JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: no progress yet.

As the pandemic persists, Congress struggles to find common ground on economic relief.

I ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the state of negotiations.

Then: COVID crackdowns.

The coronavirus provides cover for authoritarian leaders worldwide to consolidate their power and stifle dissent.

Plus: vote 2020 -- Jill Biden on her husband's run for the White House and handling of the pandemic.

And Rethinking College.

While many colleges continue to charge full tuition, one school plans to keep its drastically reduced costs permanent.

PAUL LEBLANC, President, Southern New Hampshire University: The lifetime earnings for someone with a college degree in the right major is always going to be a good math formula.

But it's not worth it at any cost, and we have got to bring costs down.

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

(BREAK) The nation is still watching and waiting tonight to see when the COVID-19 resurgence will ease.

Daily infection numbers for the nation as a whole are down from last month's peak, but still rising in 26 states.

And deaths are up in 35 states.

Still, President Trump said in an interview that aired last night that -- quote -- "It's under control, as much as you can control it."

Meanwhile, White House negotiators and Democratic leaders are still talking about a new relief bill.

They gave sharply different assessments of the talks today.

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, White House Press Secretary: Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin have been on the Hill many, many days now, trying to get this deal worked out.

But it is Democrats, it is Nancy Pelosi, it is Chuck Schumer that are making an absolute mockery of this process.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The negotiations are moving forward bit by bit.

And we're moving closer together on certain issues.

We take each issue, and we explain to Secretary Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Meadows why this is the amount we need.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Later, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said they have now agreed to try to work out a deal this week.

It could include unemployment benefits for millions of Americans that expired last week.

Now all eyes are on Congress to work through divisions to pass the next round of coronavirus relief.

To give us a sense of where things stand, I'm joined by the Democrats' top negotiator.

She is the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Madam Speaker, welcome back to the "NewsHour."

So, in brief, where do things stand?

We just heard that Secretary Mnuchin is saying you're aiming for a deal this week.

What does it look like from your perspective?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Well, Leader Schumer and I said at our earlier availability with the press that we all have agreed that we need to have an agreement.

We have to have an agreement, though, that faces the reality of the situation.

We do believe that the White House has not really accepted the gravity of the situation.

And that's whey they're thinking in smaller ways than they need to.

We have a situation where we're trying to save the lives, the livelihood, and the life of our democracy.

We are making some progress.

We are understanding each other better, exchanging paper to see in writing.

Chuck Schumer and I, Leader Schumer and I, are legislators for many years.

We understand, when we have a challenge to face, and we want to have a legislative solution, we have to know what we're talking about.

And that's why we have to be precise about what we say and the impact it has.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, are you... REP. NANCY PELOSI: And, really, we have a different point of view than the Republicans on this.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, are you coming closer together on that all-important unemployment -- federal unemployment benefits number?

Democrats were asking for $600 a week to continue.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: That's right.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Republicans were saying $200.

Are you somewhere in between?

We were told maybe you're... REP. NANCY PELOSI: No, there's no in between.

There's no in between.

The fact is that, since we passed our bill, which was 11 weeks ago tomorrow, 3.3 million more people have gone on to the infected list, of those infected; 70, 000 more people have died.

And the Republicans said they were going to push the pause button.

And they did.

And then, last week, they came up with some piecemeal thing.

So, the -- we're not saying to the American people, more people are infected, more people are dying, more people are uninsured, more children are hunger-insecure, or food-insecure, and guess what?

We're going to cut your benefit.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, Madam Speaker, the -- I mean, with all due respect, you called it piecemeal, and yet what the Republicans were offering was a short-term extension that would have allowed these extra unemployment benefits to keep flowing.

Democrats said no.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Well, it would have been finished by now.

They were talking about a few -- actually, the fact is, they didn't have anything that they could pass in the Senate on their own side.

So, if the press wants to say, well, they offered this, they offered that, they - - you can't offer something you don't have.

We have a bill.

It's called the HEROES Act.

It passed 11 weeks ago tomorrow.

It would have saved lives.

They have nothing.

They can't even pass -- they have said, we have 20 members who won't vote for anything.

So, what, we're talking rhetoric, or are we talking reality about what one side or the other is offering?

And if they wanted to offer some piecemeal thing for one week... JUDY WOODRUFF: So... REP. NANCY PELOSI:... that does not -- you only do that when you're on the verge of closing, of passing a bill and having it signed into law.

Otherwise, it's just showbiz.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, I'm trying to understand if -- where the two sides are coming together.

For example, the Republican argument is that, if -- the $1, 200 they would give to millions of Americans who need help right now would make up for some of that -- that lesser amount in unemployment.

So, is that... REP. NANCY PELOSI: That's exactly what we had in the CARES Act.

We had the $1, 200 in the CARES Act, and we had the $600 in the CARES Act.

So, how does that make up for subtracting something?

That doesn't even make sense, on their part.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Madam Speaker, what... REP. NANCY PELOSI: I mean, really, we have to get something done, but it doesn't help - - we have to get something done.

This is the gravity of the situation.

We want to honor our heroes by supporting state and local government.

We want to end this virus by having testing, tracing, treating.

They said, testing is overrated.

Tracing, they don't even believe in.

And we want to put money in the pockets of the American people.

And we also have some other things we want to do to protect our democracy with voting, to protect the post office, and what that means to our country, we have got strong OSHA law, and to feed our children.

So, these are largely our priorities.

And what they are saying is, well, we can't afford to do that.

Well, let's find out what we can afford.

What is a figure that we can agree to?

Let's get it done as soon as we can, so that we can get it out there.

JUDY WOODRUFF: What about... REP. NANCY PELOSI: But let's not be misrepresenting about what we're presenting.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Excuse me for interrupting.

What about with regard to food aid?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Yes.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Democrats do have money in the HEROES Act proposal for food.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: That's right.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Republicans don't.

But, when I talked to Leader McConnell last week, he said the money they have in there that goes to schools would provide at least school meals for children, so that would make up a significant portion of the food assistance that Democrats are talking about.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Let me tell you this.

In our bill, we have $67 billion for food, and then a small percentage of that what is called food and utility, food, utilities, water, like that, $67 billion.

Over $60 billion of it is for food.

In their bill, they have $250, 000 for food.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And his point was that the money that they have for schools would pay for school meals for many children.

And, in his words, this may be the most important... REP. NANCY PELOSI: But we have to do that anyway.

We have to do that anyway.

We have to do that anyway.

So, I mean, let's -- we're far apart in terms of our values, quite frankly.

We're far apart in understanding the gravity of the situation.

Do we -- are we determined to find an agreement?

Yes.

We will find our common ground.

But we don't -- we won't find it on the slim reed of a piecemeal bill that doesn't -- that says to our workers, you used to get $600, you're now going to get $200, because the virus has intensified in its spread.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The other point Republicans are making is, they are now showing flexibility in money for state and local governments.

This is, again, a difference.

Democrats want more money.

Republicans want a lot less.

They are saying they are willing to show flexibility, and they're also saying, a lot of the money that was passed in the spring, Madam Speaker, has not even been spent yet.

So, is there... (CROSSTALK) REP. NANCY PELOSI: Well, if you want to be an advocate for them, Judy -- if you want to be an advocate for them, let's know what the facts are.

JUDY WOODRUFF: No, I'm -- I'm playing devil's advocate here... REP. NANCY PELOSI: No.

(CROSSTALK) JUDY WOODRUFF:... to ask you for your position.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: You know, I mean, the point is, we have a bill that meets the needs of the American people.

It's called the HEROES Act.

They have not even -- they don't even want to do state and local.

And, when they do, it's very meager, and they want to revert to money from before.

The money -- much of the money that was allocated before is -- has been spent or allocated.

A small amount has not because they want to see what we're doing in this bill.

But that approach is no reason for us not to recognize we have $915 billion for states, localities, counties, and the rest, tribal governments, and territories.

They have very little money that they're offering.

And it is -- when we have a chance and when we're allowed to show you what the different numbers are.

But our record is clear.

Our record is clear.

We're there for America's working families.

We're concerned that tens of millions of people have gone on -- the 19th straight month (sic) of people going on to unemployment insurance -- 19th straight week of over one million people going on unemployment insurance.

Children are food-insecure by the millions, and they don't want to spend the money necessary to feed the children.

Families are in fear of eviction, and they say, well, we will extend the moratorium, but we won't put any money to help with that rent.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And... REP. NANCY PELOSI: And in terms of the $600, we're going to cut your benefit, and that's how we're going to observe this.

Now, again, we will find our common ground, but I don't think, in any way, as a legislature, what -- legislator -- that what they are proposing has any recognition of what is happening to the lives, the livelihood and the life of our democracy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Yes.

So, what I was asking about was money that had already been appropriated that hadn't been spent, and whether that could be part of any solution here.

As you know, another... REP. NANCY PELOSI: No, that's money from before.

That's money from before.

And, as I said, their contention... JUDY WOODRUFF: Another... REP. NANCY PELOSI:... that it hasn't been spent, it's been allocated, and there's a small amount that they're waiting to see what we do here before they release.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, again, trying to understand where the two sides may be coming together.

As you know, they argue, spending so much money, the Democrats, $3 trillion, is going to put the country into greater red ink, that that hurts future generations.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: They didn't seem to mind when they gave a big, gigantic tax cut that added $2 trillion to the national debt, so they could give 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent.

It's amazing how free and clear of the national debt they are when it comes to their rich friends, and how exacting they are when a poor person who is out of work gets $600.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, is there any conversation about rolling back any of those tax cuts?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: We're not doing that in this bill.

Well, there's one we would like to roll back.

In the CARES Act, they put $150 billion for wealthy people in our country, having nothing to do with coronavirus.

And it was retroactive for their taxes in the past.

We would like to get rid of that.

I don't think we will have that chance.

But when we address the issue of taxation in our country, we will do that in a way that's bipartisan, has sustainability, fairness and transparency, so the American people can see what's happening, rather than, in the dark of night and the speed of light, a bill that gives 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent and adds nearly $2 trillion to the national debt for our children to pay, and then to come around to us and say, how can we do all this money for food stamps?

It's going to add to the national debt.

So, we have a big difference here.

So, when they're -- you're putting forth, with all due respect to you, as you respected me, their piecemeal, meager approach that doesn't even recognize the gravity of the situation, if they had recognized it, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in.

Since our bill passed 11 weeks ago tomorrow, 3.3 million people, again, have gone on to the list of those infected, 70 million (sic) have died.

That didn't have to happen.

JUDY WOODRUFF: But, bottom line, are you saying there could be a deal reached this week, legislation passed next week... REP. NANCY PELOSI: I hope so.

JUDY WOODRUFF:... that that's a possibility?

REP. NANCY PELOSI: That would be the plan, yes.

We -- in other words, our differences are, again, in our value systems.

So, in terms of this legislation -- and Chuck and I are master legislators.

We have been here a long time, know how to get bills done.

We know the devil and the angels are in the details.

That's why we're exchanging papers to see what they actually mean and intend to do, rather than a conversation.

But we have to have an agreement, and we will have an agreement.

But we're not going to do it at the expense of America's working families, on the basis that, oh, it's going to add to the national debt.

Everybody, the national -- the chairman of the Fed, others have said, if we don't help now with the economy and stop the spread of this virus, the debt -- the economic situation is only going to worsen, worsen.

So, not investing in making it safe for our children to go to school, our people to go to work, our -- the people we're giving this money to, to inject demand into the economy, so that the economy thrives, it's only going to make matters worse.

So, again, we -- we feel very proudful of the work that was done by our chairmen to bring us to this place to help, again -- and I say it again -- save the lives, the livelihood, and the life of our democracy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, we thank you very much for joining us.

REP. NANCY PELOSI: Thank you, Judy.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day's other news: A monstrous explosion shook Beirut, Lebanon, and shattered much of the city's port.

The health minister reported that at least 70 dead and more than 3, 000 injured.

Video showed an enormous blast and shockwave that damaged buildings miles away.

Officials said that 2, 700 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up.

Special correspondent Rebecca Collard is in Beirut.

She spoke with us a short while ago.

Rebecca, thank you so much for talking with us.

So, what exactly is known about what happened?

REBECCA COLLARD: Well, actually, Judy, a lot is still not known about what happened today.

The initial report said that this was some sort of a fireworks cache that was being held in a port that caught fire.

But I can tell you, where I am now -- and I'm very close to my apartment -- we're miles from the blast site, and even here, you can see we have almost no electricity.

Many of the buildings here that are even more than a dozen stories high have the top windows blown out.

The walls are off of things.

There is glass all over the street.

So, the most recent thing that we have heard now is that there was some sort of chemical being that was held in that facility.

And that chemical caught fire.

And because of that, we saw this massive explosion, and we're really talking, if you look at these photos, this video of the explosion, a massive explosion, then, afterwards, this huge plume of smoke coming from this area in Beirut's port.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And as you describe, massive aftereffect, loss of life, so many injuries, we're hearing.

REBECCA COLLARD: Yes.

The toll now, the official toll from the Lebanese government, the latest we're hearing is over 60 and over 3, 000 people injured.

But I can tell you, even where I am now, to this point, hours and hours after this blast took place, I'm still hearing ambulances ferrying people to hospitals.

We have heard that a lot of the hospitals here in Beirut are basically overwhelmed with the numbers of injuries that are coming in.

And, unfortunately, Judy, I think that, over tonight and into tomorrow, we're only going to see the number of dead and the number of injured rise really significantly.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Such a terrible incident.

Rebecca Collard reporting for us from Beirut, thank you so much.

REBECCA COLLARD: You're welcome.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And in this country, Tropical Storm Isaias sped up the I-95 Corridor along the East Coast today, leaving a trail of damage.

The storm was downgraded after coming ashore as a hurricane in North Carolina overnight and heading north.

Along the way, it spun off a tornado in Windsor, North Carolina, that demolished mobile homes, flipped cars and killed two people.

And heavy rain triggered flash flooding in suburban Philadelphia and elsewhere.

The storm also knocked out power to nearly three million customers.

Firefighters in Southern California have spent another day battling a wildfire east of Los Angeles.

It's been burning largely out of control in the mountains, but thousands of people have had to leave their homes.

Investigators say that a sputtering diesel vehicle sparked the initial flames.

The U.N. secretary-general warned today of what he called a generational catastrophe in education caused by the pandemic.

In a video message, Antonio Guterres said that school closures have disrupted learning for at least a billion students across 160 nations.

He said getting kids back into classrooms safely has to be a top priority.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General: We are at a defining moment for the world's children and young people.

The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Guterres said that minority children, the displaced and others in crisis are at greatest risk of being left behind.

Back in this country, five states held primary elections today, with voting by mail playing a big role.

In Kansas, Congressman Roger Marshall and the former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach vied for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

In St. Louis, Democratic Representative Lacy Clay faced a challenge from progressive Cori Bush.

And in Detroit, Democrat Rashida Tlaib, a leading progressive in Congress, was in a rematch with Brenda Jones, the City Council president.

President Trump has signed a bill that will pump nearly $3 billion a year into conservation, national parks and outdoor recreation.

The great American Outdoors Act became law at a White House ceremony today.

It's touted as the most important conservation measure in nearly 50 years.

Critics say it doesn't begin to cover the $20 billion backlog in maintenance of federal lands.

And on Wall Street, major indexes managed modest gains, and have now made up nearly all of their losses from the pandemic sell-off.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 164 points to close at 26828.

The Nasdaq rose 38 points, and the S&P 500 added nearly 12.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Dr. Jill Biden discusses the campaign for the White House and her new book, "Where the Light Enters"; the coronavirus provides cover for authoritarians worldwide to consolidate their power and stifle dissent; in light of the pandemic, one college plans to keep its drastically reduced tuition costs permanent; and much more.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce soon who he wants as his running mate.

And the person undoubtedly closest to the candidate's decision-making is his wife, Dr. Jill Biden.

Her book "Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself, " first published in 2019, it is out in paperback today.

And she joins me now.

Dr. Biden, thank you so much for talking with us.

So, we're going to leave everybody in suspense about the vice president for a few minutes.

We're going to start by talking about your book.

It's very personal.

You write about being 24 years old when you met Joe Biden.

You married him two years later.

He was already a United States senator with two children.

He had lost his first wife and another child.

You were coming out of your own marriage.

You describe how daunting it was.

How did you do it?

DR. JILL BIDEN, Wife of Joe Biden: When I met Joe, I -- you know, I was hesitant at first to -- he asked me five times to marry him.

And -- but it wasn't just my heart, really, that was on the line.

I -- like you said, he had lost his wife and daughter.

And I fell in love with the boys.

But I had to make sure that this marriage was going to work.

I mean, it -- they had already lost a mother and a sister, and they could not lose a mother through divorce.

So, I said yes, finally, and here we are 43 years later.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And you write in the book about the highs and the lows, the heartaches, including especially the death of your son Beau five years ago from brain cancer.

I was struck, Dr. Biden.

You wrote in the book.

You said -- this was last year, when the book came out.

You said you lost your faith, but you hoped that you could salvage it at some day in the future.

Have you been able to salvage it since?

JILL BIDEN: You know, I have.

Something remarkable happened to me.

We were on the campaign trail last summer in South Carolina, and we were visiting a church, the Sunday service.

And during the service, a woman came up to me, and we were in the front pew, and she put her hand on me.

And she said: "Dr. Biden, I want to be your prayer partner."

And I thought: Prayer partner?

I had never heard of prayer partner.

And so we got in touch.

We pray together.

We text one another a couple of times a week.

And after five years, she gave me back my faith.

It was so remarkable.

JUDY WOODRUFF: You write in the book, also, about how teaching is central to who you are.

You have made a career of it over the many years.

You were the first second lady of the United States to work full-time while your husband was vice president.

You said some years ago that you wanted to teach if he were elected president.

Do you still want to do that?

DR. JILL BIDEN: I would love to do it.

I'm hoping that, if I have the honor of being first lady, that I can continue to teach.

So, that's one of the things I'm really looking forward to.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Education, it's so important to you, and it's a huge problem during this pandemic, right now, schools, parents families agonizing over what to do.

You have said the health of the children and the teachers should be foremost.

But, at the same time, you know very well not having an education can be very damaging, especially for young or children with disabilities.

How does that get resolved?

DR. JILL BIDEN: I say we have to listen to the experts and find out -- and the doctors - - and only return to school when it is safe to return to school.

But I think what this pandemic has done, it has shown the inequity in education.

And so many areas of our country don't have broadband.

So many kids don't have laptops or computers.

They don't have Internet.

And so we need to fix that.

And this hopefully gives us the opportunity, I think, moving into our next administration, where Joe, that's part of his plan.

I mean, he's already working on a strategy, an education strategy, so that all children can begin their education at universal pre-K, pre-kindergarten, starting at age 3.

We have to address the inequities in our system.

And my husband, Joe, is prepared to do that.

And, Judy, I'm going to be right behind him.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Let's talk about the fall campaign.

Do you expect at this point to be out traveling, actually meeting with voters with your husband?

And how concerned are you?

There is a preexisting condition.

Your husband had -- suffered aneurysms back a few decades ago, and just the virus out there.

DR. JILL BIDEN: We would love to be out on the road.

We would love to be.

Joe is, like, the best campaigner ever.

And -- but we're going to listen to the doctors.

And if they say it's not safe to go out, we won't go out.

But, listen, Judy, I mean, look at what we're doing today.

I mean, we are talking -- Joe and I are meeting with thousands of Americans every day through Zoom and through these virtual meetings.

And it hasn't stopped.

It's just like we're on the trail.

And Joe keeps going and going.

I mean, he has so much energy.

And he was very young.

He was -- gosh, he was 45 years old when he had his aneurysm.

And he -- he's -- he recovered, and hasn't had a problem since.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The campaign, as I'm sure you know, is already one of the most, if not the most polarized in history.

It's down and dirty.

The names that are being thrown around, President Trump has already called your husband corrupt, crazy, mentally shot, the most extreme left-wing candidate ever.

This is going to be one for the history books.

How do you get prepared for that, because it is going to be personal?

It is personal.

DR. JILL BIDEN: It is personal, but you know what, Judy?

We knew what we were getting into.

We knew who Donald Trump was.

And when we made our decision, Joe and I looked at one another, and I said: "Joe, we have been through the absolute worst thing that could happen to two people, and that is the loss of a child."

I said: "So, Donald Trump, whatever he throws at us, we can take it, because nothing, I mean -- and nothing has -- is sticking to Joe, because the American people know Joe.

They know his character.

He's been in politics.

They know his decency and his resilience and, quite frankly, his leadership style.

And I think that's what's going to make the difference in the election.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And what about when President Trump goes after your husband for his cognitive ability?

How does Joe Biden assure the American people that he is prepared?

DR. JILL BIDEN: For Trump to be saying that my husband is not up to the job is just ridiculous.

And I think Joe has proven -- he's been on the debate stage.

You have seen him.

I don't think Joe has anything really to prove to the American people, because people see him.

They see him daily.

They know him.

They know his plans.

They know his strategies.

And I think people cannot wait for a Joe Biden presidency.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Just a couple of other things.

Back to the vice presidential selection.

You told a reporter today that you're getting close, your husband is getting close.

How involved are you in this decision?

DR. JILL BIDEN: It's a marriage, and he bounces things off of me.

I bounce things off of him.

Of course we talk about it.

And -- but it's ultimately Joe's decision.

When Joe was in the White House with Barack Obama, they had a true friendship.

I would say they -- it even developed into a love for one another.

And our families are very close.

And I think Joe is going to be looking for the woman who shares the same values that he shares.

And I think that's what he had with Barack Obama, and that's what he's looking for.

JUDY WOODRUFF: We know that, and we assume he shares values with all the women who are - - made the cut, are down to the final short list.

But give us a sense of special qualities that you and he are looking for.

DR. JILL BIDEN: Well, I think that it's really important that -- trust is important to us, and I guess experience, wisdom, the things you would want someone -- he needs a partner in governing and someone who knows has to govern and has the experience.

So, I love all the -- I mean, the women that are candidates now, each and every one of them would bring something really special and unique to the ticket.

So it's been really hard to look at each one and think, oh, my gosh, wouldn't she be wonderful, or wouldn't she be wonderful?

It's a really tough choice, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: I'm happy for you to give us a clue.

(LAUGHTER) DR. JILL BIDEN: I know.

(LAUGHTER) DR. JILL BIDEN: I can tell you it's going to be a woman.

(LAUGHTER) JUDY WOODRUFF: Last thing.

It was just last March when were you on a stage with your husband in Los Angeles, and you physically stopped two people from jumping up.

You body-blocked them from getting close to your husband.

So, my question is, has the Secret Service deputized you?

(LAUGHTER) DR. JILL BIDEN: You know, the men and women of the Secret Service are so great.

I would be honored to join their ranks.

But I have to tell you, Joe was giving a speech.

He had no idea what was happening behind him.

I happened to turn around and see people charging up the steps.

And, you know, Judy, I didn't even think about it.

I just turned and put out my hands to stop them, because I had no idea what they were going to do.

And I think, as a mother, as a wife, it's just instinct that you -- that that's how you react.

JUDY WOODRUFF: We will be looking for you to do it again on the campaign trail or virtually.

Dr. Jill Biden, thank you very much.

The book is "Where the Light Enters."

Thank you.

DR. JILL BIDEN: Thanks, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: There's an old saying: Never let a crisis go to waste.

And for some leaders around the world, the pandemic has been the crisis they have been waiting for.

Pro-democracy groups say that authoritarianism was already on the rise before COVID-19.

And, as Nick Schifrin tells us, the pandemic has accelerated that trend.

NICK SCHIFRIN: They marched for democratic values and held signs "Free Country, Free Press, " but, in Hungary, the press is increasingly not free, and democracy is sliding down an authoritarian slope.

Last month, the editor of Hungary's most read news site was fired for coverage critical of the government.

Nearly all employees at the Index news site walked out.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long called Index a fake news factory.

But COVID became a cover for him to expand attacks and seize more power.

And it's happening elsewhere.

An open letter from 500 former world leaders and Nobel laureates warned, COVID-19 increased global authoritarianism that threatens the future of liberal democracy.

ALINA POLYAKOVA, Director, Center for European Policy Analysis: Authoritarian-leaning leaders across the world are using this to push through far, far more aggressive autocratic matters and to repress independent voices in civil society.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Alina Polyakova is the director of the Center for European Policy Analysis.

ALINA POLYAKOVA: I don't think they would've been able to do this, because there would be much more attention, much more criticism, at a time when we weren't going through a global pandemic.

NICK SCHIFRIN: COVID has emboldened would-be dictators.

In Russia, during a World War II commemoration parade, police shoved protesters into vans, thanks to a new measure against public assembly.

Vladimir Putin won a referendum that extends his power until 2036.

In Egypt, Dr. Hany Bakr was arrested for a Facebook post criticizing the government for sending medical masks abroad, when he didn't have enough in its own practice.

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's government has arrested more than a dozen people for criticizing the official COVID response.

In other countries, opportunism.

In Poland, President Andrzej Duda pushed through and won a recent election, despite E.U.

concerns it wouldn't be safe or fair.

The vote was upheld by Duda's handpicked Supreme Court.

In Hong Kong, the pro-Beijing legislative council cited COVID to postpone a planned September vote that it was expected to lose.

Pro-democracy groups say more than 60 elections have been postponed during COVID, and more than 40 countries have restricted press freedom.

These leaders say extraordinary times require extraordinary steps, like border closures, quarantines, and tracking.

VIKTOR ORBAN, Prime Minister of Hungary (through translator): We successfully defended our country.

Our achievement is comparable to any other country.

And we did that within democratic frameworks.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But many of the new powers don't expire or have anything to do with COVID.

In Hungary, Orban withheld COVID relief money from his political opponents.

Parliament temporarily gave him the power to rule by decree.

He declared victory over the virus.

But, in this house, there is only loss.

Last month, Lilla Szeleczki's mother died.

LILLA SZELECZKI, Daughter of Coronavirus Victim (through translator): I really miss her.

Everybody loved her.

She always made our favorite food for us and always got us little surprises and presents.

It hurts a lot that she is not with us anymore.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Szeleczki's mother was suffering from kidney cancer when she was sent home to make room for COVID patients.

Orban's silencing of the press and downplaying COVID meant Hungarians didn't receive the information they needed.

Szeleczki says her mother's death could have been prevented, and that, in Hungary, no one person should have total control.

LILLA SZELECZKI (through translator): I think it was a huge mistake that unlimited power was given in one person's hands.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Part of the problem is that COVID arrived when democracy was already under attack.

Freedom House says 2019 was the 14th consecutive year of decline in their Global Freedom Index.

To discuss that and how authoritarianism has spread during COVID, I'm joined by Anne Applebaum, staff writer at "The Atlantic, " a historian on Central and Eastern Europe, and author of a new book just out, "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism."

Anne Applebaum, welcome back to the "NewsHour."

You have known many of the players.

And Poland was one example we just cited, Hungary.

You have seen them shift over the decades from advocating democracy to eroding, in some of their cases, rule of law.

What happened?

ANNE APPLEBAUM, Author, "Twilight of Democracy": You have to look country by country for a complete explanation.

But I do think you can point to, across both mature democracies and new democracies, a kind of disappointment with democracy.

And, sometimes, this is a cultural disappointment.

People don't like the way their societies have changed.

And I think we have to acknowledge that there is a part of every society that doesn't like the cacophony and noise of democracy and the arguments, that doesn't like the fact that democracies can't take instant decisions, the way autocracies can.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Turning to COVID and the focus we just put on one particular country, Hungary, and its leader, Viktor Orban, how did Orban take advantage of COVID to seize more power?

ANNE APPLEBAUM: When the coronavirus arrived in Hungary, Orban used it to illustrate that he was already fully in control of his system.

In other words, he passed a decree, or an order, that said that, from -- for the period as long, as he wanted, in fact, he would be able to rule by decree.

And a number of Hungarians said to me, well, you know, we know this sounds terrible, but, in a way, Orban was simply confirming what we already know, which is that he operates functionally already as a dictator, there are no checks and balances on him, and he was simply using the excuse of the coronavirus to rub this in.

NICK SCHIFRIN: One of the aspects, of course, of Orban's crackdown is against freedom of the press.

And we have seen governments all over the world restrict freedom of the press.

What's the long-term impact of some of those measures?

ANNE APPLEBAUM: The instinct to crackdown on the free press and to try and control speech and to channel it in certain directions, I think, has always been with us.

And the coronavirus simply allowed some governments to take advantage of that situation, remembering that, for many people, moments when they are afraid and when they fear for their lives are often moments when they are willing to trade freedom for security or freedom for safety.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Let's talk about China for a second.

That propaganda apparatus has waged an ideological battle, arguing that their version of communism, their country, their structure is better equipped to deal with this kind of crisis.

Do you fear that that argument could be accepted by people around the world?

ANNE APPLEBAUM: The problem with the Chinese argument is that it's undermined by their own actions during the crisis and the fact that it was the Chinese government that first denied that the pandemic was dangerous.

And so China is not in a good position to be arguing that its method of dealing with the virus is the best.

But even when you step away from that, there is another interesting thing happening.

Many of the countries that have dealt best with the virus are democracies.

They have governments that can create a sense of community and of trust and get people to behave in a way that reduces the virus.

And so -- and there are a number of autocracies, at the same time, that have done badly.

So, it turns out that the line between who's doing well and who's doing badly is not democracy vs. dictatorship.

It's to do more with efficiency, with trust, with community and solidarity.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Lastly, President Trump has raised the possibility of delaying the U.S. election.

Where is the U.S. when it comes to this story?

ANNE APPLEBAUM: His purpose is to undermine our faith in the electoral process itself, so that people don't vote, so that they stay away, and then perhaps so that they doubt the result if the result is bad for him.

This is a tactic that is used by authoritarians all over the world.

When they want to undermine people's faith in the system, they undermine their faith in voting and in the purpose and meaning of voting.

We have all been convinced for many decades now that American democracy is something inevitable, it's like water coming out of the tap, or the air we breathe, that there's nothing special that we have to do in order to perpetuate it.

But the lessons from around the world show that democracies do die.

People lose faith in them.

Political parties with anti-democratic beliefs take over democratic countries.

Our democracy, like every democracy, requires work.

It requires reform.

It requires renewed commitment.

It may require new kinds of politics.

And it may be that all of us are going to have to be a lot more involved in politics and think a lot harder about how to ensure that our democracy survives than we ever expected to.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Anne Applebaum.

The book is "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism."

Thank you very much.

ANNE APPLEBAUM: Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Despite the fact that college classes will be taught only remotely at many schools, plenty of colleges and universities are charging full tuition this fall.

Hari Sreenivasan has a report about one school cutting tuition substantially during remote learning in the fall, and making plans to keep it low permanently.

It's part of our Rethinking College series.

HARI SREENIVASAN: During his final months of high school, 18-year-old Anthony Covatta, a varsity golfer, spent time refining his swing and thinking about the cost of college.

His older sisters have about $180, 000 in combined college student loan debt.

Their parents, both public school teachers in Saratoga Springs, New York, worked extra jobs and rented out their home.

But the pandemic ended that extra income.

Anthony's father, Michael, says there were a lot of difficult conversations as the family tried to figure out how to pay for Anthony's first year of college, $23, 000 after financial aid and a golf scholarship.

MICHAEL COVATTA, Father of Anthony Covatta: We don't live in a big house, so you -- voices carry.

And he can hear those conversations about how this was going to happen and how we were going to manage going forward financially.

And it was stressful.

HARI SREENIVASAN: But about a month before his high school graduation, Anthony got an unexpected e-mail from the school he was planning to attend, Southern New Hampshire University, also known as SNHU.

MICHAEL COVATTA: That e-mail was basically two paragraphs' long.

And there was no confusion.

We are going to waive your tuition for your first year, and then it will be $10, 000 a year after that.

ANTHONY COVATTA, Incoming College Student: That's a huge weight off me.

I can't believe someone would have to pay that much for an education.

HARI SREENIVASAN: Paul LeBlanc agrees.

PAUL LEBLANC, President, Southern New Hampshire University: The lifetime earnings for someone with a college degree in the right major is always going to be a good math formula.

But it's not worth it at any cost, and we have got to bring cost down.

HARI SREENIVASAN: LeBlanc is the president of SNHU, a private, nonprofit university in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The school is lowering tuition for students normally on campus from $32, 000 to $10, 000, while remote learning continues, and has committed to permanently reduce tuition to $10, 000 in the years to come.

All incoming freshman are receiving a full-ride scholarship for their first year.

LeBlanc says the school planned to lower tuition in 2023, but the pandemic prompted the change.

PAUL LEBLANC: This recession and this level of unemployment dwarfs the last recession, and we see enormous need for new innovative models at a lower, more affordable cost.

So, the elite schools probably won't feel much pressure to change.

They will get back to normal.

They will say, whew, that was a pretty terrible period, but we're back to the kind of way we always were.

But there are probably fewer than 50 schools, out of 4, 000, that fit that category.

I think, for everybody else, things are up for grabs.

HARI SREENIVASAN: SNHU has a relatively small campus for about 4, 000 students, but it is the largest university by enrollment, because more than 130, 000 students attend online.

WOMAN: When I made that first phone call, they made it so easy.

HARI SREENIVASAN: You might have seen the ads on TV.

Under LeBlanc's leadership, the school has spent more than $500 million on national marketing since 2009.

It's boosted enrollment and profits.

The school brought in more than $100 million last year.

PAUL LEBLANC: Our ability to be in front of more people, to serve more students has also meant that we haven't raised tuition in over 10 years.

HARI SREENIVASAN: But the school has faced scrutiny about its marketing spending, as well as concerns about graduation rates and what SNHU grads earn.

And it's often lumped together with for-profit competitors when issues are raised about the quality of online degree programs.

But now, as so many universities and colleges across the country are struggling financially and trying to adapt to online learning, LeBlanc says, SNHU is financially solid and an expert at remote learning.

PAUL LEBLANC: And I would go so far as to argue that the best online courses are often quite superior to traditional face-to-face courses.

HARI SREENIVASAN: While other schools are also lowering costs and offering individual discounts, SNHU stands out for the amount of tuition it's cutting.

Cost-cutting was on President LeBlanc's agenda well before the pandemic.

PAUL LEBLANC: We have 120 competencies.

And you can master those as fast as you like.

HARI SREENIVASAN: We first visited the university six years ago, when it offered a unique competency-based degree for mastery of subjects vs. credit hours for time spent in class.

Since then, the school has continued to tinker with ways to lower costs by reducing the time students spend in typical campus-based lecture courses.

LeBlanc says, the school's goal after the pandemic is to have on-campus yearly tuition be the same as online.

PAUL LEBLANC: To go from 32 to 10 is a heavy lift.

No one will get there by cutting.

You can't cut enough expense out of what you do to lower tuition to that level.

So, it really means thinking about structural change and systems.

Is there any reason why we can't go 12 months out of the year and get students out into the work force faster?

HARI SREENIVASAN: Incoming junior Anzania Norman is one of the students on the front lines of change at the university.

She's enrolled in a pilot project which, before the pandemic hit, combined self-driven competency-based online learning with dorm living and classroom supports.

ANZANIA NORMAN, College Student: It's very different from a regular classroom.

There isn't a teacher teaching you.

There isn't someone sitting in front of you for hours on end talking to you.

I feel like it's easier, because I'm learning on my own at my own pace, and I'm grasping what I really need from the program.

HARI SREENIVASAN: While she says the program has been a good fit for her, giving her flexibility to work while attending school, she is wondering how future employers will view her unconventional degree.

ANZANIA NORMAN: When someone looks at my resume, they're not going to see that I have a GPA or grade, because the program doesn't require a GPA.

I would have to explain to them exactly what the program is about and how it's done.

HARI SREENIVASAN: That and other issues could come up for students as the school pushes the boundaries of a traditional college education.

But President LeBlanc says higher ed needs to adapt to meet the needs of today's employers.

PAUL LEBLANC: Let's not hold our new models up to a standard that our existing models don't meet today.

In reality, an employer looking at a college transcript can't actually discern very much about what you actually learned or know.

Employers think about skills.

So, moving into a skills-based or a competency-based framework gives us a common language with employers.

HARI SREENIVASAN: Teaching that new framework will be faculty like Lowell Matthews, an associate professor of global business and leadership.

He says, while some professors are still on the fence about the changes, he's up for the challenge.

LOWELL MATTHEWS, Professor, Southern New Hampshire University: Being a professor of African descent, and having limited opportunities personally to be able to go to college, I'm actually still paying today for my college degree and experience, right?

So, when you talk about equity, it's very personal and real for me, because I am still in debt.

So, are we really setting up students for success by allowing them to graduate with debt?

HARI SREENIVASAN: Matthews and his colleagues are hoping the university's lower tuition will help to alleviate those debts.

The school will announce how it plans to get tuition down permanently during the following school year.

For the "PBS NewsHour, " I'm Hari Sreenivasan.

JUDY WOODRUFF: President Trump held a press briefing at the White House again tonight.

Our Yamiche Alcindor was there.

and she joins me now.

So, Yamiche, first of all, we understand the president made comments about this massive explosion in Beirut today, 70 -- more than 70 dead, thousands injured.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right.

President Trump took questions on that topic.

And he said it looked like a bomb or some sort of attack happened in that city.

But there's no confirmation of exactly what happened.

Of course, there was that massive explosion.

But the president said it just looks like that.

And military officials are still looking into exactly what happened there.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And the other thing I want to ask you about, Yamiche, is, the president had comments on mail-in voting again.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right.

The president over and over again has come out against the idea of mail-in voting.

He said, without any sort of evidence, that mail-in voting would be fraught with fraud and that people would be trying to game the system.

But, today, he tweeted and again doubled down on this idea during the briefing that Florida is the state that can do this mail-in voting without any issues.

Critics of the president say he's trying to carve out this state because it's a key battleground state, the state he won in 2016.

The president says that's because it's safe and that it's clean there.

But, from what we understand, there is no evidence that mail-in voting involves any fraud.

And in the middle of a pandemic, a lot of Americans are going to be trying to cast their ballots by mail, doing absentee ballot, because they're trying to avoid big crowds that would possibly have people be infected with the coronavirus.

So that's -- this is the president changing his stance on mail-in voting for one state, Florida.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Because, in fact, just quickly, Yamiche, the president and others in the administration have acknowledged that they in the past themselves have been voted by mail.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: That's right.

The president has Florida residency.

So, he has voted by mail.

So has the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany.

But the president still insists that people who live in a state, say, other states other than Florida, meaning Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, if you live in the state, you should physically be going in November and voting, instead of actually voting by mail, which is what, of course, a lot of Americans want to do.

I should also note that the president was saying that there was fraud in a New York election.

Again, there's no evidence that there was any fraud in that election.

And it's clear that there are a lot of Americans who are simply afraid, Judy, to walk into these lines where you might be shoulder to shoulder with people as you're trying to cast your ballot.

Of course, 2020 is going to be highly contested.

And a lot of people want to take part.

But if there's record turnout, there could be some sort of virus outbreak.

So a lot of people are looking to vote by mail.

And the president is still coming out against that, except, of course, for Florida, where he owns Mar-a-Lago and where he vacations a lot.

JUDY WOODRUFF: It's an issue that we are certainly going to continue to be looking at for the weeks and the months to come through this election.

Yamiche Alcindor reporting for us tonight from the White House.

Thank you, Yamiche.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Thanks so much.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And that's the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

Join us online and again here tomorrow evening.

For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour, " thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon.