judy: good eveng. i am judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, the oncoming storm -- hurricane delta hits the u.s. gulf cwist high winds that could turn debris from previous storms into dangerous projecles. judy: then, feeding those awed -- the united nations world food programme ided the nobel peace prize for its work during the pandemic. we talk with today's winner. >> this is what's really, i e'ink, the great news tha've gotten this award so we could really have a call taction. the bad ws is the fact that we should be given this award because of allhe hunger around the world. judy: and it's friday. mark shields and david brooks examine the president's handling of his coronavirus diagnosis, the vice presidential debate,

and the approaching election. all that and more on's "pbs newshour." ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs newshour"ee hasprovided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 ars. bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ consumer cellular.

financial services firm raymond james. johnson & johnson. ♪ >> the knight foundation, fostering engaged communities. >> and,e with going support of these institutions -- and, fries of the newshour. is program was me possible by the corpotion for public broadcasting and by contributions tor pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: hurricane delta is lashin the u.s. gulf coast tonight, the

category two storm expected to ma landfall in southwest louisiana this evening carried out her bands have been hitting throughout the afternoon, mpg rain in towns and cities includingst galve and southeast texas and pounding lake charles ilouisiana with strong winds. this is the second hurricane to hit the region in just six weeks. it is also the fifth hurricanent and named storm to make landfall in the u.s. this season, making this one of the most active hurricane seasons in a century. ken graham is the director of the national hurricane center. he joins me from miami. ken grahamthank you for joining us again. give us the very latest on where hurricane delta is. ken: yes, the very latest formation we have, still 10mile-an-hour winds, so still a significantly strongurricane re. and we are right now getting part of the eye wall moving on shore in southwest louisiana, very close to where we had hurricane laura also make landfall. as that moves forward, you're going to see more of those hurricane-force winds move into

anloui and it is a big storm. so many people aretroing to feel ical-storm-force winds, in addition to that hurricane-force wind.: juell us what you are most concerned -- what people should be most concerned about. is it the water, is it the winds, or both? ken: it really is both. if you look at the situation, it's a large storm. larger storms produce more storm surge. the tropical-storm-force winds extend out about 160 miles from the center and as a result, the onshores flowusing the water to rise. looking at some of these locations, we already have six-foot rises with the storm surge. this is not eve tide yet. so, the storm surge, historically, is the leadingat cause ofities in these tropical systems.me reas along the louisiana coast, vermilion bay, could get sevent to 11 f storm surge, that is inundation. that's literally water above land that's normally dry. judy: what about the speed at which this hurricane is moving? what does thke tell you?

it really is movingast, it has been a fast-moving storm for most of its lifecycle appearedt as a result moving quickly. you will see some of those hurricane-force winds further inland because of that speed, but as a result, when it moves that fast, you will not you're get as much rain. still going to get bigall totals, some areas getting six to 10 inches of rain, but, because it's moving fast, you osll start seeing some of tropical-storm-force winds impact much of louisiana, eventually some of those winds even getting into northern mississippi. judy: as we just said ken , graham, one of the most active hurricane seasons history. how are all of you at the hurricane center dealing with this, how do you see this? ken: it has been busy. you think about breaking the record, as soon as we make landfall, breaking the record from 1916, with 10 landfalls in the u.s. we are working on them. it has been l hands on deck. we're getting it done, and, really, just everything we could do to keep ourselves safe, to make sure er could keep ody safe out there from these hurricanes.

judy: there are always storms coming behind this one. ken: exactly. hurricane season.ays to go it ends at the end of november. weave to keep plans in place and watch the tropics. judy: ken graham at the national hurricane center, thank you so much. ken: thank you. stephanie: i am stephanie sy with newshour west p would we will return to judy woodruff after the headlines. an update to our top story tonight. hurricane delta has landed a as hurricane to near cameron, louisiana with00 mile per hour sustained winds and has not --ro has beened to a category one hurricane. in an interview with fox news thisng eve president trump and nancy stopped using coronavirus

reted medications mid-friday, week after falling ill. he announced he is restartinggn his camp aides say he will address a crowd from the white house ly inny and have a r florid he spent time on the rush pushedh radio show a for distribution of an experimental antibody drug that heas given. pres. trump: people are going to get immediately better like i did pay it i feel better than i did two weeks ago, it's crazy and i recovered immediately, almost immediately. i might not have recovered at all from covid. stephanie: meanwhile in las vegas today, democratic nominee joe biden urgedo lat voters to go to the polls. mr. biden: you can determine the outce of this election, not just for president, for senate, congress. that's the biggest mark, the single most consequential thing anyone can do is vote. stephanie: the former vice

president will campaign tomorrow in pennsylvania. the white house has upped its offer on a new round of economic relief. that comes after president trump big."negotiators to "go he called talks off earlier this week. today, treasury secretary steven mnuchin proposed $1.8 trillion. democrats' most recent offer wa. $2.2 trill house speaker nancy pelosi unveiled plans today for evaluating the president's fitness for office. the bill would create a commission, authorized under the 25thmendment to the constitution, ich cites terms for removal of a president.lo argued it's about more than president trump. >> he will face the judgment of the voters. he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents. it is not abouany of us mang a decison as to whether the 25th amendment shou be invoked. th's totally not the point. stephanie: thehite house and

senate republican leaders dismissed the proposal. new details emerged today in the -- the russianoreign ministry announced tonight that armenia and azerbaijan agreed to a peace -- -- agreed for fighting to come to a halt. the flare-up ovegothe disputed o-karabakh region is the worst in 25 years. new details emerged in the alleged plot to kidnap michigan's democratic governor gretchen whitmer. the ste attorney general said authorities moved whitmer and her family several times for their safety during the investigation. federal charges.ace state or at least seven are affiliated with a far-right paramilitary group. the u.n. world food program has won th year's nobel peace prize for its work combating hunger. the nobel committee saay that recognizing the agency's work syms the need for unity amid the global pandemic.

we will hear from the head of the w after the news summary. twitter will bar candidates from declaring victory before a race is called and tighten rules against spreading misinformation and inciting violence. it will make it haoid today that re-tweet misleading posts.ad twitter albanned political advertising. a federal judge in florida refused today to extend the state's voter registration deadline. a computer crash on monday potentially blocked thousands op from signing up. in ohio, elections officials announced nearly 50,000 voters around columbus ceived flawed absentee ballots. they promised to mail out new ones. state fire officials investigating the cause of a wildfire that killed four people in northern california are scrutinizing electrica equipment. this if it gas and reported investigators seized some of its equipment near where the zog fire started.

it destroyed nearly 200 buildings and is contained. new york yankees pitching great and hall of famer whitey ford has died. he had alzheimer's disease. ford was a key to yankees dominance in the 1950's and 1960's, a a six time world series champion. he had the best winn og percentagef any pitcher in the 20th century. whitey ford was 91 years old. still to come on the newshour with judy woouff, the united nations world food program is awarded the nobel peace prize for its work during the a former speechwriter for john mccain discusses his new book rd why he supports biden s esident. two years after rder, a new film examines the life and legacy of saudi dissasent jamal ggi. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is pbs newshouwest from weta studios in washington

and in the west from the walter cronkite sool of journalism at arizona state university. judy: as we reported, the nobel peace prize was awarded today th u.n.'s world food programme for its work combatting global huer, especially during th pandemic. amna nawaz spoke early this morning with the as part of a mission. amna: joining me now is david beasley, the director of the world fd program. congratulations. tell us, how does it feel? david: it is absolutely unbelievable. i here in niger, which is am probablthe most appropriate place to be as we've received this award, because i want the world to understand that people are struggling all over the world. and so i was in a meeting as we were talking about issues in niger, starvation because of climate extremes as well as war

conflict from extremist groups. and so somebody walked in the meeting and id, well, a nobel peace prize. i am like, wow, who got it? they said, we d food program. wow. first time in speechless.was [applause] na: anyone who knows you knows it is ve rare for david baisley to be speechless. er david: [laug judy: let me ask you, because the head of your agency was able to intensify the work that you're doing to meet this dramatic rise in global hunger around the world during the pandemic. they said you met it with pressive ability. tell us, how has the rise been like and h much worse has obal hunger gotten and how have you been able to meet that need? david:ew the great is we have gone this award, so we have a

call to action. the bad news is the fact that we , should be giving this award because of all the he ger around thrld. and quite frankly, it's most of us men made drivenf and you compound that with climatextremes. in the last three years the number of people on the brink of starvation had risen befor covid 80 million to 235 million. now with covid -- and i'm not talking about people going to bed hungry, i mean on the brink of starvation, is now 270 million people. quite frankly, with the billionaires making hundreds of acllions of dollars off of covid, we'reg the worst humanitarian crisis since world war ii. they need to step up. we need an extra $5 billion to save millions of lives around the world. this is a call to action. with all the wealth in the world today no one should be dying , from hunger, not a single person. amna: david, you mention $5 billion in need just to keep off the brink of starvation you referenced those billionaires.

ere are more than 2000 billionaires in the world. you've made the point before. yoen you talk to them, do u think that they will step up in this moment? what's been the respothe from world's wealthiest people? david: the $5 billion we're talking about is additional money because we feed one 100 million people. ghe starvation rate is spik because of covid. the billionaires have to step in i will be very disappointed if they do not. i know $5 billion is a lot of money, but for billi laires makierally hundreds of billions duringovid,, on, please be with us. join o, han show the world you care and let's do it together because no one should go to bed hungry and no one should start to death today because of hunger with the wealth we ha today. amna david, where are the hotspots? d i have spoken before about yemen, where two thirds of the population is on food insecure at the moment. where else is the greatest need right

now? david: economic deterioration is really cause a disruption for a lot of people lives all over the rld, but especially in places like yemen sud, south sudan, , syria, lebanon, iraq. right now i am in niger and the sahel. millions of people have en impacted because of climate extremes and compounded by extremist groups that are coming and exploiting the situation and ca -- w covid on top of that. if we don't get supportne they , we will have famine of biblical proportions, destabilization and mgrs ion. we can solve all that. we have a cure against food. and we need ney to get it to the people that need the help. if you don't, you're going to pay for it a thousand fold more with the problems that result from a lack of security because when you have food insecurity, you have destabilization, war and

conflict and migration. amna: b davsley, it is an incredible honor for a wonderful executive director of the world food program today awarded the nobel peace prize. congratulations to you and your team and thank you for being with u david: thank you so much. great to be with you. i hope to see you again with better news and more money. ♪ dy: in early october, 2018, anwashington post columnis saudi national jamal khashoggi walked into saudi arabia's consulate in istanbul, turkey, in pursuit of documents for his impending marriage. he did not know he was the one being pursued. his brutal murder there became a global story. he was perhaps the most high-profile critic of his

homeland's monarchy. now, a new film charts his life, his grisly death, his legacy, and where saudi arabia is right now. here's nick schifrin. nick: jamal khashoggi's murder snuffed oua critic of today's saudi government. two years later his allies are trying to ensure his silenced voice can still be heard. the new film shows a complex mac who nevpleted his final act. lawrence wright is a writer, and the executive producer of kingdom of sence. >> i see jamal's life in three acts, just like a classical drama. nick: the first act was in afghanistan, covering the u.s.-backed mujahadeen fighting the soviet union and he helped dimake the lea arab anti-russian fighter, famous. >> i myself come outrom islam. it was a bigtory, made my name

in the field of journalism. nick:ft but 9/11 khashoggi turned against bin laden's manipulated khashoggi wrote version of islam. an actor --rotethis, as read by >> we must ensure that our children can never be influenced by extremist ideas like those 15 saudis who were misled into piloting them and us straight into the jaws of hell. nick: khashoggi joined the saudi governmentnd championed u.s.-saudi relations, including the war in iraq. but then his third act. the arab spring birthed his beliefn freedom of speech as he started a news channel called al-arab, designed to give saudis access to uncensoredn. informat but the new saudi king salman, and his son crown prince mohammad bin salman, or mbs, rejected al-arab and free media, as a threat. khashoggi had to flee saudi arabia. he watched as mbs persecuted his critics and tolerated no

dissent. saudi activist yahya assiri spoke at a recent project on ddle east democracy event. >> if you go for examp challenge the regime, to criticize the regime, they will take you to pris. nick: khashoggi became an mbs critic, in the pages of the washington post. he wrote thi -- saudarabia wasn't always this repressive. i have left my home, my family, and my job. andra i am ing my voice. nick: that cost him his life to what he walked into the saudi consulatin istanbul, and was murdered by saudi agents close to mbs. clothes and walked out of the one even put on hisclothes and walked out of the consulate, to try and deceive the cctv cameras. >> this kind of grotesque barbarism, having some guy trot out in his clothes, it was just too much. nick a sarah leah whitson is

human rights advocate, and was a longtime friend of khashoggi. last week she relaunched an orgazation that khashoggi created. dawn, democracy for the arab >>dawn, democracy for the arab world now. >> jamal had a vision of establishing an organizationth would basically affirm the understanding, the belief that the best solution for the region, the only solution that will bring lasting peace and stability, security, prosperity, but also dignity to the people of the region was den cracy and hughts. nick: initially, mbs was considered a reformer. on a 2018 u.s. tour he met silicon valleyxe ecutives, the u.n. secretary-general and president trump. pres. trump: we have become very good friends. nick:or f the trump administration, mbs has helped leadn anti-iran alliance and bought american weapons. shback home, mbs hased in dramatic reforms, trying to curb the conservative clergy's power and allowing women to attert movies and sg events. >> jamal believed that mbs was offering some eedom, some reforms and taking away others. the one that he was taking away was perhe most valuable, which was the ability to speak,

to hav opinion. nick: dawn is designed to s,cument those restrictionnd call out governments who support arab autocrats. >>us we need to fery specifically on the way in which the american people, the american citizenry, are enabling and proming a dictatorship and tyranny in the middle east. ni: the saudi government says it punished khashoggi's murderers. a saudi court found -- murderers but human rights organizations say saudi senior officials, and the man cia asssed likely ordered the murder, walked free. >> i hoped that there would be some kind of accounte ility, but th not, at the governmental level. >> while traditional justice has evaded us, mbs has paid a huge price. and and the court of public opinion, he has been found guilty. nick: last month, a group ofn saudisile formed the country's opposition party. the group hopes in situ democracy is ameorm of

govern in the kingdom. at is not expected anytime soon but wright believes the , kingdom is destined to change. >> people are beginning to wonder, do we really need these people? i think at that point, saudi arabia's going to face a terrible crisis and it would have done better if jamal had been here to help show them the way. nick: khashoggi didn't live to see that final act, but his death helped guarantt the conversation he started in life, will continue. for the pbs newsho, i'm nick schifrin. ♪ judy: it's been more than two years since the deh of arizona senator john mccain. but the legacy and inuence of the former republican presidential nominee is being felt during this election year. his widow cindy recently endorsed joe biden for president and she made an appearance with him on theeaampaign trail ier this week. s

mater was a longtime aide and confidant of senator mccain. and he examines his life in a w book "the luckiest man which comes out on tuesday. and he joins us now. welcome back to the newshour. i do not say this about many stories about politicians, but this is a beautiful book. i dare anybody to read it without tearing up. you were not only his long time but yyou wrote for him, were also his close friend and i noticed at the beginning of the book you said john mccain felt called by history. what did you mean? mark: i title the book "the luckiest man" because that is how he viewed himself. he had improbably survived multiple near brushes with death and surved what he would call the flaws of his own nature, his temper, and pester city --

he used a remark he had this line, 15th at the bottom of my class in naval academy nominee for the republican, unbeliable. he helped increase the course of story and his country's success mattered greatly to him. he told the story of his father, and admiral, four-ar admiral, young officerrl in war ii, submarine commander. when the japanese bombed pearl harbor, a sedan picked them up in connecticut and took his dad and he didot see his father again until thend of the war. he told me it felt like the black sedan was history and had come to collect his father. he deeply wanted that for himself and i think he managed to do it. judy:o many wonderful stories

here. you talk about the small gap between the private john mccain and the public john mccain. his character jumps out throughout thibook. you talk about the impatience,th generosity, the restlessness, how he rarely lost hope. but the bottom line, what mattered to him is that you acted honorably invi s of yourself and you ted peoplean fairly. it was pretty straightforward. mark: heho was a manived by a code, one he learned from his father and grandfather, and family in the military, and every generation as far back as the revolution. at the episcopalian school and the naval academy, even though heh was rebellious in bose places. it never violated the honor code, he lived b the central premise to him, you redeem yourself from your flaws

and failings through courage and self-sacrifi and service to others he did that at great cost over a over again. judy: we remember john mccain for his fightor finance reform, immigration reform, his advocacy of a strong defense, his choice of sarah palin as his running mate when he was the republican nominee in 2008. but it was the summer of 2017, after he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, when he insisted ocoming back to washington for that senate vote on the republican effort to repeal obama care, the aca. he was determined to be there. why? >> -- mark: i think the way he dealt with any adversity was to keep plowing ahead. he had called me before he had been diagnosed to talk about how

alternative to the a --ordable care act and the committees were would have a republican alternative that had no buy in from the democrats and it would not last or keep a promise to replace obamacare with something as good or better.ha he already hadon his mind. atnone of us antic the diagnosis. that stunned all of us. when he called me to tell me, he glossed over it. i am going to fly back to washington. thdoctors are telling me i can't, but i am going to. judy: he s going against his good friends in the republican party. mark: they called him a maverick. sometimehe seemed to enjoy -- enj said he seemed to disappointing his fellow republicans. he didn't. he felt a burden.

he said,ay i don't a want to be the dog in the manger. he had received a bad diagnosis, but would have access to the best medical care attainable. many oer people in his situation would. he did not wantt to be p of a process that is a political gesture more than anything. it would deny others adequate medical care and not offer it was a difficult decision, but t one he second-guessed himself on. judy: his widow cindy has been public in her support for joe biden. atid senator mccain think of donald trump? mark: he did not care for him, i think that was clear. he did not vote for him this if he were alive, i do not want

to say what he would do, he is not here to tell us, but i do not think donald trump is someone who improves on longer acquaintance. hehought he was something of a clown. going back to what consider the central tenet of the code he lived by, y act bravely and sacrifice for others, donald trump is the antithesis of that. also, through ineptitude, ignorance, has done great damage to alliances that john mccain spends a great deal of time tending to and valuing and helping to thrive. that would stop him. also, trump's affinity for dictators like kim jonun and vladim putin and erdogan andot

othersred him greatly. the harshest statement i heard him made about a statement was a statement he made after the helsinki summit, when trump said he took the word of vladimir putin over the assessment of america's own intelligence services. judy: d the book initely one to remember. it is "thet luckian: life with john mccain." marc gol -- mark salter, we are happy to have you. mark: v thank yy much. judy: as president trump looks to highlight his ownecery from coronavirus, the number of g fections has once -- is once again surg several states, just weeks before the election. that includes the battlegroundco of win, where president trump is trailing former vice president joe biden by an

average of five percentage pointsaccording to the latest polls. our yamiche alcindor looks at how the virus is affecting the race there. 'smiche: oshkosh, wisconsin is one of the countastest growing coronavirus hotspots. in recent weeks, cases have surged here and across wisconsin, a state that also happens to be key to presidents trumelecon. >> our hospitals are becoming overwhelmed. yamiche: doug is the county health director p he hoped the president's own experience with the virus woulcause people to take it more seriously, but it did not. pres. trump: don't be afraid of it, you will beat it. he had an opportunity to express to the blic have serious this disease can be for some individuals. unfortunately, it has beend minimized an are still on the same path we were before. yamiche: in 2016, president trump flipped wisconsin red by fewer than 23,000 votes -- thanks partly his sweep of

this northea section of the state, known as the fox river valley. it's become one wisconsin's most politically divided regions, and that was even before the coronavirus pandemic. >> i don't think my vote was yamiche: republican nate. gustavson supports the president's handling of the virus. pres. trump: hello, oshkosh.ya che: he was excited to see the president in person at an august rally in oshkosh. the county was already in the so-called "red zone" with a high level of cases, according to the white house coronavirus task force. >> trump taking the actions that he did when he did were so crucial at the time. yamiche: aibling and aunt of his have contracted the virus. but they've gotten better. >> covid is not killing these people. in some way, shape or form with the economy taking a hit, that is impacslng them. obvi we see the spike here this area in where we are now, even with our current governors mask mandate. yamiche: in wisconsin, about

150,000 people have gottenna corus and more than 1400 have died from it. e healerts say wearing facial coverings help stop the spread of the virus. but while nearly thr-quarters of wisconsin voters support requiring masks in public, the precaution has become deeply political. >> if you want tofe wear a mask comfortable and you feel it will prevent spread, where it -- wear it. but when you sdirt dem, enforcing and telling people they have to do something, it is ing to be an effective >> i have had friends who have had their masks torn off their faces. yamiche: resident anne winters is a cancer survivor. she is immune-compromised, as is her five year old son drew. winters is a democrat voting foc formerpresident joe biden. >>sa i am more than ointed in how trump handled this. i don't expect any politician to be perfect, but i do expect them to actually care about us as citizens. i expect them toet a good example.

i don'understand how anyone can look ahim and think that cruelty and carelessness withe erican public is a great man. >>1 -- >> he is 74 years old and he got over ch. yamie: but some republicans say president trump's own diagnosis and quthk return to white house confirmed their views of the white house. tool to lock people up, force them away. >> to make them scared or feel like the person who is in wearing it is goingke them sick. it is like having the flu. you might be down for a w if you're if your immune system's down, you might be down for a week, but you're going to recover. you're going to be ok. yache: scientists say president trump who is 74 and , overweight, is actually at a high risk for compincations. accoto cdc estimates, covid-19 has killed more people this year than the seasonaflu killed in the last five years combined. it's had a disproportionate

impact on black people and people of color. >> i don't think the president has taken it seriously, as far as how to combat it in communities of color bause he likes to feed into the hands of the people he feel will vote for him. yamiche: jeremy bradley's youngest son got covid-19 in august and recovered. but while at a protest against sapolice brutality, bradle the president's downplaying of the virus shows trump esn't understand his privilege. >> he is feeng into the it should not be a problem, you an get over it, because did, even though he has the best doctors possible to combat it, where everybody else isn't able to get that kind of medical assistance. yamie: in 2016, sar joined

her wisconsin voters leend supporting a third-party candidate, but this year she is supporting biden forseis respo the pandemic. >> i don't think that he, still, this mine, understands this his leadership, foer or orfor, does have an impact. i think to a point, i most almostven ashamed that i think that hearing it over and overim fromubconsciously affected how i thought about it myself. i thought maybe it is not something i need to worry about: yami but in the last week, leet says she's gone from not knowing anyone with ine virus to knfive people who've tested positive. that is just a smallraction of a growing number of cases across wisconsin. for the pbs i'm yamiche , alcindor. ♪

judy: eh week lately brings such a whirlwind of news it is hard to make sense of it all. just this emmning, the sion on presidential debates has officially canceled next week's debate following president trump saying he would t participate in a virtual event. thankfully, we have the analysis ofhields and brooks. that's syndicated columnist mark shields and new york times columnist dad brooks. hello to both of you, after a news-filled week. mark, you listened to the report from wconsin. what is your sense of the hoters take o the president has handled coronavirus and how it is affecting their vot mark: well, it's not good, judy. i than area where joe biden has a decisive margin over donald trump. one of the misleading impressions about wisconsin, why

it is importt, is that every democrat since walter mondale ii 1984 has carri up until hillary clinton. but the margins were incredibly thin. trump carried ity 0.8% in 2016 , but al gore carried it by 0.2% in 2000 and john kry by 0.4% so, it is really the ultimate battleground state. encouraging for the president. judy: david, what did you hear from those voters that tells you ere this election may be headed? david:heower of polarization. in yamiche's report, the republicans thought the disease, the pandemic is t that the democrats thought it's very serious. the democrats thought it's very serious. it's anbjective, scientific, of opinion.ng. it's not a matter yet one's opinion about it apparently is largely shaped by which party you follow.

i do think, and this is reflected in the shift in the polls in the last two weeks, no that covid is overwhelmingly the dominant issue of the election, it's weirdly made the election and the campaign les ideological. there's a conservative we are used to campaigns where philosophy against a progressive this is about covid's not philosophy. particularly ideological. pandemic.getting rid of a it's a lot easier for some i think for that reason former trump voters to switch over and supporbiden, because they don't have to say, i'm renouncing my philosophy. they say i need someone who will fix this covid thing. i think that's one of the shifts. seeing some judy: we have seen a remarkable response by the president. he went into the hospital a week ago today. he was out a few days later. he said he was immune, isti in hundreds of people to the white house tomorrow. they have been showingffp in the ovale. is this helping him as he presents himsethe american people? mark: we will find out, judy.

i just want to endorse what david -- the point david made. there is no ideolo in putting out a fire there's no ideology , in rescuing a child from a burning building. this is not a question ofop philcal -- americans are very pragmatic and i think that's their approach to coronavirus right now. i thinkt is why the president is playing very much on defense. as far as the president is i concerneeally think that you can feel in the i air the a certain desperation in his candidacy, and you talk to republicans. all i am reminded of is 1980, which was a two-to-three-point race all through the fall between ronald reagan and mmy carter, the incumbent, and then the one debate resolved it, and the doubts about reagan were resolved, and voters did what they wanted to do, which was to terminate president carter's time in the white house.

i think the same sentiment is pervasive now, that voters want to really terminate nald trump's contract, and get the united airlines over to 1600 pennsylvania before the 20th of january. judy: david, what do you make of what we have seen from thet presider the last week? aiof desperation, as mark said? david: a bit of that. we have seen the warp speed version of donald trump's version of maslinity, which is version of masculinity that never admits vulnerability, that's always about conquest d competition and does not show a shred of humility. that has been evident in his covid reaction. mark pointed to 1980. i would point to 2008 whe the lehman brothers fell in the beginnings of the financial udcrisis, all of an, the electorate took a look at the possibility of waves of chaos and wanted to know which candid for all my reverence for john

mccain and mark salter, my friend mark salter, at that moment, john mccain did not seem like the sest pair of hands. barack obama seemed like that.gh now, i think a lot of people are looking at trump's behavior, and not seeing a safe pair of hands. biden by contra- e of the amazing things that happen biden's approval rating has gone , up by 10 percentage points in the course of this campaig that does not happen. in the middlef a campaign you e being attacked by negative ads. usually your approval goes down, whether you win or lose but , biden's is going up. judy: i should say mark salter, in the book, actua ty acknowledgt john mccain didn't handle a lot of what happened in 2008 very well.ck mark, p on that. mark: let me disagree with don mccain was not the incumbent. john mccain was paying dearly for the sins of george wthbush, who, a point, was looking at -- 12% of american people think the country is headed the right direction, and a job rating of 25%.

whthat ii say '80, when you have an incumbent on the ballot, is the analogy to this. i really think that the race has changed and changed jodramatically. biden, you're rig, he's now abe water favorable-unfavorable, attribute to him. the l the white house as vice president with a 2-1 favorable rating, but he's been unfavorable ever since t race began. for the first time in the most recent polls he is above water, more positive than he is negative, which i think is aib e to his campaign and also an indication of support. if you are voting for somebody, u do have a more favorable impression of them. judy: david, i don't want to put words in your mouth, but as we , said, the commission on presidential debates tonight announcing they are definitely not going to be having this

second presidential debate this coming week. is that likely to have any bearing on where this race is going? david: feel free to put words in my mouth. they have to be better than the ones i put in my mouth. ghter] have never seen a losing i candidate not want to have as many debates as possible. so, for donald trump not wantius to debate iscrazy. the second thing is, not having it i think is the wise decision. it reduces the number of opportunities he has to turn this around. third, even looking at the vice presidential debate, the democrats go in with a clear strategy which they implement, especially kamala harris, which is that, we're not a cra left-wing party, we're the obama party, you can be safe with us. she implemented that i thought really effectively. pence, i'm not sure the republicans have a consistent strategy through the debate. whether pence did good or bad, to me, was beside the point,e becaere's no strategy. there's no residue he's leaving. it's just randomness.

not having the debates certainly to cent where we are rit now, which is biden ahead. judy: what about the effect or lack thereof of these debates on what is going on mark: i think the debates this year, vice presidential were probably more important than ever, given, a, the health and age of the president and the age of joe biden, and questions about his physical fitness for the job. k there is more attention paid. i agree donald trump giving up m lion people on national television in a debate to go for 3 million on fox news makes absolutely no sense. to me today can somebody please , teach these people at thee whuse arithmetic? if he's going to turn the race around, you speak to the largest audience you can. he made the choice not to. i thought kamala harris had a bad performance in the hearings

brett kavanaugh. i thought she came across not as a prosecutor, but as to prosecutorial. that was shelved in the viceen presal debate. she was the surrogate for joe biden, mad the case for joe biden and she made the case against donald trump as well as anybody s in my experience. i thought her case on the coronavirus was teific and she brought in the taxes in a way that lt mike pence, who played defense, but you don't score ond defense, mike pence played perfectly fine defense, but it left him speechless. judy: while we are talking about the election, there are these senate races. the senate isbaanging in the nce. are there a couple races you are watching to tell what may weppen? david:, obviously, we're sort of transfixed by the south carolina race, lindsey graham suddenly tied with jaime

harrison. that is astounding. in north carolina we had what seemed like a democratic pickup with a now a tossup because of a sex scandal. overall, the sense from the republicans,enators, and the republican staff that i talk to is, there's just a gigantic stone around them and they are struggling to rise above donald trump and they're finding it harder than even in past times, when they have to run with an unpopular candidate. we do have these odd things happen, like in north carolina judy: mark, races yo're watching, senate races you're watching? mark south carolina, i agree. the historical irony, the remarkable, miraculous event, if, in fact, jme harrison were to win and defeat lindsey graham, that means that soh

carolina, fort sumter, where the represented in thed states senate by two african-american senators. that is remarkable in itself. the north carolinaace, talk about a blown opportunity. cal cunningham, veteran family aman, state senor, rais this money, running ahead, and gets exposed for carrying on an illicit affair in the middle of the campaign, and has all of a sudden made it a race.en if thee balance hangs, thean majority in the balance of north carolina, his name will live in infamy in democratic circles because he had agn icant lead over thom tillis. i think iowa is fascinating. i think maine is fascinating as well and i think arizona is now put away f the democrats, it appears. judy: with 3.5 weeks to go, we

will leave it there. mark shields, david brooks, we thank you both. mark: thank you. ♪ judy: again, this week we remember five extraordinary people who have lost their lives this pandemic. up every day by 5:00 in the morning, don spent decades in the corporate world before retiring to pursue his true passion, art. he moved tomorrow thursday vineyard and opeerdragonfly ga many of his oil paintings were inspired by his love of sailingh per the of two plans many summer vacations sailing uand down the northeastern coastline on his boat called thego pend when he and his wife retired tol ida, the 75-year-old became

an avid golfer, even hitting two holes in one. those who knew 63-year-old juana, said her personality was like magic. her sisters spoke of her giggle and at smile tould light up a room. called peppa, by all who knew her, she was a nurse practitioner serving nashville for 30 years. a beloved daughter, sister and h ther, peppaften shared a favorite quote wr sons. what we achieve inwardly will change outwardeality. andrew mcbride ii was just 14 when he was left to raise his iasiblings in western geo as an adult he meantar t young boys through basketball and boy scouts, determined to offer the guidance he lacked. he was stern, but endlessly loving and devoted to his community, his son said.

he organized for the lupus foundaon, a disease that killed his first wife. he served on the ymca board and was an active member of his fraternity. at 67 years old, andrew died exactly one month after his second wife,holso passed due to covid-19. 66-year-old beverly weaver was resilient. her daughter said nothing could slow her down. known for being a te charge nurse and mom, beverly began her nursing career in the army and continued in that field in the dallas, texasar area for a half-century. her husband of 25 yearsbealled her hi friend, a dedicated moraer andmother, beverly was the glue that held her family together. matta spent 20 years as a truck

driver before his life was turned upside down p after suffering a stroke in his 40's, the army veteran moved next door to his daughter in austin, texas, where he made a career out of the highlight of his day, walking his grdchildren to scho. forhe next 17 years as a crossing guard, he made sure everybody got to elementary school safely. mily was everything to robt, his daughter said. the 67-year-old never missed his angrldren's baseball games or cheerleading meets. we want to tilnk f members who shared each of those stories with us. our hearts go out to you and all those who lost loved ones in this pandemic. before we go, a correction. earlier this week we promoted an online town meeting produced about younger voters. in it we incorrectly stated that by 2024, generation z, those who

today are aged 24 and other- under, would be the largest electoral group. to be clear, voters including generation z and the next cohortthe millennial generation, will be together the largest eligible voter block. we regret the error. join us next week starting on :00 a.m. eastern on monday for ecial live coverage of the confirmation hearings o judge amy coney barrett for the supreme court. i am judy woodruff it would have a good weekend. thank you. please stay safe, and good night. >>he major funding forpbs newshour" provided by -- >> when the world getsot complicated, aoes through your mind. with fidelity wealth management, and advir can tailor advice and recommendations to your life. ♪ >> consumer cellular.

johnson & johnson. firm raymonrvices james. bnsf railway. the william and flora hewitt foundation, for more than 50 years advancing ideas and institutions to promote a better world. ♪ >> supporting social entrepreneurnd their solutions to the world's most pressing problems. schoolfoundation.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and, friends of the newshour.

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and, by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ w >> you areatching pbs.

tonight on "kqed newsroom," the latest in the rate house with apolitical experms, and affiive action on the ballot in california. no analysis shows four times more women than men dropped ouof the laboforce in september, setting back years of au gres in workplace equality. e reasons why and what can be done about it, coming up. welcome to "kqed newsroom." i am priya david clemens. following the debacle of the first president thdebate between president trump and vice president biden, the commission on debates has decided the next debate should be held virtually. trump has said he will not participate