captioning sponshoed by ne pductions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonigh global confirmed cases of covid-19 approach two miion, as states in the u.s. grapple with rolling peaks of hospitalization and deh. we examine the vulnerabili of nursing home residents, and the danger faced by those in need of long term care. then, when to reopen. a disagreement between president trump and ltiple governors, as the question of how and when to restart the economy comes too thfront. plus, college students and coronavirus. how the pandemic iaffecting higher education, and why some

students' lives are upended more. >> everybody assumes thatge first neration, low-income students have the same access to resources, have everything that all the privileged students have. anthe second covid-19 hit campus, you saw those breaks.ga you saw thps in access. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: t ♪ >> when it comeswireless, consumer cellular gives its customers the choice. our no-contract plans give you as much-- or as little-- talk, text a data as you want, and our u.s.-based customer service team is on hand to help. to learn more, go to consumercellf ar.tv >> bnsilway. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> fidelity investments. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged

communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the covid-19 pandemic is pushing past new milestones tonight. some two million people have been infected worldwide, and 125,000 have died. the u.s. toll exceeds 26,000 dead. that includes 10,000 in new york city, where officials addedpr hundreds oumed victims, who never tested positive. t all s, as a struggle began over what happhas next. stepnie sy begins our coverage. >> reporter: a battle is

brewing over who has the power to re-open the country, the states or president tr new york governor andrew cuomo rejeed the president's claim that he has "absolute" authority to make th decision. >> we don't have a king in this country. we didn't want a king, so we have a constitution and elect a president. >> reporter: president trump fired back over twitter, writing, "cuomo's been begging for everything. i got it all done, and now he seems to want independence!'t that wappen!" the democratic governor refused to take the bait in his daily brfing. >> the president is clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue. the worst thing we can do in all of this is start with potical division.id the prt will have no fight with me. i will not engage in it. >> reporter: cuomo wasn't the

only governor to speak out. on monday, maryland's republican governor larry hogan told cnn that president trump's claim of total authority was "not my understanding of the constitution." while the federal government does have broad constitutional authority, the 10th amenent grants states the powers not d specificalegated to washington. atstill, the trump adminisn is working to form its own team to determine how and when to get the nation's economy b and running. california governor gavin newsom said today his state is moving forward with its own plan to lift restrictions. >>ou may be having dinner with a waiter wearing gloves, maybe a face mask. dinner wre the menu is disposable, where the tables, half of the tables in th restaurant no longer appear. where your temperature is checked before you walk ino the establishment. these are likely scenarios as we start to process the next phase.

>> reporter: thacomes a day after six northeastern states announced they'll work to coordinate their ropening plans. today, the nation's top infectious disease exper dr. anthony fauci, warned increased, quality testing isto keetermining when to re-open. >> we have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we're not there yet. ultimately, the virus is going to determine when we really can safely reopen, not only in general, but in a particar location. >> reporter: some help is on the way.to y, south korea sent a shipment of kits to thu.s. that are capable of runn0 g some 600,sts. e're winning our battle, we're winning our war. >> reporter: in the me, the president met with covid-19 survivors at the white house. >> thehave minimum numbers of 100,000, and i think we're going to beat at. 100,000 deaths, can you believe that? that was a minimum. so we made the right me es. now we h get our country open aga.

>> reporter: but amid all the talk of re-openings, new closures have been ordered at meatrocessing plants in south dakota and pennsylvania, after hundreds of workers tested sitive for the virus. one of those plants in south dakota produces 5%f e u.s. pork supply, raising fears about possible meat shortages at supermarkets. with many out of work, food pantries nationwide are already seeing high demand. like others,uby's food pantry in green bay, wisconsin has turned to drive-through distribution to keep staff and recipients at a safe distance. >> they'll just pull right one through, ave volunteers that will bring it right out, and they just pop the trunk clen, we set it right in their trunk for them, e the trunk and away they go. >> reporter: overseas, austria is one of the latest countries to ease its lockdowns, re-opening small retailers and garden stores. in spain, the number of covid-19 infections and deaths rose slightly, after several days of declines. and, the world's largest ckdown, in india, has been

extended two more weeks for the country's 1.3 billion people. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. >> woodruff: also today, thean u.s. treasurunced that the six largest u.s. airlines payroll support patotalingo a $25 billion. ard, the international mon fund warned that the pandemic will vy likely cause the worst worldwe downturn since the great depression of the 1930s. it predicted a partial rebound, but not until next year. even so, wall street rallied today on talk of re-opening businesses. the dow jones industrial average gained 559 points to close at 23,949. the nasdaq rose 323 points, and the s&p 500 added 84. in the day's other news, former president obama ended months of neutrality and endorsed his former vice president, joe biden, for the

democratic nomination. he said biden has the characte and experience to guide the nation through one of its darkest times and a long recovery. and, he appealed for an end to the trump era. >> we need americans of good will to unite in a great awakening against a politics that too often has been characterized by corruption, carelessness, self-dealing, disinformation, ignorance, and >> woodruff: the former president also urged action on addressing economic lity, expanding the affordable care act, and rejoining the fight against climate chan the pentagon is extending a halt to non-essential travel for troops, their families civilians due to the pandemic. itad been set to expire on may 11. defense cretary mark esper said today he hopes to announce a new target datfor ending some of the strictions this week.

the u.s. justice department sided today with a church that sued over corona-virusevurbs, one ofal such fights nationwide. greenwood, mississippi handing out $500 citations topp worss attending drive-in services. in a statement, u.s. attorney general wiiam barr supported health restrictions, but he said religious groups must not face federal appeals courts have weighed in against new abortion barriers related to the pandemic. ruling against oklahoma's ban on abortions as non-essential procedures. a second court ruled that women in texas will still be allowed to take so-called aborti pills to terminate pregnancies. the u.s. senate joined the house of representatives today in delaying its return to work until may 4, citing covid-19 concer c the amid a stalemate over50 another illion to aid

small business. white house adviser larry kudlon warn that thial $350 billion for the paycheck otection program is near gone. >>e need that $250 billion the run rate is-- they're going to be out of money. the prram, the paycheck protection program is going to be out by this week, maybe by thursday or friday, so we could use the $250 to complete thatm. prog >> woodruff: on the democratic side, use speaker nancy pelosi again rejected the administration's requnless it also provides more aid for hospitals and for state and local governments. in israel, prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his rival benny gantz reported sigficant progress toward forming a unity government. the country's president, reuven rivlin, extended their deadline until weesday. an agreement could end a year- long political deadlock. north korea has fired a barrage of short-range missiles, in a new, high-profile weapons test. south korea's military says the

missiles were launched from both the ground and air, and landinga at north korea has fired off a series of weapons in recent months. back in this country, the death severe storms ravae souther on easter. the national weather service t sat it appears at least 27 tornadoes hit the region. a in alaba half a dozen anher states, crews began clearing debris d removing fallen trees. and other coronaviial distancing restrictions could complicate the effort. and, the environmental protection agency saot that it willighten the air quality standard for pollution from soot. staff scientists had recommended tougher regulatis. the auto and power industries opposed any change, ane.p.a. administrator andrew wheeler said today that the existing rule is sufficient. still to come on the newshour:

covid-19 comes to nursing homes. vulnerable patients, and the threat of the viru when to reopen? the question that's beginning to dominate the u.s. college students are ford off campus and face an uncertain future amid social distancing. a swarm of locusts, and the risk of starvation in east africa.us much more. >> woodruff: more than 3,600 deaths from covid-19 in this country are believed to be linked with nursing homes andsi ed living centers. that death toll has shot up in the past two weeks, and the number is probably an undercount since it is just an estimate.s amna nawazing to look closer at some othe specific

problems and challenges these facilities face, and how families are coping., >> nawaz: ju can only give an estimate because the federal government hasn't been reasing a full count of what's happening in these facilities. more than one miion people live in a nursing home or assisted living center. we're going to begin with some personal stories-- what families are encountering right now we'll hear from a wife, an adult grandson, anfrom the head of a company that runs facilities in florida. >> i'm amy johnson and i am 38 years old, living in windom, minnesota. my husband, mark, has a rare form of dementia called the frontal temporal dementia, and he lives about an hour away from us in mankato, minnesota. he has been diagnosed for about three years now. so he's in assisted living. i've got four little kidunder the age of eight, and so, they are used to going to see daddy. even if they don't go every week, it's usually every other week, so, they are definitely noticing the huge change. and they've asked repeatedly, "when are we going to go see >> my name is keith myers.

i am predent and c.e.o. of morselife health system in west palm beach, florida. we are one of the largest senior care organizations in the southeast. we offer the full continuum of we can no longer have communal activities, so we have to look at another way.as but thatery hard at first, especially in our independent and assisted living facilities,a e they enjoy eating with their friends. we need to letdehe residents tand that if they want to go out of the campus, they will be quarantin, because i have idea who they will meet. >> my name is jaimpatino, councilman for the city of union city, california. my grandmother is emma patino. she was a resident of gatewayha nursing home iard, california. she is currently at kaiser, san leandro, in the i.c.u., with a very grim outlook. we were only allowed tvisit my grandmother through the window

of her room. she has dementia, so she didn't really understand why we couldn't go inside and why we couldn't visit her. but that's what we did for about two weeks, until this past wednesday, when i got a newst ala email from the "east bay times" saying that six people had passed away there at the gateway. on friday morning at 3:00 a.m., my dad received a phone call that she was being transported to kaiser hospital, san leandro, because her-- her oxygen levels had gone down. t and when she gre, they found out that, not only was she covid-19-positive, that it had gone into her lungs,er kidneys were starting to fail. her heart was being stressed cause it was fighting th disease, and she also had septic shock. >> the pandemic has definitely influenced the way that we've we did go up this last weekend and dropped him off some

different clothes, because his weren't fitting right. and it was basically just, you know, drive an hour, drop it in the entryway, and walk away, tobecause we're not allowe really be in contact with the staff there. h >>e to make sure i have the right amount of equipment to be able to get the resources to our employees, so they feel comfortable in providing the quality of care at our residents and patients expect. at first they were making masks, they were bringing in bandanas, until i was able to procure them. so now we're able to offer surgical masks. >> if god's going to take her, she-- she lived a grfe, and we were all blessed to have her. and as for the future, one of'm the thingsoing to do is i'm going to use whatever platform i can to push for more transparency, so that peoplet' know exactly wgoing on in these nursing homes. >> i can't be there. h did decline to the point

where he would require, you know, end of life or hospiceic care, is what the form of dementia he has, it's very possible that it could decline. that quick and with that being the case, it, you know, that's hard to think about. >> nawaz: and before wn, a sad update. jaime patino's grandmother passed away after we serke to him yey. she was 84ears old. our condolences to him and his family. we reached out to the gateway care and rehab center, but have not heard back from management there. for more on what jme and others have been dealing with, and how this industry is grappling with the coronavirus,n i'm by david grabowski. he's a professor of health policy at harvd medical school. david grabski, thanks for ing with us. people a going to look at those numbers that we reported earlier,ver 3,600 deths, up from just a few hundred in a matter of days. ites an alarming rise. what is behind at ris >> it's incredibly alarming. if you can believe it, it's

actually an underestimate. what's behind it is just how deadly this virus is in nursing homes. we have older adults with high levels of chronic illness. when this gets started in a nursing home, it's incredibly harmful to the population there. >> woodruff: >> nawaz: you called it the perfect storm. explain to me why. >> well, you have older adultsse living cother. you have staff members moving room the room, potentially us.eading the vir remember, we don't have testing. many of these workers don't have persal protective equipment wlke masks or gowns or gloves, so they're s spreading it throughout these buildings. it really is this perfect storm of lots oflder adults with chronic illness and staff slowly moving it around the building. >> nawaz: why do you believe that's an undercount? do you think we have an acurate tracking facilities within the facilities? is there anyha mecsm at the federal level for tracking this? >> there is no mechanism at the fedevel currently to track

these number, so we're totally dependent on state departments of health. heme states have done a great job. states are doing nothing. that's first source of this underreporting is just that we have a lot of missing data. a lot of staretes n't reporting. even within states, there's going to be a lot of undocumented cases, and then we know there's a lot of c asymptomatse, that means individuals who aren't showing any symptoms of the virus. so i think the number is much higher than the one you reported. >> woodruff: >> nawaz: we heard about nursing homes being locked downs no vitors allowed. they're barring all the communal activity, too. staff, of course, have to come and go, but what se could they be doing? could they ban new entries, new tpatients from coming i the facility? >> that's one step.y and i think m facilities have stopped taking new patients in from hospitals.o hospitals areking to discharge patients into nursingy homes, and ma nursing homes

have held the line and said, we can't safely care for these patients. ththey're trying the kee residents currently in the facile safe. >> nawaz: what about when you look pre-pandemic, how nursing facilities andcassistee facilities handled these things. you had the believe there was a plan if place the handle an infectious outbreak, right?>> nfortunately there wasn't a plan in place. this has not been a strong suit of nursing homes or assisted living. i think it's easy right now just fame the nursing homes and the assisted liviilities. i also think we have to point the finger at how we pay forr these ces and how we regulate these services. erfundedoften und nursing home services in this country. we have had poor models of oversight and accountability. at the end of the day we get what we pay for unfortunately. >> nawaz: a lot of families have loved ones in these facilities. they're readinthe headlines, and they're worried. i want you to speak to them and tell th what youuld advise.

should people be pulling loved ones out of their facility? should they think twice before pulling someone into the facilityo >> my heart out with everyone with a loved one in a nursing home. this is an inyicredibly time. i don't know many of us can pull our loved ones out of a facility at this point. i think it may be too late actually. as we were just discussing, the nursing hopes around thember of country. if you do bring them into your house, you have to keep yo loved ones safe are. you able to sort of have a high vel of infection control to keep the virus out of your home? and then finally, remember, there was a reason they were in this nursing home to begin with. they need lots of assistance with activities of daily living like bathing and dressing. are you and you faomily going be able to provide those services? you cod potentially hire somebody into your home, but you are facing the same set of challenges you might haveaced in the nursing home with staff i very much he idea ofhouse. pulling family member out of a nursing home, but in practice i

don't know how feasible it is for most families. nawaz: before i let u go, david, let us know, based on the steps you've seen so far, do you think the numbers are plateauing in these facilities, or do you expect them to go up? re>> unfortunately theot plateauing. i think they're really going to go up.i' really scared for older adults here in the state of massachusetts where i live. almost have of the covid-related fatalities to date have been nursing home residents. i'm scared as we see this go across the countryhat the numbers will ultimately look like. >> nawaz: such a worying time. david grabowski of harvard medical school, thank you forbe g with us. >> thank you. >> woodruff: if you aret dealing with a critical family health crisis, the central question facing so many americans is, when will we beg

to return to normal life? there are few, if any, easy answers, and the debate hasde pitted the pre against some governors on both coasts. a number of those state leaders are now teaming up. one of them is governor ned lamont of connecticut, who joins us now from hartford. go -- governor lamont, thank you for talking to us. connecticut has a population of three million people. less than a month ago youde announced firsth in the state. right now i believe it's 671 deaths, 14,000 people almost tested positive. where are you in the fight against covid-19? >> southern connecticut, fairfield county, wa part of that whole new york pandemic. that part of our state was hit early, hilt -- hit hard.c there thve is beginning to bend as social distancing is working, but the rest of the state, the virus is goinright

up the i-95 metro north corridor, new haven up to hartford. >> woodruff: in other words, rising in the rest of the state. >> that's right.av wenot bend the curve in the rest of the state yet, but we are still thinkg about the day after and the months after. >> woodruff: president trump has spoken, aso you know, abut may 1st as being a time to think about beginning to go back to normal. you have said the date should be closer to may 20t where do you come up with this date? what factors go into your thinking? >> what i said to our schools is we're not going to open before may 20th. i said to our small businesses, you're probably not going t open anything before may 20th. but by may 20th we're going to haeve a lot of tsting in place. we'll have an idea of where the infeaions are. by 20th we'll have a lot of the ppe and the gowns and the masks that we don't haveigh now, an we'll be in a much

better position to make a determination as to what we can open, how we can open, and when we can open.uf >> woo how are you confident you will have all of those things? >> i'm not sure i'm confident. i know we he a muchtter chance to have it in the next few weeks than i've had it before. let's face it, a lot of the ppe gets rerouted at the tarmac at j.f.k. but light now it looke supply is catching up with defend. we're beginning to get some supply in. we'll have masks. back the work soner.t people the testing protocols are room. ing up. i think within a week were tol we able to do a lot more of the antibody testing as well as the molecular test t see who is infected. >> we know you and othgoer rnors in the northeast are coordinating, beginning to talk among yourselves about how you might do this together. the president meanwhile has said he has total authority to dide when restrictions are lifted. who is right

>> i think the goernors working together. the governors were ahead of the rve on taking this virus seriously, and i thisty governors are ahead of the curve knowing how to get out of the pandemic and thoughtfully open up our states. look, judy, i can'ten up bars and restaurants in connecticut if andrew cumo kps them closed in new york and vice versa. you've a flow of traffic back and forth. some of these things we'll cotogether.>> woodruff: how do e those decisions? one governor could have one set of factors she is looking at. another governor could have a different set. >> we all have very different situations, that's true, but we want to cometh a set of data. we want to set up protocols that i have an amazing group, a task force that's going to be helpi us decide, including the lead epidemiologist from yale is cochairman of it along with the.

he together they put together a business and scientific team that's going to help us come up with a strategy to slowly get our state back to wrk. >> woodruff: and what about coordinating, i'm going to be talkg in a moment with the head of the chamber of commerce. what about talking to businesses your state and big institutions in terms of how they begin to open up. tell us about howou're coordinating with them, the process of sharing ideas andl views ofthis with these other leaders. >> sure. we've got major defense manufacturers with big factory floors that are required to be, opd i talked to them every day about the necsi of getting fever testing to make sure nobody goes in there with a temperature. aid anybody with a temperature of 100.4, you cannot go to the factory floor. everybody.ing masks for we're setting up social distancing. so i'm working with businesses,

an i'm also rking with labor. let's face it. they're fighting for folks who sometimes are food service workers. they're at stop & shop. they need and the protections they need some they will all be at the table if we think aboutp how we opgain. >> woodruff: quickly, governor, you have also 1 mentioned jus a key date. where did you come up with that? >> i came up with tat because at that point all of the federal programs run out. that's what makes me worry. we have two months ppp, paycheck protection. weat's too much. ave folks who get their insurance forgiven for two months. you know, at that point even all of the state aid, the money weed o keep ou government going, starts getting a little tighter. er i think the govent's going to have the make up its mind, the federal government, if we don't get ings oened up and people back to work by july 1st, there will anoth supplemental funding necessary to keep our hospitals going, our

all businesses going, a lot of individuals on unemploient. that's adate. >> woodruff: and we know congress has just announced they will be away for several weeks coming back i believe in may. so we will see. about those deadlines. governor ned lamont of connecticut, we thank you very much and we wsh you the very best with everything you're dealing with. >> thank you, judy. >>oodruff: and now, let's hear heom a leading voice in business about how and whsome onomic activity should resume again, and under what conditions. of the u.s. chamber of commerce, it's a group with some three million members across allof sectorhe economy. she presented a gradual plan to her members for returning tork but it includes manyve issues that et to be resolved. suzanne clark, thank you very much for talking with us today.

tell us, as you think about all, country facing, thivatee is the sector? it's not as simple as turning on a light switch, is it? >> no, no, it isn't. thank you f having "me me today. our members represent all sectors and all sizes and all geog ophies. the id getting back to work and getting back the life is so important to the so we know that there are experts, public officials, medical expts talking about when it's safe to get back to work, so we think our job is ton help bs leaders to begin the plan for how to get back to work. >> woodruff: your memo ta you sent out the your members, it starts out by saying that the retu to worwill be "gradual, fazed in, and wll vary by several factors." what are the factors? >> i think we hit on them tonight on the show. different geographys have been hit in different ways. different seors will find it

easier to ramp up than others. and whe you look at everything you talked about from testing and trcing to thevailability of equip such as masks and ermometers and training that equip all the way through while care and transit. this country, and there is noin playbook to take off the shelf and just execute. so it's why it's so important that we plan now, so that when it's time t go back to work, people are really ready. we want to hethlp overnment leaders and business leaders ancipate what new restrictions, what new equip, what new risks are ou there so that they can really be ready. you can't underestimate what a job mians to a f or to a community, and once we return to health, we need to be ready to return to work. >> woodruff: when you thinki about s like, and you include this in the memo, social distancing, and when yo think about having protective equip, which may still be necessary

months from now, like masks and perhaps other pa fa neyla, as well, are businesses prepared to do the things that you're talking about? >> you know, imagine being a small business owner right now and not only having the financial stress and fear thatn you haveour community, but also now trying to tackle all kinds of new learning, not only new acquisition ement, but how to use it and how to trainr . again, it's so unprecedened that you have to figure out new york a world that's goi to have imperfect information, the c.e.o.s are not going to have perfect equ, perfect information, or perfect training, how can we help them take the right kind of risk, because it will be a little bit of a risk, right, one that people take going into their businesses to work or as a

customer. so i think a lot of that will happen at a local community level. >> woodrf: i'm asking you, because, for example, think r about a business, whet's hardware store or a restaurant, they're not used to being in the business of asking people the take their temperature when they walk in the door or making sures i you could ask people the not the kinds ofings weese are normally expect when we go out to a store, for example. >> no, that's exactly right, and, in fact, we've kind of trained busesses to be the opposite because of concerns ntdiscrimination or diffe types of liability. and so this is a real gray area that we're all going to have tot conf and this gets back to our goal, which is what can we anticipate? we can try to find any firm ground for c.e.o.s to stand on, whether it's a sole proprietor or all the way up to really big companies. i thght the government made

good point when he talked about essential and how they are working. we talk about a return to work, but a number of people didn't leave work. what can we learn from the experiment that they've already been tufough. >> woo and suzanne clark, the other thing is who pays for this? soin of these busses are going to be coming back. they're going to be turning the lights ban but with a much tighter payroll situation.e how -- i mean, how do you look at that question? >> i's relly complicated. how is it all going to be paid for? one thing we have been lookingck oes back the childcare. if you're having social distancing, you is accept fewer children oneyoud more adults. does that mean less revenue m acrore expenses? so how do we make that stretch? i think it's go ing toquire more aid. i think it's going to require both at the federal level and at the state level an assistance.

some businesses will get back to it may be a while before people are comfortable going into big, owded places again. so businesses that relon vast numbers of people might need more aid an more assistance. a bit of optimism, too. we're eing a type resilience and a coming together in this community that's really a beautiful thing. so as mr. rogers used to say, look for the helpers. i think we're allooking for the innovators, the scientists, theo ors, but also the business leaders and how they can innovate. whenever the is a great time of depression, there is a time of inovation. a harvard epidemiologist said one thing about getting through this surge ais peak is it will give doctors and scientist a minute to look at the data and learn from it. what did they say? were children transmitting the disease? what did the immunities look like, et cetera. that gives me hope that the's

more learning and maybe quicker learning to come. >> woodruff: no question about it. hopefully we're all going to be learning a lot from this nnperience. suclark with the u.s. chamber of commerce. >> thank you vech. >> woodruff: the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the lives of some 20 million collegstudents, as campuses are shuttered across the nation. many of those young people are ountinuing their studies t online classes. but, as john yang reports, the shift has affected some more than others. it is part of regular education coverage called "making the grade." >> yang: stanford university senior michael ocon has beenli ng here these days-- a tent in his parents' back yard. after his college closed because the coronavirus pandemic, he moved to his parents' two-

bedroom house. >> my sister and i, h moved out, and our parents kind know, we'd be goneer.ng, you >> yang: but then his mother, a drug counselor who's kept working, got sick with covid-19- like symptoms, so ocon moved his space outside as a precaution. >> we're having issues in terms of looking for a new place, in terms of affording rent, in terms of food. and now we have to make su that our broadband and our internet's upgraded, to ensure that we all have access to zoomr and thosfinancial constraints that seem small, but, but translate to, again, serious burdens to a lot of people. >> yang: this has been a challenging time for clege students. sudden moves... >> i packed, like, a backpack with four t-shirts and maybe clothes for, like, five or six days. and i expected to go back to my school. >> yang: ...online classes. and the wi-fi connection, when everyone is using and at the same time, it can be really

slow. >> yang: even professors are apting. >> there's a certain way in which i would jump into the now, i have to be much more self-conscious of the fact that there are delays in commun yation. g: but this crisis has laid bare that there ain significanualities on campuses. among the hardest hit? low income, internatand first generation students. wesleyan university senior melisa olgun, the first in her family to go to college, helped organi a fundraiser for students struggling with housing, food, and technology. >> when you go to an elite liberal arts university with lots of financial aid, everybody assumes that first geration, low-income students have the same access to resources, haveal everything thathe privileged students have. osd the second covid-19 hit campus, you saw breaks. you saw those gaps in access. >> this public health crisis is likely going to exacerbate education equity issues that we saw even before this crisis hit. >> yang: christopher nellum is a researcher at education trust

west, a california ghat advocates for equality in higher education. >> i think there are a lot of assumptions made about college students, and the idea that students can go home and still have access to the same types oo tegy. what is the environment these students are going home to? are their parents home? do they have siblings? do they have family members that they may live with? or are they returning to a situation where they may have to work themselves? >> yang: some universities are refunding fees for housing and meal plans. at schools that aren't, some and the congressional stimulus package, known as the "cares act," does throw students lifeline. it suspends some federal student lo repayments until the end of september, and sets aside more than $6 billion in grants for students.wi but, that mone be distributed through individual schools, which will take time. what's more, students who arede claimed as deps won't receive government stimulus

checks, and their parents won't receive y extra money for children older than 16. another major concern r graduating seniors? the job market. just a few weeks ago, it looked like the cla of 2020 would join the workforce in a strong economy with record low unemploynt. >> my biggest fear was, was hereally just a recession, things started to slow down. >> yang: indiana university senior tommy lewis alrad a job offer with one of the nation's largest airlines.tu >> that was ly sort of my dream job. i've always wanted to wo in the airline industry, since i was a little kid. that now is up in the air. >> college graduates entering the labor market in a recession will see earnings losses that last about ten years, depending on how deep the recession is. >> yang: u.c.l.a. economist till vn wachter. >> the longer the crisis lasts or the deeper it i the more likely it will be a lot of individuals looking for jobs and a lot of unemployed. and that is the environment where sort of labor market entrants more generally end up

at the bottom of the pil >> yang: and colleges are facing financial concerns of their own. the pandemic could cost some schools upwards of $100 million. those numbers will only go higher if classes don't restarth in the fall-h is also a concern for high school seniorsi angel delich. she's three schools in her home state of michigan. >> i don't know where we're going to be in september. so i not going to pay a lot money to go to a morepr tigious school and live on campus, if they're just going to be online. >> yang: meanwhile, universities have canceleor postponed commencement ceremonie a loss that's especially poignant for students who will be the first in their family to graduate college. >> having that physical experience is so symbolic. it would mean that everyone ilo would be in one area, celebrating this accomplishment with me. >> i waseally looking forward to the opportunity to attend something like that, especially because i want to be a role model for my siblings.

>> my parents both came from turkey and my father passed away when i was six. and my mom made a decision essentially to stay in the u.s. because she wanted me to go to college. to have that ability to walk up the stage, and look around and be like, i did this. this system was not made for me, but i did it. for it to not have that that steriality, it is frustrating. >> yang: but theiors say they're still determined to ceremony-- an achievement no pandemic can take away from them.r foe pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> woodruff: it sounds biblical, but as the world grapples with the covid pandemic, africa is cing another plague: as nick schifrin r, the small insects pose a serious threat to food security throughouthe region.

>> schifrin: in east aica, the air carries twplagues. 50 billion insects. as covid-19 threatens the people, locusts threaten livestock and their food. >> ( translat ): they are being a menace, eating our grass and even getng into our homes. when we slaughter our livestock, we find locust feces in their stomachs. without a dot, they are affecting our health, our animals' health, and the environment. >> schifrin: in february, eight east african countries experienced an initial swa, the largest for parts of the region in 70 years. and now, a new wave is 20 times larger that e first wave.he >> are swarms that are-- it's not uncommon to be, let's say, the size of manhattan in new york city. so-- so they can be a very big. in one day, that swarm can eat the same amount of food as everybody in new york and california combi sd. ifrin: keith cressman is

the food and agriculture organization's senior locast forecasting officer. he says in a region that already struggling with food security,n more t million people are now food insecure, and require assistance. this region is very, ve vulnerable. for the past three years, they've faced droughts, on this year, they faced heavy rains and floods. so already, you know, they're living in a veryrecarious situation. >> schifrin: pesticides can fight the locusts, and the f.a.o. is appealing for millions of dollars of aid to deliver more, but border closures because of covid-19 can slow down deliveries, and locals gathering to combat the locusts, often without success, could spread the coronavirus. the u.n. is instead pushing for the use of bio-pesticides and remote data collection, and is working with governments to ensure the people who are fighting the locusts can travel, despite travel restrictions. >> the governments realize,

you know, not only covis serious, but also locusts are serious. so they have given waivers to all of those involved in the locust campaign, and they're considered as sential services. >> schifrin: the outbreak originated in the arabian peninsula, where heavy rains inr 2018 and 201ted the insects' ideal breading ground. climate chge might only be king the problem worse. >> there's eight cyclones in. 20 usually there's none, or one. so, you know, obviously something's going on with the weather. it could be climate change. but, you know, whateves, i mean, if we see this trend continuing, it'soing to mean that there's going to be more desert locust upsurges like we're facing this year. >> schrin: while the world fights the coronavirus, much of east afri is battling a second threat, with no reprieve in sight. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin.

>> woodruff: there is news this evening from the daily white house briefing. president trump says the u.s. will halt funding to the world health organization dung this global pandemic. the u.s. is the largest current contributor to the w.h.o. our white house correspondent mcihe alcindor has been watching, and is here with the latest. yamiche, what is the white house saying? what's the president saying? >> alcindor: well, there was big news, as you said, at the white house brefing today, saying that the president wants to halt and is halting funding to the world health organization. he lashed out at that organization and said it's are se mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic. he said they chose political correctness when they were tposing travel restrictions that, of course president and others were putting into place.

he also says they wasted time and they should have talk about this pandemic, been more serious about it. now, the president is accusing the world health organization what many of the president's critics are accusing theo presiden. many say the president was slow to react soin low slow to take this seriouslyhe was downplaying the virus. the president also says the world health organization was raising china's transparency, but the presideso praised china's transparency. the president is in ways blaming the world health organization for how bad this has gotten. >> woodruff: yamiche, we know thg president has been say might do something like this. he's been threatening, if you will, talking about the possibility. ayou know wht actually triggered the decision? >> alcindor: i think what triggered the dion was the lashing out that the president he was being attacked and being accused of being slow to act.

there are real qustions about what the president was doing in february when he was downplaying the rus and when it was spreading across the united states and other countries. but there are also are things the president said. he said the big thingthat were weighing on his mind were, one, restrictions, and condst travel thing is the organization was talking about not having human-to-human transmission when this was happening, which i what china was saying at the time some the president is saying the who is sounding too money like china, but again, critics of the president say this is a really bad move in the middle of a world pandemic. >> woodruff: and just quickly, yamiche, we know the president has been saying and said again that hs the one with all the thority, in his words, total authority to me a decision about when to li restrictions. is the white house saying any more about that today? >> alcindor: the white house and president trump are still as president he totaldea that authority over states.

but there are governors that arp speaking otty forcefully, the governor of new york, ani- taj, of an degree -- andrew cuomo said that's the king and the united states do not have king. there is an amendment that says the federal government has limits to its power and the states have their own rights. >> woodruff: yamiche, earlierr in thegram we interviewed the governor ofwh connecticuo says he disagrees with the president. he and governors in the northeast are looking at coming up with their own c plan.nated yamiche alcindor following the white house briefing for us. thank you, yamiche. >> alcindor: thanks, judy. >> woodruff: next tonight, we have another look, and listen,

to some of the music being m posted across edia as part of hashtag "songsfof comfort," r a moment of diversion from difficult news. jeffrey brown has culled selections f our ongoing arts and culture series, "canvas." ♪ ♪ >> brown: two italian ys playing coldplay's "when i ruled the world" that defines the "songs of comfort" project. fans of the young fiddlers offered this up: ♪ ♪ >> brown: the artistic response to the coronavirus crisis was started by famed cellist yo-yo ma-- a way to try to soothe souls amidst such uncertain times. ma himself continues to post songs onocial medi such as this one he had originally performed for children when pearing on "mr. rogers:" ♪ ♪ >> brown: the response has been

extraordinary. ♪ ♪ >> brown: a bit of blues from reggie garrett in seattle. ♪ ♪ enr the roma, texas varsit mariachi ban there are many examps of" accentuating the positive" in these times. some sing it quite literally: ♪ accentuate the positive >> brown: sometimes, it's not the "what" someone plays, as much as they're playing at all-- for others. this banjo-playing high schooler was posted by a neighbor, who

♪ ♪ "he couldn't be in school, so hs took a m break from online classes to lift my spirits." a"there are other acts of" being a good neighbor," such ash these "eltering in place" on a deck and one roof.ard, one music quite smooth.h, but their ♪ ♪ and, in a fashn that is becoming more popular, this toronto opera singer took to a balcony to sing an aria from "la boheme." ♪ ♪ love songs came in vario forms, including international chanteuse angelique kidjo singing an acoustic "c'est petits riens"... ♪ ♪ ...and this man played "over the rainbow" by request of his "best friend," his wife. ♪ ♪

there's also a growing kind ofnt ent: love and respect for health care workers. dan erdman said his song," sunset," is for them. ♪ ♪ and on a final "note," lindon beckford, an orderly at beth israel deaconess medical center in boston-- ♪ ♪ coworkers wrote how he has used his voice to comfort patients and colleagues for years. now, more than ever. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: we hope that if you >> woodruff: love all. this just be careful of playing that violin on the roof. we do hope if you have art the share, you wiladjoin us. upour videos to twitter, instagram or facebook using the upload your videos to twitter, instagram or facebook using the hashtag "songs of comfort." we will be watching, and may ush them ifuture, on air, and

online at www.pbs.org/newshour. also, we'll be launching a new segment on air and online morrow: "ask us," where take your questions on the coronavirus to experts who can provide the answers you need. you can learn more aboby visiting our website, www.pbs.org/newshour, or checking our facebook, instagram and twitter pages. later tonight on most pbs stations, "the definition of insanity," a documentary on the efforts in a miami-dade unty court to move the mentally ill out of the criminal justic system and into programs toward medical recover. that is tonighat 10:00, 9:00 central, only on pbs. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again ght here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe and see youon

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>> jamie: we need to eat more veg, and we need to start now. come on, you know makes sense. it's better for yo and it's better for the planet. i'm going to cook veggies in a way it'that are goingo and ito make you so happy.anet. so whether you're a full-blown veggiein i've got some easy tand delicious recipes for you. i don't want to compromise on the flavor, no way. i've traveled around the world meeting people doing some amazing things with veg. wow, look at that. and picked up brilliant tips c toate the ultimate meat-free meals. this is incredible! >> d in. >> jamie: yes! this is like chef's paradise. oh, my lord! no meat, but no compromise. enough talking-- straight in the mouth. no meat, but no compromise. ♪ >> ♪ wch this >> jamiecoming up, i celebrate gorgeous asparagus with two recipes, give a carbonara a luxurious veggie twist,