>> this is "eyewitness news upclose." >> former new york mayor bloomberg, with a dramatic sense of timing, decides not to enter the presidential race. and his decision on the eve of the michigan primary, which hillary clinton, the next day, lost in a stunning defeat to bernie sanders. did mr. bloomberg make his decision a little too quickly? we ask mr. bloomberg's pollster as we take a look at this wild and sometimes uncouth presidential race. and he's the former chancellor of the new york city schools, a pressure-cooker of a job but these days, dennis walcott more concerned about the dewey decimal system than the common core. we talk to the new c.e.o. of the queens public-library system. good morning, everyone. i'm bill ritter. former mayor bloomberg worth, according to forbes,

he could have easily self-funded a presidential race and not have to resort to brown-bagging his lunch to recoup the money. but this last week, he finally made up his mind. he will not run. mr. bloomberg writing, quoting now... bloomberg accusing his fellow new york billionaire of running, quoting again... joining us this morning, political analyst and pollster doug schoen. he conducted a poll for mr. bloomberg when he was considering a run for president. and political consultant hank sheinkopf. did mr. bloomberg exit too early? >> i don't think so, bill. the work we did that he cited suggested that almost certainly his entry into the race, and his potential to get five states, maybe about 75 electoral votes against donald trump and hillary clinton would potentially have deadlocked the

college, throwing it into the house, and conceivably electing mr. trump or mr. cruz, as the mayor suggested in his statement. >> but if clinton has trouble, hank, getting to the magic number that she needs, and sanders for some reason has a way, a path to this nomination, would bloomberg have looked back and say, "oh, i wish i had done that"? >> mike bloomberg, very smart, very sharp, and likes to win, made the right decision for himself based upon the findings very public. go back a second to sanders, though. the worst thing that could happen to hillary clinton is for bernie sanders to keep banging her around as he's been doing on elitist kinds of issues, talking about the speeches to wall street. because this whole election, and mayor bloomberg cites it, is divisive and troubled, is based upon these kinds of distinctions where people have engaged in the most vitriolic kind of rhetoric. >> but bloomberg was not talking about the sanders criticism. >> but it's a lot of the same, okay? trump and sanders are very much related in their rhetoric. >> i think maybe in their appeal

it is, and having this, you know, get the -- from the outside, we want an outsider to take over. doug. >> well, the mayor has a, i think, distinctive and decisive role to play going forward, trying to bring people together, promote common-sense, non-ideological solutions. and he reached the judgment, and i think it was the fair and correct one, that the chance that he would further divide and polarize and produce an outcome he didn't want to produce was very hard. so i think he made the right judgment. i think hank is speaking to another point, which is bernie sanders, who speaks to the core of the left wing of the democratic party has the further chance of polarizing and dividing that party. i think hillary will still be the nominee. but hank is absolutely right. if she faces an emboldened bernie sanders, this could go down to the wire, to the convention, further weakening her. >> and she hobbles into the convention battered, beaten, you know, on crutches, broken legs

>> doug's made some very important points. and there's another way to think about this. he strengthens trump because trump looks likely to be the nominee today. trump, people think, is hobbled, when you talk to east coast intellectuals and west coast intellectuals. they are in for a big surprise. the great heartland is so disgusted by what it sees around it, and the way that this two, now becoming three economic systems that -- you know, the automization and robotization of jobs in the midwest is a very, very serious social problem and political problem. you know, the appeal is very clear. >> this theory has been presented to mr. sanders, senator sanders, and he -- you know, he pshaws it. he says that absolutely it's rubbish. and in his mind, i'm sure it is. >> well, what isn't rubbish is that on tuesday, i guess it's in missouri and illinois and ohio, bernie sanders, i think, is gonna be very, very competitive with secretary clinton. in florida, north carolina, i think secretary clinton has a

but this election is about, really, two parties that are in revolt and rebellion. and it's becoming polarized, and i think it's very hard to predict an outcome of the fall election given the two likely candidates, trump and clinton. >> the rap from the beginning about hillary clinton was she might make a very good president, but she's not necessarily a great candidate, and we're seeing that happen, right? >> she's acknowledged as much. hank, i don't think she's been a particularly effective campaigner. >> lousy campaigner. good ideas. better in smaller settings. if you note, when she gets into smaller groupings, she does very well. but on the big stage, she does badly. and this week, she said it quite openly, that she's just not a good candidate. >> and it's not her forte, you know, to actually get on there. unlike her husband who, of course, charms people from those kind of positions. >> exactly. >> yeah. let's talk about the republicans now. we showed a clip of donald trump. the last debate among the republicans -- talk about a change of strategy on everybody. there was very little vitriol. no seventh-grade, you know,

no venom coming out of the candidates' mouths. this was white-flag time in a lot of ways. they talked about issues for the first time. >> here's what i think is happening very quickly. donald trump knows he has to sound more presidential. he did. he has to unify. he was trying to. marco rubio, who was one engaging in the seventh-grade histrionics, realized to salvage his reputation, he had to clean up his act. and ted cruz, i think, is playing a waiting game, hoping to get a one-on-one contest with trump after this tuesday to try to beat him. >> and yet we have, hank, reports from ohio where the rubio supporters are urging people to vote for kasich so he stays in the race and, more importantly, blocks trump from winning in ohio. >> you know, look, it's all well and good. unless we see real polls and real data, we don't know. but one thing is sure. people are out of work or underemployed, which is the real issue. ronald reagan's handlers understood, in 1984, what underemployment meant, and they

none of these guys get the point. those folks -- except trump understands it in a kind of an emotional and almost this -- he's got this kind of unbelievable feel for it. he gets it. these guys can play all the games they want. the great electorate has something else to say. >> a billionaire -- that's the conundrum of donald trump. a billionaire supposedly running as a "semi-populist" with the understanding of the common people who are in trouble financially. >> bill, his presentation is an accessible one, it's an open one, and it's one, i think, that people can relate to easily. even if you disagree with him or disagree vehemently, i think cruz and rubio and even kasich are professional politicians, and they sound that way. >> donald trump, you have said it from the beginning, has a higher negative rating than any other candidate. is that gonna hurt him in the general election? can he overcome that? >> dr. schoen polled it this week. he can tell you. >> what i would say is that if

will be, is a referendum on secretary clinton, or on whether we want an obama third term, it'll be a much closer election than the polls are now showing. >> could we see -- your pollings show that we could see a president donald trump? >> i think it's conceivable. i'd still make hillary the favorite. i certainly see her as the, at this point, favorite. but i wouldn't rule out a trump presidency. >> could you also see a trump/sanders race? >> no. that, i can't see. it seems pretty clear that secretary clinton will be the nominee. it may be tough. but what is going on here, and what is so important long-term is that both parties are in very, very serious trouble. and the coalitions that have made them up over this period of time, let's say since 1980 in one case, and maybe even before that, are absolutely falling apart. >> and they're not gonna come back even for the next election, either, right? >> yeah, i'll make a prediction here. it is possible we could have two conventions this summer where

serious fissures, serious divisions, and the potential of even breaking up. >> what a remarkable presidential season. >> it really is. >> doug schoen, hank sheinkopf, thank you both. >> thanks for having us. >> all right. we'll see you next time. just ahead on "upclose," move over teacher's union. make room for the dewey decimal system. former new york city schools chancellor dennis walcott with a new job. still helping kids learn, but not in school. this time, it's in the public library. mr. walcott joins us next. is that coffee? yea, it's nespresso.

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>> welcome back to "upclose." $27 billion. that is the budget of the new york city school system. bigger than the budgets of nearly 30 states. running it an enormous and enormously pressure-pack job. so what does the chancellor of the schools do after he leaves that job? in the case of our next guest, dennis walcott, well, he goes to the library and becomes its c.e.o. dennis, welcome back to "upclose." >> it's pleasure. great seeing you again. >> so, on monday morning, you show up for your new job. >> i have my desk already ready on the main floor of the library. i'm not taking an office at all. >> so, when you walk in, you see dennis walcott, the c.e.o. >> you will see me as you walk in the main door, to the left. i saw it on friday, and it's looking really nice. and it's just a plain cubicle on the floor of the library. and it's really to set the tone, that i am there and looking to work with the people who are the patrons of the library.

the 65 branches and sites of the queens library system, and with a goal of getting to all of them within a month period of time. >> you gonna make it? >> oh, easily. easily. >> it's a huge system. more than 60 branches. >> it is a large system. probably the most diverse system in the country. i mean, it's the borough of queens. and earlier during the week, i was at the flushing library. and i got there a little early. it was really nice. i got there early before an event, and i was able to find a little spot before i was busted by the staff, and had my book with me. >> that's the boss. >> and sat down and read for around a half an hour. but the diversity of flushing, the diversity of the system is just amazing. and the type of programs -- in preparing for you, i was looking online at some of our programs, and i saw something about stem for toddlers. i mean, it's just a wide array of programs and services, in addition to books and various media platforms available to the patrons. >> we have seen -- i think the

people that, you know, libraries, the budgets have been cut and they're in tough times and a lot of people don't use them anymore. but you're seeing a different side of that, because i know you believe that a lot of people use and need libraries. >> i can give you a real number, in that there will be a million people who will go through one branch or another of the queens system alone. a million people. and they use them like crazy. and money has been restored. more money needs to go to the system itself. i mean, six-day service is there, but we want to make sure that that money -- it's what's called in city terms baseline, so it's not something that the library system has to worry about. and our goal is to work with the administration to try to get that money baseline. but the volume is there of the individuals who are taking advantage of the libraries. and it's from little people to senior citizens, and people in help. >> and is it one crucial component of the issue that people in this city talk about

income inequality? >> well, it is a major component of making sure we narrow that gap, and ideally eliminate that gap. the library is the vehicle for people to get free technology. i mean, when you think about it, people go to the library to use technology. and libraries, whether it's queens, brooklyn, or new york, have really remodeled themselves to make sure technology's a part of that. and looking at apps and looking at hot spots and all the other pieces to make sure that communities, especially those that have been disconnected from technology, have an opportunity to take full advantage of that. >> so, those people who have not been to the library for a while, what are they gonna see that's different? what did you see that's different than the last time you were there? >> well, it's really interesting, in that prior to being selected, in preparation for interviews, i would go around to a lot of the libraries in my hoodie and my sneakers and my jeans and ease in. and what i see are people who were really respectful of the services of the library. they're there studying. they're there using old-fashioned books.

they're getting tax information. it serves as an after-school spot for students and teen rooms who are there. toddler time in the morning. so, it's a wide array of programs and services, and now on a six-day-a-week basis. and our goal is to make sure we're able to continue the six-day-a-week, but to expand it as well. >> and it's focus is, for those who want to work, you know, we can all work at home. we have computers and everything. but, you know, you get distracted. you know, you got to go do the laundry, and the phone rings, and the kids are yelling, or whatever it is. this is a time to focus. >> well, that, and then it's interesting in that a number of them have quiet rooms, as well. i mean, before, it was thought that the libraries were just totally quiet, but there's a lot of interaction taking place between people and the librarians who are there, people with themselves. and we've set aside specific space, though, that's quiet-room time. and so there are a variety of opportunities for people to take advantage of at the libraries. >> okay. let me talk about some other things, because you are the former chancellor of the new york city school system. >> that's true. >> and i know you still keep track of what's happening. >> i read the newspaper every

>> the graduation rates under your tenure, and under the tenure of the mayor you worked for, mayor bloomberg, went up. >> 43%. >> and they're still going up, and they've gone up since you left. >> they have. >> so, the schools are on the right track? >> yeah. i mean, let me talk about a couple of things. one, the graduation rate went up while we were in office 43%. even more importantly, the dropout rate was cut in half. it went down by 50%. and what mayor de blasio and the chancellor have done is been able to build on that. and they've been very respectful of giving the prior mayor, mayor bloomberg, and prior chancellors credit for the foundation that was laid for them to continue to achieve success, as well. so, they're doing things, some of them differently, but they're doing it. and there's only one chancellor at a time, and i have to respect that. >> and you have been involved in education in this city, if i've got this right, from 1985? is that right? >> well, in a variety of ways. i was a kindergarten teacher back in 1977. >> okay. so, before '85. >> before '85. and then i was on the old board of ed that we abolished in

i was a trustee of a board that took over the board in central harlem by rudy crew, i think in 1996. so, i've been involved in education in a variety of ways. and while the library is a library -- and i want to be very clear about that. it's not just an after-school program or a community service. it is a library. there's a natural connection between the library system and the department of education. so we look forward to really even taking that partnership to a higher level. >> former chancellor places a call, and the people are gonna probably take your call. let me talk about your former boss. this last, former mayor bloomberg -- >> a great guy. a really great guy. >> and you still talk to him, i take it? >> i see him, talk to him, we e-mail each other. we're in communication with each other. >> he decided this last week not to enter the race for president. have you talked to him about that? >> we've not communicated directly about that, but we've had conversations just in general. i think it's the country's loss, but he made a decision. but i like to brag about him, much, sometimes, to his dismay. because i don't think people

philanthropic individual he is and the type of money he gives out, the type of causes he helps tremendously, not just here in the united states but throughout the world, addressing some very serious issues. and i think he would have brought that type of attention and detail to the united states as well. >> do you think he should have run? were you disappointed that he dropped out? >> i would have loved to see him run. i think he would have added a very intelligent discussion point to a number of the issues and challenges we face in this country, and move it away from a tabloid headline. but the reality is he made a decision, and we have to respect that decision. >> dennis walcott, always a pleasure. and tomorrow morning, when you start your day one in your new job, we'll be thinking of you. monday morning. >> when the doors open up at 9:00 at the central library in queens, people will just have to take a look to the left, and they will see me in a meeting already set up with a number of people throughout the day. >> good luck. >> thank you, sir. it's a pleasure. always a pleasure. >> always a pleasure to see you, too. thank you, dennis. when we come back, so, what did you do in summer when you were a kid? some of the kids these days, if they can, look beyond just

they try to get jobs. coming up next, the man who helps hire 54,000 kids in new york city for summer jobs, and it's a very important program. we'll be right back. all across america families are coming back to time warner cable for a whole new experience. that's because we've been working hard to give you better service, and it shows. we came back for internet speeds so fast even the kids are impressed. oh she's impressed. we're catching up on movies and shows on demand just as fast as we can watch them. for $89.99 a month you'll get

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no growth-promoting antibiotics, just honest, simple turkey. >> welcome back to "upclose." it is still winter, of course, but for many, summer is on their minds. new york city now taking applications for summer jobs. more than 54,000 young new yorkers worked at 9,000 work sites last summer in all five boroughs. applications now will be taken until april 15th. i recently asked bill chong, the man in charge of the program, to explain how this works, and why it narrows the inequality gap. >> the summer youth employment program is the largest and oldest summer-jobs program in the country.

applications, usually in early march, and through mid-april. and last year we got 130,000 applications. because so many young people apply for this job, we select them through a lottery because that's the fairest way that a young person can be picked. >> because the number of people who want jobs outnumber the number of people -- number of jobs you have, right? >> last year, we had 130,000 applications, and we filled 54,000 jobs. and rather than rely on a situation where young people have to know someone, we think it's better that they apply, open process. opportunity. >> because otherwise the people who know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody say, "hey," you know, "cousin, i'd like you to put my kid to work." >> one of the young men who ran the summer youth employment program for many years could never get in the program because he didn't know anyone. >> [ sighs ] >> so we changed that 10 years ago when the program was transferred to our agency.

it? bit here. how important is it for these summer? >> well, i use myself as an example. it was my first job. in 1973, i worked with the community group in chinatown. and not only did it teach me the basics of working -- showing up on time, learning how to work with people -- but it exposed me to community service. >> so you're not just the commissioner of this program. >> i'm an alumni. >> and it certainly paid off, didn't it? >> well, i think at the time -- i look back now some 40 years -- that it was the first exposure i had to community service. and i realized i enjoyed it. and so it influenced my career choices just like daymond john, who has done a public-service announcement for us, said his experience taught him everything about the importance of work. and he went on to be very successful. >> all right, so, all these thousands of jobs. what kind of jobs are they, how much do they pay? >> at the very least, minimum wage.

modell's, which was a jobsite in every store last year, to our more competitive internship programs at pandora, where we had young people learning the business from the inside out. we had a young woman last year working at amalgamated bank who was going to school at baruch, got a job during the school year. so, the whole point of this is not only to introduce young people to work, but to help align the summer-job experience with something that interests them as a career. >> and how about the infrastructure needs that this city has -- pothole filling, all that kind of stuff? >> well, so, all sorts of things, from cleaning parks to a new jobsite we're developing this year, asset mapping, where 200 young people are gonna be working in east tremont, east harlem, and brownsville mapping community assets. and maybe being future community commissioners. >> so this is not just busywork. >> no. >> these are jobs that actually >> yes.

people to different careers. and so last summer, we launched a three-year campaign to expand the number of private employers. so, historically, we've been under 30% ever year. last year, we went from 28% to 35%. we hope to get to 40% to 45%. and these are almost 10,000 work sites. so, the secret to the success of this program is we start early. this year, the first meeting of the hundred groups that run the program was a few days before the record snowstorm. >> wow. >> last year, it was eight degrees outside when we had the meeting. but to run a good summer six-week program, it takes six months of hard work by hundreds of community organizations. >> though it doesn't seem to be an eight-degree kind of month of march, that's for sure. tell me about the demographics of the people who apply. do you have any kind of metrics on those? >> 80% of them are low-income young people. surprisingly, more young girls than young men. last two summers, it's been 57%

it's a lottery, so i think that speaks to how more prepared young women are to enter the workforce than young men. you know, it reflects the demographics of the city as far as african-americans, latino, asian. we really were purposeful in where we located these programs. we targeted neighborhoods that high youth unemployment. so it doesn't surprise us that 80% of them are low-income. >> and how important is this for these kids? and i know you think it's important for the future, but for the current -- you know, not going home for summer and just sitting around going to the park and watching television and playing on your computer? >> well, you know, there was -- last year, the wharton business school released a nine-year study of our program and found young people who got a job were less likely to go to jail and less likely to die a violent death. they followed them for nine years using irs data, and found that there was a discrepancy between the young people who got a job versus those who didn't. >> you know, we've already seen so many studies about the

happens when kids go to camp or get a job, keep active, versus the kids that just go and sit around and don't do anything. and what happens, that gap from june to september, and the learning curve of those kids that don't do anything. >> no, the summer learning loss is real, and we try to make these work experience engaging, educational. that's why, last year, we started working with programs to teach young people how to code. 'cause those are the skills of the future. and so it's not the same summer youth employment program i was in 43 years ago, and we want to change with the times. >> okay. how do you apply? let's say we have children, people in the audience have children... >> they can call 311 and be tied into how to get the application. >> is there a more direct way? 'cause a lot of people say, "with 311, i got to wait, i got to go --" >> they can go to our website... >> there you go. >> ...www.nyc.gov/dycd. >> and the odds of getting a job if you apply, again? >> well, actually, it's better than people think, because when

they've found other jobs, they will decline. so, last year, 62% of the young people who were offered jobs accepted. so, there's a good chance, if you apply, you'll get accepted. >> and again, go to that website, nyc.gov, or call 311. commissioner for new york city's department of youth and community development bill chong. we thank him for being here. we had summer jobs, we had public libraries, and politics. a lot happening on this edition of "upclose." if you missed any of today's program, you can catch it again on our website, abc7ny. thank you all for watching. i'm bill ritter. and for all of us here at channel 7, enjoy the rest of

>> buenos d^as y bienvenidos. good morning. welcome once again to "tiempo." i'm joe torres. latina 50 plus is a newly created organization that honors hispanic females over 50 for being trailblazers in their professions. in return, those pioneers set out to mentor, to motivate, to coach and inspire the younger latina generation. we'll tell you how they do that in just a few minutes. right now, though, we focus on the borough with the largest percentage of latinos. what borough is that, everyone? the bronx. there we go. according to a 2014 u.s. census bureau report, 54.8% of bronxites are latinos, more than half the borough.