JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: The president heads to Walter Reed hospital, after he and the first lady test positive for COVID-19.

What it means for him and the country.

Then: one-on-one with Leon Panetta.

How the former defense secretary, CIA head, and White House chief of staff sees this moment.

And it's Friday.

Mark Shields and David Brooks weigh in on this uncertain time, so close to the American election.

All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour."

(BREAK) JUDY WOODRUFF: President Trump is being taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, tonight, after testing positive for the coronavirus overnight.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that he is experiencing -- quote -- "mild symptoms" and was to be airlifted to the military hospital, she says, out of an abundance of caution.

There are reports tonight that the president's symptoms include a low-grade fever, fatigue, nasal congestion, and cough.

McEnany said he is expected to stay at Walter Reed for several days and will work from the hospital's presidential suite.

Word of his positive test raised more questions than it answered, and brought much uncertainty to the state of the presidential campaign and beyond.

Our White House correspondent, Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: The global pandemic hitting home at the White House, President Trump now infected with the very virus he's been fighting to contain, while at the same time downplaying.

Today, in a tweet at 12:54 a.m., the president announced that both he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus.

He wrote -- quote -- "We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately."

In the meantime, the White House scrambled to do contact tracing, and officials there expressed optimism.

The chief of staff, Mark Meadows: MARK MEADOWS, White House Chief of Staff: The American people can rest assured that we have a president that is not only on the job.

He will remain on the job.

And I'm optimistic that he will have a very quick and speedy recovery.

He has mild symptoms.

As we look at that, the doctor will continue to provide expertise.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: And White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany spoke on FOX News this afternoon.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, White House Press Secretary: He's having mild symptoms, but he's feeling good.

He's in good spirits.

I spoke to him last night, and he absolutely was hard at work.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: But that revelation comes hours after news broke that Hope Hicks, a close Trump adviser who traveled with the president this week, had the virus.

That sparked immediate concern of exposure amongst the president's inner circle and Washington's top officials.

This morning, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, announced they tested negative.

Pence's doctor said he does not need to quarantine.

The health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, who testified before Congress today on political interference in the U.S.' COVID response, also tested negative.

But news broke this morning that Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tested positive on Wednesday.

She was last with the president last Friday.

Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, tested negative for the virus.

He said in a tweet that he - - quote -- "will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president."

The president's infection upends an already unprecedented campaign.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I don't wear masks like him.

Every time you see him, he's got a mask.

I put a mask on, you know, when I think I need it.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: The president has long downplayed the virus, and cast doubt on the necessity of social distancing and facial coverings.

DONALD TRUMP: That's a little bit like the flu.

It's a little like the regular flu that we have flu shots for.

And we will essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: And back in March, he told journalist Bob Woodward in a phone interview that he intentionally downplayed the virus' severity.

DONALD TRUMP: I wanted to always play it down.

I still like playing it down... BOB WOODWARD, The Washington Post: Yes, sir.

DONALD TRUMP: ... because I don't want to create a panic.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: At the presidential debate this week, he claimed his large campaign rallies aren't risky events.

Critics quickly pointed out that former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain died of coronavirus after attending one of the president's indoor rallies in Oklahoma.

At a charity dinner before his positive test result last night, the president was optimistic that the pandemic would end soon.

DONALD TRUMP: The end of pandemic is in sight.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Meanwhile, hospitalizations have hit their highest levels since May in at least nine states across the U.S. National cases have surpassed 7.2 million.

This morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hopes President Trump's positive test result is a turning point in his attitude toward the virus.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): This is tragic.

It's very sad.

But it also is something that, again, going into crowds unmasked and all the rest, was sort of a brazen invitation for this to happen.

Sad that it did, but I'm nonetheless hopeful that it'll be a transition to a saner approach to what this virus is all about.

MAN: President, America, Donald Trump.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Today, global markets quickly fumbled, as news of his infection broke around the world.

President Trump is not the first head of state to test positive for the virus, among them, the U.K.'s prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

World leaders sent the president their well-wishes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a memo that he is sending sincere support to President Trump.

But some struck a more critical note.

The French president's spokesman Gabriel Attal said the president's infection is "a sign that the virus spares no one, including those who are the most skeptical about its reality and gravity."

JUDY WOODRUFF: And Yamiche joins me now from the White House, along with our Lisa Desjardins, who is in Maine tonight reporting on the Senate race there Hello to both of you.

And, Yamiche, I'm looking separately at pictures from the White House.

It seems that they are, at this point, not allowing the press to see the president as he leaves the White House building and goes to a awaiting helicopter.

But what do we know, at this point, about the president's health and how it got to this point?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: This is a remarkable moment for this White House, where the president of the United States, arguably the most protected American in the country, could not protect himself or his workplace from the coronavirus pandemic.

White House officials say that, out of an abundance of caution, the president is being moved to Walter Reed Hospital.

They say that he is going to be working there, and that he is in good spirits, that he is experiencing mild symptoms.

There are reports he had a low-grade fever, some sort of nasal congestion, as well as fatigue.

The White House doctor says that he feels as though the president is going to be continuing to be looked at and monitored around the clock.

In terms of treatment, the president has been given one infusion of an experimental or promising, I'm told, cocktail of antibody medicines that are aiming to help him.

The president is also, the doctor says, taking vitamin D and zinc and a daily aspirin.

The president though, how we got here is a critical question.

And it's a question that is really to be answered, at least in part, when you look at the president's calendar and his extensive travel over the last few days.

So, to put up for people -- I hope we can put up that graphic -- we looked at -- he had four rallies between now and last Thursday.

Last Thursday, September 24, he was in a rally in Jacksonville, Florida.

The following days, he was in Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Last Saturday, he was in the Rose Garden with Amy Coney Barrett, the judge that he has nominated to the Supreme Court.

Then, on Tuesday, September 29, he traveled to Cleveland for the presidential debate.

And this is really where things get critical for this time period to pay close attention.

On Wednesday, September 30, the president, along with his family and Hope Hicks, who has tested positive now, traveled to Minnesota.

That night, she was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The next day, after the president knew that Hope Hicks had been diagnosed, he traveled to Bedminster, New Jersey, for a fund-raiser overnight.

And, overnight, we learned on Thursday that he himself tested positive for the virus.

So, I pressed the White House today, and a number of reporters pressed the White House, why did the president travel after he knew that Hope Hicks tested positive?

I'm told that the White House operations cleared the president to travel.

Another thing that's a big question, how is this going to impact the president's work schedule?

How is he going to be able to lead the nation while he has this virus?

We're told that he's going to work from Walter Reed, and that he's been working from the White House.

But there are a lot of health officials that are saying, this is a he president who's 74 years old, who is overweight, and who is part of the high-risk group that we have been talking about over and over again for people who could have complications for this coronavirus.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, just very quickly, Yamiche, what have we seen with regard to the president's often disregard for guidelines from the CDC that masks be worn, that there be social distancing?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, this is a White House that has not abided by its own health guidances.

The president has said that he does not like wearing masks, that he doesn't feel like he needs to wear them.

He's had rally after rally where we have seen people shoulder to shoulder, not social distancing.

Here at the White House, I can tell you, today, on a day where all of this news is breaking, we saw at least three officials without masks.

That's the White House chief of staff, Larry Kudlow, a top White House economic adviser, as well as Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary.

As they were talking to me, and as they were talking to other reporters, they were not masked.

So, that underscores that this is a White House, even while it's in the midst of this outbreak, this issue that they're dealing with, this chaos, they are not still wearing masks.

And I should also remark that I was here last Saturday, when the president rolled out Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee.

There were people there, Cabinet members, who were standing shoulder to shoulder in the White House Rose Garden who were not wearing masks.

So, there are a lot of critics of the president who say that was dangerous behavior, and that this was really inevitable that the White House would be a scene where people now have the coronavirus.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And to Lisa.

Lisa, you have been covering Joe Biden.

What does this mean for him?

He shared the debate stage with the president just Tuesday night.

LISA DESJARDINS: Judy, a Biden campaign official confirms to me that that campaign is taking down their negative ads about the president at this point.

And they made that decision before the president was on his way to Walter Reed, just out of respect for the situation that he's facing.

Biden himself was on the campaign trail today.

Let's take a look at what he was doing.

He was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Judy, notably, wearing his mask during his entire set of remarks.

Biden did say he has the Trump family in his prayers.

But he also noted that he thinks that this is a time, an example to show that we need to fight the virus more effectively.

On that note, Judy, another campaign official confirms to me that the campaign is worried about the Pence and Harris vice presidential debate set up for next week.

They want to have greater distancing between those two candidates, from seven feet, which is what it is now.

They would like 14 feet to feel safe.

They want the Commission on Presidential Debates to enforce mask rules, which the commission did not enforce with last week's presidential debate.

And one more thing, Judy.

That official tells me, this idea of the presidential debate for October 15, they're not sure how that can happen, given the news regarding President Trump.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And just finally, quickly, Lisa, the president has been in touch with others around him, in touch with members of Congress.

What are you learning about what this could mean for Congress and its work?

LISA DESJARDINS: It has been a very dramatic day on Capitol Hill, Judy.

And one reason, Senator Mike Lee of Utah tested positive for the coronavirus this morning.

I want to show you a photo of that event that Yamiche mentioned, the unveiling of Amy Coney Barrett as the president's nominee in the Rose Garden.

Look at that audience.

You see Senator Mike Lee with no mask directly behind Vice President Pence.

Now, just a few days later, Mike Lee has tested positive for the coronavirus.

He is home quarantining.

I'm told he's fine.

But he is experiencing symptoms.

Judy, so, let's think about this.

Mike Lee also met with Coney Barrett at the Capitol on Tuesday.

She has now said that she has previously had the coronavirus and recovered.

However, Lee was also yesterday, Judy, in a committee hearing, the Judiciary Committee, with fellow members of the Senate.

And it's not clear all of them are getting tested, a very large concern at the Capitol.

Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings.

Judy, I am told, will go forward as planned in just over a week, even though Mike Lee, one of the members of that committee, has tested positive.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And we know what a priority that has been for the Trump administration.

Lisa Desjardins, Yamiche Alcindor, we thank you both.

There are many other questions about the president's personal health, the duration of the quarantine, whom else might have been exposed in recent days.

Dr. Ashish Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public health.

And he joins me now.

Dr. Jha, so, given what we have seen now, the president is about to leave the White House to go to Walter Reed, they say, for several days.

You have heard, I think, what we have about the president's symptoms.

What does this add up to for you?

DR. ASHISH JHA, Dean, Brown University School of Public Health: Director, Harvard Global Health Institute: Yes, so, Judy, thank you for having me on.

This is all, of course, very concerning for both the president and for the country.

In terms of the president and his health, we don't have a lot of information.

We don't - - we do know he received this experimental therapy, but it seems like it's moving pretty quickly.

And he was diagnosed last night, and he is heading to the hospital tonight.

It concerns me.

I don't want to overstate it.

I don't have a lot of details -- obviously, none of us do -- about his clinical condition.

But this is a concerning and, I think, worrying development.

It feels like more than just an abundance of caution.

But let's keep our - - let's pray and hope that, indeed, he's doing OK and that he will turn around quickly.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Worrying because they went ahead and gave him this infusion of this what they call polyclonal antibody cocktail?

Worrying because of his age?

He's 74?

Worrying because we're told he's overweight for his height?

What makes you worry?

DR. ASHISH JHA: It's a bit of all of those things.

He is clearly high-risk because of his age and his weight.

And we don't know much about his comorbid conditions, but also worrying because it feels like he's -- his clinical situation has gotten worse since yesterday.

A typical course for somebody with this virus may be several days of feeling relatively OK before they start getting worse.

This does feel like it's moving a little faster than usual, again, not -- not -- we don't know a lot here, so I don't want to really overstate what we know and what level of worry.

But he is the president of the United States, and we just have to have a heightened level of concern.

JUDY WOODRUFF: I have to ask you this, Dr. Jha.

How much how much confidence do you have in the information we're getting from the White House about this?

DR. ASHISH JHA: So, this has been a challenge out of this White House.

And one of the reasons why it's so important for political leaders and for the White House to build credibility with the American people is exactly for moments like this.

In a moment of crisis, we need to trust what's coming from there, and we haven't always gotten straight information.

So, I am worried.

My hope is that, in this moment of crisis, the White House does level with the American people, is transparent and shares information.

But we will have to see what comes out of the White House in terms of what's going on.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And I will just repeat what I said a moment ago in talking with Yamiche and Lisa.

And that is, the picture the White House is allow -- normally, they allow the press to take pictures, video of the president leaving the White House and getting into the helicopter.

So far this evening, they're not allowing that picture.

We're continuing to watch to see if that changes.

But, Dr. Jha, we know the president has been traveling a lot.

We just heard Yamiche report on his schedule for the last few weeks, visiting different states, holding these rallies, very little mask-wearing, very little social distancing.

How much could all that have contributed?

DR. ASHISH JHA: Yes, so, there are two sets of issues in my mind.

First of all, it's very clear the White House has not been doing an adequate job of protecting the president.

And the results are now in front of us.

The idea that people could go up and be next to him without wearing a mask, that people weren't doing social distancing, all of these really put the president at risk.

And the fact that that was allowed, and maybe even in some ways encouraged, really strikes me as very problematic.

But here we are.

And now the big challenge in front of us is to figure out who has been in contact with the president, with the first lady, with Ms. Hicks, and try to identify who needs to be quarantined, who needs to be tested.

And, given his schedule, we're probably talking about dozens, but more likely hundreds of people.

So, there is a very large effort in front of us in terms of tracking everybody down and figuring out what to do with them.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And what would you say, Dr. Jha, about Joe Biden at this point?

He was in Michigan today.

He flew there from Delaware.

He did an event.

He was wearing a mask.

We have just seen him within the last few hours.

Is it a good idea for him to be out on the road, even staying socially distanced, wearing a mask?

DR. ASHISH JHA: Yes.

So, another concerning part of this, I think we don't know exactly when the president was infected.

But it is reasonable to guess that the president was likely infectious on Tuesday night during the night of the debate.

Now, Mr. Biden would not count as an official contact, because they didn't get within six feet.

But they did share a stage for 90 minutes.

So, clearly, the vice president is at some risk.

It's been good to hear that he's tested negative.

My sense is, that's got to continue.

He's got to continue getting daily tests.

If he continues to be negative into early next week, I will feel better.

But I think Mr. Biden really does need to be extra careful at this moment, because he has been around somebody who was infected and infectious.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you very much.

And I want to add that I am told right now that there are video, pictures being permitted at the White House right now for the press to see the president leaving the residence.

I'm told he's walking from the residence to the White House -- to the helicopter.

And we will attempt to bring those pictures, of course, to our audience as soon as we have them.

Dr. Jha, thank you very much.

And now, for a look at how the president's diagnosis affects the executive branch, what it means for the country's national security, we're joined by Leon Panetta.

He served as White House chief off staff to President Clinton and then director of the CIA and director - - rather, secretary of defense, in the Obama administration.

Leon Panetta, what does this moment mean for the country?

LEON PANETTA, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense: Well, it's a serious moment that I think raises a lot of national security implications, because this involves the president of the United States and whether or not he is able to fulfill the duties of the presidency.

And in a very dangerous world, with a number of crises that we're facing here at home and abroad, there are concerns about whether or not the United States of America can, in fact, provide the governing that is necessary in order for our democracy to be able to survive in this difficult moment.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Why do you say that, when the White House says everything is functioning normally?

They haven't transferred power to the vice president yet, but they say things are functioning, they're moving forward.

What gives you concern?

LEON PANETTA: I think the concern is that there are some important steps that need to be taken here.

First of all, is the president able to fulfill the duties of the presidency?

And if he's now being moved to a hospital, is he able to complete those duties?

Is the chief of staff and the vice president in a position where they can implement their responsibilities?

Secondly, are they presenting to the public full information about the situation with the president?

I think this is a particularly serious time, when the public needs to know, what is the status of the president and how are they dealing with the concerns that we have about his health?

Thirdly, are they fulfilling the job of doing the business of the nation, the issues related to COVID, the issues related to stimulus, the issues related to our economy?

Are they continuing to deal with those issues?

All of that, I think, is in question right now.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, let me ask you about national security.

I mean, what are the exact concerns?

Is this a moment -- and I don't want to go beyond - - you know, we're all speculating at this point.

To what extent is it a concern that a foreign government, a bad actor, international actor, could take advantage of this situation?

LEON PANETTA: Well, we always have great concern about whether or not our adversaries are acting to undermine the strength of our democracy.

We know what the Russians are doing, in terms of trying to undermine our election process.

We know that China is doing the same thing.

We know that Iran and North Korea have conducted those kinds of operations as well.

So, the United States is in a very vulnerable moment.

Talked about dealing with the pandemic.

Talked about dealing with an economic recession.

Talked about the situation in trying to make sure that we have an election process that is fair and that doesn't involve violence of some sort.

All of these issues are at play right now.

And adversaries now see a president who is ill from the pandemic.

They are going to be tempted to take advantage of that situation.

And that's why it's critical that our national security team be on alert, because this is a moment where our national security is at risk.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What steps should the White House be taking right now to reassure the American people?

LEON PANETTA: I think the most important thing, frankly, is that the vice president or the chief of staff have to speak to the American people about the steps that they are taking to assure that this country is being governed, and that the duties of the presidency are being fulfilled.

A lot of questions right now, obviously, about what's taking place.

What kind of health problems does the president face?

I think the key to trying to deal with this situation is an honest presentation to the American people about what is happening.

Number one, the duties of the presidency are being fulfilled.

We are taking every step to make sure that's happening.

Number two, this is the situation with regards to his health, and be very honest in presenting that situation to the American people, that it's under control and that we are dealing with it.

And, thirdly, we are going to continue to deal with the business of the nation.

We are continuing to negotiate on a stimulus bill.

We are continuing to try to deal with the COVID crisis.

We are continuing to deal with economic issues within our country.

Those are the clear signals that have to be set to be sent to the people in order to make clear that, in this crisis, the United States of America is still being governed.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And how confident are you, Leon Panetta, that this White House will be direct and will be transparent on that -- on these points that you say are absolutely sessional?

LEON PANETTA: Well, the record, as we all know, it's not very good.

And there's just a -- there's an awful lot of distrust about what comes out of the White House in terms of the news and what they say and whether or not they are being fully honest with the American people about what's happening.

There are questions about that.

It doesn't mean that this can't be a moment where someone in the White House steps forward and very directly and honestly says, this is the situation, this is what we're dealing with, and we do have the situation under control, and try to restore some of that trust with the American people.

But, right now, the trust of the American people, not only in the White House, but in the Congress and in the other institutions of our democracy, I think, is at risk.

And for that reason, this is a moment when you have to restore that relationship with the American people, so that our democracy has confidence that our institutions of government can function.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Former Defense Secretary, former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, we thank you so much.

LEON PANETTA: Thank you, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The news of President Trump's coronavirus-positive test was quickly followed by a jobs report that was weaker than expected, the last before Election Day.

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent in September, and the economy added 661,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain since May, leading to concerns about a slowing and deeply uneven recovery.

So far, the economy has added back about half of the 22 million jobs that were lost after the pandemic first hit.

But millions of people are struggling mightily, and running out of federal assistance in some cases.

Amna Nawaz has more on all of that.

But let's begin with some voices from around the country.

BEN RICHARDSON, Indiana: My name is Ben.

I'm from Indiana, and I was a senior manufacturing engineer.

LATONYA DARRISAW, New York: Latonya Darrisaw, New York, and I was a copywriter at a tech and entertainment company.

HEATHER WILLIAMS, Texas: My name is Heather Williams.

Prior to the pandemic, I was an adjunct philosophy instructor and graduate assistant.

SHEILA RICHARDSON, Virginia: My name is Sheila Richardson, and I was a learning specialist.

I lost my job because the company said that they did away with the position.

It decreased my finances about 30 percent.

So, it's a big gap, a major gap.

LATONYA DARRISAW: The assumption was that we all would be brought back, yes, once we got ahead of COVID.

But, unfortunately, that didn't happen.

My weekly amount that I get from unemployment now pretty much just covers my rent.

BEN RICHARDSON: We had a nice savings, with a 401(k), IRA, savings accounts, whatever.

I thought we were in pretty decent Middle America shape.

But now they're all just -- and you can just see it, month by month, just bum, bum, bum, just going down.

SHEILA RICHARDSON: I have had to cut back on my prescriptions.

I have had to reduce groceries or any sort of pleasures in groceries, like ice cream, unless it's on sale.

Maybe I will take all of my medicine today and some of my medicine tomorrow.

HEATHER WILLIAMS: Do I keep eating ramen, even though I'm a heart patient, and I know this is bad for me, but it's all I can afford?

Do I pay my electric bill, or do I pay my rent?

Those are the decisions that we have had to be making.

LATONYA DARRISAW: I didn't plan for this.

So, like, I don't know what the next steps are for me.

And, then again, just when the bills are piling up and you have rent due at the 1st of the month, it's -- yes, it's difficult.

BEN RICHARDSON: I had a healthy salary when I was laid off.

A lot of people would prefer to start fresh with, like, a recent college graduate, someone with maybe a year to three years' experience.

So that's another -- that's a kind of hit against me, I guess.

HEATHER WILLIAMS: I'm a disabled person who has worked two jobs just to be able to make ends meet.

And my partner works 60 hours a week.

And that is not enough to support us.

There has been nothing that -- I applied a month ago for benefits, and I have received nothing.

LATONYA DARRISAW: I graduated into the recession in 2008, so this feels exactly like that.

And, you know, unfortunately, during that time, it took me three years to find a job, and that's with a degree, with experience.

I have enough savings to carry me through the end of the year.

But, if I don't see that happening, then I will definitely probably have to move back home.

BEN RICHARDSON: It's hard to even think about the long-term, when you're so focused on the right here right now.

We're focused on this week.

Do we have groceries this week?

Unemployment benefits for me run out in November.

That's literally in a month.

SHEILA RICHARDSON: It caused me to have depression, to feel very sad, very weighted down.

And the outlook is, well, where do you go from here?

AMNA NAWAZ: For a closer look at the latest numbers, and to get a sense of who is being hit hardest by the recession, I'm joined by Heather Long of The Washington Post.

Heather, welcome back to the "NewsHour" and thanks for being with us.

We know recessions usually hit the most vulnerable among us the hardest.

When you look back over the last seven months, big picture, what does your analysis show about who is being hit hardest right now?

HEATHER LONG, The Washington Post: So, we're basically half recovered, and that's good to see some jobs coming back.

But what's really different about this crisis is, of course, the coronavirus, and it has so deeply impacted low-wage workers.

We can all see it as we drive around our communities, restaurants still operating at half-capacity, a lot of stores still closed, bars still closed.

And what we found as we really dug into the numbers is how deeply unequal this is.

Low-wage workers are basically in a depression-like state.

They have been hit eight times harder than high-wage workers.

Basically, the recession is over for people at the top, while the working class is still in a depression.

And if you look at it by race, for instance, Black men and women, their jobs have come back about 34 percent, compared to whites, who are 60 back, or Americans with college degrees, who are 55 percent back, vs. those who don't have college degrees, who are more likely to be in those service jobs, are only about 40 percent back.

So it's deep disparities right now.

AMNA NAWAZ: Heather, your analysis found a massive discrepancy when you look at age groups as well.

Take a look at this graphic here.

This shows all the different employment by age group.

The top lines are Americans age 25 and older, but that bottom line there is young Americans.

That's Americans between the ages of 20 and 24.

How hard were they hit?

HEATHER LONG: Extremely hard.

You can see it in the graph.

Those people who are trying to get those jobs often in restaurants and hotels, just get their toehold into the labor market, and those jobs were just completely blown away in the spring and have been slow to come back.

The other group that's really been a big discrepancy is moms vs. dads.

With schools and day cares closed and all these virtual classes, the burden is falling on mothers.

Mothers of school-age children are only about 45 percent of jobs recovered, vs. dads of kids in school are 70 percent recovered.

Massive difference there.

And, in September, we saw a huge dropout.

Over 800,000 women just quit their jobs entirely and left the labor force, and that's a very alarming sign.

AMNA NAWAZ: Heather, in just a few seconds we have left, we cannot stress enough just how much the disparity of this recession is apparent, when you look across income levels, especially compared to recessions of past years.

When you look at recessions of 1990, 2001 and 2008, this current recession has a massive disparity.

The top line you see on the graph there, the highest-earning quarter of Americans, the bottom line there, the lowest-earning Americans.

What does recovery look like for them?

HEATHER LONG: I'm extremely worried about it, particularly if Congress and the White House do not pass more aid soon.

You saw -- you just heard those vignettes, I hear it, too.

People are eating ramen noodles.

They're having to decide between buying prescription drugs or paying rent.

And I think of Natasha Smith, a woman I talked to in Louisiana who lost her job at a casino.

I said: "What are you eating for dinner tonight?"

And she opened her refrigerator.

And she said: "I have only got two things here, one packet of wings and one packet of thighs, and we don't have anything else."

AMNA NAWAZ: Devastating stories from across America.

That is Heather Long of The Washington Post joining us tonight.

Thank you.

HEATHER LONG: Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: September's unemployment report, coupled with news that the president has contracted the COVID virus, pushed stocks lower on Wall Street today.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 134 to close below 27683.

The Nasdaq fell 251 points, and the S&P 500 slipped 32.

Firefighters in Northern California faced dry and windy conditions today as they battled a wildfire burning out of control in Wine Country.

The so-called Glass Fire north of San Francisco has scorched nearly 600 buildings; 80,000 people are under evacuation orders, but officials said they expect better weather soon.

BILLY SEE, Assistant Cal Fire Chief: We're looking forward to decreased winds, decreased temperatures, increased humidities, which will give our firefighters and our boots on the ground a fighting chance to gain additional perimeter control, and start to bring some normalcy back to these impacted areas and get people back home, where they belong.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Wildfires burning in California this year have charred almost four million acres, a new milestone in the state's worst fire season on record.

Hours of Kentucky grand jury recordings in the case over the killing of Breonna Taylor were made public today.

In the tapes, Louisville police said that they identified themselves before bursting into Taylor's apartment and fatally shooting her while serving a drug warrant.

They said they returned fire after one officer was shot in the leg.

Taylor's boyfriend said that he used his legal firearm because he did not hear them and thought an intruder was breaking in.

The jury did not charge the officers with Taylor's death.

A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to continue collecting census data through the end of the month, as scheduled.

The ruling came last night, and aimed to ensure that the most vulnerable and underrepresented communities will not be disadvantaged.

It reversed Monday's announcement from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that the nation's head count would end on October 5.

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian officials today for their roles in the country's disputed presidential election and the violent crackdown on protests that followed.

The move came after the European Union took similar measures this morning.

The U.S. did not sanction the president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, who has denied the election was rigged.

Guatemala's president today warned that his country will detain and return members of a migrant caravan that set out from Honduras in the hopes of reaching the U.S.

He said the roughly 2,000 migrants were a health risk amid the pandemic.

The caravan crossed into the country Thursday, and rushed through the border without registering.

One migrant died trying to climb onto a moving flatbed trailer.

And back in this country, newly released audio recordings from 2018 show first lady Melania Trump angered by how the news media portrayed her response to the administration's family separation policy.

The conversations were secretly taped by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former aide who wrote a book titled "Melania and Me."

In the audio, released on CNN last night, the first lady also aired frustrations about having to plan the White House Christmas decorations.

MELANIA TRUMP, First Lady: They say: I'm complicit.

I'm the same, like him.

I support him.

I don't say enough.

I don't do enough where I am.

I say that I'm working on Christmas -- planning for the Christmas, and they said, oh, what about the children that they were separated?

Give me a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) break.

I was trying get the kid reunited with the mom.

I didn't have a chance.

Needs to go through the process and through the law.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The first lady's chief of staff accused Wolkoff of secretly recording the first lady to -- quote -- "peddle herself and her salacious book."

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Shields and Brooks clarify this moment in American history; and we remember some of the lives lost in this pandemic.

The president has tested positive for COVID, as we have been reporting.

Millions of Americans are out of work.

Two weeks ago, at this moment, Justice Ginsburg was still alive.

It is a lot to process.

Thankfully, we have the analysis of Shields and Brooks.

That is syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist, David Brooks.

So, hello to both of you.

A lot has happened just in the last 24, 12 hours even.

David, first of all, your reaction to this fast moving news that the president not only has tested positive, but he's now at Walter Reed Hospital?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, I was unnerved.

I happened to be awake at 1:00 a.m. when I saw the tweet that he was infected.

And we take umbrage at things he does.

But I think the whole country was shocked and unnerved and saddened that he drew ill. And I looked at my Twitter feed, and people on the left, Chris Hayes, an MSNBC host, said he was praying for him.

And people on the right were, obviously.

And so he's a man.

He's our president.

And we need him to be healthy.

And so, just a few minutes ago, on East Coast time, as we're talking, the White House released an 18-second video of Trump talking in the video, thanking people for their expressions of support.

They released -- they saw the video of him walking to the Marine One, the helicopter, on the way to Walter Reed.

And it's comforting.

It's comforting to see him in reasonably good shape.

And so we're humans.

And this has been such an emotionally exhausting year.

And the accumulation of emotional trauma is just -- we have got one more episode.

I was thinking, man, October, it seems like it'll never end.

And I realize it's October 2.

So, a lot -- it's been -- it's just an emotional, gripping year.

JUDY WOODRUFF: It's been a whirlwind of -- the likes of which I don't think any of us has seen.

We have been looking at this video listening to David, but looking at this video of President Trump walking from the White House to get on Marine One, the helicopter.

And, Mark, before I turn to you, we do have that 18-second message the president tweeted a moment ago.

Let's listen to that.

Watch it.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I want to thank everybody for the tremendous support.

I'm going to Walter Reed Hospital.

I think I'm doing very well.

But we're going to make sure that things work out.

The first lady is doing very well.

So, thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

I will never forget it.

Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Mark, the president there speaking clearly.

We -- he looked like himself.

But we are told that he's experienced fatigue, perhaps some temperature, other symptoms.

He's already received an infusion of a special what they call cocktail of antibodies.

But it is a moment, a sobering moment.

MARK SHIELDS: Sobering moment, indeed, Judy.

And it changes the political landscape of 2020 quite like no other event.

And I think that's the reality.

I think Joe Biden spoke for virtually all Americans when he said that both the president and the first lady are in his and Jill Biden's thoughts and prayers.

And I think that's universal.

But one can't escape the reality of the politics.

The coronavirus is the election issue of 2020.

It always has been.

And it now returns center stage.

And it is exactly the issue that the president did not want.

He did not want the disease, obviously, personally, but he does not want this issue to dominate our politics.

And I don't think there's any way from here on in that you escape that.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Given what's going on, David - - and, clearly, it's early.

We don't know the course of the president's treatment, how he will do, how serious this case will be for him.

But what does it look like could be the effect on the campaign?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, I -- there was some thought that there would be some sympathy, people would rally around him, as happened to Boris Johnson when he got COVID very early in the pandemic.

I think that's possible, but probably unlikely.

I think it's unlikely because they -- he made such a point of doing behavior that was risky.

And, at this moment in particular, it looks cavalier.

And especially for a president who has a public role to perform, it looks like not the best version of public service.

So, I think people will say, he just didn't take this seriously.

He was out there at that Amy Coney Barrett event, and people were hugging each other, and nobody was wearing masks.

And we have seen that throughout the year.

It also means he won't be campaigning for a little while.

We don't know how long the recovery will last.

It also means that there probably won't be a second debate.

It also means that, as Mark said, COVID is once again at the top of everybody's mind.

So, just in speaking in political terms, it's, I would say, very bad news for the Trump campaign.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Mark, how do you see the effect on the election, on the campaign?

MARK SHIELDS: Well, I think, Judy, let's be very blunt.

There is no Donald Trump campaign.

Donald Trump is the Donald Trump campaign.

It is his tweets, his rallies, his off-the-cuff, frequently given press comments, that is what has driven the narrative.

And his narrative has been that: I am the president of unmatched peace and prosperity.

It was a country under his administration that reached its lowest unemployment rate in 51 years, that he was reaching out to better relations with North Korea and for a while a rapport with China.

All of that is -- all of that has changed.

And it's a different, different campaign.

And it's -- he tried changing the subject, whether it was to the fraudulent mail voting or whatever subject came to mind, as long as it wasn't coronavirus.

And coronavirus now is central, dominant and inescapable.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, David, this comes just a few days after the debate, the first debate, or -- we assume -- we don't know whether there will be more, but a debate in which Donald Trump more than dominated.

He overwhelmed that evening, Tuesday evening.

Did it have an effect, do you think, on voters who still don't know what they're going to do on November 3?

DAVID BROOKS: It certainly did in my circles.

Even among Trump supporters who are friends, they were devastated and shocked.

Some of them are not on Twitter.

They don't see a lot of that Twitter stuff.

And, suddenly, they see this.

I think it was one of the most important events of the campaign for this reason.

People like me can sermonize about how, when you behave badly, when you destroy every norm of civility and decency, you corrode the world around you.

You destroy the norms of standard behavior.

The problem with people -- when people like me sermonize about this is, it's an invisible process, and it's a slow corrosion.

On debate night, the American people got to see in real time, with their own eyes, the way one man destroyed an American political institution, the presidential debate.

And so that's just a clear example of the centrality of character and the centrality of decency and how what we saw, when you have bad character, frankly, and indecency, it has the explosive force of a howitzer.

It just breaks things and makes people suffer.

And that process, in my view, has been going on throughout the Trump presidency.

But, here, it happened in real time right in front of everybody's eyes.

So, I think it's an extremely significant event in the whole arc of the Trump presidency.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Mark, how much harm do you think that the debate did to the president's political fortunes and to the country?

MARK SHIELDS: I think it was obviously -- it was obviously his missed opportunity, Judy.

His opportunity was to try and make the race into a referendum -- rather, a choice between himself and Joe Biden.

He brought all the attention, all the focus back to himself, made it a referendum on himself again.

He was interrupted, by one count, Joe Biden, 120 times.

David's absolutely right.

He took an institution which had been a rather remarkable civic institution, criticized by some for not being sparkly enough or whatever else, but had been a remarkable moment, where, in every campaign, for 90 minutes, both candidates stood there and they defended and explained and answered questions and were held accountable, and we found out what sense they were.

It was more than a travesty.

It was a moment at which he brought all attention back to himself.

He mocked Joe Biden on wearing a mask, which seems sadly ironic and poignant at this point.

But I don't think there's any question that the two major events, the bookend events, of this campaign -- now, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow -- but really happened this week.

And they were the debate and the disease.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Right.

MARK SHIELDS: And I think that -- both of them.

And in the final analysis, Judy, there have been four presidents reelected since Ronald Reagan.

And, in each case, every one of them, by measurement of The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, was personally liked.

Donald Trump is the only American president seeking reelection who is personally unliked by 70 percent of his fellow Americans.

There was nothing that he did Tuesday night in Cleveland that made him more likable to those Americans whose votes he needs.

JUDY WOODRUFF: David, only about 30, 40 seconds left.

But, in that time, how is Joe Biden doing in this campaign?

DAVID BROOKS: He's done a masterful job of holding his coalition together.

I did not think he did particularly well in the debate.

I thought his impromptu remarks were good, but his scripted remarks explaining health care were chaotic.

So, I think he's done a very good job of not being Donald Trump.

But he needs to work on a little of his performance, I would say.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, today, his message to the country about the president?

OK.

I'm told we need to go.

And so I'm going to thank both of you.

David Brooks, Mark Shields, thank you.

As we monitor the president's health and we hope for a full and quick recovery, we also remember the thousands of men and women across this country who passed away from the virus.

Here are a few of them.

Larry Kelly taught American government to high school seniors in Miami for 32 years.

When they turned 18, he made sure every student registered to vote.

A lover of books and learning, Larry never wanted to leave the classroom.

He taught summer school and led field trips to the courthouse and Washington, D.C.

When he eventually retired, the 78-year-old worked at the local library.

Quiet, but witty and hilarious to those who knew him best, Larry loved cheering on his home teams in New Orleans with his daughters and granddaughters.

Nursing was more than a job to 62-year-old Patricia Edwards.

She wore old-fashioned scrubs to the intensive care unit in Greenville, South Carolina where she worked.

Nurse Pat was one of the first in line to treat COVID patients.

She was fearless, even when battling cancer herself, and made those around her feel safe, her daughter said.

Thanksgiving was Pat's favorite holiday.

She spent the day in the kitchen, blasting old school R&B with her five children and 13 grandchildren.

John E. Thrower Jr. had a megawatt smile.

A bus driver in Richmond, Virginia, John was a dedicated worker who loved talking to his passengers, his wife said.

Always jolly and busy, John also had a passion for cooking, a skill he learned from his mom.

He was spiritual, too, a loving father and grandfather who enjoyed traveling with his wife.

John was 49 years old.

A teacher and school counselor, Dr. Betty Jean McBride's favorite piece of advice to her students was, bloom wherever you are planted.

Heartfelt and giving, the 71-year-old spent her time helping others.

She founded a local group called 100 Women on the Move to give back to women in need.

She met her husband on the board of the Columbus, Georgia, YMCA, and raised his son as her own.

Growing up in El Salvador, Jose Mardoqueo Reyes was fascinated by radio.

He went on to become a radio show host in Washington, D.C., where he combined his love for broadcast and sports.

Jose often announced local games for his Spanish-speaking listeners.

His daughter described Jose's personality as infectious, straightforward and funny.

A beloved husband, father to five, and grandfather, Jose was 54 years old.

We want to thank the family members who share the wonderful stories with us.

Our hearts go out to you and all those who've lost loved ones in this pandemic.

And, of course, our wishes are with the president and the first lady for their health as well.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

Thank you for joining us.

Please have a safe weekend.

Good night.