captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: >> it doesn't matter whether it's six minutes, six days, or six weeks-- we are going to get it done. >> woodruff: high stakes. president biden goes to capitol hill to try to make progress on the infrastructure and spending bills. then, vaccinating migrants. with around 70% of the population in europe inoculated, concerns over how to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. >> in this area, one of the problems we face is that ily organizes vaccine centers in big hubs, but there are many

people here-- poor italians, poor foreigners-- who have no car, and no way to reach this place. >> woodruff: and, it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart on the challenges the biden administration is facing getting its economic and social agenda passed. all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years.

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thank you. >> woodruff: another day on capitol hill with no vote on infrastructure, and no deal on a bigger spending package. but, as lisa dejardins reports, president biden made a direct appeal to democrats. >> reporter: not an everyday sight, a president on capitol hill, and president biden's getting his agenda back on track. >> i'm telling you we're going to get this done. (questions) >> it doesn't matter whether it's in six minutes, six days or six weeks. we're going to get it done. >> reporter: house democrats began this day fractured still over whether to go ahead and hold a vote now on a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. >> we're working through these issues and i believe, as we always do, we'll land the plan. >> reporter: speaker nancy pelosi had promised to call a

vote being specific with reporters yesterday. are you committed to having a vote on infrastructure today. >> yes. >> reporter: regardless of whher you have the votes. >> i intend to -- >> reporter: but the day ended with no vote. some house progressives remained firm holdouts seeking more commitments on an even larger bill covering climate, healthcare and other priorities. jiapal expressed a handshake deal isn't good enough. >> i have consistently said we need a vote in the senate because i want to make sure there are no delays, no mixups, that there are no mixed understandings about what the deal is. >> reporter: but the fate of the larger so-called reconciliation bill also hinges on moderate senate democrats kyrsten sinema and joe manchin. both sayit must be smaller. >> the time is now, he has the singular power to unify. >> he could be doing more at

this point? >> i think he could be doing more in front of us, yes. very few of us have seen the president in the nine months he's been president. >> reporter: the white house said biden is engaging and had been making calls to democrats around the clock. he scrapped a planned event in chicago to focus on finding an agreement this week on the hill. >> woodruff: and lisa is here with me now in the studio along with amna nawaz covering the white house today. so hello to both of you. lisa, looks like a lot of action but no clear movement toward any vote. where does everything stand? >> i do not think there will be an infrastructure vote tonight. there will be a vote on something else, though. in that infrastructure bill was the reauthorization for the highway trust fund. that ran out last night at midnight, so democrats have to deal with that. we expect a 30-day extension of that. there's no real problems from a day lag or a few days' lag in that, they will take action. overall, democrats are doing something one member said there is redoing the conversation from scratch.

i want to talk about this issue about pelosi's promise to have that infrastructure vote today. she said that yesterday. let's figure out what happened there. i want to explain this to people. for you and i, judy, a day is 24 hours. that seems very normal, right? however, there is a legislative day, and here pelosi is talking about something that can go on indefinitely. we are still in the legislative day of september 30th in the house of representatives. a legislative day can go on forever. in fact, one time the late senator robert byrd had one go on for over 100 calendar days. a little bit of a jed die mind trick there that pelosi is pulling. we'll see if she ends this legislative day and says we need more time. when you talk to members, it is clear that the president's visit tonight was a huge morale boost and moreover provided clarity that they needed that he's still on both the bills moving at the same time not one over the otr, that was important clarity members didn't have. >> woodruff: speaking of

clarity, some democratic members comprising frustration that the president hasn't been an visible. what is your understanding of how involved he is now. >> reporter: you ask the white house where is the president, he's been very involved, they say. they point again and again to a team of senior advisers and staff who they say have been in close contact with every group and faction of the democratic caucus, here's the group that are leading the charge on capitol hill. susan rice leads the domestic policy council, ron klain, d.c. steve rochettey a senior counselor to the president. since september 1, over 300 calls with meetings with members and staff directors. they say we have been making the case and been involved. today press secretary jen psaki was asked, today was the day president biden was manging the cased to the members, we will

get there, compromises, they will be reached, both sides have to give a little but reassuring they're moving forward, he is committed. >> woodruff: it's not going to be a $23.5 trillion social spending bill, whatever the name of it is, reconciliation, it's going to be a number lower than that. what are you hearing from the white house about what they are willing to live with. >> reporter: of course, with eare pressing again and again trying to get a number with them. what are you comfortable with? what do you think the president signs offer on, the two names we hear more than any other senators sinema and manchin. they want to ensure progressives the big agenda is going to move forward. >> woodruff: lisa, where does it go from here if you don't expect a vote tonight and what does this mean forhe democrats? this was their chance euh r. >> reporter: this is the earnest beginning of

negotiations. at this beginning point, where this conversation is it behind closed doors, i have sources and yamiche reported this, too, e conversation seems to be around 2 trillion to 2.5 trillion. even some progressives said maybe they can accept something in that area. there's a big conversation about then what is it that gets cut. that's what they're going to have to do soon. but i think for the next week is going to be about what size that both sides can perhaps get teir hands around, probably not a firm number, but somewhere in the 2 to 2.5 trillion is what we're talking about now. i will also say it seems like this has been a chaotic week for democrats. speaker pelosi pledged a vote, didn't happen, that's not good for a speaker. i want to remind people the affordable care act took over eight months to get through congress and on that vote the affordable care act in the house, democrats lost 39 of their members, and they still passed it. here speaker pelosi can only lose three. that's why this is so much harder. the affordable care act was also

difficult. so this is really threading the finance of legislative needles. i was convinced by progressives and moderates that they are talking in unison and moving toward similar goals. buns they get to the details, it's going to get hard again. >> woodruff: they've known all along how tight this margin is. >> reporter: is that right. >> woodruff: we will see, lisa desjardins, amna nawaz, thank you both. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, drug-maker merck reported that its experimental pill reduces covid hospitalizations and deaths by 50% for those recently infected. the company plans to seek federal approval for the drug. we will have more on the potential of this new treatment after the news summary. california announced the nation's first statewide covid-19 vaccination mandate for schoolchildren. governor gavin newsom said

it will be phased in-- seventh through 12th grades, and then kindergarten through sixth-- as vaccines for different age groups win final f.d.a. approval. newsom said it is clear that vaccine mandates work. >> i think the evidence is rather overwhelming. they're getting people vaccinated. they're actually ending this pandemic. and if that's the intention-- to keep us healthy and safe and get our economy moving and get our kids back with all the benefits of in-person instruction-- then all i say is, let's get this done and let's get others to follow suit. >> woodruff: later, u.s. supreme court justice sonia sotomayor refused to block new york city's vaccine mandate for public school employees. it took effect this evening. the legal dispute continues in lower courts. also today, the high court said justice brett kavanaugh has tested positive for covid. he is fully vaccinated and shows no symptoms. the news came just ahead of the opening of the court's new term on monday. justices plan to hear arguments

in person for the first time since the pandemic began. the united nations condemned ethiopia today over its eatment of the rebel tigray region, and warned that millions are facing famine. the u.n.'s humanitarian office said civilians are in desperate need because the ethiopian governnt is blocking food aid. >> it is critically important that the humanitarian operation continues, and it does. we have a very high number of people in very urgent need in tigray. in fact, 5.2 million people there are in urgent need of assistance. >> woodruff: the world body has also charged that ethiopia had legal right to expel seven senior u.n. officials yesterday. the country's government accused the officials of meddling in its internal affairs. demonstrators in iraq today rked two years since nationwide protests demanding

political reform. roughly a thousand people marched in baghdad. many held photos of loved ones who were killed by security forces during the unrest. they also renewed calls for change, ahead of parliamentary elections next week. back in this country, a federal judge in texas is now considering whether to block the state's new abortion law. at a hearing in austin today, the u.s. justice department argued for an injunction. the texas law bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. it also lets private citizens enforce the ban by suing anyone who aids in an abortion. and on wall street, stocks opened october with gains, after slumping in september. the dow jones industrial average was up 482 points-- 1.4%-- to close at 34,326. the nasdaq rose 118 points. and the s&p 500 added 49. and, jimmy carter, the nation's

oldest living ex-president, turned 97 today. he marked the occasion quietly at his home in plains, georgia. mr. carter survived cancer in 2015, and he and rosalynn celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in july. still to come on the newshour: how a new drug could change the way covid is treated and reduce hospitalizations and deaths. the challenge to get hundreds of thousands of migrants in europe vaccinated. david brooks and jonathan capehart on the political precariousness of the president's economic agenda and, much more. >> woodruff: the country will pass another grim number this

weekend: 700,000 americans who have died from covid and related complications. the best way to stop the spread are vaccines, of course. but, throughout the pandemic, there have not been many good or easy treatment options. now, as william brangham reports, a new antiviral drug from merck offers hope for keeping patients infected with covi19 out of the hospital, and alive. >> that's right, judy, the only information we have about this drug comes from merck itself. federal regulators and regulators abroad haven't seen any of theirata. but an independent board reviewing the drug's initial trial said it should be stopped early because results were so promising. the company is now seeking approval for widespread use. to understand how this might help fight the pandemic, i'm joined again by dr. nahid bhadelia, an infectious disease

specialist ant boston university school of medicine where she runs the center for emerging infectious diseases, policy and research. dr. bhadelia, greato have you back on the "newshour". what do you make of this drug? is this a possible new tool for us? >> if the data pans out and the oral antiviral has been the missing speos in the way we respond to this pandemic, and the reason it's important is because currently the data presented this press release which of course it needs to validate shows if given in the first five days of illness reduce hospitalizations and death by 50% if people have at least one medical condition. compared to monocolonial antibodies, you can take this by mouth andmont colonial requires and fusion. if you can give something by mouth quily after diagnosis you're improving access of the drug to more pple, keeping

more people from getting into the hospital and reduce the time people are contagious which could reduce transmission as well. so a lot of promise there. one thing i will say is it needs to be linked with testing. we're limited a bit on the way we test. you have to have confirmed covid 19 to qualify to take the pill. but right now rapid tests, still plagued by shortages in many parts of the world and this country. >> reporter: you can't give the drug to the people who are infected if you can't figure out who's actually infected. so it's easier to use, you don't need to do it in a hospital, in a pill form, you don't need to refrigerate it like other dearns about the vaccines. are there other challenges? can we get a sense of how quickly this could be manufactured and distributed if it gets approved? >> i think that we have to hear from the manufacturer about their capacity, right. a couple of good things about this drug as well as potential caveats goes, one, it's not a

replacement for a vaccine because it is always gng to be better for you not to get inif we could. this is a drug you would get if you ended up getting infections or if you're in an undervaccinated area which are seeing high rates of hospitalizations, that will make a big impact. in terms of manufacturing, merck would have to create enough of the drug not just to have impact here but hopefully produce enough to distribute to parts to have the world where vaccines are not available more readily and where healthcare systems are overwhelmed by the appearance of every new variant of this virus. >> reporter: can you explain how that works? if ideally we get vanes to every nation and population that wants them but prior to that you're sort of describing this as sort of a bridge until vaccines get out there, how does this compare to what a vaccine does as far as its effect on the body? >> this is a drug and antiviral that stops the recommendation of

the virus by introducing is errors on how the virus copies itself. similar to some to have the hive drugs on the market that do the same type of work. it's a different technology than some of the messenger mrna vaccines. the manufacture may be less in multiple places. they might also be a bridge, william, if, for example, because of the way that they work, the antivirals might be a bit more resilient against new variants. so let's say a new variant appears on the scene, these drugs may actually be a bridge until we can have a beat to update the vaccine to have them address the variants. >> reporter: i know you are an infectious disease scientists but i want to ask you a social science question as well. every time we've seen a new treatment that comes out in this country, we've seen such divergent reactions to it.

we have the safe, effective vaccine that millions of people are suspect about, and, yet, those same people sometimes will embrace untested, unproven treatments for covid 19. let's just say this drug gets approved. do you have any sense of whether or not this would be embraced by people or whether this would be the subject of further conspiracy theories? >> well, i think disinformation and misinformation are a challenge that are unfortunately here to stay and, you know, i would not be surprised if there was some amount of misinformation and disinformation around these drugs as well. i think what hurts us is when those, you know, disinformation and misinformation pieces actually get amplified by larger media platforms around certain drugs or vaccines which is a highly effective vaccine. so i'm holding out my pessimism that despite having potential antiviral drug that is available that we may see scenarios where people won't take them because

they get politicized and i really hope we don't do that. >> reporter: let's hope when we see the data there is good news. ni occasion to be able to report that. dr. nahid bhadelia, always good to see you. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: as europe prepares for the new arrivals of refugees fleeing afghanistan, there are concerns that undocumented migrants already living on the continent are being left out when it comes to covid-19 vaccines. the european union has now inoculated over % of its population. but, in italy alone, around 700,000 migrants are thought to be flying under the radar. special correspondent lucy hough has this report from naples. >> reporter: frustration is running high. first, a wait for paperwork. now, a wait for the vaccine.

this pop-up vaccine clinic comes to the town of castel volturno, on the outskirts of naples, twice a week. each time, hundreds of people turn up, hoping for an appointment. but there are not enough doses to go around. for many people living here, this is the only opportunity to get a covid-19 shot. sergio serraino runs this center, operated by the aid group emergency. >> ( translated ): in this area, one of the problems we face is that italy organizes vaccine centers in big hubs, in big vaccination centers. but there are many people here-- poor italians, poor foreigners-- who have no car, and no way to reach this place. we've had to organize this center to help, but we don't have the space to allow more than 400 people to enter. >> reporter: italy, once the epicenter of covid-19 in europe, is now beginning its recovery from the pandemic. but, residents here in castel volturno say they feel

left behind. this was once a holiday destination for italy's uthern elite, but after becoming a hotspot for organized crime in the 1960s, its tourists and many residents left. now a portrait of neglect, its abandoned villas now house thousands of asylum seekers and undocumented people. abdoul thomas, from the gambia, is one of them. >> ( translated ): life is very hard. it's getting harder every day. >> reporter: he says being unvaccinated makes it more difficult for him to find work. >> ( translated ): i can't go out to work. if i don't go to work, who will help me? i have to survive. >> reporter: when italy started its vaccination program at the start of the year, those without a social security number were unable to book a slot. in june, the roll-out was opened to include migrants and the homeless-- around 700,000 people. but in practice, logistical and cultural barriers remain. online booking systems can still

difficult to access. here in castel volturno, distrust towards the vaccine runs high. the focus is now on outreach to those who feel uncertain, or luciano gualdieri is from the italian center for migrant medicine. >> ( translated ): one of the difficulties is getting information out there, about what is on offer, accessing hard-to-reach people who don't have documents or access to healthcare. but it can be challenging. there's a lot of misinformation out there about the vaccines, particularly astrazeneca. >> reporter: local authorities say there are around 35,000 undocumented foreigners living near naples who need to be vaccinated. this region of campania in southwestern italy was one of the first to offer undocumented people access to the vaccine. but a very small percentage of the undocumented are getting the shots, compared with the general population. that's a pattern repeating

that's across europe. there are an estimated 4.8 million unauthorized immigrants living in europe. experts are warning that failure to tackle low rates of vaccination in these vulnerable groups could prolong the pandemic. benedetta armocida is a researcher in public health at the university of geneva. >> ( translated ): covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequities. for example, factors that increase migrant's risk include working conditions, living conditions-- like living in an overcrowded accommodation-- lack of hygiene, and lower level of accessibility to public health services, incding public health messaging. >> reporter: back in december, the european c.d.c. recommended refugees and migrants be included in national vaccine strategies, but only a small number of e.u. countries have put that into practice. france and belgium are amongst those who have prioritized these groups since the start.

belgium runs mobile vaccine units in asylum and homeless centers to reach those without a permanent address. >> ( translated ): the question is, why is it important to vaccinate as many people as possible? it's not "what are your documents?" the virus doesn't differentiate if you have papers in belgium. so we need to vaccinate as many people as possible, to get rid of the masks, the covid measures we take nowadays. >> reporter: but elsewhere, it's a different story. in hungary, non-residents are all but barred from vaccine systems. greece still requires documents to register online. in germany, a law requires local authorities to alert immigration services about undocumented people. that risk of identification means many steer of the vaccine. advocates say european governments need to do more to address issues of trust. alyna smith works for a group

pushing for greater cooperation on migrant issues. >> ( translated ): what we've seen is the importance of countries being very clear in and strong in their commitments to respecting the right to data protection and confidentiality. so, proving that data that would become available, because a person is seeking to be vaccinated would not then be used for immigration control purposes, or anything not related to public health. >> reporter: europe is under pressure, facing a surge in case numbers of the delta variant. questions are already being asked about the inclusivity of its member states' healthcare systems. a fresh wave of migration of those fleeing afghanistan could add further strain. europe's vaccine roll-out may be nearing its final stages-- but many people, like these trying to get into castel volturno's vaccine pop-up, fear they will continue to be overlooked. for the pbs newshour, i'm

lucy hough in naples. >> woodruff: the british government is warning that the country's fuel crisis is likely to last for another week. gas stations across britain have had to shut down because a lack of truckers has caused huge supply difficulties. as special correspondent malcolm brabant reports from brighton, on the southern coast of england, the problems appear to be one of the side effects of brexit. >> reporter: illuminated gas station signs at night are like homing beacons for britain's fuel-starved drivers. it's nearly 2:00 in the morning, and i can't believe that i woke up half hour ago and thought, "ooh, i don't have any petrol. i'd better go and get some," because this is about the only time at night you can get it. that is, if you don't want to waste time, and even more fuel,

during daylight hours waiting in a gridlocked line at a gas station that's just had a delivery. sure enough, shortly after dawn, this facility was besieged. britain has 8,300 gas stations, and according to industry analysts, more than a arter of them are empty. for those who don't use public transport or cycle, the fuel famine is becoming what the understated british regard as irritating. artist jessica christie miller. >> i had my sister charlotte staying with me, who has learning difficulties, and i couldn't get her back to kent. my husband's broken his knee, and i have to get him to the hospital. it's getting expensive in taxis and alternative travel arrangents. >> reporter: what do you think is the real core reason? >> it's clearly a combination of brexitnd coronavirus, and a lack of being ppy to keep the same workers that we've had. >> reporter: she's not alone in blaming the crisis on britain's exit from the european union. many voters voted for brexit to

end the right of other europeans to live and work in britain. many of britain's truckers came from eastern europe. feeling underpaid, and unloved, thousands returned home during the pandemic. businessmen like usman ahmed are losing faith in the competence of boris johnson's conservative government. >> it's a bit farcical, to be honest. it's being run very poorly at the moment. >> reporter: can you solely blame the government for something like this? >> well, i think foresight would have been quite useful. >> reporter: it wasn't long before this gas station ran out of diesel. the government is spinning this as a temporary supply blip. it says it has a battalion of military drivers ready to go. it is also granting emergency visas to five thousand foreign drivers. business secretary kwasi kwarteng. >> i'm not guaranteeing anything. all i'm saying is that i think the situation is stabilizing. i think people realize that this will pass. >> reporter: just three miles from this gas station, at the labour party annual conference,

opposition leader keir starmer twisted the knife. >> prime minister-- either get a grip, or get out of the way, and let us step up and clear up this me. >> reporter: as thcrisis continues to bite, opinion polls suggest most britons would prefer starmer to boris johnson as prime minister. johnson, a former journalist, blamed the media for the crisis. >> unfortunately, there was a slightly misleading account of something which got leaked and caused a big, totally understandable surge in public demand. we think we can, you know, the actual number of lorry drivers that were short in that particular sector isn't-- isn't very big. >> reporter: btain is short of at least 90,000 truckers, and without them, supply chains for gas and other businesses are in jeopardy. business analyst nick peters worries that britain is becoming an international laughing stock. >> the great promise post-brexit was that the u.k. would be free to develop a new global power

base and become this entrepreneurial hotspot. the fact of the matter is, at the moment, that, given these crises, the country is riven with disagreements over how to go forward. people don't have any faith in the government at all. we're in a desperate time in this country at the moment, people looking at us from overseas and just wondering what the heck is going on? >> reporter: across the channel in brussels, european policy analyst sophie pornschlegel says britain's former partners are more concerned than amused. >> u.k. politicians, and especially brexiteers, really backed themselves into a corner, and now they can't get out of it. they said that we would have opportunities with brexit that just didn't happen, and what yosee now is the negative consequences to not have freedom of movement. >> reporter: the fear in britain is that this shortage is just a taste of things to come and it'll be even worse come christmas time. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcolm brabant in brighton.

>> woodruff: the national women's soccer league has suspended all of its weekend matches, amid allegations of sexual abuse of players by former coaches. amna nawaz is back with a look at the widening scandal. >> nawaz: judy, the games were postponed after the players demanded an end to what they call systematic abuse in the league. on thursday, north carolina's professional team, the courage, fired coach paul riley, following reports he sexually coerced multiple players. according to a report this week by "the athletic," riley coerced one player to have sex with him, forced two players to kiss one another, and sent unsolicited sexual pictures. the coach of the washington spirit was fired earlier this week after the "washington post" reported he verbally and emotionally abused players. this makes three coaches the national women's soccer league has fired in its ranks for misconduct since august.

i'm joined by molly hensley- clancy. she's an investigative sports reporter forhe "washington post." molly, welcome to the "newshour". thanks for joining us. this league is just a few years old. it's less than a decade old. this year alone three coaches fired since august. why are we learning about all this now? >> i think the simple answer is, up until this moment, players simply haven't felt able to speak out, they have been too afraid of losing their jobs and they haven't had the security to do it. in my case, i heard that players have been leaving the washington spirit because of verbal and emotional abuse by the coach richie burk, but it took a player going on the record, mcauliffe, she was able to speak out about what she endured and was the first person in the league to say what happened to her. i think yesterday this athletic story about paul riley had details that were absolutely harrowing that really cut to the heart of some of the stuff that

players have been going through, the sexual coercion, and it implicated the league in failures to really address the problem, andhat really angered a lot of players. >> reporter: we've seen outrage from some of the superstars of the sport. the players union has come out and basically said the league failed us, that league officials knew about the this going on and didn't do anything about it. so what do we know about what officials knew, when and what they did or didn't do? >> in the case of paul riley, alex morgan actually posted some e-mails on twitter that showed that one of riel's victims had gone to the league commissioner lisa bared in april and basically begged bared to open an investigation into the behavior. they had done a previous investigation in 2015 of him, the portland thorns found that he had violated their policies. he was dismissed or his contract wasn't renewed, and then he was hired back into the league

within months, and in this case, with lisa bared, she did not investigate the victims' claims and she eventually went to the press because she couldn't get the league to look into them. >> the league called off five day games scheduled for this weekend. have we heard anything else in response? >> no, lisa bared said she worked with the players to have this postponement but i think she's still absolutely under pressure. i think there are real questions about how riley was rehired. in the case of all the coaches fired or diissed this year, they've all faced previous allegations of misconduct. >> i reported richie burk had been accused of abuse at the washington spirit and he was fired anyway. so i think there was real questions about how coaches in the league kept getting hired into these jobs. >> reporter: all of this unfolded in a matter of several weeks. a lot of abuse scandals, once one story comes forward the dam

kind of breaks and more people come forward. is there a sense there could be more stories in this women's soccer leue? >> i think there is. when players feel faith, they will keep coming forward. i've heard of other stories. there's more to come out. the question is how is the league going to deal wit moving forward. >> reporter: one to have the things about the natiol women's soccer league a lot of people may not know is they associate the world superstars, and they play that their level, but most to have the women in this league are barely making a living playing a sport they love. what does all of this tell us about the power dynamic at play and the position this women are in? >> the wsl, there is no free agency at anytime, players can be traded at any moment at any point no matter how long they played for a team, and this is

all in the context of most of them making less than $30,000 a year. this year the players union raised this campaign where they're all working second jobs or many are just to get by. so i think that more than most professional men's sports league, you're right, there's this power imbalance and this dynamic where women don't have the economic power. the players i spoke to some who were afraid to go on the record, they couldn't lose their jobs because they were making $30,000 a year, and they were simply just economically not able to get by if they lost their jobs, and that's just the reality that most of them are facing. >> reporter: we'll be following your reporting on this story. molly hensley-clancy, sports investigative reporter for "the washington post." thank you so much for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: late today soccer's international governing body fifa says it opened an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations.

>> woodruff: and now, the analysis of brooks and capehart. that is "new york times" columnist david brooks, and jonathan capehart, columnist for the "washington post." as always, it is so good to see both of you. >> great to see you, too, judy. >> woodruff: thank you for being here. but what we are going to talk about first is the mess we were just describing it, jonathan, on capitol hill. they've gone day after day, they can't come to an agreement, the democrats can't come to an agreement on the president's priorities. he himself was there today. why is this so hard to get done? >> i think it's so hard to get done, judy, because democrats understand that, even though the presidential term is four years, the way the presidcy is these days, it's really just one year. nothing is going to get done in

washington on capitol hill come 2022 because of the 2022 midterms, and the fact that the house majority -- democratic house majority hangs in the balance in 2022, maybe even also the senate majority hangs in the balance, and, so, what's happening is democrats are trying to cram in every policy priority that they have into that reconciliation bill, and right now no one seems to want to give up their pet project. but we're getting down to the wire here where folks are going to have to decide what's your number one priority. you can't have everything. what's younumber one priority and how can we get to yes. and you call it a mess and it is a mess, but i think we're so unused to legislating that this is what's happening. usually it's between democrats and republicans. it's kind of hilarious it's democrats negotiating with democrats, but that's what's happening here. >> woodruff: hilarious, but

david for the speaker and the president and others, you know, they want to get this done and it's not happening. >> yesterday was definitely a setback for nancy pelosi, how many times in her years as leader have we seen her not in control of our caucus, that's rarely happened. she's not in control, didn't get the votes she thought she had yesterday, but i have the feeling they're coagulating their way toward a solution. may take weeks, but i think they'll get there. the difference between 1.5 and $3.5 trillion is a big difference, and that's why it's so hard. i think one thing that may clarify is that, what is this for? as jonathan said, this is for everything. it's the whole democratic agenda thrown into one thing. but they won't get everything. it will come down to 2 to 2.5 trillion. so how do we do that? to me, this is for, over the last 50 years, folks without a college education in some of the poorer parts to have the country have been left behind, and there are a lot of things in this

measure that would redistribute money from folks with a college degree who are doing well to folks without a college degree who need help both in the child subsidies, the jobs, and that would be a major accomplishment if we could rewrite some of the bad distribution happening over the past few years and show that we can respect the dignity of the people who have been left behind. and if you can have a $2.5 trillion bill that shows respect for those left behind, that's an amazing leggy for your presidency. >> woodruff: the progressives are clear that this is what they want, and i hate to put a label on everybody else, but the moderate, more moderate democrats are saying, wait a minute, it's too much money. what's at the heart of this division among democrats? >> well, i think what's at the heart is they all want to get this done. if you talk to them, do you support the bipartisan infrastructu plan, they all

do. do you want some to have the things that are in the -- do you want some of the things that ae in the reconciliation bill? they all want things thatare in the reconciliation bill. they have to focus on the contents rather than the price tag. i disagree with david this has been a setback for speaker pelosi smply because the talk are ongoing. if the talks had broken down and everyone had left washington, at would be one thing, but the president went to the hill, he talked to the conference from some of the reports i've heard, he made it very clear to them what he wants to do. i think that they will come to some sort of -- some sort of agreement that makes it possible to vote on the bipartisan plan while still punting down the road the work on the reconciliation bill. it has to happen because the democrats need it, but also it's the president's agenda. the progressives have been very smart in saying that this isn't us arguing, this is the president's plan.

we're not the radicals here, this is the president's plan. and at the end of the day, i think that's what's going to carry the day for this. .>> woodruff: and, david, the two figures we have been talking about throughout this process, senator kyrsten sinema of arizona, sator joe manchin of west virginia, the population of those two states together is 9 million people in a country with 330 million people. how do they have as much clout as they do? >> there are other moderates who hide behind their coattails. >> woodruf true. joe biden was elected as the most moderate member to have the democratic field. there are moderates who probably worry about the spending. joe manchin, some things i'm not crazy about, but when he says we should means test and not be subsidizing middle class people with pre-k education but focusing our money on those most in need, that's not a stupid

argument. and testing could be a way to bring the cost of this down. there will be decisions made, if they have to bring it down by a trillion, are we going to do medicare expansion and climate change? what the progressives seem mad about now, seems like some of the climate change stuff may be on the chopping block. the worst thing they could do is keep every little piece of the bill but just make it cheaper, and that would ensure that they did everything badly. so that you've really got to make some priorities. and if it comes to shove, joe biden's got to say, okay, here's the compromise i support. you're going to support your president or are you not. and i think they will get to that. when i hear the democrats talking, i do not hear them with a wrecking ball, i hear them getting to yes bugetting the most. >> woodruff: due agree they should cut everything to get to a lower number? >> depends on how you have define "cut." one of the options i've heard is this is a ten-year plan.

so if you have the child tax credit, say, or free communit college over ten years, well, what if you scale it back to five years? how much does that bring down the cost of this infrastructure plan? susan del benny the chair of the democrats, she's all about let's do a few things well and then be able to show the american people that we've got this done. so if you shrink the number of years of the program carries over, then that brings down the cost. if you focus on a few things and do them well, that would bring town the cost, but they've got to do something to get everyone to yes. >> there's a little smoke and mirrors. we all know it's going to be permanent. you're just not counting the money you're actually spending so there's a little chicanery in some of the clips. >> woodruff: a little chicanery. just from both of you, how much

president biden has riding on this. he has to get this done, is that fair to say? >> yes, absolutely. as the progressives have been arguing correctly, this is the president's agenda. it's called the build back better act, that's his whole campaign slogan. and he ran on everything that is in that bill, and if a democratic house and a democratic senate cannot pass, get that democratic president's agenda passed, then what's their argument in 2022 to be left in the majority and his argument in 2022 to be reelected. that's what's so important. >> the weakness is confidence. if you can't be confident, he would be in real trouble. >> woodruff: 2022, 2024, but there are two elections happening this year for governors, one of them, new jersey, we think we know what's going to happen there, but in the state of virginia, jonathan, you have the former governor.

>> right. >> woodruff: deocrat terry mcauliffe facing off against glenn youngkin who worked in private equity for 25 years. this race is closer than the democrats have seen in a while. democrats are nerves. and we've got just a clip of a debate in the last few days between in youngkin and terry mcauliffe. >> there is an over and under on how many times you were going to say donald trump and it was ten and you just busted through it. you're running against glenn youngkin. who knows who's going to be running for president in 2024. who knows. if he's the republican nominee, i'll support him. >> here's my message to congress, i am really sick and tired of all of them. you know what? they ought to follow the virginia model. we got things done. that's why so many republicans have endorsed me. we do things in a bipartisan way. they have to stop the little chitty chat up there. >> woodruff: you get a taste to have the debate from at, jonathan, is terry mcauliffe talking about we need more

bipartisanship but with glenn youngkin who has been endorsed by president trump and said he would vote for him if trump were the nominee, how to you see this contest. >> well, look, when terry mcauliffe won the democratic primary, i saw someone very close to him and i asked, i said, you know, congratulations, this is a crowded field, you won the primary, and, so, now what's it looking like in the general? and the person said to me, that was the easy part. glenn youngkin is someone who's not going to be easy. so what we have in terry mcauliffe is someone who always runs as if he's 50 points behind, but the fact that terry mcauliffe came out of the gate understanding the challenge that glenn youngkin poses i think puts him in the right mindset to tackle him. the thing about in that clip you just showed of glenn youngkin saying, you know, and you can

say donald trump all the time, donald trump is a motivator for the democratic base, and that's exactly what terry mcauliffe is going to need if he is going to turn the slim poll majorities he has within the margin of error and some of them into electoral victory. >> woodruff: what does this look like to you? >> the think that virginia's turned blue, they're head winds for democrats because to have the president's approval ratings about covid. what struck me about the race is the strongest argument mcauliffe can make against youngkin is you're a republican returningen says i'm kind of republican but not really. and youngkin's strongest argument is mcauliffe, you're a democrat, and he says i'm not like the washington democrats. so the parties are not popular. i'm kind of but not in the party, they're both doing the

dance pretty effectively. you still have to think it's a democratic state, if mcauliffe loses i would think that would be a sign of national head winds for them. >> wdruff: i mean, the question, one of the questions about this race, as both of you are saying, jonathan, is how much of a factor is president trump on the ticket a year after he -- this governor's race they'll vote in early november. how much of a factor is donald trump? >> it's a factor because for democrats he's a motivator. people are still angry at him for what he did to the country in the administration. youngkin's answer of, well, if he's the nominee, i'll vote for him. if donald trump isn't the nominee, that republican is going to be a maga-esque person. and, so, for democrats, it's, okay, not trump, but we still have to worry about republicans. so that's why i think donald trump is a major factor in this. to your point about, you know, they don't want to be part of the party, one of the reasons terry mcauliffe is saying, you

know, washington, get your act together, basically pass this bill, yeah, he's running away from them now, but if they end up passing the bipartisan bill, he's going to be a very proud democrat. >> the man did run the democraticarty for a while. >> woodruff: but there was a day every republican running from now certainly until 2022 and 2024, as long as donald trump is around, is going to be asked, you know, what's your connection to donald trump. >> right, and it's going to be problematic but i think his moderate success so far in the polls at least is to say you can do it, i'm from virginia, this is not national politics, i'm from virginia. but who knows what donald trump is about to do. he might say, if you're not 100% with me i'm going to come out against you and that would be reallyoison us for any republican. so does donald trump want republicans to win races? not clear. >> woodruff: he chastid youngkin and other republicans who haven't been sufficiently embracing. >> yeah, he was in georgia and

he said nice things about stacey abrams because brian kemp did sothing he didn't like. >> woodruff: all right. we are going to leave it >> woodruff: and on the newshour online right now, tik-tok can be more than just a platform for humor. it can also acas a tool for soal advocacy. online, we examine how indigenous content creators are sharing their culture and calls for justice. that's on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. and for more analysis of democrats' division on infrastructure, and increasing distrust in government and science, join moderator yamiche alcindor and her panel on tonight's "washington week," later this evening on pbs. tomorrow's edition of pbs newshour weekend looks at how a group of former vietnamese refugees in seattle is helping newly-arriving afghan refugees. and, a behind-the-scenes look with the cast and author of

"tina, the tina turner musical," as the show prepares to reopen on broadway. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here on monday evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, please stay safe, and have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the landscape has changed, and not for the last time. the rules of business are being reinvented, with a more flexible workforce, by embracing innovation, by looking not only at current opportunities, but ahead to future ones. resilience is the ability to pivot again and again, for whatever happens next. >> people who know, know b.d.o.

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