♪ is provided by... a language learning app that teaches real life conversations and uses speech recognition technology. (ding) daily 10 to 15 minute lessons are voiced by native speakers... (ding) and they are at babbel. babbel.com. raymond james. the frfoundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs.

and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you thank you. america.this is bbc world news i am laura trevelyan reporting from new york city. the u.s. now has morehan one million coronavirus cases, onal third of gl infections. the milestone s comes astes continue to loosen lockdowns. france willicasetions next month but masks will remain a way of life. understanding immunity. a look at whether you can19 get covid- a second time after you've already recovered. plus, why the historical ties tween jobs and health care in the u.s. are leaving millions uninsured. we look at why americans get medical cover from employers. ♪

for all of you watching on pbs and around the globe, welcome to "world news america'' thu.s. is the epicenter of the e obal coronavirus outbreak, with more than llion known infections. president trump claims the u.s. has more casesinecause it is more testing in new york, 3 people died yesterday, a big drop from two weeks ago. all this comes as more states move toward reopening their economies. jane o'brien has the vy latest. jane: a salute to the covid warriors, theng blues of the thunderbirds paying tribute to those on the front lines in the battle against coronavirus. theys flew in formation acr the northeast, an uplifting spectacle for residents in lockdown. new york continues to be the worst-hit, but today a glimmer of hope. >> what we have seen is clearly promising, getting us closer to

the day when we can start to open some things up. but i have said it before and i will keep saying,wi w be conscious, we will be careful, and it will be gcterned by the jane: more than one million people in the u.s. are now known to have been infected, and the emphasis is on more testing. in manhattan, people lined up at the latest facility. other states are moving faster even with recommended levels of testing. georgia has taken aggressive steps to restart its economy, opening salons, gyms and some restaurants. as most states are making plans, even if they have no clear timeframe. >> ultimately.own to zero you have to understand, when it comes to cases, we do much more testing, so we will show more cases because we are doing much more testing, double anybody el. it will be, at the appropriate time,ze down t. jane: but even as some

businesses open doors, it is not clear whether americans at home are ready to open there's. peconsumering drives the u.s. economy. but with no cure for coronavirus, and social distancing the only proven control so far, they may not feel safe enough to spend outside. iene o' bbc news. laura: for more on the coronavirus outbreak in the u.s. as cases pass the one million mark, am joined by the director of the harvard global health institute. 50,000 peoe have died in erica of coronavirus. your assessment of the state of the outbreak? >> thank you for having me back. it is devastating. 57,000 americans about as many as died in the vietnam war and all over about six weeks, so it is pretty awful. distancing we have been doing is

paying off. we have seen not just a flattening of cases, but even a decline in cases. mortality tends to follow, so i do expect climbing numbers of deaths in the coming days and weeks. laura: the president says we have one million cases because we are doingore testing. is that true? >> well, this is one of tse situations where, technically we have done more testing, but we are also much larger, and have many more cases. we have four times as many cases asny other country. so i don't think that is what is driving the higher number of cases. i think what is driving it is much, much bigger outbreaks, and the fact that for six weeks we let the outbreak get out of hand in the united states. that is what idriving the high numbers. our testing is actually inadequate for the size of outbreak we have. laura: one very closely watched white house model has the outbreak intensifying in

georgia, and of course they are opening up. is that troubling? >> it is. you know, i think there are some states that are ready, based on evidence and data,, to open up a little and loosen some restrictions. the mortality and case numbers in georgia are still quite high. their testing capacity is not very good. erand so it is risky, and certainly goes against the evidence. even the goals theresident set out for when states should reopen, georgia doesn't meet those criteria. laura: there is concern now about at might happen not on in the fall, but over the summer as states loosen restrictions? >> one of the things we don't know still is how much the summer m hths wouldp us i terms of keeping transmission down. there may have some benefit, but despite tha i am worried some states that move too quicklya ay sesurgence of cases, and may even have to shut down again. of course, we hope that doesn't

happen. laura: meanwhile, theo race create a vaccine is on. any encouraging news there? >> there was a very goo piece about the oxford group in the u.k. that has been moving along. there are probably six or eight groups that are doing vy good work a are moving as quickly that within about 12 months we will have a vaccine, and maybe in the six months that follow that we will have it produced enoughhaa large chunk of the world can get that vaccine. joining usgain.>> thank you. laura: as the coronavirus outbreak rages here in the u.s., the campaign for president is clinton has tied those two things together. the formerti democ nominee back to joe biden to take on donald trump in november, saying the former vice president is better suited to handle a crie.s like this >> so i want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president.

just think of what a difference it would make, right now, if we had a president who not only listened to the science, the facts overicon, but brought us together. laura: for more on that endorsement and the politics of the coronavirus era, im'joined by ron christie, former advisor a former bbc --nd a bbcsh and analyst. does that show the race is heating up for november? ron: good to see you. i think the race is tightening, as we get into thestummer months abor day in the united states. and the notion that hillary clinton, who not only had a nomination twice for the party, has decided to back someone who team of rivals,hows you the satisfaction the democrats have with the nominee in general, and more particularly how much they

want tdo everything, anything they can to defeat donald trump in november. laura: buto you think it could hurt the president, this anti-science tack,wh especially he muses about ingesting disinfectant? ron: i think he was a bit inarticulate about what he said last week. many have pilloried him for his comments. i don't believe he meant to say people should be ingesting disinfectants, but of course we are talking about it now. wh because he was very clumsy in his choice of words. d this is a time, having been in the white house during 9/11, when americans and people the world are looking f the president to be a source of strength, a sense of leadership. and president trump some of his words, particularly as it relates to disinfectants, i think has had many peop in new york city and around the united states and the world questioning what he real meant to say, as opposed to what he actually said. laura: meanwhile, we do have one

million cases of coronavirus here in the u.s. the president predicted in tbruary it would soon be zero. do you think the election will his handling of the crisis?und, ron: i do, laura, and this is very sad milestone we have reached. one million cases of the coronavirus. if i were joe biden, and i were the democrats, i would be looking at this and saying, this is a question of competence,le f ership. who can lead america forward, through this terrible pandemic, to get to the other side? president george w. sh in 2004 campaigned and said,ow is not a time to make a change in leadership, now is not the time to remove what has been working. so if i president trump, i will say this is strong leadership, this is howhings need to proceed for us to get on the other side, and joe biden i think this race will be won o

lost in the last five to six weeks of the campaign, once americans have had the cronce to get h the summer and look and say, who is the best individual to move us forward? laura: wise words indeed. thank you for joining us. ron: good to see you. laura: one of the biggest covid-19, can you get it again after you've recovered? mmdoes your body developity? those who have had coronavirus have some antibodies tect them, but what does that mean? our science correspondent rebecca explains. rebecca: it is the virus that mobilized the world's scientists. a major focus now, how the immune system respondso it. taundersing this could help us stop covid-19's spread. e big question, if you have had the virus, are you immune,an orou catch it again? how does immunity work? the coronavirus is coved in spikes, which allow it to dock

onto a structure on thace of our cells, like a key opening a lock,o the virus can enter and infect the cell. to fight this off, we produce antibodies. these block the spike, like a cap covering the key. it means the virus cannot get in the antibodies, though, stickit around. the idea is that if the virus comes back, they can rally anns immediate res a small study revealed monkeys catch it again a month later. humans, though,here is still much we need to learn. >> early data shows antibodies are being generated, but it is important to haveore studies about whether these are the right kind of neutralizing antibodieshich can then give protection if there's enough of them. rebecca:ib building up aies is just the first step. scientists want to finout how

long any immunity lasts. because vid-19 is so new, scientists are having to look at the viruses it's related to. >> everything we know so far, it would be very hard to reassure you with any certainty that if virus that you will definitely have protective antibody in one or two or three or four years. that makes it very hard to know, how we would mitigcoe against a wave if it comes along. oronavirus can affect people in different ways. but does the severity of symptoms alter immunity? some people with covid-19 are so ill they end up in intensive care, but others have very mild or even no symptoms. scientists are trying to understand what difference this makes. >> people whgot severely ill make a lot of antibodies in general, and people who han't gott so severely ill make a lot less. what that means m be that

people who only had a mild infection might lose their community faster than others, and might not be protected if the virus comes back. rebecca: scientists say wes ned answer immunity urgently to determine the next steps to take in the fight ainst covid-19. bbc news. laur the enigma of immunity. other ns, figures from the u.k. say a third of all coronavirus deaths in england and wales have tak h place in caes. theec british healthtary says testing will soon be rolled out for all residents and staff in care homes. brazil authorized an investigation into cims president bolsonaro tried to interfere in police investigations. claims were made by the former justice and security minister, who resigned last week over the president's sacking of ce federal pohief. bolsonaro denile the altions.

british airways is set to cut up to 12,000 jobs, as trae lers stay homring the coronavirus pandemic. the airline'san parent co is imposing a restructuring and redundancy program, until demand for air travel returns to 2019 levels. the airline already for about a 23,000 staff. in france, the government will relax lockdown measures from t m middle of neth. schools and shops will begin reopening, and people can travel within 60 miles of their home, but that does depend on infection rates remaininlow. our c parorrespondent lucy williamson reports. lucy: of all the lessons leaowed during locn, the hardest for the government has been working out how to end it. aurelie's four children have been studying at home since the middle of march. y schools will reopen o may 11, but auerelie says it is too soon. >> i don't think my kids are going backn may. i will wait until i send them

into a group environment. >lucy: the prime minister warned today, france riofs the collapse ociety if it kept restrictions in place too long. >> never in the history of our country have we known a situation like this, not during war, occupation or in a previous epidemic. never has a confined as it is today. it cannot go on forever. lucy: if infection rates stay low, most mor restrictions ll start to be lifted next month. schools will begin opening from the 11th of may on a voluntary basis, all shops will reopen and people will be free to move within 60 miles. but beaches,ge cinemas and l museums will stay closed, and a decision on bars and restaurants has been pushed back to the end of may. pressure to lift the lockdown is coming frothe top. earlier thisonth, president macron set a date of may 11 two

ease restrictions and start reopening schools. his government has quickly pulled together a plan for how complicated, and there is strong opposition. teachers' are unions -- teacher unions have descbed the reopening of schools as unworkable, even mission impossible. >> the scienfic advisors have proposed that classes are staggered, that the children are away from each other at all times, that they should not circulate in the corridors. allhis will cause us to norma's problems -- enormousob ms. lucy: the plan for lifting lockdown here rests on keeping new infections, lnder 3000 per day. some areas may need to relax rules more slowly, but the task coftaining the epidemic is shifting from government responsibility to individual response. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. laura: france grapples with reopening.

you are watching bbc world news america. still to com recording life under lockdown for future generations. ask thehrough history, public for submissions. ♪ ♪ laura: germany has been fighting toeep its rate of transmission below one, which means every person who has the virus infects only one other person. its a point at which the virus pcould break out again, and any has been watching t figure very closely. here is our berlin correspondent jenny hill with more. jenny: the germanuthorities look at that value, and also hospital capacity, and at the moment they say there are intensive beds to spar the third important factor is the daily rate of new infections, and that matters of course first of all because broadly speaking that number has been falling, andecdly, when

you coine that with the reproduction rate, that gives you a bit more information. so even if the r value is 1, so for every one person who has the y virus, te infecting statistically one other person, that makes a big difference, how many current infections you have. ♪ laura: a least 26 million americans have lost their jobs, because of the coronavirus pandemic. for many, that means losing health care, too. 'thats because about half the u.s. workforce get medical coverage with their jobs. e bbc's online team explains why that is. breast cancer survivor who has asthma. until recently, she was a bartender at this new york city theater. the coronavirus aived in the

united states. >> everything changed. i lost my joy mhealth insurance. reporter: that is because susan's hlth insurance was linked to her job. half the country relies on this kind of insurance, sponsored by an employer. and as unemployment figures jump to historic highs because of the pandemic, millions like susan are also losing health coverage. so how did to a system that relies heavily on employment for access to health care? >> it is a historical accident. reporter: before the 20th century, there wasn't much ed for health insurance, because there wasn't much health care to buy, alth care was virtually unregulated, and health insurance nonexistent. physicians practiced from their homes, and theta few hosls that existed provided minimal therapeutic care. with millions to fight in world war ii, the

u.s. faced a severe labor shortage in the 1940's, so businesses wanted to raise wages to attract labor, but economists had a g concern. the federal government was trying to prevent wages and pric from inflating, going through the roof. so they told employers there were wage and price controls. if you needed more workers ,r your facto because of defense production let's say, the only thing you could do was offer more benefits. you had to offer them something like health insurance, aan extra perk. reporter: by 1950, more than 70 million americans had employer-sponsored health insurance. today,t is more than 156 million, including spouses and children of workers so what other options do americans have? >> theot u.s. doesave a national health insurance system. we have a patchwork of different types of insurance policies, and and then public sources of coverage.

public sources are based on eligibility. reporter: that can come in the form of medicaid for cw-ldren and loincome families, or medicare for people over 65. it you don't meetr requirement, have no insurance through an employer and can't afford your own insurance, well, you are out of luck, like susan and millions of working-class milies. >> it is a scary thing. i am at high risk foravg a recurrent case of cancer. the fact thaty follow-up appointments for my cancer treatment are now potentially gone, because i don't have a job, is insane. it doesn't make sense. laura: such a scary time for so many americans. now, it is hard to imagine, but there will come a time when beis pandemic ind us. museums in the u.k. are looking at preserving this era for future generations and are asking the public to send in material on the reality of living under lockdown.

david has more. ♪ h whee all the flowers gone ♪ d>> this is a song we did right at the beginning of the lockdown. we had singers from the upper house, from italy -- opera house, from italy america, but also friends, neighbors, ks, all mixed together. david: a video made to raise monefor unemployed musicians. this is a bit of history that is unique, because of how much of it has been filmed. >> incredible insight into the state of mind of the nation. so often within their own homes. the boredom, frustration, difficulty, the highs and lows, all being captured on video. david: the fact that i can hear the birdsong this loud, in the

middle of the city. the quietness, the daily habits. so much to remember, and the issue for museums, how do you capture what it feels like? how do you capre -thus-of ome, for instance, wants to hear how home life has been changed by quarantine. and they want photos. >> we would like to see photographs of people's, hom and crucially we are asking people not to tidy up. so not an instagram version of how people are living. we want the real deal. anwepeople to really dig in, tell us what they are feeling. >> this is our family lockdown awjia thousand pieces, the world of william shakespeare, fiendishly difficult, surprisingly addictive. dad: maybe it is the things that have kept you going. >>semorable thi to happen in the locown.

>> really important to me. t means a l me. david: or sight like the amazing night skies. but now is a time to think about just how we will remthis moment. >> i've been playing bingo a lot. laura:re'll do that shakesp puzzle right now. no need to wait for history. [laughter] before we go tonight, our top stories. the u.s. now has more than aro million virus cases, one third of global infections. the milestone comes as states continue to loosen lockdowns. president trump says cases will go down to zero. he said that in february and insists the u.s. is doing more testing than n any othion. in france, the government will relax lockdown measures from the schools and shops will begin within 60 miles of their homes, but that does depend on

infection rates remaining though. i am laura trevelyan. thank you m souch for watching "bbc world news america." have a good evening. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided ... uage specialists teaching spanish, french and more. raymond james. the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundati; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs stion from viewyos like you. than

naator: you'♪ watching pbs. mr. rogers: ♪ it's a beautiful girl: we are the curious.♪ ♪ woman 1: wow! man 1: the adventurous. man 2: oh!ig daniel: grrr! woman 2: those venturing out for the first time. all: blast off! [rocket explosion] man 3: and those who have never lost our sense of wonder. man 4: whoa! man 5: areou seeing this? ♪ [quacking] vo: we are the hungry. cookie monster: cookie! man 6: the strong. muhammad ali: muste the greatest! ♪ vo: the joyful. bob ross: a happy little cud. ♪ man 3: we believe there is always more we can uncover. girl: more we can explore. woma3: we believe... man 6: ...in the capacity for goodness. vo: and the potential for greatness. ♪ man 7: the torch has been ssed to a new generation of americans. man 1: pbs. man 3: pbs. girl: ♪s. ♪

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: as the united states crosses one million confirmed cases, ans congries again to stem the economic pain, where is all of the recovery money going? i speak with senate minority leader chuck schumer about washington's response. then, faith in a pandemic. speaking with religious leaders about maintaining hope in a time of fear and uncertainty. plus, coronavirus and conspiracy. as covid-19 spreads across the globe, a wave of disinformation follows, making the pandemic deadlier and harder to fight. >> we are very poor at critical thinking. we are sources. at evaluating