Transcripts For KQED PBS 20240704

Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including leonard and norma klorfine, and koo and patricia yuan. The william and flora hewlett foundation. For more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. At hewlett. Org. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Amna former president Donald Trumps legal battle is picking up steam as his lawyers are rushing to meet a court imposed deadline today. Today trump and his lawyers responded to special counsel jack smiths protective order, limiting what the former president could say publicly about the trial. In a filing today, trumps legal team said,. The government seeks to restrict First Amendment rights. Worse, it does so against its administrations primary political opponent, during an election season. This all comes on the heels of trumps attorney, john lauro, making the rounds on several sunday network shows, aiming to reset the narrative in defense of his client. Following this all closely is former federal prosecutor, renatto mariotti. Good to see you. We know trumps lawyers said they would oppose the protective order and they have now done so, saying it would violate First Amendment rights. What do you make of that argument . Renatto i think it is kind of a code. If you read the full filing, it is a fairly monday and dispute, narrow dispute, but it is dressed up language about First Amendment rights and making it seem like there is a big fight between the Biden Administration and trump and i think it is a lot of flash and little substance. Amna they for making an argument that during an election year, the press and public has a right to know anything thats not sensitive. Is there merit to that argument . Renatto sure. Its not the first time in which a protective order has been entered or suggested in a case that is perhaps more broader than it needs to be viewed but needs to be viewed but that happens in all sorts of cases in the country. Im not sure that it being an election season impacts that question. Ultimately i think the judges should want to make sure the protective errors are narrowly tailored in any event. This seems like the sort of thing where if the sides are working together in a constructive manner, the defense and prosecution could probably figure this out over a phone call rather than filing a long filing, which is so people like yourself and me can talk about on television. Amna there was a concern that mr. Trump could disclose sensitive instrument Sensitive Information. Is there any way to protect against that . Renatto i do think a protective order will be entered. Trumps lawyers concede as much their real dispute is over certain categories of documents and so on. Obviously there needs to be a protective order to protect very Sensitive Information that might be include in discovery. Really the fight is over and interview report. If there is an interview report of, i dont know, Vice President mike pence, should that be shared with the public right now, or subjected to a protective order and not released until or unless it is filed or used at trial . Thats what this fight is about. Amna mr. Trumps legal fights and his Reelection Campaign are closely intertwined. He fundraiser is often off the indictments and charges. He spoke about how the charges have been fueling his campaign on friday. Take a listen. Mr. Trump every time they file an indictment, we go way up in the polls. We need one more indictment to close out this election. Amna how does all of that complicate Public Disclosure of potentially Sensitive Information . Renatto there is no question that the issue of the former president s First Amendment rights are going to color all of these discussions regarding the use and dissemination of evidence in the case. It will color a lot of disputes in this case because some of the witnesses are not just the former president s aides, but in some cases his opponents like mike pence. Obviously that will be an issue. What i expect the judge to do is to try to sidestep those more challenging issues and try to achieve a practical resolution, and ultimately at the end of the day when the former president is raising issues that complicate her case but also raise issues of the First Amendment, to find practical ways to deal with that that dont raise First Amendment complications. Amna i have to ask about some of the online language weve seen from mr. Trump. Hes been targeting the judge who will be presiding over his criminal trial and he posted a cryptic all caps message saying if you go after me, i am coming after you, not mentioning any names. We know the judge last week said his bail could be revoked if he tries to obstruct the case. Could any of this violate those conditions . Renatto sure, it could. But as a practical matter, i dont expect his bail to be revoked. I dont expect the former president to be thrown in jail before the case really gets under and there is a trial. But it is never a smart thing to poke at a judge or try to throw grenades at the judge or other witnesses or participants in the case, it will not make her happy or inclined or receptive toward your various motions throughout the case. Amna always good to have you with us, thank you. Renatto thank you. Amna in the days other headlines a judge in minnesota sentenced the last former Police Officer convicted of state charges in George Floyds death. Tou thao was given 57 months for aiding and abetting in manslaughter. He held back bystanders as floyd was pinned by the neck. In court today, thao told the judge, i did not commit these crimes. My conscience is clear. The judge said he had hoped thao would show more remorse. In niger, leaders of last months military coup have closed the countrys airspace, and theyre warning against any violations. They had refused to reinstate the elected president by sunday a deadline set by the west african bloc known as ecowas. Late last night, a coup spokesman said the group should tread carefully. Amadou information in our possession indicates that forces of a foreign power are preparing to attack niger and its people in coordination with ecowas and armed terrorist groups. We warn against interference in nigers internal affairs, as well as the disastrous consequences for the security of our region. Amna the ecowas nations next step is unclear. They announced plans today for a summit in nigeria on thursday. And in washington, the u. S. State Department Said more than 100 million in american aid to niger is on hold. Russian shelling in ukraine struck a series of towns near the wars front lines today, killing at least seven people. The donetsk and kharkiv regions were hit, along with kherson. Meanwhile, moscow dismissed weekend talks in saudi arabia. Forty nations discussed a ukrainian peace plan, but russia was not invited. Another meeting is scheduled in six weeks. A looming Tropical Storm is forcing Mass Evacuations at the world Scout Jamboree in south korea. The twoweek event is being held on a vast, coastal campground, and a heat wave had already caused hundreds of scouts mostly teens to fall ill. Today, organizers said the jamboree will continue in new sites around seoul. Through cooperation between the government and local authorities, we plan to secure administrative facilities and private educational facilities primarily in the capital region, which is not directly within the typhoons impact zone. Amna the storm is expected to hit the Korean Peninsula on wednesday. In Economic News barbie has broken the billiondollar mark in movie ticket sales in just three weeks. That makes greta gerwig the first woman to solo direct a billiondollar film. In modern history, only 53 movies have earned more than a billion, not counting for inflation. On wall street today stocks bounced back from last weeks losses. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 407 points more than 1 percent to close at 35,473. The nasdaq rose 85 points. The s p 500 added 40 almost 1 percent. And, oscarwinning director William Friedkin a major name in 1970s hollywood has died in los angeles. He scored first with the french connection, starring gene hackman as a new york detective hunting a heroin overlord. The car chase is still regarded as one of the greatest in film history. Then came the exorcist, with a headturning performance by linda blair. It was so scary, many moviegoers left before it ended. William friedkin kept working until his final years. He was 87 years old. Still to come on the newshour. Questions arise about the future of freight as a Trucking Company that received millions of pandemic dollars files for bankruptcy. The secretary of Veterans Affairs discusses compensation for veterans affected by socalled burn pits. An awardwinning poet gives her brief but spectacular take on forgiveness. Plus much more. This is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington, and in the west from the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. Amna recent polls including our own show President Joe Biden simultaneously gaining ground and stuck in a deadheat with former President Donald Trump should the 2024 president ial race become a 2020 rematch. Joining me is veteran democratic strategist faiz shakir. He served as the Campaign Manager for Bernie Sanders in 2020. Good to see you. Lets talk about what seems to be good news or the Biden Campaign from our latest poll. His overall Approval Rating has gone up from a year ago, five points, 36 to 41 , and today, more democrats toward him as a nominee than a year ago, according to the New York Times. That is up to 45 . What do you think is behind those numbers increasing . Faiz certainly the economy is in a strong place. I think most democrats understand this president has acted as one moving the progressive dial. He acts more like a Prime Minister than a president , he has to manage a coalition and keep all of them generally happy. Its a very hard job. You see the challenges he has to constantly confront to keep the coalition together. There will be challenges for him where people get disinterested, not as excited, and he has to get them there. But as the election is kicking up, or people are coming into the coalition. Amna we know voters have concerns, his age is something listed, job performance. When you look at the current democratic field, because he has a couple of challengers, mr. Biden is far ahead of both of them, Robert Kennedy junior and marianne williamson. But half of all democrats polled said they would prefer someone new and that is leading to a new conversation. I want to play a clip from minnesota congressman dean phillips who said he himself is considering a run. My call is to those wellpositioned, wellprepared, of good character and competency. They know who they are. To jump in because the crowds in the country need competition. If they dont, you will . Im not saying i will but i think i am wellpositioned, but i dont think im wellpositioned to run right now. People who are think they should meet the moment. Amna do you agree . Faiz i dont mind primaries at all but i think they understand joe biden is a strong candidate right now, so dean phillips is assessing his own strength. President biden would be out there campaigning, doing press conferences and engaging with voters and weve largely seen the president behind a podium, delivering teleprompter remarks. What campaign does is cause you to engage with real people. I hope as he comes out of this break, that the president and his team are thinking about how to animate the presidency. It needs to speak more to the heart of them ahead. If you think of bidenomics is trying to say rationally the economy is working for you, but he needs to make people excited about the economy and part of that is a fight, who is he fighting . Not just partisan, but Corporate America robbing you of your wages. I think hes got to animate some of these people. Amna do you agree there is someone wellpositioned who is not running . Faiz i doubt that, i think hes consolidated a lot of the field, but he has to get people excited again and then donald trump will do his part to animate democratic voters. Amna speaking of, there are some numbers that your custom current in the biden camp, a headtohead matchup between mr. Biden and mr. Trump, they are tied right now at 43 . 14 said they would not vote or did not answer right now. What do those numbers say . Faiz the people who didnt answer, this is a class based argument. People with a College Degree love joe biden, people without a College Degree are the most dissatisfied group. These are workingclass people. They are looking for someone who is fighting on their behalf. Its important to think about class because joe biden has a lot of arguments on his side that hes taking on orbit america in interesting Corporate America in interesting ways. Hes trying to negotiate drug prices, but how may people know that . Hes taking on very difficult fights. Its not just getting jobs in america, it is to improve your wages. You look at United Auto Workers right now, they want better wages, if you are producing electric vehicles, they should be making 30, 40 an hour. Thats what motivates workingclass people, those who have not made up their minds, thats the category. Black, latino, white, noncollege making under 100,000 a year. Amna where do you think he is most vulnerable . Republicans are coming after him, investigating hunter biden and so on. Faiz this idea of energy and enthusiasm that plays into the age question a bit. But the question of a strong leader of joe biden has dipped over the course of his presidency. Hes not always perceived as a strong leader despite some of the tough fights he has taken on. Part of it has to do with the animation, the energy, the excitement. Remember at the state of the union when he was taking on Marjorie Taylor greene in realtime . We have not seen those moments often but they behoove President Biden well in those moments, when he is offthecuff and engaging with real people. We havent seen him in action and think it leads to the age concern and is he up to the job . He can resolve a lot of these by just getting out there and showing passion and energy about his own fights. Amna always good to see you, thank you for being here. Faiz yeah, i am excited. [laughter] amna the year since the Supreme Court overturned roe v. Wade, a number of states have put abortion rights on the ballot. This year, its ohio, where voters will decide whether to enshrine Abortion Access in the state constitution. But as laura barronlopez reports, before that vote in november, ohioans will decide tomorrow whether to raise the threshold of support needed for such votes. Laura its a rare august election. And there will be just one decision for voters tomorrow. Shou the state require 60 support for future constitutional amendments to pass . Throughout early voting, nearly 700,000 people turned out to the polls. And its turned into an expensive ad war. Who are you . Your republican congressman. Now that we are in charge, we are banning birth control. This is our decision, get out of our bedroom. Iwon the last election, im not going anywhere. The outofstate groups keep saying it is just about abortion but it is not and they know it. These special Interest Groups encourage minors to get sex change surgery. Laura following this closely is karen kasler. Shes the Statehouse News Bureau chief for Ohio Public Radio and tv. Thank you for joining. Those ads are a taste of what voters have been bombarded with ahead of special election. We should note the ballot measure is not about contraception and those organizations mentioned are not pushing for children to get sex changes or getting rid of parental consent. What are you hearing from voters about how they plan to vote tomorrow . Karen theres been a tremendous amount of interest in this election, which is a surprise. August special elections dont usually get a lot of traction. Which is why republican lawmakers voted to ban most of them last year. When this issue came up and it became clear that groups were going to try to put an abortion rights and reproductive rights amendment on the November Ballot, republican lawmakers decided to do the august special election. The messages you are hearing in those ads, and they are misleading, late more to the november abortion amendment and to what this amendment would do, which is increase voter approval threshold for future mms to 60 and make it more difficult for citizens and groups that want to propose constitutional amendments to get on the ballot in the first place. Laura what do we know about voter turnout . Karen its been pretty brisk, the 700,000 number you mentioned, that is more than twice the number of people voted early in the primary in may of 2022 last year when we had contested races for the u. S. Senate and governor. This is a really big deal and a bit of a surprise for some people. There were questions about whether there would be big voter turnout because it is august and people are thinking about things other than voting. The real question being, if youre going to make a change to the constitution, should you rely on such a small number of registered voters to do that . Laura this special election has gained national attention. What can you tell us about where the money is coming from in those ads we showed . Karen the at total so far is about 22 million and thats just the official campaigns. You have a lot of outside roofs, dark money groups, that have also weighed in pure you have mailers, calls, money pouring in. I think it is seen as a kind of test run for what will happen in november. Certainly abortion rights and reproductive rights on the fall ballot is a big deal and we will see a lot of interest in that in other red states, the amendments that would guarantee abortion rights have passed, but not by 60 . Thats why the 60 figure on the tuesday ballot is a big deal. I think this is a preview of what we will see in november with a lot of money coming in from out of state. One thing that is interesting, republicans who proposed this and said they wanted to keep outofstate special interest with a lot of money from buying their way into the constitution, the money for and against these ads is coming from out of state almost overwhelmingly. Laura the republicancontrolled state legislature called the special election. Can you remind us why they did that and also how it could ultimately determine Abortion Access in the state . Karen they called this vote when they could not make the may primary ballot. Most august special elections were banned by a law passed last year and when republican lawmakers put this forward to make sure it was in place before the november road on vote on abortion rights, there was a lawsuit, and it was ruled that it did not apply to constitutional amendments. Laura looking ahead to november, how are both sides preparing for that amendment vote . Karen i think the question of whether it will take 60 to pass or a simple majority, which is what the law is now and would remain if issue one fails, that is the big question. Both people who support abortion rights and people who are antiabortion are really looking at that. Another issue potentially comes into play. There is a law that has been proposed that would legalize Recreational Marijuana in ohio. That looks likely to also make the November Ballot and that could make a difference in how the reproductive rights and Abortion Access amendment is talked about and the messaging. Laura if this amendment passes tomorrow, it would put more requirements on citizens to get anything they want on the ballot, but the rules for the republican super majority in the legislature to propose constitutional amendments, those rules would not change. What impact does this vote tomorrow have on what alec measures make it to voters and who gets to decide what is important enough to vote on . Karen thats been one of the most controversial and in some cases overlooked part of issue one on tuesdays ballot. The idea that and citizens who want to put constitutional amendments before voters would have to get signatures from all 88 ohio counties, not 44, the current law. One county could block a constitutional amendment from even in considered before the 60 voter threshold would have to be reached. There are groups that say there is no way, it would be impossible basically for grassroots organizations to get signatures from all 88 counties. That was something some republicans had not even supported when this was originally proposed but it was added as a process went along. Laura karen, thank you for your time. Karen great to talk to you, thanks. Amna italian coastguards have given up hope of finding nearly thirty migrants thrown into the sea over the weekend when their flimsy dinghies overturned after setting sail from tunisia. This latest mediterranean tragedy happened as human rights organizations called on tunisias president to save hundreds of african migrants trapped on the border with libya without shelter from the scorching heat and sun. The crisis has accelerated criticism of the European Union, which recently signed a deal with tunisia to crack down on illegal migration. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports. Malcolm risk death in the desert or drown at sea. Those are the terrible choices facing subsaharan africans trying to reach europe via tunisia. 27 migrants are missing, feared dead after their rubber dinghies capsized in rough seas south of the italian island of lampedusa this weekend. The italian coastguard rescued fifty seven people and recovered the bodies of a young boy and a woman who succumbed to the waves before deliverance arrived. And this is the fate they were trying to avoid being abandoned in the sahara desert, one of the most unforgiving places on earth. Other subsaharan africans with the same european dream have been dying of thirst after being dumped by the tunisian authorities on the libyan border. This mother and her small child are among the latest victims, lying next to an empty water bottle and not far from a man who also succumbed to extreme heat and dehydration. Lauren over 300 people are still currently trapped at the tunisialibya border in the desert, and theyve been trapped there for weeks. Malcolm Human Rights Watch researcher Lauren Seibert is an expert on the perils facing migrants in africa. Lauren you have children, you have women, you have deaths that are increasing. You do have libya Border Guards that are reporting deaths every few days. Malcolm fatemah ibrahim, from nigeria, is terrified as libyan Border Guards approach. We wont hit you, says this officer as he tells a colleague to give her water. We wont hit you, dont be afraid. As the libyans dispense the smallest of mouthfuls, fatemah ibrhaim explains why theyre in peril. Fatemah in tunisia, the Police Arrested us, beat us, and took our phones and all our money, they td us to go to libya, and my people kept saying libya is very bad. They left us without water and food, they put us there and then left. Malcolm tunisias authoritarian president kais saied is being blamed for what is turning into a twenty First Century pogrom. Accompanied by a jaunty soundtrack on his facebook page, saied presents himself as an international statesman, greeting leaders such as italys right wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. But many critics condemn him as a dictator who propagates racism. In february, saied told Security Forces to stop all illegal migration and expel those without documents. Pres. Said we are african and proud to be africans. We refuse to be neither a pathway nor a land to settle in. Malcolm a campaign of arrests and expulsions created a wave of fear among subsaharan africans and black tunisians. Prorefugee activists took to the streets of the capital tunis to protest the new measures. But saied was unrepentant. Pres. Saied we are being subjected to vicious campaigns from mercenaries, traitors, foreign agents, and shady parties. Today they want to change the demographic composition of tunisia. Its a plot and they get paid for it. And they got paid in other fields to attack the state, the tunisian people and their identity. Malcolm saieds remarks have been widely condemned for provoking racial violence between tunisians and migrants. The death of a tunisian in july was one of the catalysts that led to the expulsions to the desert. Despite the clashes, European Union leaders had no qualms about visiting the president ial palace to do business with a man who seized power two years ago, crushing democratic aspirations of the nation where the arab spring began in 2011. The European Commission president ursula von der leyen pledged 100 Million Dollars to help Tunisia Police its own borders, with the lure of a further billion dollars in aid. Pres. Von der leyen we need to crack down on criminal networks of smugglers and traffkers. They are exploiting human despair and we have to break their reckless business model. So we will work with tunisia on an anti smuggling operational partnership. Malcolm the eu country which benefits most from this deal is italy. The island of lampedusa is just over 100 miles from tunisia, and has been a landing zone for tens of thousands of Asylum Seekers for years. Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office last autumn on an anti migration platform. Pm meloni the partnership with tunisia has to be considered as a model for building new relations with north african neighbors. All these a few months ago, would have been unthinkable. And i want to say it with a level of pride, but also with a level of gratitude to the European Union. Anand the rhetoric around this deal is a rhetoric of preventing people drowning, whereas everyone knows that the reality is about preventing people coming to europe. Thats the political priority in europe. Malcolm anand menon is professor of european politics at Kings College london. Anand europe has cash and north african states have space to build these camps to house these migrants. We should remember that, of course, the European Union paid colonel gaddafi way back in the sort of 2009, 2010 to do exactly the same thing, to make sure migrants didnt make the crossing. So politically, you see the rationale. But it makes the European Union complicit in human rights abuses in these camps. Malcolm what does this say about europe . Anand i think what it says about europe is that european and european politicians are terrified by migration from africa and will do anything it takes to stop it, even if it means dealing with dictators such as in tunisia. [black lives matter chant] malcolm these people were rescued from the desert by libyan authorities. Their protest took place during a media facility with a border guard unit. Ibrahim some people are sick. We are asking for a solution. No solution. Every day they come with weapons for us. We are not fighting. We are just migrants. Malcolm tunisias actions are a welcome distraction for its neighbor libya, another country on the migrant trail with a dreadful reputation. Natasha our legal advisors, who work with survivors of torture every day, describe libya as armageddon. They describe it as complete hell on earth. Malcolm natasha tsangardies is the associate director of advocacy with freedom from torture, a british nonprofit. Natasha people experience such high levels of trauma and ptsd following their time in libya, being subjected to openair slave markets, being sold off at auctions, being subject to rape and torture. Malcolm but for human rights activists, discussions about the morality and cynicism of the European Union and its north african partners are taking second place to the issue of life and death in the sahara. How do you see this ending . Lauren honestly, if the tunisian government does not take action to save these individuals lives by allowing humanitarian aid immediately to access the zone, and if it does not also facilitate the evacuation of these people, youre going to see extreme numbers of deaths and youve got children there. More children could die. Its just really catastrophic. Malcolm tunisia has dismissed international characterization of the expulsions as false allegations. But its impossible to deny that time is running out in the desert and in the cruel mediterranean sea. For the pbs newshour, im Malcolm Brabant. Amna one of the nations largest freight and Trucking Companies yellow announced it is shutting down, leading to one of the largest mass layoffs in recent history and potential shipping Cost Increases ahead. As Lisa Desjardins reports, the company is in bankruptcy just three years after getting a 700 million loan from taxpayers. Lisa amna, the Yellow Corporation was a major player in a critical form of trucking, carrying goods between factories, to distribution centers, including for amazon, and to retail stores. It survived the pandemic thanks to that massive taxpayer loan approved by the Trump Administration. Now taxpayers are left with stock in a bankrupt company and some 30,000 workers are suddenly out of a job. To understand more, im joined by Rachel Premack editorial director at freightwaves, where she has been covering this. Rachel, what does this mean for americans outside the Trucking Industry . Rachel yeah, so one big result of this is we are anticipating freight rates will actually increase over these next few months because yellow was actually a provider of very low cost freight transportation. They were the Third Largest player in this sector of the Trucking Industry called less than truckload, where retailers and manufacturers combine various loads into one single trailer. So as a result of the bankruptcy enclosure, and closure, its likely that the average rate for customers in the less than truckload space, those rates will increase, and those increased rates will likely be passed down to consumers. Lisa both of my big brothers were Truck Drivers, one of them it was his lifelong career, so i know this is not an easy job. Can you help us understand the scale of the layoffs involved here . And could these workers easily find other jobs . Rachel in total, yellow employed around 30,000 employees, 22,000 of which were teamsters members, and many of those teamsters members were in fact Truck Drivers. Now the Trucking Industry is actually seeing a recession or a slowdown the past year, year and a half, so it will be more challenging for these drivers to not only find other trucking jobs, but certainly find other union trucking jobs. There is now only two large union less than truckload players left in the space and for those Truck Drivers to find other jobs where they can have the same sort of pension and Health Care Benefits it may be , challenging. Lisa no surprise, trucking is part of the lifeblood of this country. So there are a lot of layers here, but one of them involves that huge government loan to this company. Now we know again it was 700 million in covid relief loans, specifically National Security related. This company got 95 of all of the National Security related covid money even out. Congress found in a report that yellow actually did not meet the National Security criteria, but the loan came to them because the Trump Administration made a separate recommendation. Can you help us understand then if it wasnt really critical National Security, how did this company get such a massive loan . Rachel this has been very confusing to many folks who do study these sort of loans and these sort of government assistance programs. Its really unclear why exactly yellow got this loan, but what is clear is that it was massive, and its something that, uh, you know, in that recent congressional report, its something that the federal government does appear to regret actually giving out this loan. What this means for taxpayers whats interesting is that the u. S. Treasury is actually third in line for this larger bankruptcy program. They come after the banks that lent to yellow and they also come after apollo global, the hedge fund that also supported yellow. This is something that the u. S. Treasury and u. S. Taxpayers actually probably wont see much of the money that they invested into this Trucking Company returned. Lisa i sell in that report also that lobbying money increased from this company during the time it was up for these loans. Help us big picture what led to this collapse of this company . They had rocky times before but what was the problem now . Rachel yellow has been really on the brink of financial crisis for the past decade and a half. They nearly filed bankruptcy four times going from the Great Recession all the way up to 2020. What sort of again the downfall, you could say, was several costly acquisitions that yellow made in the early 2000 of other Trucking Companies to they failed to integrate those Trucking Companies fully into their network. By 2008, the financial crisis hit trucking particularly hard and yellow was saddled with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. And these various trucking networks that werent fully integrated. And we didnt actually see yellow attempt to integrate those networks until the late 20 10s, early 2020s, and by then it was too late. This company was just simply, you know, many, many folks watching the Trucking Industry would describe yellow as mismanaged and they just simply werent able to pull out of this. Now, they would say the real cause of the collapse, the company is certainly blaming teamsters, which refused to negotiate with yellow on uncertain work rules and certain changes made to their networks throughout the past year. Teamsters would say, well, this company has been mismanaged. Thats the key reason why it went bankrupt. So we are seeing right now these , two big parties blame the other one for the loss of these 30,000 jobs. Lisa you mentioned a recession in the industry overall. Is this an isolated case or should we be worried about other Trucking Companies . Rachel weve seen many small Trucking Companies collapse and file for bankruptcy in the past year, especially these companies that were established during covid, when we did see so much more goods demand throughout the country. Many of those companies are now closing down. Some of those drivers are joining larger fleets. But others are actually looking for other types of work outside of the Trucking Industry altogether. Lisa rachel, thank you. Rachel thank you. Amna one year ago this week, President Biden signed the pact act, fundamentally changing how veterans could receive disability compensation for warrelated illnesses. Before that, they had to prove their sickness was related to military service, an often impossible bar. Under the pact act, veterans have to prove deployment to one of the included countries, like iraq or afghanistan and others. They also must suffer from one of 23 listed medical conditions, such as brain cancer, asthma or chronic bronchitis. More than 801,000 veterans and their survivors have filed claims since the act was signed. The v. A. Posts online data for one condition covered by the new law asthma. There were 36,000 claims for asthma. Half were approved, and half were denied. So overall, how is the implementation of this act proceeding . Denis mcdonough is the secretary of Veterans Affairs, welcome back to the newshour. Lets start with that question, how is the implementation going overall . We are out of the gate strong but so far we are doing a lot of outreach we are conducting the biggest Outreach Campaign in the history of the v. A. So that utterance know what they qualify for and they can file a claim to make sure we get them everything they have earned. That 800,000 number feels decent. We have a long way to go and we will stay on top of this until every veteran knows what is available, files a claim and we fulfill the claim for them. I think we are out of the gate strong but we have a long way to go. Amna where could the number and up . Renatto sec. Mcdonough the numbers, lets take one half of the law. Lets set aside the vietnam vets, which is one half of the law. The other half is anyone in Central Command for the 30 years of war starting in 1991 in kuwait and saudi arabia, going all the way through to the summer of 2021, and when the activities in afghanistan ceased. That is 30 years of war and we think is probably 4 million veterans who qualify, having been in that drugfree that geography. We want to make sure everyone knows they have an opportunity. Amna the one condition you have listed, we requested from the v. A. Data on claims and denials for all of the conditions and we were told we have to file a freedom of information act. Do you have that data . Sec. Mcdonough i dont have it at my fingertips. I was ratified to see you cited our data in your lead in. We made a decision early in the process to put out the data we have every two weeks so that you and obviously veterans and their families, congress, everybody can see what we are doing. Amna for the other medical conditions as well . Sec. Mcdonough we publish what we have. If you have a request, we will go to work on it. What we are working through right now is getting claims filed and processing those claims and getting benefits paid to veterans. Amna last year we spoke about one particular lung condition that was a very hard to diagnose. I want to play a clip. Amna theres a condition called constrictive bronchiolitis, which basically destroys the small airways. Theres no treatment. Theres no cure. Under the metrics that the va currently uses, you have to establish whats called a disability rating. And that then can help grant some benefits to the veterans. People who have this do not qualify for anything. They have to appeal to get something. And i believe back in july, you said you were looking into this. So have you closed the loophole . Sec. Mcdonough so, we have been working on this issue of constrictive bronchiolitis. One of the issues is the test to prove existence of constrictive bronchiolitis is actually as intrusive in many cases as the disease itself. And so i dont have news on that yet. Amna many months later, almost a year later, have you been able to close the loophole . Sec. Mcdonough we dont have a specific process yet established on how to test for constrictive rocky alighted, but a lot of times it infests in other challenges. Those are conditions where we have a straightforward test. Asthma being one of them. I dont have news on that at the moment that we will stay on top of it. This is one of the things our troopers really wrestle with. Its something we need a straightforward finish in four and even more straightforward test so we can establish the existence of the condition so that people in that geography with that condition get benefits. Amna thereve been questions about the type of tests used for things like asthma into leukemia, they dont necessarily work for this particular illness. I want to play weve spoken with a doctor treating a number of these patients. He said hes seen 300 patients and none of them so far have benefited from the pact act. This is a little of what he had to say. Dr. Miller when it comes to the respiratory patients that i take care of, it has not come through in a way that has helped as many as i would have liked. The pact act says that constrictive bronchiolitis and other respiratory disorders should be considered presumptive diagnoses. These presumptive diagnoses for respiratory disease are not getting rated for disability. The va actually hasnt created a code for disability for constrictive rocky alighted us. Amna there is not a test or code created for it. We spoke about it last year and you said you were working on it. For the hundreds of veterans who suffer with this, when can they access those benefits . Sec. Mcdonough its really hard for me to know. We will make sure we tracked down the doctor youre working with and make sure we understand what the timeline is for those 300. We will get to the bottom of it. Now. I think what weve been trying to say to veterans is we want you in our care. We want you to get the benefits you have earned and deserved. Thats what this Outreach Campaign has been about. Believe me, nobody is more frustrated about how we can make some of these diagnoses than i am but we will keep working on it. Amna there are recommendations, there is a working group focusing on this issue at the v. A. , they put forward recommendations. September, i believe i dont believe those have been adopted. Sec. Mcdonough those are the worked through in what is called our war injury and Illness Center in new jersey. This is some of the best science we have on these conditions. I guess i want to just underscore, im not happy about where this stands. I want to make sure every veteran if the care and benefits they have earned. Amna help me understand why it is taking so long. Sec. Mcdonough we are working through the science. That is on one condition, the constrictive bronchiolitis. About 50,000 has been completed of the claims. We are granting at about 80 . That is substantially higher and thats the importance and strength of the new law, which establishes a presumption of connection. We just need the existence of the conviction condition and the presence of command. That makes sure we get the benefits and the care. Amna i need to ask you about another issue we spoke about previously, the decision v. A. Made to provide Abortion Services and canceling in cases of incest, rape or when the life of the woman was at risk. How many women have access to these services . Sec. Mcdonough i think its in the 50 range. This is going back to the period when we started providing these services in september. I dont know if that is the most recent number, thats the number that sticks out to me. Amna appreciate you providing that to us today. Always great to have you. Sec. Mcdonough thank you so much. Amna ramya ramana is an awardwinning author, poet and lyricist. She was a winner of the youth poet laureate of new york city award. And in addition to performing and writing, shes also worked as an educator and mentor for young women and poets. Tonight, she shares her brief but spectacular take on forgiveness. Ramya i think to be a creative, you have to be a listener first. You have to be able to observe the world around you and to observe yourself and how you move through the world. I was born in queens to immigrant parents from india. We spent a few years of life there before we moved to long island. I had a big family. We had our parents, our grandparents, our uncle, just one big indian family in a household. Today ill be performing a piece about forgiveness. Forgiveness is a doorway, a garden of curses spill from her lips and the city inside me crumbles. I tell myself, all poison has once been poisoned too. Forgiveness has been a journey for me and a freeing one. Ive realized that being able to forgive releases you from the prison of what you endured and it allows you to restore yourself to a childlike state of wonder. I think of images of grace as a remedy. The ground revealing itself after a cruel winter of snow, a bed of roses growing where a home once burned. The person or the people that im forgiving is generational forgiveness. Its a forgiveness that is beyond me. The temptation is high to be right and to be selfrighteous about my rightness, to make a place out of the megaphone of resentment. Though i know this road leads to where it always does, an empty lonely mansion. A lot of what im curious to write about as i grow and as i develop is to be able to tap into something that is eternal and that is timeless and apply that to my work. That whatever my intimacy is with the timeless, the eternal, out of overflow, it can reach other people, it can somehow, touch other people. Grace declutters the noise so i can reenter the girlhood i long for, for the little girl in her that never got to live, a little girl in me will. Forgiveness is a doorway to return to the home of myself. That quiet garden, a quartet of tenderness. [applause] my name is ramya roman and this is my brief but spectacular take on forgiveness. Amna and thats the newshour for tonight. Im amna nawaz. On behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by architect. Beekeeper. Mentor. A Raymond James Financial Advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. Life, wellplanned. The kendeda fund, committed to advancing Restorative Justice and meaningful work through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. More at kendedafund. Org. 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 news station from viewers like you. Thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. ] back on the campaign trail after his Court Appearance in how voters are reacting this most serious indictment with political strategist sarah longwell. 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