♪ >> good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour," deal or no deal. congress struggles to reach an agreement to provide covid relief and a last-minute struggle to fund the government. then hack attack. new reports reveal a border scope of the major cyber attack in the united states than originally believed. plus, a covid success story. despite relatively few resources, senegal has been a model of combating the coronavirus. >> transparency and communication has been extremely important. there's a credibilityf the authorities in discussing openly

what's happening. >> and it's a very special shields and brooks you will not want to miss as we honor mark shields' decades of friday night analysis. all that and more on tonight's pbs news hour. ♪ announcer: major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪

>> consumer cellular. financial services firm raymond james. johnson & johnson. >> the john s. and john s. foundation response to sorting communities. more at kf.org. announcer: and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of "the newshour." this program was made possible by the corporation by public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

judy: down to the wire. the u.s. may narrowly avoid another federal government shutdown this friday night in december as members of congress still don't have agreement over long-term funding and they continue to struggle with a new round of covid relief. with just hours to go, we get the latest from our lisa desjardins and yeah mish -- yami che alcindor. tell us what's the hold-up? >> this is among the more strange negotiations i've seen in congress. there's both urgency, judy and hesitancey. let's look at the stick point that are holding up this covid package. the federal reserve powers that it has now for pandemic relief dealing with the markets -- those are set to expire at the end of this year. some republicans are worried that the fed may try to use that

power next year. they're adding language to try to block that. democrats say that's a problem for the biden administration and the republicans are going too far. this is the biggest block right now. that's why they're spending a big deal talking about it. but there are still limits about food relief that could go out that some conservatives in the house are nervous about, as wells a $90 billion fund for fema that could help states but there are some questions with how that's distributed. what will be in the package direct checks. and we expect employment health. the reason that we have a potential deal is because of bipartisan work. earlier this month and last month and those bipartisan senators are urging house and senate leaders to get this deal done. judy: and lisa remind us, while they're haggling over this,

having a hard time, remind us what this means for americans out there who need help. >> well, there is something i can report which is some of the food aid that is set to expire on december 31st, even if it gets renewed there will be a lag in trying to process the next extension of it. some could suffer regardless of what congress does. but i also want to talk about congress now coming close to this shutdown deadline tonight. let's look at the house floor. right now, members of congress are voting on a two-day funding bill just to get them through the weekend. so they can breakdown negotiations. the deadline is at -- is tonight. the senate must also pass it. all senators must agree. right now, it does look like that's going to happen by midnight. but we're watching it closely.

judy: and i know you'll continue to keep to -- to keep a close eye on it. yamiche, where is the president on all this? we haven't heard from him. where has he been up to? >> it's sort of a remarkable situation, as lisa is talk about there's urgency and hesitation. what you see from president trump is anger coursing through him. he's focused on the fact that he's lost the 2020 election. he's trying to figure out ways to try to win back the 2020 election. that we should know has been overor weeks. the president is not at all involved in these covid negotiations. he's not at all involved in selling the american people that the vaccine is safe. instead what the president is doing is tweeting. he's going after perceived political enemies including republicans, including senate majority leader mitch mcconnell who has said and congratulated joe bind on becoming the president-elect.

on the negotiations, he said there's secretary mnuchin. mark meadows the white house chief of staff has been up on capitol hill. the president has sort of taken a step back from this. another thing to note is that the coronavirus vaccine is something that all leaders across the rile trying to sell to the american people. trying to educate them about the safety and the -- and the -- and the real impact that the virus is having on america and the fact that the vaccine they see is key to fighting this virus. we saw vice president mike pence be inoculated with the vaccine today. we saw house speaker nancy pelosi, mitch mcconnell, and so many others, president-elect joe biden is expected to get the vaccine some time next month -- some time next week, rather, as well as vice president-elect harris. but the white house won't tell us when the president will get. he says he's open to the vaccine. a lot of critics are saying this

is a dereliction of duty on the president's part. judy: meantime, yamiche, you've been watching the transition to the biden administration. we understand there's been friction now between the pentagon and the incoming biden team. tell us about that. yamiche: the transition went smoothly. the headline is that the acting secretary of defense chris miller he issued a directive to all pentagon officials saying do not at all negotiate or do not all -- do not at all work with the biden transition team. a halt has happened. this was a statement that he said a few minutes after that -- after the news was breaking "he said after the mutually agreed upon pause we will continue with the scheduled meetings. i remain committed to a full and transparent transition." the biden campaign seas he's not telling the truth. here's what the director of the biden transition team said.

>> there was no mutually agreed upon transition. there's no time to spare. and that's particularly true in the aftermath of the ascertainment delay. >> so what you see there is the biden team saying we've not at all to agree this. and time is of the essence. there are pockets of resistance in other parts of the trump transition team including at the environmental protection agency as well as the office of budget and management. the problem here is that the president sources tell me is n providing the leadership including president obama and president bush, the 41 and 43. most of the time, presidents say they're taking the lead saying your staff needs to really work on this transition. but the president simply has not done that. >> so much to follow. we thank you both. yamci -- yamiche a sendo and

lisa desjardins. stephanie: we'll return to the full show after these headlines. another weapon in the fight against the pandemic has been added to the arsenal. the u.s. food and drug administration granted an emergency authorization to a second covid-19 vaccine this one from moderna. doses are expected to arrive monday. and this vaccine has the advantage of not needing to be stored at an ultracold temperature. meanwhile, a number of states said their a lotments of the first approved vaccine have been cut. the trump administration says pfizer is having production problems. but the company says it is waiting for federal instructions on where to ship the doses. an update now on where the government funding stands. congress did pass a two-day funding bill tonight which would avert a partial government shutdown assuming president trump signs the bill.

they have not yet agreed on a covid-19 relief package. federal officials close the washington monument today after several staffers were exposed to covid. the secretary of the interior david barnhart tested positive after leading a private tour. the spokesman said the sight will reopen monday. an update to the story we reported last night. a california appeals court has block adjudge's order that allowed san diego county restaurants to resume indoor and outdoor dining. the brief issued by the court keeps governor gavin newsome's stay-at-home order in effect. the u.s. supreme court today dismissed a challenge to president trump's plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 census. it is too soon to rule because no one knows yet how many people would be excluded or how it might affect the a lotment of seats in the u.s. house of representatives. the president is taking heat tonight for not publicly

addressing a wide ranging hack of u.s. government computer systems. russia is widely suspected of carrying out the attacks. house democrats were scathing in their criticism of mr. trump after classified briefing. >> his complete passivity and disregard for the national security here are astounding. you know, even on trumpian standards, but essentially he -- he seems -- to me, it seems like he's unlocked tall doors and thrown open tall windows. -- all the windows. >> at the white house, brian morganstrom defended the president's response. >> i wouldn't get into pry vas national security dealings of the president. but he's up to speed and his team is working very hard on it if he wants to speak directly as opposed to -- you know through his team that's the president's

prerogative. >> several trump advisors declined to blame russia. >> the committee is accusing boeing of coaching test pilots while the federal aviation administration was trying to insure the 737 max would be safe to fly again. committee republicans say boeing and the government agency were too cozy. two dezly crashes grounded the 737 for several months but it is set to resume later this month fresh construction at a key nuclear facility in iran. s the located 55 miles southwest of teheran. the photos were obtained by the associated press. iran has resumed nuclear activities since president trump quit the 2015 nuclear deal. in afghanistan a bomb killed 15 children today and wounded 20 others amid a surge of violence.

it happened in gahzny province. the militants say it wasn't a bomb but a weapon that the children found that accidentally went off. more than 300 nigerian boys have returned home safely one week after they were kidnapped by islamist rebels. the students arrived today in the capital of katzinha state. the state governor said no ransom was paid. new york city investigators say police used excessive force against racial justice protestors last summer. today's report finds nypd officers were unprepared and undertrained and that they inflamed tensions protests erupted after police killings of george floyd and breonna taylor in louisville. still to come on "the newshour" with judy woodruff. new analysis of a major cyber attack against united states.

we remember some of the remarkable lives lost to the pandemic. senegal optimizes scant resources to effectively combat the coronavirus. and judy is joined by mark shields for his last friday night analysis segment. announcer: this is the pbs newshour" from weta news story and from the walter cronkite school of journalism at the arizona state school of journalism. judy: the reverb rations continue about this large scale computer hacking that infill rated the networks of several government agencies and thousands of private companies. william brangham talks with the head of the top head firm. >> the u.s. security team is trying to find out who is response officia this attack.

various reports pointed the finger at the russian government. the microsoft who has built the systems for the majority of the computers said it too found malicious software on its systems. in an open letter on their website, brad smith, the company's president called this attack a reckoning. and he wrote "it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious vulnerability for the united states and the world" and brad smith joins me now. welcome to "the newshour" mr. smith. great to have you here. you said that this -- this attack should trig ear reckoning , a reckoning by whom and what? >> it's a reckoning for all of us. it is certainly a reckoning for not just all of us in the tech sector who have a critical ongoing role to play but for everybody in the government as well. what we're seeing here is an attack that really disrupted the entire technology supply cha by planting malware in some

network management software from another company that found its way on to the computers of probably 18,000 enterprises around the world. in effect, it unlocked the door. and we've seen what's probably an intelligence agency go through that door and further exploit the systems, extract information from we've already identified more than 40 customers including multiple parts of the united states government. so it put at risk our economy and it put at risk and in jeopardy our national security. it shows us that we need to do more and really work together differently to better protect the nation defenses. >> i now your firm isoing a good deal of work. are there are vulnerabilities that contributed to this or wither in ways made this tech more likely to occur? >> no. we found no evidence that there were any vulnerabilities in microsoft products or services,

or that our products or services have been impacted in my way or used as the attack vector so to speak. but we do have more than 500 security engineers at microsoft working this week to sift through data, take the telemetry and take the data. and work with them to put their security back in place. >> in that open letter that you posted on your -- on your site. you said one of things we need to do is tighten the international con strabets that might be perm traiting attacks like this. do you think that could be a useful deternlt. we have been after the russians, the north koreans, the chinese for cyber espionage. and it seems not to be that effective. >> i think this is a serious ongoingroblem that requires a multi-faceted response. it actually starts, i think, with better sharing of threat

intelligence between government and the private sector. and frankly, learning the lessons from the 9/11 commission. we would all be well-served to read that report again because what it said was that the only way to protect the country from these kinds of foreign threats is to better share intelligence. and then we do need to equip the government with a range of tools so it can respond appropriately all the way from public attributions to sanctions to in some cases stronger deterrent responses. that will ultimately be the kind of decision that the president of the united states needs to make but the more tools that are available, the stronger defense we have, the better the country will be served. >> how much of the responsibility do you believe falls on companies like yours to build ever more robust systems to defend against these types of intrusions? >> i think in many ways we have

the first responsibility. it is a responsibility that impacts every country in the private sector. this was an attack that exploited the software of a network management software company that most people were not familiar with. but it shows that we all can do more to work together. and that's a key lesson. ultimately, it's a shared responsibility with the government as well. >> one of the things you also pointed out in that letter which i don't think people really appreciate is this growing network of private companys that -- that can be hired to outsource cyber espionage and infiltration. how do we address that? because those private enterprises that make money by doing these types of attacks they might not respond to diplomatic or economic pressure the same way a nation might. >> i think it is a serious additional part of the problem because the truth is, there are only a few governments in the world that are sophisticated in

terms of internal talent to engage in these kinds of attacks. but we're suddenly seeing the emergence of these companies that are a bit like mercenaries. they'll help governments attack others. we should put them out of business is the short story if we have strong domestic laws not just in the united states but in all of the world's democracies. then these companies will have a much more difficult time engaging in this kind of conduct. this is right for a new diplomatic initiative by the incoming biden administration. it is right, for additional action by congress to put this where it should be which is clearly out of bounds. >> this attack went on for months that we know of. and these attackers were very patient. they were very stealthy. and only after many months of them being within all of these

different company systems did we find out about it. isn't it possible there could be other attacks currently going on that we don't know about yet? >> well, unfortunately this attack is ongoing. unfortunately, this is a very sophisticated actor. we shou of course assume that this is not the only attack that this particular intelligence agency in all probability is interested in pursuing. we should assume that there are other governments that are equally as sophisticated. and we should assume that advances in article intelligence are going to make these kinds of attacks even more powerful and even more sophisticated than they are today. in short, we have our work cut out for us. >> how long do you think it will be until we get to the bottom of this of both disentangling the damage that was done and finding out what might have been taken from all of these companies but also to figure out whether there are infiltrations going on whether they're lurking in these systems? the former white house homeland

security advisor said there -- this could be years before we could get this job done. >> first we need to identify who the victims are, getting the actors out of the networks. that part probably doesn't take years. but we do have years of work ahead oufs. in some cases there may be some institutions that will want to fundamentally rebuild the way their networks work because of this. but i think the bigger, long-term challenge frankly that's going to last for the rest of our lives is the need for us as a nation to constantly innovate because our adversaries are innovating. >> all right, brad smith, president of microsoft, thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. ♪ judy: the month is barely

half over and has seen a staggering rise in the cases and the deaths across the u.s. from the pandemic. we want to take this moments we do every friday to honor five individuals who have lost their lives. here are their stories. linda benson could be eye et at first but had a bright and inviti smile. her daughter said she loved to tell jokes. as a single mom in her 20's, linda bought a typewriter. so she could work at the local newspaper. she spent over 30 years there, working her way up to supervising classified ad sales. with her two children, she frequented the movie theater and the nail salon and enjoyed road tripping around her home in oklahoma city. her seven grandchildren said she was like a second mother. linda was 74 years old. 69-year-old robert roy

rakellman's identity was his music. his family said for nearly 40 years, robert opened up his winter haven florida garage studio for thursday jam nights. ♪ >> he collected numerous instruments, teaching himself to play. later in life, robert embraced other passions, photography and meals on wheels, incorporating musical performance into his deliveries, a husband and father to two, robert's family described him as outgoing and gentle. reverend will better robertson a member of the sue tribe built three baptist clurges in north and south dakota from the ground up alongside his wife of 59 years. they met while serving in the air forc wilbert was reserved, generous and caring, his daughter said, a

man of cracter who people turned to for advice. wilbert was 86 years old. melin ad rolex parents said their daughter had a future in music. by 3 years old she could sing on key. she excelled at the trumpet in her high school and college marching bands and earned a master's degree in music education. belinda spent more than a decade teaching art and choir in her hometown clarksville, indiana. the 37-year-old was a kind, outgoing and encouraging teacher who always looked for new ways to engage her class. she even brought in many of her own books for students to read and borrow. among them, her favorite series, "harry potter." sister beverly hindsed, a mber of the pastoral care department.

she spent 32 years comforting children, their families and even staff during difficult times. sister beverley was known by the kids as the queen of fun. she played with them and supported them during treatments. sister beverley was 73. want to thank all the family members who shared these stories with us. made it possible to tell these stories. our hearts go out to you as they do to all who have lost loved ones during this pandemic. ♪ judy: for much of the pandemic, new zealand has been praised for its handling of covid-19. earlier this year, foreign policy magazine ranked at number one in the world for the effectiveness of its response. perhaps more notable was the country that came in second. the west african nation of

senegal. personal cosht fred has the report. it's part of his series "agents for change." ♪ >> music the one of senegals best known exports and an array of stars quickly came together in song early in the pandemic. we can do it, they say. and from all accounts, they have done it at least thus far. a nation of 16 million, senegal has seen just over 17,000 covid cases and a relatively low 355 deaths. experts say it reflects the former french colonies. >> we are in the business in senegal for more than 125 years and the preparedness and

preparation has been -- >> the doctor heads the dakar-base pastor institute a world renowned laboratory that has been at the front line of infectious diseases, dengue and yellow fever for which was an early producer of vaccines. most recently ebola gave senegal a rehearsal for covid. in 2015 as ebola killed thousands in neighbors countries, senegal mobilized swiftly containing it to just one case. similarly with covid, senegal shutdown its land border as well as air travel. it launched campaigns to improve hygiene and imposed curfews. those slowed but critically did not shut down th economy said belali kumara with the united nations. >> the steps in the beginning is to get a really direct balance between the economic issues and

the public health issues. >> public health issues were tackled quickly with mask mandates and distancing without stressing the country's limited medical facilities. experts also give senegal's government high marks for how it is communicating with the public. [speaking foreign language] >> each morning the health ministry announcing daily infections and deaths by location along with any relevant news updates. that messaging has been critical to earning public confidence says pastur's dr. salle. >> i think communication has been important. there's a credibility of the authorities in discussing openingly what happened. >> and that credibility is enhanced when it comes from mosques says dr. kumara. >> senegal has this reputation

actually to listen to the religious leaders. >> and you say that if you want to bring large scale behavior change, you need to consult with religious leaders. and the government has done that during the covid epidemic. >>es. >> after closing for several weeks early on, mosques were reopened in may and religious leaders promised strict adherence to safety protocols. this large dakar mosque looks pretty crowded but has restricted occupancy to a fourth of its 8,000 capacity. so far there have been no infection spikes tied to any religious gatherings. abu kadar fal is an elder. >> everyone uses their own rugs. it is a pride for us to do this.

>> and despite efforts keep the economy going, the pandemic has taken its financial toll. >> covid has put t country in slow motion. we were struling financially, now, it's a disaster. it is difficult for us taxi drivers. people aren't going much anymore. >> we are used to going out in the street to the market to be close to each other. but covid changed all that. i want to tell the world that doing all these things will beat the disease. >> meanwhile the pastur institute is working with a british wire tech company on a test for covid and it hopes to tackle vaccines. >> this vaccine accessibility which is critically important and can be done and made possible only if you have a consensus at the global level. >> to bring this global pandemic under control, he says, it is

critical that africa not be elbowed out by wealthier nations in the scramble for available vaccines. for the pbs "newshour," this is fred desamlazaro. judy: and now we come to the moment that we hope wouldn't come when we say our fair wells to mark sheelsdz as -- shields along with david brooks. we want to look back at mark's remarkable run. ♪ mark: finally tonight, some friday night conversation and analysis with and from gergon and sheeds. >> and to the analysis of shields and brooks. that's mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks.

judy: for more th 30 years mark has provided critical perspective to some of the most historic moments in american politics. >> impeachments. >> the attitude in the country remains that bill clinton lied. they don't want him to leave. >> war should not be the first resort. it has to be the last resort. >> white house firs >> this is a prison of enormous talent. >> and the current president. >> donald trump is criminally uncurious. >> there from the beginning, his wife of 54 years and shields. >> tell me what you remember about the early days of mark doing "the newshour." >> whenever there was big political news, they would call mark. and it just kind of migrated eventually to a friday night regular venue. mark liked it. and i think lair liked it a lot. so that made it a go.

>> from the politics observation team -- >> mark became a regular guest on the mcneill "newshour" during the 1988 presidential election. he brought a wealth of experience on democratic campaigns. in 1968, robert kennedy. in 1972, edmond muskie. and four years later, mo udall. >> mr. shields -- >> to our co-founder robin mcneill, mark embodied the goal of the program. >> jim laire and i set out to say -- say hey, talking heads are some of those valuable heads that human beings communicate. and why not make the most of it? and so mark fitted perfectly into that. >> david is wrong in this instance. >> he's challenged his conservative counterparts on the issues. >> my favorite moments in television has been friday nights with mark sheelts.

david gergon was his first sparring partner. >> what do you think makes him different? >> he knows a heck a whole lot more about politics. but he had a humility that made him a great partner. judy, something else in television, it's a highly competitive field. and often you may be paired with somebody who you can't quite trust. you never know when you're going to get a knife in the back. i always knew with mark. i could totally trust him. >> there have been heated moments. >> mark and i went at it because we passionately disagree. >> our current pair mark and david brooks were at odds on the war in iraq. what are are we going to do afterwards? who's going to be with us? are we going to be the first western christian pro-israeli occupying force, military occupying force of an arab nation in that region? >> there are about 12 questions there, david. >> i would say ty're all irrelevant. >> still, he's always kept it

fun. >> mark, they spent three hours talking. so what do we assume has taken place? >> first of all, judy, this week will be a yawn. judy: so we can all go home? >> you're looking for airplane tickets to san fernando. >> and kept it civil whether with us at "the newshour" or at cnn's capital gang where he debated the late robert novak alongse a good friend my husband al hunt. >> we spent literally thousands of hours together, dinner with you and anne. >> just a problem of communications, mark? >> we did a 17-year program together, conventions, out there on the campaign trail. and 30 years of georgetown basketball. i have learned a lot. and wow, it has been fun. >> so it's hard to condense mark shields into one conversation much less an answer. but you are such close friends with him. what sets him apart? what makes mark special? >> he's interested in a lot of

different things. but those things that he's really interested in, politics and family and faith, and sports. he gets deeply engaged. he's not a passive observer. we don't need passive observers for these things. sports matters. >> that love of sports inspired a shields and brooks spinoff. >> we were in the newsroom, to scripts, no notice. they both just sat down and we rift. >> this is where we talk about the sport of politics and politics of sport. >> he could also drop the velvet hammer on just about anything. not just politics. >> that's typical of you. you like everything except america. i like american sports. basketball. >> he's become family to our newsroom. >> what was it like to work with mark shields? it must be heaven is usually the comment that i got. and it was heaven. >> i'm not sure in the past 30 years that i met a more

gracious, kind forne work with. >> even as a young green reporter, he really listened to what i had to say. so respectful. so interested my take. and that really stood out to me. >> mark always brings great energy into the makeup room with him. and no matter what is going on with him, he always asks, how are you? and he means it. it's sincere and earnest, and it's unselfish. he's a man of deep character and integrity. and i cherish our friendship. >> he is beloved by his current and former producers, even for his strict preshow routine. >> there's a small audio booth down the hall from the studio and the control room, that's his office. that's where he sets up. you have to have the blu paper. you have to have the highlighters in various colors. >> just a reminder i like this on blue paper in this format and please keep them stapled.

>> and for his one liners. >> and he caved like a $1 suitcase. >> we just lost some lights and power. >> i just kept talking because mark said, we're always in the dark anyway. funnyine but not true. mark shields at least was never in the dark. >> a lot has changed in the last year as shields and brooks and the world have gone virtual. >> mark, how's it going? >> well, judy, i'm rereading "toy story" for the third time. no, i'm not. >> there's no more fundamental right than the right to vote. but the right to vote means nothing unless it's count. judy: and with that it's time for the final night analysis of shields and brooks that is syndicated columnist mark shields and new york times columnist david broofpblgts i

want to make it clear -- david brooks. i want to make it clear, that mark will be an occasional contributor. we're going to have him back when there's a major political event or anything else that he wants to weigh in on. but mark, bmb i let you -- before i let you and david speak, i have to say what an utter joy to work with you over the years, to be the beneficiary along with our audience of your wisdom, your brilliant insights and as we heard in the video, your humor. i know our founder jim laire appreciated you. we've all learned from you. it is impossible to put it in words. be the entire "newshour" family owes you a great debt of gratitude. we are going mishaving you every week. so now, i'm going to let you speak. mark, what did you think about the video? mark: judy, it was like -- like reading david's column, his generous column. i just regretted that my parents

weren't alive to read it and enjoy it because my father would have enjoyed it. and my mother would have wanted to believe it. i just thank everybody for their over the top and -- and two generous remarks. it's been 33 wonderful years. it's been a great privilege. and it's just been enormous fund. you ouldn't admit that. but that's what it's been. >> and david, what do you think? did you hear anything that rang true to you there? >> everyone knows the same mark. mark is mark. when he called to tell me the news a couple of weeks ago, i told him the blunt truth. mark is the best colleague i've had in any line of work or journalism. i've never been around somebody who generates with so much worment and treelts everybody with so much respect. we haven't talked about this, but i figure your parents loved you really well when you were a kid. and you've been sharing it with

the rest of us. because you walk in a room with a projection of warmth and respect. that people respond to. and that little column i wrote about you, it was the number one viewed site piece on the site today because people want this. people are hungering for trust worthiness and decency. and it's been a great blessing in my life to be alongside you. mark: thank you, david. judy: mark, we're shegged -- we're sharing all of this with you because it's all true. but i know there's something that you want to say together -- tonight because you spent a lot of time thinking about american politics and about this country. so i want to give you a chance to -- to talk about it. mark: oh, that's kind of you, judy. and thank you, david. i have to say, david has been the most generous and ideal of

partners for the past 19 years. judy, one of the things that during the times together, i said some dumb, stupid and probably just absolutely inappropriate things and never once did david brooks take a cheap shot. because it's not in him. it's not in his character. he's been -- he's been a source of -- of great company. he's been a source of great wisdom. he's my friend. and i treasure him. so i thank you for those-- those kind remarks. i -- i grew up when a ma'am was in the white house saying the measure of our progress was not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have mitch, but whether we provide for those who have too little. it's very straightforward as franklin roosevelt. and the other -- the other kind of guide post for me in politics that i guess i learned from my

mom and my dad, my family was that -- every one of us has been warmed by fires we did not build. and every one of us have drunk from wells we did not dig. and together, we can't do less for those who come after us and together, we can do so much more. and it's -- it's -- it's as straightforward as that. i believe politics is the peaceable resolution to conflict among legitimate competing interest. and i don't know in a nation as big and brawling as this great continent in which we occupy and diverse as ours how we we -- would resolve our differences with courage with those who practice political process and achieve compromise. and to fashion those compromises does ruire courage, does require hard work and intelligence. so i -- i -- i like people who

run for political office. it puts me in a very small category. and it -- the example i use is if david and i were -- i like people who run for office. and if david and i were the two finalists to be the regional sales manager of the acme wind shield wiper company and david rightly got the promotion and i didn't, when the hometown paper announced david's success, they wouldn't add that shields was passed over because of lingering questions about his expense account or hiser ratic commave orat the christmas office. but in politics, double dated with them, baby sat, knows whether you won or you probably lost. and i respect and admire those who run and lose, and nobody did better than an old friend of mine, the late dick tuck who lost a very close ste senate race in los angeles, and when

the local announcer stuck a microphone in the face to say something, he said very straightforwardly, the people have spoken, the bastards. but i mean, it's a tough -- it's a tough business. but it's a -- you know, it is -- it is wonderful. there's nothing more fun than a political campaign. i urge everybody who hasn't been involved in one to -- to carve it out of their schedule and try and do so because, you know, you get all these people submerging their own particular short-term interest to something larger and working long hours at this location to their personal and professional lives. in one 12-hour period, elections have been rightly called a one-day sale. you find out whether you won or your lost. and you, no, you will forge friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime and -- so i -- i like politics.

i believe in politics. i think politics is awfully important to the well-being of our nation. >> and mark, one of the things david wrote about you in his column today is -- that you -- thatthere's this basic trust or basic decency that you believe exists in people who serve in public life. i think right now there's a lack of faith that that's there. so i'm curious as you -- as you take this next step in your life are you optimistic about this country, about what lies ahead? what do you see? >> i think optimism is -- is defining character wristic of america,with the exception of those whose ancestors were here when columbus arrived, those whose ancestors were here out of

their will in chains. everyone of us are direct ancestors of immigrants. to live among people you've never met to speak a language in many cases you've never heard is an act of enormous courage but it's a statement of profound optimism. and america was found and continued to be founded on a daily basis by optimism. i'm not a pollyanna. i know that we were all born in original sin and we're capable of just dastardly things personally and collectively. but when asked by our leaders and leaders who reach out to our best, and ask us for collective sacrifice for the common good, americans have responded rather remarkably. and i -- i recall when john kenned was president.

and one young man was volunteering and they asked him why. and they said, nobody ever asks me to do anything unselfish or patriotic. and president kennedy asked me. and you know, that -- i think that -- when americans are asked, i think opt mix about joe biden because he's not a wall builder. he's a bridge builder. he's somebody who extends that hand of friendship. and we'll find out if the folks on the other side of the bridge will come 1/3 a cross or halfway across. but i -- you know, i'm hopeful. i really am. and we -- we've done great things. we've done great things, judy. we've saved the great lakes. we've seen -- taken that out of the air. judically: as -- >> and we've got to be -- judy:

as -- >> and we've got -- done great things. judically -- judy: the two of you celebrated 54 years. she's coming in right now. she's going to take her place next to mark. important -- we're making room for her. david, i want you to reflect a little more as we say goodbye on mark on fridays. >> first, he's a wonderful guy. as i said he still set the world record for marrying uple i pay tribute to anne, who's a truly remarkable person. you know, i would -- i would say that mark is -- like all of us we're formed bay certain era. and in mark's case it was the period i think when he was a hill staffer in the mid 19 of 0 -- 1960's. the government was working. the g.i. bill, the fair housing

act. government was doing a lot of stuff. people were compromising. the system was working. and so you had a sense that this was a noble activity. politics and the power involved in it is a means to an end. and the end is -- is comforting this unfortunate, serving the marginalized, waging a war on poverty. this is not just some game it's able a mobile profession because it's about serving people who need a handout. there was a feeling that you were there to serve the underdogs. with that came a deep sense of equality. i was a kid who had hubert humphrey's poster on my wall. that was inspiring. it was a holistic way to think of politics. and i speak to young people and all they've known is broken politics. and i try to assure em, it wasn't always broken.

and there's a way to bring it back so it's not broken. we'll go through cycle and we'll come back and fix the politics that are broken. but mark just comes from that era like his necktie come to think of it. [laughter] judy: we hope the broken politics are not behind us. mark reminds us that everything good is possible in the future. and as we say goodbye to mark -- to mark and to anne shields on this friday night, i just want to express to you what you've meant, mark, again to us and to our audience, we have received thousands of comments literally when we announced that this would be your last friday night. i want to stress again that you will show up on our air when important things happen. so you leave with our love and affection and our eternal

gratitude. mark sheeltsdz there with the -- shields there with the love of his life, anne shields. >> thank you. jewy. >> see you, mash. >> see -- see you, mark. >> see, -- you, david. >> and that is the "newshour." >> major funding for the newshour has been provided by -- >> before we talk about investments. >> audrey's expecting. >> twins. grandparents. >> we want to put money aside, so change in plans. >> all right, let's see what we can adjust. >> we'd be closer to the twins. >> change in plans. >> ok. mom, are you painting again? >> you could sell these. >> let me guess, change in plans? >> at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of a plan. >> consumer cellular. johnson & johnson.

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mr. mark tonight on thank you newsroom. new coronavirus hunting is close to a deal in dc. way learning more about the major cyber attack on u.s. institution congress member adam schiff joins us with the letter. london bring is about san francisco's brief food insecurity is spiking during the pandemic. wave visit at food bank to see how they are helping. golden gate park comes alive at sundown in this week's look at something beautiful. welcome to kqed news