captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, presenting the ticket: kamala harris joins joe biden for the first time as his running mate. what this historic moment means for the race for the white house. then, the q-anon campaign-- coigpiracy theorists score a win as a supporter of an ultra- far-right online movement wins a republican primary in georgia. and, desperate journey-- migrants from around the world risk death crossing the jungle between panama and colombia, one of the most ngerous places on ea >> i would like to send a message to anynge who is thinf doing this route, it's very dangerous. if i knew this, i wouldn't have done it. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

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>> supportthe john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. morinformation at macfound.org an >with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this programade possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: former vice president joe biden and his newly-chen running mate senator kamala harris of california made their campaign debut together this afternoon in wilmington, delaware. they offer a unified vision for how they plan to defeat president trump in november's election. lisa desjardins begins our coverage. >> desjardins: for the first time, e 2020 democratic ticket

appeared together, if on socially distant stage. one day after tweeting out that she was his v.p. pick, former avvice president joe bidenan in-person welcome to current california senator kamala harris. >> kamala is smart, tough proven kamala knows how to govern, how to make the hard calls, she's ready to do this job one day one, were both ready to get to work rebuilding this nation. >> wt have to accept the failed govt. in 83 days we have a chance to choose a better future for our country.

appeared at a high school, no sporpters to share or applaud. a somewhat surreal pandemic version of isat sually a full throated rally tohow off the biden campaign hos to show digital emotion releasing the biden campaign hoped to show digital emotion, releasing video of the moment the presidential nominee offered the job to harris. >> first of all is the answer yes? >> the answer is absolutely yes, joe. >> desjardins: harris' candidacy is a momenof many firsts. e's the first black woman and first asian-american vice presidential nominee on a major party ticket. for supporters in her native oakland california, like business owner mika mccannts, harris' identity is an important symbol. >> as an african american, especially as an african americ woman, we're used to being a target. it's not going to be anything new for kamala. i'm pretty confident that she can handle it. resident john davis say its her experience that has best prepared her for the job. >> i know joe biden mentioned, you know, he was going to pick a

woman as his vice president. but i think she's really the best candidate either way, not just because she's a woman. >> desjardins: scott shafer of kqed covered harrs' time as d.a. and later as california attorney general. >> for example, she was very slow to embrace legalizing marijuana in california, well behind a lot oother democrats, ncluding the governor. she did not take a position on a statewide ballot measure that nonviolent drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. she very vigously pursued death penalty cases that had been overturned by the courts. and so while she has embraced things like getting rid of cash bail, there are a loof things that give criminal justice reform advocates concern. >> kamala harris ran for president by rushing to the radical left. >> desjardins: president trump's campaign team quickly released a video claiming harris was too far left. harris did not pose a threat to his re-election, saying s" started strong in the democratic primaries and

finished weak, fleeing the rac with almost zero support." but last night, the president's number two had friendlier words for his democratic contender. >> california senator kamala harris will be the democrat candidate for vice president so let me take this opportunity to welcome her to the race. >> desjains: on instagram, another welcome, from sarah palin, the first republican woman on a presidential ticket. she wrote to new v.p. nominee that the experience will be "the stmomazing view in your life," along with advice, writing" n"n't get muzzled" and "have . some advice on day one for the biden-harris team. like americars, they face an intense 83 days until the election. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins.dr >> wf: and lisa joins me now, along with the newshour's daniel bush, who's been on the ground in wilmgton today, reporting on the biden-harris event.

so dan, to you first, you did get this upclose look at what is going on there, did you get i sense of what sth-- what these two are going to be like as they try to appeal to american voters as a team? >well, judy, this is their kickoff, their first opportunity to appear on stage together. they did seem cfortable but of course the signs of covid where everywhere, covid-19. ey both wo masks. they kepts their distance. harris delivered all the tradional notes of a running mate, talking about her back story, praising biden anof course going after president trump. it's going to be interesting to see how the campaign proceeds from here. the campaign right now is being tight-lipped about how it is that they are going to use kamala harris in the day ahead. we know right now they ju left r a fundraiser at a hotel nearby, a virtual fundrser. harris is a dynamic public speaker. sme did struggle a bit at times n her campaign last year. it will be interesting to see

how shcampaigns in this new virtual-- virtual reality that we are in. >> wodruff: and lisa, from watching this up close, are you trtting any sense of how they're going to- what is their message, how are they going to try to appeal to voters? >> i have covered both of these people in the u.s. sena, biden and harris. i think what we saw tonight judy is apu one-twnch. biden was the one living on a bigger message. that was of identity. he went straight to president trump and chargedhat trump is distorting the american identity of one that is about even prejudice. he talked about charlottesville, today is the third anniversary of what happened in charlottesville, biden said that was inspiration for him. he said their campaign is about all ideology. identity that is ofrican possibilities and diversity. now harris followed that up wh her own personal story as dan said. anthat is one of diverse out. llin compe

she also did her job and talked about why she thinks her boss is the best man tfor it oneher note, these are two people who are not scared to show emotion. and they are both expressing hat they see is the urgency of thection. they want their voters to be highly motivated. >> so dan, we knoming up to abis choice, there was a lot of speculatiot whether the pick that viceñi president biden made would excite the democratic base. and you have had a chance today whotalk with some voters physically showed up around the high school there in wilmington. and you talked to some of them. what are they saying? >> well, judy, this is home turf, me ter tow-- territory fore biden. we are not very far away from his eeme where he hasn spending most of his time during the pandemic. so a lot of democrats, i spoke to several people who were excited about hispick of harris noting the historic nature of it. one wsaid that the moment that she got the text message that the campaign put up

supporters as a choice, she went online, downloaded an image of the biden lo an image of harris' name, put them together and she was with r, homemade signs today. so a lot of support and enthusiasm on the democratic side. there were, howevserome protestors here, in particular, who oppose joe bides view on abortion. as well as some trump supporters who werealking around just a minute ago behind me waving trump signs. so already we're seeing sort of the divides that are going to play out from here through election day. >> woodruff: certainly making their message heard. lisa, back to byou. you haven watching kamala harris, you watched her campaign when she was runnin what did you learn? what did we learn, do you think, that time about the voters she appeals to that mayhi tell us som about the kind of appeal she's going to have right now? >> i love looking at these kinds of numbers and see what they tell us. and when you lo okat kamala

harris as a candidate for president, last summer whenhe was at her peak, her appeal, swrudy, was mostly broad. her largest group that she was appealing to in july when she was at her peak, were people that saidpa they werng close attention to the campaignment one reason for that might be that she h that viral moment with vice president biden when she went after him on stage. she fw her biggest bounrom that debate performance. that is something the biden campaign may like in the matchup against vice president pence. but judy, overall her appeal was broad.and that is one reason sht not have advanced farther. she didn't have any nich o core voters that would really push thinahead that is also so biden campaign likes in a vice presidential candidate, she kindals to many differen of people am one other note, judy, a little bit off topic, i looked into the high school that this was today, alexis du pont high school in delaware, this is a high school that was part of the school district in the 1970s

which sued to try and keep segregation going as the court saw it. this is a high school she likely could not have attended but yet today this is where kamala harris became the first black woman to be a vice presidential nominee or any nominee on presidential ticket for a major party. >> woodruff: so interesting, that pa of history which of course came up in the did he baits. and it's going to continue, i'm sure, to come up. ll, it certainly was a rollout like no other we've seeee a nomin bringing his running mate, and you didn't see theog hands raisedher or anything like what we've seen. but that is the world we live in. daniel bush, there in wilmington, lisa desjardins here, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: with less than much of the attents beenion day, on the presidential race. but amna nawaz looks at how a conspiracy theory could make its

way into the halls ocongress after the election. >> nawaz: on tuesday, marjorie taylor greene won the republican runoff in georgia's 14th congressional district. it's an overwhelmingly g.o.p. district so shes favored to win in november. >> we have an islamic invasion into our government offices. >> nawaz: but after politico uncovered greene's previous islamophobic, anti-semitic and racist remarks about black people, g.o.p. leaders distanced themselves, condemning her words as "appalling," "disgusting" a"" bigoted." but republican leaders remy ned largelsilent about greene's support for a far-right conspiracy theory known as "q- anon." support she professed in a 2017 video she deleted before her campaign launch. >> q is a patriot. he is someone that very muchtr loves his coand is on the same page as us, and he is very pro-trump. in the mons after presidenterged

trump took office, starting on fringe internet message boards before spreading to social media. adherents allege, among other things, that the president is the target of so-cal state" actors-- high ranking officials plotting against him. the conspiracy quickly took off and the president's supporters latched on to the mysterious" q." signs and t-shirts appeared at trump's campaign rallies. last year, the f.b.i. labeled the movement a potential domestic terror threat. i stand with q and the team.ump. thank you anons. trthank you ts. >> nawaz: but now, q-anon has firmly taken root in the 2020 >> honestly, everything i've heard of q. i hope that, i hope that it is real. >> nawaz: some congressional candidates, like lauren boebert in colorado, promoted the conspiracy theory to friendly media outlets, before later calling q-anon "fake news." according to "media matters," a left-leaning watchdog group, 20 candidates, all republicans, except one independent, with

varying levels of supp c spiracies have advanced to november's general election. ild now marjorie taylor greene's namebe on the ballot as well. to lre closely at the rise and spread of the q-anon conspiracy on the campaine trail, i'm jby travis view, co-host of the "qanon anonymous" podcast. travis, welcome to the newshour, you have been folling the q-anon conspiracy theory and followers for a very long tim let's start with the basics for those who haven't been. just explain to us where and how this q-anon conspiry begins. >> the q-anon conspiracy theory originated on october of 2017. soit has its origin in a pia gait. the basic premise is that a group of high level militar intelligence officials close to president trump, are sendg out secret coded messages on these

image ards about this great grand battle of good versus evil in which trp and what they call the q team are working to destroy a global cabal of satan worshiping pedophiles which the q-anon community believes is controlling everything and that includes politician, entertainment and the med >> and what is the end game. if you are someone that compleef belies in this conspiracy theory what do you believe will happen as a result of this. >> ty q-anon communs called the supposed to be a is great-- which over 100,000 people from the highest levels of power and entertainmenare arrested and face a great day of reckoning. the othe event they are waiting for is called the great awakaning, basicallvent in which everyone realizes that q-anon right the whole time and that would allow us to enter into a great brand neutpian

age. >> nawaz: so what you just laid out seems so obviously irrational that a lot of reasonable people dismiss it. and yet it has picked up real spd in recent years, right? it was reported just recently that facebook found thousands of groups and pages of millions of followers and members supporting q-anon. so what has helped to fuel this idea so well? >> you know, it is a reallyor appealing you have really disenfranchised and you want to lieve that the world is about to change in a really important, revolutionary way. and it is also appealing because it allows the q-anon followe believe that they can take part in this great grand revolutionary change. they think that they are conducting an infmation war, by going on social media and posting q-anon memes and spreading these q-an conspiracy theory thes can help usher in this great awakeerning. so it soun ludicris and st but

this historic- has a a lot of appeal to people who might otherwise feel like th have voice in the political system. >> nawaz: travis, the fact that president trump has been retweeting some of these conspiracy theories, that congressional candidates are now saying they support these ideas and are then winning likely ending up in congress. what does all of that say to you about the poteee ofhis particular conspiracy theory? >> well, there is some historical precedence for a conspirator yal movement gaining a significanthare of power in all the way in 18re was a party called the anti-masonic party dedicated to the proposition that free massons were controlling the world. they gained 10% of the house of representatives. there has always been an undercurrent of conspiracy thinking and paranoia in american politics. and actually get some actual significant political power. so this is just something we are seeing again. >> nawaz: you mentioned that

pizzagate nspiracy theory in 2016. we should mention that has not really gone away. it tamped down but it has resurfaced again recently. what happens to the q-anon conspiracy theory. do you see a pisoint at which th goes away. >> no, absolutely not. has started very small, a couple of years ago. and ist ha only accelerated and gained in popularity. and gained in sifpeed. soyou go by the trajectory, will almost certainly be with us for at least a generation. and probably longer flz that is avis view, cohosof the qanon anonymous podcast. thank you so much, travis. >> thank you for having me. >> woodruff: as schools are prearing for the start of another year, ny districts say they are not ready to bring students back to the buildings because of the spread of covid in their communities.

but president trump is dialing up the pressure on them to do so and tried to make the case for it again today at the white house. kellyanne conway is counselor to president trump and she joins us now. kellyanne conway, welcome backsh to the nr. as we were saying, the president is trying to get the schooltos open up physically. but this comes at the very same time we are learning that 90 that there has been a 90% increase in the number of children diagnoseed or with fets ion, something like 100,000 children diagnosed at the end of ju. now we have the american academy of pediatrics dan the association of children's hospitals saying please hold off on in-person school. how does that square with what the president is saying. >> judy, in our discussion today with parents, teachers, scientists and doctors, students

themselves, is verr, let's reopen safely. the word "safely" is critically important here. because as you point out, nation'students are note returning to a physical structure on day one of the regular school year this fall.ha sodoes that mean? it manies that those that are, still have low infection rates, knowing that children are still a relatively low risk fm contracting, that 99.95 percent of the covid fatalities are adults anof course the average age is 78, but having said that, people are very concerned. and we wantedto me sure that we amplified and acknowledged those concerns and came up with eight different things t president is announcing tonight that we think will help schoolss ely reopen. among other things the president is reminding us through the cares act, we vowed 13 billion in resources to help these schools safely reopen. some want to invest in thermometer checksk some may want to do testing, others may

want a contingency plan for are at higher risk. feel they >> woodruff: if i could step in, i understand you are giving specific recommendations, at may work for some districts wherthe prevalence is very low. but you do have rising cases, her-- more than half the states right now are seeinga resurgence of covid. the district, school district in geora that just this past week opened up early, one district, 900 students and staff are now quaranned because of what they have done. so there are cautionslags all around. >> yes, and i'm raising them in the discussion we had today. because that is indeubably true that some people are very concerned. i'm not saying open e schools now, i'm saying open them safely. and each district will have to dede what that means. but this is a good time t prepare for that, judy. in other words, there are ociaocols in place, s distancing, the mask-wearing, the hygiene, making sure that

young children unrstand what we have all learned as adults and how critically impoant also recommend nothing cafeteria eating, perhaps eating at yourmi desk, ing in-door activities like assemblies, for example. and i ve heard doctorsi heard epidimiologists recommend the more you do outside than inside for any of us, let alone including these students, the better. so each school will need to make those decisions. i would point out that kaiser family foundation health tracker survey revealed just i last two weeks that 67 percent of parents y they are worred about their children falling behind socially and 65 falling behind ak dem cle and in that same survey 61% of the parents said they are worried about themselves not being able to earn enough money if the kids aren't back in school. we are n saying do it today, tomorrow or next week, but let's do it safe leigh-- safely not lock down parents indefinitely. >> woodruff: if i could just step in, there was another survey done by the shar school

insuranceos, "washington post" showing that more than 80% of parents said that they thinkho schoold be at least partially online, only 16 percent are favoring fully in person education. >> youre seeing many district have this hybrid or starting virtual, with a promise to reassess say in october, november, and in some cases, we also heard stories today from folks who are already back in school. lovity, texas, and some other places saying we are already back in soschool. we heard from a mother and father who have a down syndrome, a special needs child in columbia, south carolina. they fell like this is the worst possible outcome for that child because he requires so many of his services inside, in other words, with those specialists, so that shows you there is n one size fits all mandate and we as a federal government don't what want to do that. we do want to remind that the $13 billion that is available, roughly 4 percent of that has even been tapped into, so folks out will in the states, you have

esources ready for you to help you to plto reopen the schools when you feel it is best to do so. >> woodruff:es think our on is that at a time when about children and evenrmation about how children can be strong spreaders of covid, that this is a very, it's a ver mixed message that the american people are getting from theushite about this. but kellyanne conway, let me ask you just quickly about the big news on thede mocratic presidential ticket, joe biden has introduced his running mate, sator kamala harris. the president's first reaction in his comments at the white use yesterday were to call her casty and horrible. he hased other women politicians hillary clinton, nancy pelos is this the tone that is going to mainly come from the president toward her and toward this ticket? >> well, i said judy that i think we can take a moment, pause and say good for history. we have a young and fragile

disem october see. and for a woman of color to be on a major party ticket-- . >> woodruff: but that is not what the president sid. >> i'm saying, in front of the white house saying it to you and we can also quickly say that llen those who protend we are forward looking ring us backyards the tax cuts gone, energy dominance, trade bills gone, we are the net exporters at natural gas and oil would be bieden and harris are for abortion up to nine months the most extreme you can have. the list goes on and own. she made swroiful noises when los angeles defunded, she said shwas the top cop. >> joe biden is not for defunding police r >> joe bideally should-- well, the ticket will be the ticket. and here is the issue, i see, i think it is their poli position. i think medicare, government-run health care and talking about green new deals that will cost trillions of dollars andan air travel and cows and gas, i mean this is. >> there is a lot-- there are a lot of policy positions that you

are throwing out there and knas you, joe biden is not for medicare for all and neither is senator harris. but i want to ask you about something else. that the president, he tweeted this morning about suburban usewives wanting safetand threatening that cory booker who happens to obe tly african-american senator, male , nator todayuld invaid their neighborhood with low-income housing. i am just curious why would the president mention senator booker, just right after joen biooses a black woman, a woman of asian descent to be his runninmate. i mean people are saying this say racial dog whistl >> that is not fair, have i not discussed that, or that issue at all with the presint. t i would gently correct that senator scott of south carolina is an african-american male senator serving, cory booker is not the only one and senator scott. >> i meant to say the only african-american democratic senator.

>> okay. havingthat, i believe everybody wants public safety. poll from last week judy that says 86% of americans say they want the same or more police that included 83% of hispanic. americans and 18% of african-americans, so this defunding the police or what we see in our great cities acrs this country where people are just going out every single night and destroying property, it really belies the memory of those for whom the peacefulrs protesctually began. there is not peaceful protesting, this is vandalism and violence. >> woodruff: let me finally bring this back to the central message that wejust heara few minutes ago from joe biden and kamala harris, she said today the president failed to take the virus seriously fr start.and said that, in other ws holding this president this campaign is going to be about. the fact that the ited states is doing so much worse than most

of the rest of the world when, and the fact that the number of cases in this country far higher than the proportion of the u.s. population to the rest of the world. >> here is what i would say to roa biden.ris and if they have a better way to tackle this pandemic, what are hathey waiting for, where they been for five months, we have been here every day, i sit on the coronavirus task force behind dr. birx have i been here saturdays and sundays, president and vase president worked around the cl k and we are trying get this right for the american people. this president signed trillions of dollars in relief. taking that bold step to ban travel from certain areas that saved additional lives. everyby we are developing vaccines and therapeutics at a record pace and director frarn sis holland has been there said he never saw something come together so quickly and well. we are working very hard to do that. we also have dealt withurg7

leaders because stay global pandemic, that we have surge splierks cleaning nursing homes, through the national guard. i mean it goes on and on. here.hile congress wasn't even joe bierden has been in will-- wilmington. i told the preside go to wilmington. >> i would say nancy pelosi and chuck schumer saidthe white house, they have met with treasury secretary mnuchin today who said the white house was not budging on its position whereas they have given a trillion from the $3 trillion. >> secretary mnuchin told me just half an hour agin ova office that was inaccurate what speaker pelosi tweeted ou but look, we want to get to the negotiation table. democrats walked away compelling the president to take executive action on otecting from evictions, not having to pay student loan debt, giving more unemploent benefit through payroll tax, and we are trying to do that because in the absence ofngressional action and leadership the president has no choice. we want to get back to the table and get the funding for schoo,

funding for small businesses and workers who need that relief.id but the prt in his press briefing reviewed some of the great economic da that is happening. re jobs in the last threei months than i in a very long time and we are coming out ve this recovery. >> we >th> woodruff: in the day's news, covid-19 deaths in the u.s. top 165,000 tonight, as states weigh how to handle the upcoming school year. in new jersey, an early hotspotn he pandemic, governor phil murphy cleared the way today for

in-person classes. he signed an executive order lowing public and private college to re-openheyrten to observe safety measures. >> we have held ongoing discussions with the leaders throughoutigher education system and we believe they are ready for this step. come the beginf the school year in september, plans are in place to eure the safety of all students and staff. et>> woodruff: the u.s. bu deficit has hit a record of more than $2.8 trillion, he months intoiscal year. the treasury department said that's largely due to federal saitimuluto help keep the economy afloat during the pandemic. it predicts that bfiscal year- end, the 2020 deficit will more than double any on record. meanwhile, numbers out of britain today reveal a pandemic- induced recession that is worsening. government statistics show the economy shrunk by a fifth in the second quarter, the worst contraction in 65 years of

record-keeping. economists fear the u.k.'s downturn may be the deepest among the world's seven leading industrial economies. at least three people died and six others were hospitalized today after a passenger train derailed in scotland. it happened about 100 miles northeast of edinburgh, where severe storms triggered flash floods overnight. thick smoke billowed over the hilly field this morning. access the site to rescue to passengers from overturned train cars. belarus, some 6,000 people have been detained, afe third straight night of clashes between protesters and pole. demonstrators insist the re- election of presidkat alexander shenko is illegitimate. last night, police assaulted journalists and made widespread arrests. today, lukashenko cahe protesters criminals.sl >> ( tred ): the core of these so-called protesters are

people with a criminal past and those who are currently unemployed. those who don't ha a jobwalk in the streets and avenues. that's why i'm kindly urging everyone who is unemployed to today, in minsk, nearly 200 women marched against police brutality, and urged authorities to release those who were detained. violent tribal clashes in sudan have killed at lst 25 people and wounded nearly 90 more. the fighting began sunday in port sudan, in the red sea province. authorities deployed troops and imposed curfews. tensions between the beni amer tribe and the nuba tribe date back to 2019, and stem from disputes over water and other back in this country, an f.b.i. investigation is underway after an air force hter s shot over virginia.s w the incident happened monday during a routine training mission from joint base andrews near washington.

it was forced to land at manass virginia. airport in one crew member was hit in the hand, and later relerom the hospital. stocks soared on wreet today, led by a rebound in the technology sector. rae dow jones industrial a gained 290 points to close at 27,977 the nasdaq re 229 points, and the s&p 500 added 46. ford is relling more than half a million of its mid-size s.u.v.'s due to brake issues. the recall covers ford edge models from 2015 to 2018, and lincoln mkx vehicles from 2016 to 2018. the automaker rerted some front brake hoses can rupture and leak bre fluid, which could increase stopping distances. and, billionaire media mogul sumner redstone has died. from his family's drive-in movie chain, he built an empire that

included cbs, viacom, and paramount pictures, and helped shape the modern day entertainment industry. but his final years were marked by corporate battles and legal disputesith former girlfriends. sumner redstone was 97 years old. still to come on the newshour: young people face the realits of covid as they account for a rising number of new infections. plus, migrants from around the world risk death crossing e dangerous jule betd en panama anlombia. >> woodruff: young people make up a large portion of the new covid-19 cases being seen acss the u.s. in some states, like arizona and

florida, people under 45 account for more than half of all ieses. as stephy reports, doctors artowarning young people nee take more precautions, not only to keep from spreadingirus to older americans, but for their own sakes as well. >> reporter: when florida eased its lockdown and allowed restaurants and bars to reopen, 22-year-old nikki cortland was excited about the possibility of going out. she'd followed stay-at-home orders for more than two months. >> the officials were coming on tv, you know, the governor, and stating that things were reopend they were putting all of these safety measures into action. >oy> i mean people go ehave a drink. it's fine. >> so i began thinking, okay, you know, i just graduated college. i miss my friends. why not have one weekend in orlando >> reporter: armed with hand sanitizer and masks, cortland and her friends went to dinner and then a bar. >> it was pretty crowded. i would say you definitely did

not so>>ally distance. eporter: a few days later, cortland got a fever. she tested positive for covid- ot19. so did 3r people she knew wh >> i'm just trying to stay really calm but it's really hard. >> reporter: cortland's case was relatively mild, but she said it was still a horrible experience. >> i will never forget sitting there and watching the clock g from three a.m., four a.m., five a.m., six a.m. and not being able to get a deep breath and being alone. >> reporter: cortland has been warn others that covid-19 should not be taken lightly. >> just want them to understand that it can happen to you. >> reporter: many aren't getting the message. several states have closed bars again but young people are still going out. a survey from the democracy fund and u.c.l.a. found that during the first week of august, nearly half of gen z-ers and more than 40% of millennials socialized with people without maintaining social distancing.

that's compared to 14% of baby boomers. and while statistically speaking, the younger you are the less likely you are to be hpilized for covid, so many young adults are catching the virus that there are now more people age 18 to 49 who have been hzeospitathan people age 50 to 64. >> a lot of young people are getting sick. ra>> reporter: dr.k doshi works at memorial hermann hospital in hous mn. >> i've setiple 20s, lots of 40s and 50s that are out there right now that are getting sick. and not doing well. the i.c.u. >> reporter: doshi says people cat assume they're low ris just because they are young. >> there is a big differee between ronological age and physiological age. there's lots of 30 year olds who are inactive or obese physiologically, maybe more like a 60 year old. >>eporter: as a whole, there is evidencthat millennials aren't as healthy as past generaons. a blue cross blue shield

association survey found last year that people born between 1981 and 1996 are more likely than gen x to have health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and abetes-- all risk factors for vid-19. but even young, healthy people have gotten severe, and even deadly, cases of covid. yvette paz is a 30-year-old single mom, army veteran and hard-core workout buff who lives in los angeles. she didn't think much of it when she woke up one day in march with a searing headache. >> i noticed a burning sensation eyes and a heaviness in my body, a very, very sore feeling, almost like i had a really,re ly big workout. >> reporter: the symptoms got worse. she tested positive for covid and was hospitalized that same day. she chronicled her experience on social media. >> my doctor just left. ghe just notified me thatss my white blood cells have been

dropping really fast since yesterday, which is a little concerning >> reporter: one night, she says she feared for her life. 'm in the hospital bed, feel like my lungs now are totally immobile. i'm trying to breathe. i'm frantically pushg this button to get the nurse. >> reporter: she eventually caught her breath and was released from the hospital after a total of five days. three months on, she's feeling lingering side effects. >> i do get winded a lot easier than before. >> reporter: that's common among covid patients, and doctors say they are still learning how covid-19 can cause long-term lung damage. >> we think that some of these patients may behave like a group of patients with lung fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis or interstitial lung disease. >> reporter: last month, dr. ankit bharat performed a double lung transplant on 28-year-old mayraamirez after she was hospitalized with covid-19. >> in these patients, we see a

lot of bleeding into the lungs, but also formations.f blood cl thy start to form a lot of scar tissue. there o are a lcavities that term inside the lungs. >> rep ramirez has an autoimmune condition that might have made her more susceptible to the virus. she has since ber recovery. >> slowly but surely things have gotten a lot tter. >> reporter: but new research shows vid can cause lung damage even in asymptomatic patients. then, there's the mental health toll. in the u.k., pchiatrists have recommended screening covid-19 patits for post traumatic stress disorder. yvette paz knows firsthand how traumizing covid-19 can be. >> mentally, it's horrible. i mean, i was having dreams where i died in the hospital. >> reporter: her experience brought back the p.t.s.d. she had from her time in the military. and in rect weeks, she's developed agoraphobia, a fear of going outside.

>> i went out to a store one day and i was in line and i freaked out and i noticed that this was happening more and more. so there's only certain places that i can go to where i feel safe. >> reporter: for paz, the worst part of covid-19 is the uncertainty. the uncertainty about whether it's damaged her lungs for good, and about whether she could get doctors say over the last few months, they've learned how to tbetter tre virus, but there's still a lot they don't know. >> we don't know what's going to beg whether you're go get really sick or not. all we know is it's possible. that's the challenge. this is a brand new virus. this has never affected the human race before. >> reporter: and it's why experts say,ll humans, even ung ones should stay on guard. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy.

>> woodruff: life around the globe for refugees a migrants fleeing war, persecution, climate change and ecomic misfortune routinely find themselves in great peril along migrant trails. perhaps the most perilous path, anywhere: through the darien gap, a wild, lawless stretch that straddles colombia and panama. last fall, before the pandemic, and with the support of the pulitzer center, correspondent nadja drost and videographer bruno federico put themselves at great risk to bring us stories of people risking everything, to make their ways north toward the u.s. and a warning: the images and accounts in this report may disturb some viewers. >>epter: where south america meets central america, lies one it's road-less, lawless, andes. almost entirely uninhabited. its name: the darien gap. underneath the soaring jungle

sknopy, migrants from around the arld rieath crossing the jungle, inesperate bid to reach the u.s. and canada. they have no map, and no instructions on how to make it through one of the w most dangerous migration routes. >> ( translated ): i would likes d send a mge to anyone who is thinking ng this route, it's very dangerous. if i knew this, i wouldn't have done it. >> reporter: many migrants spend a week or even two othis trail before they reach a village, and safety. but these journeys started long before. migrants, from asia, the middle east and africa flew into ecuador or brazil, where vis requirements are somewhat lax. haitians also usthis route as a springboard north. but to get from colombia to panama, they have to cross the darien gap by foot. it's the only missing 66-mile break in the panamerican ghway from the tip of argentina up to alaska.

migrants go first to the end of the road in colombia: the port town of necoclí, to head west along the caribbean. the passenger manifest was global. most had little idea of wh lay ahead. they dock in capurgana, a tourist town, now a trailhead for migrants headed into the darien. we set outjoin up with the migrant trail, and reached a makeshift mp where smugglers wait for migrants. at dusk, a group of cameroonians and kistanis arrived. they were exhausted, and relieved to find the last spot n on the trail where they t hot food. iarning broke with torrentl rain. the darien is one of the wettest places on the anet. the environment could hardly be more different from the high tamountains of pakthis group of friends call home.

targeted our family from time to time. that is why i had to left my country. >> reporter: we packed our food for five days, and with guides we hired, followed the migrants as they set out on a day-long ascent of a mountain ahead. the steep and slippery terrain, was tough for everyone. but nearly impossible with an injury. this woman, from cameroon, could barely put weight on her knee. exhaustion took over. >> ( translat ): the pain is too much. the pain is more than me. >> reporter: up the mountain, the smuggler the cameroonians and pakistan hired demanded payment. as we hiked, young men, carrying square backpacks filled with bricks of cocaine passed us. we were told to expect their heavily-armed secu patrolling, so we put our camera away. >> i will fall. ay ay ay.

>> courage. >> ay ay ay! up reporter: after a steep descent, the gro made it to this river. d.ey were almost out of f smugglers won't nture any farther into panama, where they could face over a decade in prison if they're caught. this smuggr, who didn't want his face shown, wished smugglers weren't prosecuted so they could help migrants safely complete their journey. >> ( translated ): i've had to see mothers who tell their children they can't go on, to give themselves up to god. for anyone who has a family or kids, that breaks your heart. >> reporter: another smuggler, who can't be identified, told us he came across this migrant, who had been injured and spent two weeks on this mountainsideé l cómo se moviá? >> ( translated ): he was only crawling, crawli like a child. it's common, most people who injure themselves die, because there's no help for them. >> reporter: from here on, migrants are on their own.

the next morning, we came across an cameroonian man. injured, he had been left behind by his group. caen, forging ahead alone he fell and dislod his shoulder. our guides popped it back into place. he was one of many cameroonians on this trail who didn't want to nbe identified e, fleeing aic brutal conin his country. >> when you are running for your safety,ou don't care what is in front of you, you just want a safe ground. >> reporter: just like his group of friends had, we left him it was hd to leave him behind. the trail and rive were littered with signs of desperation. before long, a large group of haitians and sri lankans appeared. >> ( translated ): it's been six days that we're walking without stopping the children y of hunger, there's no food, there's nothing. orter: there was nothing else for tm to do but try to go ahead.

these haitians had been living legally in brazil or chile. among them were six children, and three pregnant women. dusk fell and the haitians made camp high above the river. it was hard to find wood dry enough to make a fire. and even harder to find food to cook. the night's catch: a few fish. ing smugglers often tell migrants they're almost to their destination which is why many, like delicat, had already tossed their clothing and food. >e > ead is finished right now. have nothing here. but nothing. >> reporter: your bible. >> yes, my bible and my books. >> reporter: wn broke after a

night of heavy rain. they've barely slept. they are soaking wet and very hungry bute are in fact we are stuck here for now. that's because overnight the rainade the river rise dramatically. it was too high to cross. the rivers often pull children from their parents' arms and sweep migrants to their death. marooned, with unwelcome time to think, worries took over the haitians, like rosi bantour. >> ( translated ): sometimes i think that if i was not this poor, i woun't have got into this situation. el>> reporter: the river l dropped, and we finally set out again. later we were joined by 15 bangladeshi men, with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. they had been robbed four times n the trail of everything. a man we are calling saeed, because he is scared to be intified, explained: >> ( translated ): a group of

five to seven mafias came to us. they pointed a gun towards us everything.ay our bags and they left nothing for us. they even took away our food. >> reporter: the river was dangerously high, and we cut the the next morning, eight migrants from haiti and ghana who began the crossing with tll haitians buehind, suddenly showed up. among them, a won and her boyfriend from haiti, were robbed by bandits days earlier. one grabbed the boyfriend's arm, thatening to cut it with a machete. charlie pierre, from haiti, helped tell us what happened.> > ( translated ): after, the thief said, ¡go off, and leave and so he's walking, but looking behind, and sees these guys lowering his wife's underwear. >> reporter: one of the men assaulted her, penetrating her intimate parts with fingers, looking for dolr bills they

suspect migrants ong. later, we heard many stories of this and other abuse on the trail. after another night of heavy rain, the river is very, very high, it's going to be risky to , but we simply can not wait any longer, because we have run out of food. pierre found a pregnant haitian woman he had been searching for, and we got on our way, trying to sidestep the river. >> reporter: after eight days on the trail, rosina boateng's family from ghana had run out of food. >> when is it going to finish? i lost hope. i really lost hope. >> reporter: stomachs we empty, legs were quivering. because the river was too high,d we had to makeour, winding up into the forest, dimming alin hopes of reaa settlement in panama by night. the next day, minds were racing with one questio will we make

it out of here? there were foreboding remiers of those who did not.bu these migrants joined the legions of survivors crossing the darienap. as the river opened up, a driver and his outboard canoe appeared, we were on our way, finally, to a village. this nig, the group made its way out of the darien gap, but the rest of their journey is as opaque athe black waters ahead. from the darien gap in panama, i'm nadja drost fothe pbsrico, newshour. >> woodruff: tomorrow, nadja will report on the uneasy waiting game in panama for tgrants who make it throu darien gap. and that's the newshour for tonight. judy woodruff. jo us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbsur newsthank you, please stay safe, and see you soon.

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hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & coco here's what'ng up i speak os lithuania's foreign minister shielding the oion leader from barus after she tried to crack what's called europe's last dictatship. a what is it like to run against president for life alexander luteshenko? we find out from whone who trie and forced into exile. then -- >> it will come to the u.s. until wetop it everywhere around the world. >> millionaire philanthropist bill gates talks to waltebo isaacson a fighting the coronavirus on a globa scale. plus, president trump keeps on fighting to keep his tax returns away from investigators. we get the lest on the