Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20171128

Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Brangham congress is getting back to work with only a few days left before the year ends, and taxes are tops on the agenda. But it was clear today that lawmakers also have to reckon with the issue of sexual misdeeds. Lisa desjardins begins our coverage. I am tremendously sorry. Desjardins for minnesota democratic senator al franken, a public step, a news conference, his first since being accused of groping and Sexual Misconduct by four different women. This has been a shock and extremely humbling. I am embarrassed, i feel ashamed. What im going to do is im going to start my job, go back to work, work as hard as i can for the people of minnesota. Desjardins that, one day after news in the house. Michigan representative john conyers temporarily stepped down yesterday as the top democrat on the judiciary committee. The 27term congressman faces allegations he harassed and pushed for sexual favors from multiple female staffers. He used taxpayer funds to settle one of those complaints. Conyers remained defiant. I deny these allegations, he said in a statement. I very much look forward to vindicating myself and my family before the House Committee on ethics. Earlier sunday, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pointedly withheld judgment in his case. We are strengthened by due process. Just because someone is accused, and was it one accusation . Is it two . I think there has to be john conyers is an icon in our country. Desjardins later she took a different tone, saying zero tolerance means consequences. Desjardins meantime, regarding someone hoping to be in congress, alabama republican roy moore, accused of molesting teenage girls, has a new opponent in his senate race. Retired marine colonel lee busby announced his bid as a writein independent. Busby used to work for now white house chief of staff john kelly. This as President Trump stressed his support for moore, and criticized moores democratic opponent doug jones. The last thing we need in alabama and the u. S. Senate is a Schumer Pelosi puppet who is weak on crime, weak on the border, he tweeted. In the swirl of all this, Congress Returns to face an extreme todo list for next month funding the government, addressing a number of expiring programs, from Intelligence Surveillance to Flood Insurance to health care for lowincome children. And key on the agenda voting on a tax reform and notching a critical legislative win for the republicanled congress. President trump met with members of the Senate Finance committee today and later voiced optimism. I think the tax bill is doing very well, and i think the republicans are going to be very proud of it. Desjardins republicans can only afford to lose two senators votes, and several remain on the fence. That as a Congressional Budget Office report released yesterday estimated the bill could impact lowincome americans more negatively than previously thought. Senate leaders plan to vote on the bill as early as this week. Brangham and lisa is here with me now, to discuss that c. B. O. Analysis, and what else we know about the tax legislation. Hi. Hi. C. B. O. Analysis is out. Id like to go through with what this means for different segments of the american population. What does this do for the poorest americans . In the past, william, weve seen analysis for how you do with the tax cuts portion of this, and in the senate bill in particular, a lot of americans would see a tax increase at the very end of this bill. What the c. B. O. Did is different, it didnt just look at the cuts. It looked at the net effect because, william, this bill is so large that it would likely trigger automatic spending cuts in various programs. So the c. B. O. Said, okay, lets look at the combined effect of those two things, how your taxes would change under the bill plus any benefits you get, any Government Programs that you get, any loss you would see from spending cuts, and they found that those two things combined would have a dramatically larger effect on lower classes, people earning under 40,000, many times the effects weve seen in other analyses so far. Brangham meaning they would be i page more. They would be paying more in taxes but lose a lot more in benefits as programs like medicaid and medicare would be hit by cuts. Brangham does the g. O. P. Agree this will hammer the poor in america . None of the republicans responded to my questions about this directly. Usually they do. Theyre busy. But we dont know their word on. This the numbers dont give you the full picture. They say theyre trying to cut taxes for the middle class and for the lower classes, they have the biggest amounts of benefits in the system, so what looks like a big cut to them is something coming off what already the republicans think are benefits that are outsized and a bloated government. Democrats argue against it and say the lower classes are the ones that need the biggest amount of benefits to begin with. Brangham the middle class tax cut, thats been the president s main objective. What does the analysis show about that . The first statistic is from the joint committee on taxation. They found looking at the senate bill, look at anyone making over 40,000, all of the income groups over that, on average, would see their tax cut for the next eight years. Now, thats a big deal. Thats what the republicans want to do. They want to cut everyones taxes, but, william, the average doesnt apply here. You cant look at the tax cuts that way because many millions of americans fall into very broad groups whose deductions will be taken away. One big one, the medical expenses deduction. If you have a very large amount of medical expenses, anything more than 10 of your income, you can deduct that on your taxes. Say someone is facing a cancer diagnosis and they dont have strong insurance, theyre paying 100,000 out of pocket, they can deduct that from their tax now. The senate and house bill would wipe that away. Brangham a huge tax increase. A huge punch in the gut. State and local taxes, almost a quarter or maybe more than a quarter of americans take state and local taxes off their federal tax. This affects mostly hightax states, new jersey gets brought up a lot, new york, but also maryland, california, virginia. A quarter of million american taxpayers would lose that deduction, most or all of it. If you say on average the middle class would see a tax cut, well, really, everyone is unique and you see a lot of unique situations where the taxes might go up. Brangham the criticism bytimes and some economists is this is a massive giveaway to the wealthiest americans and corporations. How true is that . I looked at the data including c. B. O. s yesterday and compared it, looking at the benefit, losses, combining spending, cakes tuts tax cuts, e loweslowest income levels woulde ththe smallest cuts, then the hiring would see the biggest benefit in percentage of their income. Brangham lisa desjardins, thank you so much, as always. Sure. Brangham in the days other news, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau opened for business with dueling appointees. Leandra english was named acting director on friday night by the bureaus outgoing chief. But President Trump immediately appointed white house budget chief Mick Mulvaney to the same job. Now, the issue has gone to the federal courts. Well have a full report after the news summary. In pakistan, islamists celebrated today after the countrys law minister stepped down. Hardliners have blamed zahid hamid for deleting what they argue is a vital religious oath in a bill governing election law. Hamid blamed a clerical error. In islamabad, protesters gathered at their camp today, to end three weeks of marches and rallies that culminated with weekend clashes that left at least seven dead. A volcano in indonesia has now forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes on the island of bali. Authorities expanded the Evacuation Order as clouds of thick smoke and ash spewed from mount agung, and volcanic mud flowed down the slopes. This eruption also forced the International Airport to close, stranding thousands of visitors. We have got no information because the gates, the checkins have been closed, indefinitely, so we dont know whats the plan, most likely we have to stay overnight. Were now waiting to, i guess, to go home. We have to now find a hotel and spend more of our money, that theyre not going to cover us for when we get home. Brangham the volcanos last major eruption was in 1963 and killed about 1,100 people. Back in this country, the magazine publisher and broadcaster Meredith Corporation is buying Time Incorporated for 1. 8 billion. Meredith already owns 17 tv stations and Better Homes Gardens and Family Circle magazines. To make the deal happen, meredith got 650 Million Dollars in financial backing from the conservative Koch Brothers conglomerate. President trump today honored the code talkers of world war ii, but also took a shot at a political foe. He welcomed a trio of elderly navajo men, who used their unique language to help relay american radio messages. And, he tossed in a reference to democratic senator Elizabeth Warren of massachusetts. Youre very, very special people. You were here long before any of us were here. Although we have a representative in congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her pocahontas, but you know what, i like you. Brangham the president has repeatedly mocked warren for claiming American Indian ancestry, without hard evidence. Today, she accused mr. Trump of using a racial slur. The white house denied that was his intent. Well talk to senator warren, later in the program. This was cybermonday, and it could become the Biggest Online shopping day ever, in the United States. Adobe analytics reports that by midmorning, spending was up 17 over a year ago. But, wall street struggled to keep up. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 22 points to close at 23,580. The nasdaq fell 10 points, and the s p 500 slipped one point. And congratulations are in order for britains prince harry and american actress meghan markle. They announced their engagement today after months of speculation. Harry is fifth in line to the throne. Markle is best known for her role in the tv legal drama suits. The wedding is set for next spring. Still to come on the newshour a fight over the future of the financial watchdog agency. The popes delicate mission to myanmar. Tour the first museum of modern art in africa, and much more. Brangham at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today, a simple question whos the boss . The answer, it turns out, is not so simple. Protesters opposing President Trump, and supporting the c. F. P. B. Turned out this morning, and so did both people who say theyre the rightful interim director. The president s choice, white house budget chief Mick Mulvaney, brought donuts. His rival, Leandra English, emailed thanksgiving wishes. On friday, outgoing director Richard Cordray tapped english, his chief of staff, to temporarily fill his shoes. But within hours, the president tapped mulvaney. Who, today, directed employees to disregard any further instructions from english. Im learning about the powers as acting director i have. Theyd frighten most of you. Theyd worry you to know how little oversight congress has over me. Brangham but english maintains she has the Legal Authority to lead under the doddfrank act, the law that created the bureau. She filed a federal lawsuit sunday night seeking to bar mulvaney from assuming the post. The white house cites the federal vacancies reform act which allows the president to fill openings. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders i think that the legal outline shows very clearly who is in charge of that agency and both he and the white house as well as the general counsel for c. F. P. B. Who was appointed by condray said that he has the legal standing to be there and serve as the director. Brangham the c. F. P. B. Was formed in 2011 as part of the response to the 2008 financial crisis. Its mission is to oversee financial institutions, to encourage them to make less risky decisions, and to safeguard consumers from financial fraud. Big banks and conservatives have long maligned the c. F. P. B. For being too powerful and lacking oversight. On saturday, the president tweeted the c. F. P. B. has been a total disaster. Financial institutions have been devastated and unable to properly serve the public. Mulvaney himself has echoed those criticisms, as he did in this 2014 interview when he was a South Carolina congressman. It turns up being a joke, and thats what the c. F. P. B. Really has been, in a sick, sad kind of way, because youve got an institution that has tremendous authority over what you all do for a living. Brangham democrats insist the bureau is essential to avoid another financial crisis and subsequent recession. It was originally proposed by nowdemocratic senator Elizabeth Warren of massachusetts, who helped organize the bureau, under the obama administration. We asked Mick Mulvaney for an interview, but did not get a response. I spoke with senator warren earlier today about the c. F. P. B. s Current Power struggle and i started by asking her who should be running the bureau. Well, congress said, in the language that was signed into law, that when the director is unavailable that would be rich cordry who has just resigned the deputy director, Leandra English, becomes the acting director. No gap, no appoint, it just happens by virtue of the law that congress wrote, and thats it. So Leandra English is acting director. Thats how the statute reads. Brangham i know you say the language is crystal clear, but the lawyers at the c. F. P. B. Said know that the president has the authority and thus Mick Mulvaney ought to be the acting director. Why do you think the lawyers who are not trump appointees have it wrong . So the alternative is to use the vacancies act, thats what it is that the Trump Administration is using, and the vacancies act says that the president can appoint temporarily for these vacancies. But there are two problems with that. The first is the vacancies act itself says it was passed decades ago, it applies only to agencies that were already set up at the time the law was passed and, going forward, it applies, in effect, as a default. That is, if congress doesnt otherwise provide for succession. What happened at the c. F. P. B. Is that congress did provide for succession. In fact, how do we know that . Turns out that in an earlier draft to have the Consumer Agency, it actually said that they would use the vacancies act which means the president would be able to appoint someone, and then congress decided, nah, no, were not going to do it that way because we want more independence from political influence. The only political influence that the president of the United States should have over this agency, according to the law, is to nominate someone to head it. Then the senate has to step up and decide whether or not to confirm that person, otherwise, this agency, like the other banking agencies, is supposed to operate independently. I recognize that there are lawyers all around every part of this, thats why the thing is in court right now. I think the language of doddfrank is pretty clear, so does barney frank who wrote it and Chuck Schumer who also helped write it, but it will go to the courts now. Brangham apart from the fight of who actually runs it, seems your biggest disagreement is Mick Mulvaney and the Trump Administration wants to change the essential function of the agency. Yeah. Well, this agency was put in place after the 2008 crash, and all of us remember what led up to that crash. All of the mortgage lenders and giant banks that had pumped out the terrible mortgages that were in effect like grenades with the pins pulled out, and those grenades blew up families all across this country. Millions of people lost their homes, their jobs, millions of people lost their savings and their pensions, and when we hit that crash, we said never again. Big wall street banks may figure out other ways to blow up the economy, but theyre never going to do it one family at a time the way they did leading up to the crisis of 2008. So congress put in place the Consumer Agency to say you guys have to follow the laws, and it cannot be the case that you can get out there and sell mortgages to people that you know are going to cost them their homes. You cant trick and trap people in the fine print of their credit card accounts or, just to pick a recent example, you cant open faith accounts fake accounts in order to boost profits, that was wells fargo. Thats what the agency does. It writes some regulations. It handles complaints, about 1. 2 million so far. It enforces the law on behalf op of consumers, forcing the big banks to return more than 12 billion directly to families they have cheated. Its the cop on the beat for american families. Brangham i mean, the white house has been issuing what they argue are instances of overreach, unaccountable overreach. They said that the bureau, the agency made auto loans harder to get, said it opened up Small Community banks to frivolous lawsuits. Do you think that there is any evidence of overreach at the bureau . You know, this is a really tough one. The auto lenders got an exception from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and there have been some real problems in that area. Thats an area where the little part that got carved out has had a lot more difficulty than the rest of the banking system. But you know, thats really the question for me where is the overreach that the white house wants to talk about and are the republican talking points . Was it overreach to g after wells fargo . Overreach to go after the Credit Card Companies that tacked on fees that people didnt owe . Overreach to go after the Student Loan Companies that overcharged on interest and fees for student borrowers . You know, i havent seen any specific examples around this. What i see is an agency thats out there working on behalf of american families, and what i also see are very powerful wall street banks who dont like that. They have about 12 billion reasons not to like it. Brangham lastly, senator, earlier today President Trump had a ceremony honoring navajo code talkers again, naively referred to as pocahontas. Do you have any advice for the president . You know, this was supposed to be a ceremony honoring native americans who had done incredible work on behalf to have the United States, that saved countless lives both of people in the United States and people, our allies around the world. This was a moment to honor them, to honor their heroism, and donald trump just couldnt make it through without adding a racist slur to the event. You know, i know he thinks that somehow doing that is going to shut me up, but it hasnt worked in the past and its sure not going to work in the future. Brangham senator Elizabeth Warren of massachusetts. Thank you very much. You bet. Brangham pope francis arrived in myanmar today, with an appeal to end the crisis affecting the Rohingya Muslims in the majority buddhist country. 600,000 rohingya have fled to neighboring bangladesh since august, fleeing Violent Attacks by government troops. Jonathan miller of independent Television News has this report from yanggon, myanmar. Reporter the popes on a mission. In the first apostolic visit to myanmar ever, francis aims to sow peace in a land where theres serious discord. A christian preaching harmony among buddhists and muslims. His cardinal here who met the pope off the plane has advised his boss to go easy. Gods top diplomat is going to be treading on egg shells. Because there is a potentially explosive question hanging in the hot, humid air. That question is will pope francis use the r word rohingya. A dirty word here in buddhist burma. Deploying it could provoke his hosts but he knows theres a problem and he may just choose to name it. Catholics make up just 1 of the population of burma. Rohingya muslims did comprise 4 . Except most have now fled. Hounded out by a barbarous military campaign. Backed by buddhist nationalists of arson, systematic rape and mass murder. 623,000 rohingya have crossed into neighboring bangladesh in less than three months. Their friendless and stateless and now stuck in squalled camps. Where despite a deal last week to start sending them back again most dont want to do but amid the despair, pope francis had wanted to sow hope. translated the christian holy father is going to meet aung san suu kyi. He already knows a lot about us rohingya. He will do his humanitarian duty. But i do not think they will listen. Theyve been doing this for a long, long time. Reporter just two days into what the u. S. , u. K. And u. N. All said looks like an ethnic cleansing campaign. The pope stood above st. Peters square and prayed for what he called our persecuted brothers and sisters. We dont know in whether st marys cathedral in yangon he used that r word again when he met this man general min aung hlaing, myanmars miltiary chief. The most powerful man in the country and the shadowy architect of the ethnic cleansing campaign. His armed forces have the blessing of buddhist leaders like soy tay su goyador who three weeks ago preached a sermon to officers which seemed to suggest that killing rohingya was justified, on the grounds as nonbuddhists, theyre not really human. The chauvinist interpretation of scripture including by this man, ay shim burtau, has led to the rapid rise of a xenophoic, buddhist nationalism, now the state creed here. Its into this cauldron that the peace and love pope has dived. Can he make a difference for the unwanted and banished rohingya . Well tomorrow he will meet myanmars de facto political leader aung san suu kyi. Brangham we return to politics, and the two major discussions going on right now on capitol hill. The republican push on tax legislation and the continuing fallout involving some members of congress, and the allegations of Sexual Misconduct against them. For more on that, we turn to our regular politics monday pair, amy walter of the cook political report, and tamara keith of npr. Welcome to you both. Thank you. So lets jump right into it. Big meeting tomorrow, the president s meeting with the two Top Democrats and republicans, obviously the tax bill is their number one agenda item. What is your sense of how is that negotiation will go . The last time you met with nancy and Chuck Schumer, it turned out badly for the g. O. P. What do you expect tomorrow . Thats right. He walked out and said i had a great meeting with nancy and joe, and the Republican Leaders were looking sullen because he cut a deal with the Democratic Leaders on the budget basically getting us to where we are now. That was way back in september. They said were going to fund the government through december. Well, guess what . December 8 is right around the corner and a lot of democrats are saying if you want our votes, weve got to get a good deal out of this. Specifically were looking for daca, the dreamers, they want to have protections for those individuals in a government funding bill, or maybe some obamacare fixes. The president still wants to get the wall built, and republicans saying we dont want to have any of those issues brought up, we just need to get taxes done, we dont want to be distracted by any of the rest of it, lets just get something clean and easy and done and kick the funding issue down kick the can down the street for a little while longer. Brangham tam, you saw lisa break through some of the c. B. O. s analysis and others. Big hole in the deficit this is going to cause, and im just curious from your reporting, does the g. O. P. Desperately want to win or do they really like this tax bill or a combination of both . I think its a combination. I believe ther there is a belief changing the corporate tabs code, lowering corporate taxes, simplifying the tax code, thatrooms believe those are good things. The bill is not popular. Polling would indicate it is unpopular, but republicans both politically feel they need to do it because they need to do something and they dont wasnt to hit january 20, 2018, and have people looking back at the accomplishments of the first year of the Trump Presidency with republicans in control of the house and senate and have no major legislative accomplishment. So this is what they hope will be the major legislative accomplishment that they can point to. Now, democrats in 2009 and early 2010 were also pushing on something that they thought their base really wanted that wasnt super popular broadly in the public. A little thing called the Affordable Care act. Heard of that. Which is now above 50 popularity but they were decimated in 2010 as a result of that. Brangham is a win more important than passing something that could turn out to be very unpopular once the details are clear . So, in talking to republicans, sort of paraphrasing from a strategist saying its better to pass something thats flawed than to look like were completely incompetent, which would be to do absolutely nothing. I think senator rand paul said something similar in oped today, basically i dont love everything about this bill but weve got to move forward and get something done. That said, i dont know that this is necessarily the thing thats going to give them the kind of Political Boost they are hoping. What they can hope for is that, in the short term, what voters see in 2018 is an economy that continues do do well, unemployment is low, stock market the doing well, Consumer Confidence is up, and republican strategists say if we give people more money in their pocket when theyre about to go to the voting booth in 2018, great. It may not be enough to change our fortunes politically, but its nice to have a wind at your back. As for the bigger implication force the policy, remember those are farther down the road. T the talk about the deficit isnt something thats going to hit tomorrow or 2018 and a lot of the tax increases were not going to see immediately, those can be further down the road as well but the mediate impact is 2018. All of this negotiations is obviously going on amid this other crisis in washington, the Sexual Harassment standing thats going on. When accusations have been made against either people in other industries, those people have been denoted, fired or pushed aside. Thats not been happening in d. C. Is that a structural thing that politicians dont have usual bosses like the rest of us do . Its like the economics are different. The economics in entertainment and media are such that these larger companies, people will stop buying their product, they will have serious problems, they have to get rid of the problem actors. Well, with elected officials, the only real way to get rid of them is an election, and those come every two years and six years, depending on the house of congress and, yes, there are Ethics Committee reviews and people can be expelled, but that takes even longer, in some cases it can take years. So, typically, the way this system works is that if something is egregious enough, there is enough shame and pressure that someone disappears. But if there isnt shame or there isnt pressure, then people stick around, and then these Ethics Committee investigations i mean, they will be under more of a microscope now than ever, but, still, it moves very slowly and completely out of public view. Thats right, thats the bigger point here, i think, on the issue of why this is different. This is members of congress policing themselves. The Ethics Committee is basically youre asking your pierce to make a judgment about you whether or not you should remain. Congress is probably this low in terms of escheme. Its under the table and through the floor boards. The idea that voters will take the judgment of your congressional members about another congressional member is really not particularly a good idea. And theyre divided evenly by party which is designed to prevent partisanship but can lead to stalemates. Brangham the president weighed into this particular issue, he has his own accusations of this exact behavior, yet hes moving closer and closer to seemingly endorse roy moore, the Alabama Senate candidate who has been accused of some horrendous crimes. What is his calculation here . Whats he doing . I think you say this on the republican side the division between Senate Republicans who say he should resign and we should find another candidate, maybe if we lose the seat, its better than having this person in the United States senate vs. The governor of alabama saying ill vote for 4eu78 and now the president saying its better to have a partisan on my team than the other side. Tribalism, plain and simple. Brangham amy walter, tamera keith, thank you very much. Youre welcome. Brangham the first contemporary art museum in all of africa opened recently in cape town, south africa. It features artists from across the continent, exhibiting modern expressions from a diverse range of voices. Jeffrey brown has the story. Brown its a contemporary face of africa, captured in art created since the millennium, the first of its kind on the continent. The new zeitz museum overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on the waterfront of cape town, south africa a spectacular setting, in an old and longabandoned grain silo converted by british architect thomas heatherwick, who maintained the industrial feel and shapes of its past. Inside a giant atrium features a large sculpture of a mythical dragonlike bird, by South African artist Nicholas Hlobo a grand new space, with grand ambition. Mark coetzee, a South African whos worked in europe and the u. S. , is the museums founding director. Part of the mission of the museum is really to reclaim the storytelling of our continent, or our countries, of our cities and of our personal lived experience, where we can also contribute to the way that we want to be seen by the world, the way that we want to be recorded. Brown spread across seven floors of more than 80 galleries paintings, photography, video and more, by artists from throughout the continent, and the african diaspora, including several africanamerican artists, such one large exhibition features sculptures of human forms made of cowhide, by 34yearold nandipha mntambo, who was born in swaziland and raised in south africa. The unusual choice of material, she says, was a reaction to more traditional approaches she first encountered in school. Because of our history of apartheid there was a push to make me work in woodcarving or in clay because i suppose thats what the lecturers at the time understood other black people to have worked in before. Brown today her work is sold to collectors abroad and increasingly, she told me in her johannesburg studio, to a new generation of africans interested in and able to buy art. Still, she says ive had quite a complex relationship with the word, african art, because. Brown what it is . Yeah. The reality is that globalization, travel, how we have basically even through television, been overly exposed to american and europe over the years, i think has created a situation where i dont know that there is a collective understanding of what is african art, or what being african actually is. Brown these complex identities are on display throughout the new museum, including the collagelike photography of thania petersen. People look at me and they dont perceive me as being african. And then i always feel like i need to explain actually i am, because africa and south africa is a very diverse, multicultural and modern society. Brown peterson is a cape townbased artist, a product of south africas melting pot. Im looking around the room and youre in most of these. There is an element of look at me. Absolutely. Because its about creating visibility, you know. Visibility for people who are unseen or feel unseen. Or people who dont feel like weve been taken seriously. People who are tired of being photographed for, you know, archives. Brown the new museum has garnered enormous attention and praise. But its also raised questions about having an institution like this one in this particular city at the very tip of africa. Apartheid era separations are still present more affluent, whiter enclaves downtown and along the oceanfront, surrounded a short drive away by impoverished townships and shack communities. Its a reality cape town mayor patricia delille, herself a veteran of the liberation struggle, contends with daily. It is not the one or the other. It certainly its not just cape town who is struggling with the legacy of apartheid where all the good things were on the white side and the black and colored people were th that. The museum will help brown how does it help . It will help because no longer will art be the exclusive domain of only rich people that can afford to exhibit the art, but also can afford to enter an art museum. Brown that goes to another question being asked of the zeitz who exactly is it for . The museum was privately funded, at some 38 million, by the company that owns the v a waterfront, an expanding tourism and Shopping Development where the museum now sits. A Small Luxury Hotel is housed in the same building. Theres free admission for those under 18, and School Groups are coming by the busload. Wednesdays are free to citizens of all african countries. But regular admission, 180 rand, more than 13, is beyond the means of much of the population, and everyone is acutely aware of the access issue, including the man whose collection of african art provided the basis for the Museum German businessman and philanthropist jochen zeitz. The key is that we are accessible for everyone. The key is that we have Education Programs that actually reach out into the townships, into the communities that were deeply embedded into the community. Its going to become a place that is socially accepted by everyone. Brown you know the history of outsiders coming in, and youre an outsider, youre a european coming in. Well, im not the one whos speaking. Im creating a platform, im supporting. Brown it remains to be seen how much a museum can bridge historic divisions. But for South African artist athipatra ruga, utopian visions is what art is for. His work has reached audiences in europe and the u. S. And now has a permanent place in his own country. I feel those contradictions. I have 33 years of not having a museum in the townships. I grew up in the townships in the eastland. And there was very little art to look at. You had to travel quite a bit, to go look at art, or actually go to a library thats decent. So, has much changed . I think that i deal with that in my art. When i actually work with the idea of reimagining a new world. For me access is the most important currency, you know . And i think that education opens up access. I think that imagination can act like that, give you access to wider ways of looking at things. Brown access, and ownership of identity. Museum director mark coetzee puts it this way. Africans want to define themselves according to their terms. They want to say, its much more complex than you imagine. Thats what im going to mark this institution on. Who defines the language . Whos the author of the voice . Whos the participant and the consumer of the voice . Brown its a lot to ask of a museum, with much riding on the outcome. For the pbs newshour, im Jeffrey Brown in cape town, south africa. Brangham well be back shortly with a look a surprise musical hit, singing an ancient tune. But first, please take a moment to contact your local pbs station. Its a chance to offer your suppor brangham a recent chart topping musical recording came from a group you wouldnt expect in a place you wouldnt expect. From pbs station net in nebraska, Dennis Kellogg has our story. Reporter when you hear gregorian chants, ancient churches and monasteries in europe may come to mind. But these chants are thousands of miles, and hundreds of years, closer. Tucked away on the plains of eastern nebraska, youll find our lady of guadalupe seminary, the sounds coming from inside the church here bring the past right into the present. To some extent, this music is from the early christians, we believe, would have been singing something that resembles what we have now and what we call gregorian chant. Some believe that even in the Jewish Synagogue that they would have this same style of singing. Reporter fr. Zachary akers is a graduate of the seminary and now a priest in the fraternity of st. Peter. As a child, his mother would play gregorian chants to help him calm down. Theres something that we, as christians in our relationship, our spiritual life, our relationship with god, that we are expressing. It transcends just mere words so we pray, not just with our r heart being uplifted to god. Reporter the chanting and the latin lessons are part of the daily routine for the 90 some seminarians who will live and study here for seven years. Fr. Joseph lee was the last student to be accepted into his class when he arrived in 2000. Now hes the academic dean. These are obligatory, these are not electives. They have to do it whether they went to music school before, acquired a major in the subject, or whether theyre tone deaf and cannot match pitch. Reporter as part of the early, more contemplative phase of their study, the seminarians dont use their names publicly. This young man from Washington State had an extensive musical background before coming to the seminary, starting with playing the violin at age three and the piano shortly after. Its a performance, youre performing music, whereas here were singing sacred music, gregorian chant, were not necessarily performing the music, we are praying the music. Reporter those prayers are now being heard by people well beyond the walls of the church. A record company, de montfort music, approached the fraternity of st. Peter about making a recording of gregorian chants. So they gathered 12 of the most musicallytalented graduates from the seminary, priests from across the world, and produced requiem. Its a latin word that means rest. For this album its a selection of music that is simply the Catholic Churchs musical list for a funeral mass. We all experience death and we all experience our return to our maker, our creator. This is something that is very transcendent and i think the music really expresses this reality as well. Reporter fr. Akers and fr. Lee are both among those singing on requiem. The recording seemed to strike a chord when it was released last spring, spending 13 straight weeks at the top of the Classical Music charts. The gregorian chant has found a new audience. Its universal. Its a unifying, bonding element that transcends fads, transcends fashions, transcends geography, transcends time and its able to unite people, regardless of their race or who they think is going to win the world series or what kind of food they enjoy eating. Reporter maybe its not such a surprise that a recording of priests praying gregorian chants has become a success. After all, theyve been practicing for hundreds of years. I think its good for people to see that gregorian chant is not something that is just of olden days thats being sung at some small monastery in spain or something, but this is something that is very much a part of our life as catholics. Reporter for the pbs newshour, im Dennis Kellogg near denton, nebraska. Brangham and thats the ewshour for tonight. Im william brangham. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org today on americas test kitchen, dan shows us how to make simple potaufeu, chris answers viewer questions in letters to the editor, and bridget prepares the ultimate raspberry charlotte, right here on americas test kitchen. 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