Thank you. Once again from washington, moderator robert costa. Robert good evening. Breaking news tonight. Supreme Court JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg has t died at age of 87. She was an icon on the court. Her death leaves a vacancy on that courts weeks before the president ial election. But just days before her death, ginsburg dictate this would statement to her granddaughter will not be replaced until a new president is installed. And joining uso tonight discuss this matter, this death of supreme Court JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg are three of washingtons top reporters. Bob woodward, pulrizer winning associate editor for the Washington Post and author of rage. Rg et brennan, moderator of face the nation and senior foreign affairsorrespondents for cbs news, and alexi mccammond, political reporter for axios. Welcome t all three of you tonight. I appreciat you being here. Were all die justing the news as reporters. Bob, we will begin with you. Youve written a book on the Supreme Court, along before brethren. 1979 called the p about the Supreme Court. What is the sfanls of her depth tonight and what is her legacy . Bob well, first her death, tragic and its size mick politically because if trump is able to get a new nominee through the senate, which is theres going to be a struggle like we have never seen perhaps for one of these nominations and if thats the case, it would give the conservatives a solid fth vote because roberts, the and justice, as we know, realizes he swings one way and the other. He goes back and forth and really decidesan many of the crucial cases 54. Well, if thein liberalurg gets replaced by a conservative, then there would be six normal that will nominal conservatives on t courts and five solid oneles and we could change the whole fabric of our legal system, statutes, constitutional law in a way that will defe the trumpra in another way and, of course, this is what trump ran on. He has put out his list of potential nominee he is ing to ride this harmed and were in for a multiple political hurricane with the virus going on,with the economy, with the racial struggle, and now this i nt know. Actually, how were going to report itlmt hour by hour as the struggle will, intensi i believe. Robert margaret, whats your latest reporting on how the white house willandle this . Senator mcconnell, who has said in previous weeks thate would move forward with a nomination if there is a vacancy. What are you hearing tonightnd beginning ginsburgs legacy . Et marg she was strong by mighty definitely a strong liberal volleys b t only second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and she was an icon and a barrier breakler. Sparifically really fought on issues of trying to lel the playin field on issues for women in this country. There was a feature film made about her life called on the basis of sex. They sell dolls and tshirtli fr le girls with the no morris r. B. G. Ious own right. Putting at aside, everything bob just laid out. It is going to get nasty. Ive been watching ll the news reports come in within cbs. It doesnt yet appear the esident has been informed because hes been speaking about the Supreme Court but has not yet renchingsed the passing of the justice. Instead t she on campaign trail talking about his pla for who he woulda put o future court. Hes talking about senator ted cruz. Hes talking about republican allies of his and this is part of what wob bob gesturing to is that will become another political cudge and you willt is another very useful tool for the president. Have not made up their mind or the few wavering wavering questioning whether or not next the issues of conservatives are really encamslated of who sits there. It is a motivator for voters, we know that that is why the president is talking about it tonight and we d expect t president to move ahead and try to replace in what would be a record period of time were only 40something day from the the election here and it may n be easy for mitch mcconnell, even know he does hold the republican majority seat and could bring something up in congress. You have senators like lisark ski ho who has said on the election previously that she the easction has us. This is going to bring up all the bad bloomeds from happened what ed with president obamas normal theme me rick garland because then senators mcconnell refuse to the bring it forward saying it was just too close to the election. Well, mcconnell holds the keys still and with the repubcans controlling the senate and white house, we can move these wheels forward tre a way he wasnt able to last time around. Robert alexically alexi, yoe covered the preial campaign. You at all talk to democratic d republican strategists all the time. Ju ice ginsburg, such a popular figure among democrats. How are they responding tonight, especially inside joe bidens campaign . Alex thank you so much for having me, bob, and its so good to be with all oou tonight. This is a pretty sad night. As has been stated, Justice Ginsburg was an icon and a hero, especially among liberals. Th tshirts, the siphons, the sayings. She ref this would larger than life figure, especially in the year 2020 ahead of this election, which is leading to a loof political polarization. As this larger than life figure, a person they could put the homes and dreams into and now without her, ocourse, this is going to lead to a really ugly, hilled use politeal bat in the senate but thats going to have ramifications for theid prtial election. There are a lot of fovegs within the Democratic Party who first choice wasnt joe biden. A lot of people supported senator Bernie Sanders in the primary and theyre saying to each other online and in person and different forums that a jolt te for joe bid is a vote for uth Bader Ginsburg that was a way to gin up excitement from different progressive parts of the party, even before before ruth bader beginnings bergs passing this evening. I think progrsives will engine courage each other to support some ee theyre notited about. Now the Biden Campaign of course usesnyumber of their inperson remarks to talk about the news of the day at the beginning. Biden often use that is events to talk about President Trump and his mishanding, he says, of the coronavirus but now well see howhe Biden Campaign and other democrats are really going to movrd for ahead about presenting a counter argument to refpbles on the issue othe courts, especially as this presents a political opportunities for psidentp tro fulfill the promises he made to those base supporters, those conservatives voters who care a lot about the certs. Biden and his campaign are going to have to figure out how toresent a counterve narra to that. Robert bob woodward, i want to come back to a word you used in your first answer, hurricane. And the titles of your book, rage. I was sitting with you in march of 2016 when then candidate rage out, i always have. Ing the youve documented in your book the ravenlg inside this presidency, thatsn the country. Youve studied american democracy and reported on it. At oes it mean now for american democracy on top of a pandemic to now have this threat of a supreme cot vacancy being pulled just 45 days before the election . Bob first youre going to have to look at voting blo and theres been much discussion and i think legitimate discussion that evangelicals particularly, prolife republicans, angelicals were kind of waivering on trump. Waverg on trump. Abortion is such a key issue with lots of peoplon both sides but particularly that voting blo and so now trump is going to be able to come out and say, look, i canng cthe court, i can change history. Can, you know, perhaps, as we know, roe v. Wade could be overturned, so it i think with that group and with people who have been wavering about trump, evangelicals, particularly prolife people are going to say, well, ok. Trump is going to give us in on the big one and its it is a magnet and, you know, its exactly right what were talking about among liberals d democrats. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an icon. She was also touch. I knew her. I sat next to her at dinners. And she would not she believed in the dignity of women, the dignity of all citizens in this country and so her loss its not just a political loss, i think its nd of it creates a little bit of a moral vuum in the Supreme Court and in washington in flicks. So its going to be something to watch. Everyones going to be playing it. What do the Senate Republicans are there going to be doubters on this . Just in a if y can ever get to 100,000 feet on Something Like this and look down, if you were designing a system, a political system like well. You would almost build into it that you dont fill Supreme Court vacancies in the last year of presidency. I dont know how you do that but it would be betterha this issue be decided november 3 when we vote on keepingor trump i putting biden in. And so that my analysis and i doaot hav good track record on this but i think its really a tossup election. It think tere as trump told m inur many interviews in the last 10 months, he kept emphasizing i have invisible support. People whoill not come out and say they support me to pollsters, even to their neighbors and their friends or neighbor even their spouse and their partner. And so everyone gets to decide. Its a secret ballot, whether u to th polling place or mail it in. Soe going to see Something Like we havent seen in this country for a long, long time. Robe argaret, we just saw some images and reportsing that theyve already brought some of the flags down to halfstaff at the Supreme Court. Ve also been texting before white house who s ources at thep attention to amy comby barrett, the conservative federal jge from indiana who opposes abortion rights and theyre saying the senate g. O. P. Is amongst alkin guard but this is g ng to create complications for senator susan collins, a nod rat republan in maine or corey gardner, a swi state in colorado a tough race there. How is this t play out based on your sources ein the g. O. P. , between nho want to move quickly and nose who may have some hesitation . Margar mcconnellsntention is to go full speed ahead but as you were saying, referencing the race in maine and susan collinso whd be influential here. I wonder, does it put them in an awkward the downballot races. The republicans are running to hold on to the Senate Majority and are concerned. The National Review recently had a piece writi t abouts as a chernobyllike event. The fear of losing the republican majority. Does this create a fear for ther some of the republicans because its a note vor to come out to move the senate into those democratic control . Even in a preferential election. It will be really interesting and awkward. It will formals the issue into senate races around the country and tonight were just hearing, because people dont want to on death about their next moveut a make no mistake, they were certainly planning them. Joe biden, when we knew r. B. G. Was i she has been and shes peten i dont knowimow much resurgent cancer. He was being pressed just a few months a to release his list the specific nam of who he n envyings putting on that courts but hes said it be a black woman, nana is someone who would be on his list. For President Trump t list hes released hasbout five women on it. At least two africanamerican men a number of hispanics. Hes trying here as well to show that he can embrace diversity of the person, if not diversity of thought in pushing forward a conservative nominee potentially so this isefinitely something were going to be talking about in washington leelt leading touch t election and beyond. Robert bob woodward was talking about how evangelical christians, republican vers could be mor enthusiastic than tover come to the polls bec ise of vacancy now on the Supreme Court but what about democratic voters, the rank and file who also may be energized and wre already seeing tonight anger Chuck Schumer whoer maintaining that republicans should hold off untilhelection . Alexi weve said this iseoing to really nasty fight in washington but we know that democrats are already enthusiastic about showing up to vote in november for the election. Not just because of getting rid of President Trump but because of what they want the country to look like and feel like. I hear from democratic leadse and Racial Justice leaders all the time withintihe democ party that they want to move forward into a new era so i think the prospects of a replacement for r. G. B. Is going but thats especially through if they see republicans in the Senate Acting in bad faith, trying to rush to phil fill this vacancy before the electioe whichll be really unhappy about and theyll use that as a rallying cry for their voters and another reason for them to get out and vote. Weve seen a lot of protests in the last three month along, of course against policeta bty but think about the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and how nasty ose got and how that spurred protests among womens groups and democratic voters alike. This could the same fit turns out as that a e werexpecting it to. Throip is all alongside the pandemic. Bob has shared new, previously unreleased audio with washington week. Bob so what dwrailed do you give youelf on the virus for the last six, seven months . President trump other than the public relions,hich is impossible because its a fake media. Fake. I know you disagree bob yeah, i do. President trump other than the fact that ive been unable to President Trump i give , sir . Yourselves ourselves an a but the grade is incomplete and ill tell you why. F we come up with the vaccines myself an aplus. Robert bob, take us inside that exchange and how it connects to omthis week andts in america. A president confronting crisis yeing himself an aplus. What does that mean for the country and the election . El bob this was a conversation i had with him july 189 so this is two months ago and this was a moment look at the charlotte. There were almost four million virus cases in the country. At that point, astonishingly, 142,000 people, our citizen in this country had die of the coronavirus. And hes giving himself an a or an aplus . Look at the recd on this, hich ive put together in my go back to january 28th. Let me set the scene there in the oval office. A topsecret meeting between the president and his national his ity advisors and obrien, after they received a briefing from i theelligence community, he says, mr. Pr ident, this virus will be the biggest threatthe Biggest NationalSecurity Threat toenour pres. His deputy, matt sottingerps in. Pottinger hadeen a wall street journal reporter in china for seve years. Compiled a very good record. New chinese doctors covered the 2003 sars endemic and knew that the chinese leeled lied. Pottinger had sources inside china. We know as journalists, having a key, informed source can make all the difference. Had a key source and laid it out. When i read i about this may, i realized that he was not telling ute American People ahe truth about this. As he told me, he was playing it down, playing it down. It is a tragedy for the country, for trump personally, for the republican party. Robert bob, lets pause there becaus you used a word thats so critical. Truth. Margaret, you interviewed National Security advisor roberr n in that same period. On february in face the nation he toldat then not to panic on your program. How is truth going to matter in culture war in the Supreme Court and a pandemic that continues to margaret you have to believe that truth and facts still do matter. Robert obrien on february 2nd did com s out and really, no reason for people to think there was a threat to them here in the united stes, downplaying it. Y obvioun stark contrt to what bob just sketched out there as to what he was saying in provide because they saw the potentialwa for where thi going a they knew what was happening if china replicate here. I think one of the things that to the deg ee we car get past the tension of this election and really number of intelligence mistakes of Health Policy mexico mistakes, of decisions that should have been carried out. It is going to be criticalthor next time. That idea that the entire month of feb was wasted. The perspective dismisses that saying no,e were ordering masks. No, we were asking pharmaceutical companies to start making vaccines but one critical built of information that they did not have was exactly where the virus was in america the at that time when that it wasnt a threat to them. Yes, travel to china had been off. Entire east coast was getting sealeded with infections through europe because china was stilll ng that transit point so it was spreading to the rest of the world . These are the kind of factfinding missions that are so critical and will be key after this election as well. Its a trump or biden administration, to sort through. Thats whatorriese. Robert thats all the time we have tight. Bob, apologize. We had a long discussion. Only have half an hour here on pbs. Well keep the discussionoing. I really appreciate you coming on. B woodward, Margaret Brennan and alexi mccammond. We really appreciate it this fastmoving development, the death of ruth bade ginsburg. Rest in peace to her. Best wishe to heramily and thank you all for joining us tonight and going along with us as we adjust to this new story. Well keep taking you as close oz news as we can. Extra. Well have bob woodward. But for now, im bob costas. Good night from washington. [captioning performed by the national captiong institute, which is responsible for