in the last couple of weeks. we had portable ventilators we used the ingenuity of unssissippi state university. our researciversities have been fantastic in working with us. we've taken the 500toenti that used to be battery operated, now they're both battery operated and will plug

into a wall. university medical center buy $50 worth of supplies in a couple of stores in mississippie and cris own ventilator. we feel confident we're going to have adequate nuer of supplies to make sure we on the overwhelm our healthcare system and, honestlyics that has been our goal from the get-go and virtlly every other state, stopping the spread of the virus is not ast rea goal. ensuring our hospital system is in such a position to where anyone who could get bethr wit quality care was the number one goal. >> reporter: let me ask you about some of the most vulnerable in yo state. you've seen so trends in mississippi we've seen around the country, which is to say rican-americans in mississippi have been disproporheonately hit,make up under 40% to have the population and mke up over 70% of allovid deaths. i'm intested in another step sig april as american

confederate heritage month. some of your predecessors have done the same thi at this particular time, why did you feel it was appropriate togn hat proclamation? >> mississippi state has a state state that names a holiday in the state of mississippi, the last monday in april, and evevey or before me signed exactly the same proclamation.th with respect tnumber of cases we have in mississippi, we ha 2,260 cases day, we have 76 deaths that have been reported and, you're right, over 70% of aosetalities did come in african-americans and, by the way, missiippi was one of the first ten states in the nation to actually report deaths andd cases ba demographic data, based upon race in other are, and i'm proud of the mississippi state department of health of being proactive and willing to step out and issue the data when many states have not done so. the reisity his particular virus is particularly cruel to those who have ny unerlying and chronic conditions which

of my residents, when you looky at the fact that we are in the top five in terms of hypertension, in terms of obesity. we are in the top fivefny states in other areas. we're number six acros nation in the number of smokers per capita in mississippi, so not only do we have an older populationecause this virus is very cruel to those who are 65 and older, it's lso very crel to those with underlying health conditions and, unfortunately, in our state, that is a larger percentage of the pop than other states, an that's the reality of where we find ourselves. >> reporter: mississippiev governor tate joining us. good luck governor, we wish you luck in your state. >> thank you very much. stay safe and be carefu

>> woodruff: the efforts of restaurateur and chef jose andres are now well known as he has helped feed those in disaster areas in the u.s. and around the world. his "world central kitchen" has a new challenge now: working in close to 30 cities around the country, it has now serv one million meals-- and hopes to expand beyond the 100,000 people it is feeding daily. jeffrey brown talked to andres about how his effort fits intoor the largeravirus picture. >> reporter: now on the frontlines of fighting the effects of a pandemic, what jose andres calls "food first responders." >> we've been talking about the health crisis and the economic crisis, but i don't think we've been talking enough about the pamanitarian crisis. >> reporter: thesh-born andres first made his name as a celebrity chef. but after hurricane maria devastated prto rico in 2017, and in other disaster zones around the world, including guatemala, indonesia and

mozambique, he's organized efforts to fd those in need during emeencies. working from his washingto-p d.c.-based nfit "world central kitchen," his team has coordinated ground-level partnershipsith lol they've also pushefor stronger policies to prioritize food as a national security issue. now he and his team are working in cities around the country during the pandemic. in what ways are y able to use what you've learned from the past? in what ways do you have to adapt? >> well, usuly in a hurricane, in tsunami, in a volcano, it's total destruction. you have to show up and provide food and water relief as soon as you can. it's what we call the "urgency of now." this is like slowly happening in front of your eyes.

we began coming up with ideas that slowly we have been putting into work. up large communitychens andset drive-througpick-up locations, helped the grand princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of california, and is feeding healthca workers including this outpost in new york's central park. they'vjust started preparing meals in washington's basell stadium, with a goal of tens of thousands per day... and delivering them to public housing and hospitals usingly uber, ft and other means. and andres is calling fofood support to be a larger part of the federal government's nextac economic aidge. even in recent days pressing some two dozen legislatoau-- to help rents and, in turn, help those most in need. >> we need to be feeding the fire fighters and the ? use local restaurants near their stations. do we need to be feeding elder homes? if you don't have an n.g.o. that

can take care of that, hire the restaurants to do this! in the process, the restaurants become part of the community, become part of the solution. if in this process rural farmers are out of business because restaurants like mine, we don't buy from them anymore. and the u.s.d.a. doesn't come with money to protect them so they can keep producing food, putting food on the table. so every american and in the process, we reinvigorate rural america. >> reporter: are you concerned that many restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses you work with just won't survive. >> yes, i'm worried. we need to understand that the restaurant economy is one of the 00st generous economies. of the more 800,00 restaurants we have inca, more than 90% goes down into the economy and enriches every sing corner. restaurants, small businesses are importt are part of the d.n.a. of what america is. >> reporter: evebody's focused on right now, but can you think, can you look a little bit ahead, a few years ahead to the impact

of all of this f potential changes for u.s. food policy? national security food is a we need to be having people ine the whuse, in congress, where they see the problems that food can create in the world. we take food for granted. we need to make sure that when something like this happens, we have people on top of distribution, farming output. our food sources should be parto of the nl security conversation in the same way we us.k about missiles protecting >> reporter: jose andres, thank you and good luck. >> thank you. >> woodruff: this month, millions of christians, jews and muslims around the world mark

easter, passover and ramadan-- some of the holiest observances of the year. john yang looks at h faithful are finding ways to express much needed feelings of faith and community when the pandemic makes traditional gathergs impossible. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: in normal times, houses of worship would be busy: christians celebrating easter, jews marking passover and,, ater this monslims observing ramadan-- for all a time of renewal. ♪ ♪ but this is the new normal: a virtual palm sunday service. with new york city at the center of the crisis, most preccaus blood romaolic church in astoria is livestreaming mass. alicia alvarez is a regular there. >> i really didn't realize it until it happened. that i would miss it that much.

because that's where you turn to for comfort, for guidance, for community support in hard times. >> reporter: s says being able to participate from home allows her to stay connected to her faith. >> that has been very calming, very soothing, reassuring. >> reporter: debbie wells worships oine with her non- denominational church outside tampa. >> my faith... it keeps me going. it keeps me motivated, keeps me excited abouwaking up every ngle day. >> reporter: these livestreamed services are reaching people beyond her church community. >> i have lots of friends that are able to tune into our services and they are so appreciative. they're like, "oh, my gosh, thank you." and these are people that i could not get to come to church with me. reporter: other examples of social distancing worship: drive-in services in ohio and nebraska, a drive through confessional in maryland and a trumpeted hymn from a vicain england. ♪ ♪

not all religious practices translate as easily online. tara culp-ressler is p an unaffiliated congregation whose worship is based on meonite tradition. >> singing is a really big part the mennonite worship experience, and that's really hard over, you know, a video chat where the's some kind of delay and you can't hear each other. and i'm not sure we' going to be able to sing fourart harmony over zoom. ♪ as i we down to the river to pray ♪ >> we have found a way to keep some of it going, even if it's not a perfect plication of our aditional sunday services, because it's just a time when like they're going through this alone. >> reporter: jihad turk, an imam and the president of bayan claremont islamic gradua school, says that for muslims, not being able to pray together at a mosque poses a challenge.eo >>e attend prayer not just because they're religiously,

morally obligated to, because there's a real sense of human connection where people are standing close together in prayer. you not only feel connected to the divine, but you feel connected to hanity. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: this enesents an igger challenge for ramadan: a month of fasting, prayer and community. >> every evening the community gathers in large groups at the mosques and at people's homes to and you invite tho are oftentimes less fortunate to share in the bounty of the it's a highlight because you'ren ting in such a beautiful way with so many people and meeting new people, and that is going to babsent. it's a recharge of your spiritual batteries for the whole year.>> eporter: at st. james episcopal church in richmond, virginia, the reverend john mccard held a palm sunday service for hundreds of his parishioners online. >> this has made us more andsc more cus of how impactful the online ministry can be for folks just having th connection, being able to know

at they're loved and car about and that their church is still here for them. even if we can't be together physically. >> reporter: for naomi gamoran and josh smolevitz, this year's passover seder was truly different from others.mi gathered from across the country on zoom. >> we had some households and families who were able to sing together and we could listen toh . or people took turns singing their own parts. so it wasn't exactly the same. >> but it was still a rexply meaningfulience and it felt le weere together. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: gamoran says although social distancing has been disrupte to jewish traditions, she has seen her community step up to support ose in need. >> it's been really wondful to see how people are trying to enact our values of the world going to local restaurants and carrying out, by donation money. >> reporter: and it's not just weekly religious services-- many ddings, bar mitzvahs and memorials are all on hold.

for some, faith and spiritual practices haven't changed. doctor kiran mangalam, who teaches at university of new england college of osteopathic medicine, practices meditation and yoga. >> my spirituality is not really dependent on a particular place, a particular group of people. everything that i do is directed inward. >> reporter: mangalam says his spiritual practice helps him during the global crisis. >> i cannot control the spread of t virus. can't control the availability of p.p.e. for my colleagues. but i can control what happensnd with my nd my, my heart. >> repor eric rasmussen and his five siblings across the country have created a new versiohurch on video chat. >> it's the home where we learn most about forgiveness and kindness and love and compassion and those things that we're taught in the church building. and now we're really able to put

those in to practice. reporter: rasmussen, a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, says it provides calm in a turbulent time.e >> the mat we focus on kind of those core beliefs and those co practices here at home, i'm learning that there is a way to feel peace even when we're kind of in the midst of thstorm. >> reporter: even if the sanctuary isn't in a house of worship. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> a british photographer tries to capture a moment taking vports of people ovideo conferencing and telling their stories. ofnd an interview r on our web site pbs.o/newshour. pbs.org/newshour. d that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us on-line and again here tomorrow evening.al foof us at the pbs

newshour, thank you, stay sau and see on. >> major funding for the pbsee newshour hasprovided by: >> financial services firm raymond james. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> the ford foundation. working frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and final literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made

and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc caioned by g media acceup at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. bernie sanders drops out of the 2020 presidential race, leaving the field open for joe biden to face off against donald trump in november. this as the unid states braces r a painful week ahead. >> if one person dies, tha a painful week. we know that will unfortunately this is a mon we're fighting. >>ut in europe, norway says it already has coronavirus under control. i asked the prime minister about lifting the lockdown. >> plus, misinformation andhe median the age of coronavirus. a frank discussion on the dangers with