Transcripts For KQED PBS 20240704

Major funding for the pbs has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour including leonard and norma clore fine. The william and flora hewlett foundation, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to support a better world. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and 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. Im vanessa really is with newshour west. The death toll from the maui wildfires and tin you to climb. At least 99 are confirmed dead. The rescue effort continues with a fraction of the effect it area search so far. Geoff bennett has our report. Search and Recovery Efforts are underway after the nations deadliest wildfire in more than a century. As officials survey the devastation, residents continue to look for missing loved ones. I would like to find the quijano family, coloma family and villegas families, which is three days now that everybodys looking for them. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Fema administrator Deanne Criswell spoke to reporters at the white house today. We have sent more personnel as well as more cadaver dogs to come into the area. They are working in conjunction with the Maui Fire Department and the Sheriffs Office to make sure we are doing this in a very methodical way, but one that is also very respectful of the community to make sure that we find everybody. The fires started last tuesday when strong winds from a distant hurricane gusted across the island. Once the blazes started, they spread quickly expanding roughly one mile every minute. Flames engulfed the Historic Town of lahaina, without warning. Some had to jump into the ocean for safety. They got stuck in traffic and she had to make an impossible decision. I look to my left and im literally right next to this car where this grandmother is yelling for help. And shes just telling me, please help me i have a baby. And i just, you know, at that time im like, what do i do . Her husband helped their kids and the grandmother , while she took the baby. I grabbed her. She was sitting on a blanket. I wrapped her in the blanket and i told my kids, you guys run. Dont turn around and look for me, and my nine year old couldnt. She just kept telling me, mom, i cant. Please, mom. The family, grandmother and baby all made it to safety. The fires destroyed nearly 3,000 structures, causing an estimated five and a half billion dollars worth of damage. Now, some residents are waiting in long lines to return home. Meantime, local officials, as well as the hawaii tourism agency, are strongly discouraging nonessential travel to maui for the foreseeable future. In the days other headlines, prosecutors in Atlanta Georgia presented to a grand jury. An indictment decision looms. It would be his fourth indictment and less than five months. A string of floods and landline killed 40 people. Rescuers sifted through the aftermath of a landslide. State Officials Say floods are showing no sign of easing. The situation here is bad. There are continuous floods and the rivers are overflowing. Peoples homes have been affected. Floods are common in the himalayan region this time of year, but glacial melt is made conditions far worse in recent years. In ukraine, three waves of drones rock the city of odessa. A supermarket was set on fire and one Early Morning attack. The extent of the damage became clear by morning everything was burned down. Otherwise everything is gone. We will restore everything. The u. S. State department announced another 200 Million Dollars of military aid to ukraine. Six white former officers have pleaded guilty to state charges of a racist assault. In january, they invaded a home, tortured two black men, and staged a coverup that led to false charges. A judge in montana has ruled that young people have a constitutional right to a clean environment. The lawsuit was filed by 16 plaintiffs. The state lawmakers were not doing enough to combat climate change. Its the first youth led climate trials and it sets a powerful precedent for cases to come. The Legendary Music executive known as the black godfather of entertainment died sunday at his home in los angeles. He helped launch the careers of quincy jones and bill withers. He was inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame in 2021. He was 92 years old. Still to come newshour. The latest political headlines. A police raid hanoi smalltown kansas newspaper draws widespread condemnation. Douglas martin gives his brief but spectacular story. This is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington and in the west from the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. Every food imaginable is on a stick. Lisa desjardins has this report from the first race for the republican president ial nomination. This is i was happy place. Were one Million People come to taste fried food, contentment, and belonging. And where republicans running for president normally all i have to do to get midwest nice is go to fort myers. President joe biden has week into this country at home and abroad. President biden is the easy target. The much harder for this field, confronting the former president. Donald trump has a commanding lead overshadowing his former governor ron desantis. Standing room overflow crowds watching former president. I think he was on the way to making America Great again. I love all of his policies. There is more than voter sentiment. Team trump is better organized. They are collecting caucus pledge cards and have troops of volunteers in trump tshirts as walking ads. The president currently has a significant lead. 24 points by the latest poll. Jimmy centers knows traditional picking, that the top three caucus finishers have a shot at the nomination, but this year he thinks there will be two at most. There is a lane to, to challenge the former president , but youve got to get going fast. We are going to safeguard the rights of parents in this country. His crackdown is popular with social conservatives. Those things and is moved to restrict abortion and transgender care have brought sharp reaction from others like these protesters who followed him around the state. For some desantis supporters, it is more simple. They dont trust or want trump anymore. There are four or five other candidates that say good things, but i think he has the better chance of winning. Chances helped by some of the strongest organizations in iowa. He is firmly in second place, but competition is coming up fast behind him. As he barnes storms the state, he knows iowa is critical. We are saying i at least get to tell the people who i am and what i stand for. He is pitching the idea of child trump without the controversy. He has many of the same policies and is more extreme, but he doesnt make everybody go crazy. That voter is from neighboring nebraska. In iowa, someone elses on the radar. That guy from north dakota would be a good one. North dakota governor doug reagan. Do you think former President Trump can be beat . We wouldnt have entered the race. We are entering the race to win the race. South carolina senator tim scott also getting buzz. Beating him there was the former governor nikki haley. Voters arearmed to her, but she needs to be more peoples first choice. How do you gain ground . No one has been paying attention. Families are on vacation and kids are out of school. It is now open season. Candidates rarely take on trump directly. His former Vice President mike pence faces a uniquely difficult problem. Multiple fairgoers used him of breaking with trump and certifying the official Election Results. The american presidency belongs to the American People alone. And i will always believe by gods grace i did my duty that day. I truly believe it. But his problem remains. How do you gain ground against him . I just say stay tuned. Im so proud of the record of the trumppence administration. There are Iowa Republicans leery of the former president or worried his indictments could make it difficult to win a general election. If he doesnt get them postponed. My feeling is trump and biden both need to step down. But there are many who still believe trumps narrative. One trump volunteer told us she loves what he did as president and will vote for him or no one. How do you know that what he is saying is true . We dont know the other people are saying what they are saying either. But i follow behind him. This is the lethal balancing act for the nontrump candidates. Many stay upright and not talking about it. Donald trump is dangerous for our country. Former Governor Asa Hutchinson is the most outspoken about the risky sees from trump. He ought to step aside. If we dont get this right, there wont be a rePublican Party. In iowa, a highly unusual fight that turns raucous and wild. , but these missed western voters are carefully considering their options. There is a lot of interest on both sides, interesting people on both sides. I think for the debates and things like that, Everybody Needs to be heard. At one of the country possibly get fares, there is a clear front runner, but iowans are listening to everyone. For the pbs newshour, im Lisa Desjardins in des moines. Geoff while republican president ial hopefuls do get out , President Biden hits the road. We turn to our politics monday team, in the walter and tamera keith of npr. Great to see you both as always. We have these candidates colliding in iowa. Ron desantis is trying to reset his campaign. You wrote a piece about his perceived failure to launch. I did this by looking at the polling but also listening to what voters have been saying ross the country. What it seems that ron desantis, his biggest stumble was messaging and timing. The timing was he decided to wait until earlier this summer to officially launch his campaign, but he was the hottest at the end of 2022. I wonder if he had taken that momentum and kept driving that instead of going back to tallahassee. The second is messaging. It was cle in all of the focus groups that Republican Voters, especially those in the camp of never voting for trump or i like trump but im open to other alternatives, what they were saying is they liked ron desantis because he looked delectable and he could win swing voters. He decided to focus on being the antiwoke warrior. Using his time at the Governors Office to go after a whole bunch of those issues and it kind of moved him off that talking point that was really getting home for those voters and thethe indictments happened and it drowned Everything Else out. Geoff on the issue of momentum, how important is iowa or any other republican who really needs to show that they can mount a serious challenge to donald trump, who is the serious force. It is the first opportunity to pierce the inevitability of donald trump. It may be the only opportunity. Momentum is the thing. He has the prohibitive lead in the polls. I was riding my bike across iowa. I saw a lot of trump signs and i saw nothing else. Tons of trump signs. Trump 2024 signs. Trump 20 20 signs with mike pences name taped over and covered up. The indictments have done nothing but consolidate support behind the republican base. All of these people are biting at his heels trying to get some attention. He showed up at the fair and everybody is still talking about him. Geoff we are awaiting a potential fourth indictment from georgia. Politically, what effect will it have it feels like you are listening to white noise. As you heard in lisas peace, you do have a segment of Republican Voters who believe that all of this is targeted at donald trump because these nefarious actors dont want him to run. They have already made their mind up about donald trump and whether these are serious or not serious charges. I think the only thing that moves the needle is when we get to a place that we have potentially a trial. If an indictment does come down from georgia, this could be televised unlike the federal cases. That adds just an interesting new layer. Not saying it is necessarily going to get people to feel one way or the other. A potential president ial nominee going into an election. Members of the cabin and the administration are going across the country. Separate from that, we have a special counsel in the hunter biden case. How do they view all this . Trying to make the pitch for his policies. He also attended a couple fundraisers that are closed door, but reporters could be there to watch. What he said, a couple of things stand out. He said im not sure we should have called it the inflation reduction act. What i witnessed last week is what his campaign is going to look like for the next year. Knowing what congress passed. Geoff hasnt this white house been saying this for two years . Once they know what it does, you will watch the president s poll numbers go up. Ended five years from now when people know what is in these bills, that is the challenge. Individual policies tend to be popular. No one knows what the infrastructure plan is or who voted for it. That is the ongoing challenge. The other ongoing challenge, everyone was paying attention to donald trump speeches that admittedly are pretty repetitive. How can this policy white house make policy cool again . Less about, isnt this great . More about here is what we are doing for you. The interesting thing, i do think the contrast between a president selling his economic plan versus the trials was a good contrast, but the hunter biden story also made the news and that sullied it a little bit. Geoff they are trying to make the election a choice, not a referendum. Good to see you both. An Influential Group of republican legal voices endorsed the january 2024 trial date proposed by jack smith in his 2020 election interference case. The group included former attorney general Alberto Gonzales appointed by george w. Bush and a retired federal appellate judge and one of the nations leading conservative legal minds. Judy woodruff recently visited him as part of her ongoing series america at a crossroads. I understood the gravity of this matter, in and around those offices and institutions that this was catastrophic for america and american democracy. One of the most influential conservatives to have served in the federal judiciary. He was the assistant attorney general under president george h w bush. He was later appointed to the United States court of appeals. He was twice considered for nomination to the supreme court. I felt i had a profound obligation to the country to speak and to explain all of what had happened. Well known in republican legal circles, on january 50 advised Vice President mike pence to defy former President Trumps plea not to certify the 2020 Election Results. Judge, thank you for being with us here today. He spoke about it in dramatic testimony more than a year later before the house january 6 committee. Donald trump and his allies and supporters are a and present danger to american democracy. Challenging trump so publicly thrust them into the hot heights of american politics where he has been ever since. You have been saying for months that americans of lost their moral compass. What brought you to that conclusion . For almost 250 years, judy, there was all but a consensus among the American Public on the fundamental values and principles on which america was founded and then all of a sudden it seems we dont agree on anything at all. We have not talked to each other as friends or fellow citizens, americans who share the same destiny and have the same hopes and dreams for america and that being the case, there is more that we have to agree on . I am. I know that there is more that we agree on and that we disagree on. Our elected leaders have talked to the nation and talked to we americans as if we were enemies of each other and we have never been enemies of each other. Over the timeline of the past 10, 15, 20 years, leaders on both sides of the aisle have failed us, but as of today and for the past 2. 5 years since january 6, 2021, it has been the republicans who have reprehensible he failed us as americans. On january 6, the former president and the republican allies and supporters declared war on american democracy. How much responsibility does former President Trump bear for all of this . He bears a disproportionate share of responsibility if not the entire responsibility. He sought to overturn a fair election. For four years, these claims have corroded and corrupted american democracy and american elections. Vast, vast numbers of americans, into the millions today no longer believe in the elections of the United States of america. The very pillars of our foundation. Many of those people have begun to question the constitution of the United States. But you are saying the damage done has been far, far greater then former President Trump, january 6 in the immediate actions that were taken in that time. There is no question. Never again will the world be inspired by america and americas democracy in the way that it has been since our founding almost 250 years ago. The indictment and prosecution of the president doesnt and or begin to resolve this matter. How much does it matter what the verdict of that trial is . All that matters is that the president will be tried for these grave offenses. Had he not, he would have made a mockery of the constitution and the rule of law. Do you worry whether there is an acquittal or conviction what the effect could be . We can expect that if he were to be acquitted that he and all of his supporters would claim that that is vindication that he was right that the 2020 president ial election was stolen from him. Were that to be the case, i dont believe that american democracy could be saved at least in the near future. Thats a terrible statement to hear. I understand, i understand. Former President Trump is saying he is not guilty. He says he is being treated unfairly especially in contrast to hunter biden. He said he is being treated much worse by the judicial system. The issue with hunter biden and the former president are not similar in any way at all. Let alone in gravity or consequence. It is the incumbent president son and the personal conduct is being accused of is of a pedestrian nature by comparison to what the former president has now been arraigned for. Turning to something you have spoken about in this interview. A big part of todays problems have to do with elected officials. What about individuals like Senate Minority leader mitch mcconnell, like senator lindsey graham, who are leaders in the party, but have not spoken out clearly against former President Trump . Any leader, republican or democrat who has not spoken against january 6 and the former president s role in it has betrayed their oath. January 6 and what the former president did is not politics. And it certainly is not artisan politics. This is far above and he in politics. As we now know it is literally crimes against the United States of america. But all of our politicians and especially the publicans have regarded it as nothing more than politics. In that respect, they have failed americans. It is critical to american democracy that you have two very Strong Political parties who are competing against each other on the issues, the Public Policy issues before the nation. We cant have one party who is supporting and defending what occurred on january 6 together with the president of the United States who caused january 6. We cant have that. We cannot function until the Publican Party comes to its senses. I dont consider the rePublican Party a Political Party in the United States at the moment. He added he believes the country cant set on horse again unless a number of those Election Officials lose their jobs. What we need to do is remove power from elected officials who have betrayed us as americans. And sends to washington others who better understand then todays officials that their power is our power. When you think about what the country does to heal this moment of extreme polarization, what comes to mind as solutions . Someone who has the moral wherewithal to speak and be heard by the nation has to speak. Is there anyone on the scene right now . There is not one single leader in america today. What does that portend . That alone portends hopelessness. But we have to be eternally hopeful. For the pbs newshour, im Judy Woodruff in vail colorado. Police officers are facing scrutiny. Press freedom advocates say it is a clear violation. It is a town of roughly 2000, its paper has five fulltime employees. On friday, police raided the newsroom, took photos and confiscated computers, cell phones, and other materials. Police say they executed the search warrant as part of an Identity Theft search warrant. They newspaper has reject that. Eric meyer is the publisher and editor of the Marion County record and he joins us now. Im terribly sorry about your mothers passing in this whole ordeal and i wonder how are you holding up, how are your colleagues holding up . Ill be honest with you, the shock of the raid and the attention it has received hasnt left me any time to reflect on my mothers death. It has pushed it off a little bit. The details of this case are complicated. She went to the police, the police got the warrant, and they executed the warrant. Did anyone at the newspaper illegally obtain this information . We informed the Police Police records, we notified the Police Friday before the raids. A week later, they did not ask any question. They didnt talk to us or say a word to us. More than 30 news and press Freedom Organizations have condemned to this raid, arguing there years to be no justification for the breadth and intrusiveness of this search. You have suggested that the extremity of this action was partially because of your other reporting about local officials. Can you explain . As with most small towns, this is a very divided community in some regards. It is more so than others. There are other stories we have been pursuing. We were doing investigations into the chief of police for example. His background, did some work about his budget. There are other things we have done reporting on that may they took that. We have some suspicion to believe that. The document that they stole the identity of, a copy was sitting on my desk next to my computer and they didnt find any copies we had downloaded and printed because we did not print them. That is not criminal intent. Are you planning on taking legal action against the police force . We obviously want their equipment back and we would like it back sooner, rather than later. The bigger issue is this kind of stuff cant stand. We cant have police running through. Your mother was stressed beyond her limits and overwhelmed by shock and grief. Do you really believe that this event is what precipitated the end of her life . Contributed. I dont know that it caused it entirely. The coroner who handled her case and was her family physician thinks so too. She was so distraught. When you are 98 years old, your world shrinks a bit. She lived in that house for almost 70 years. It was her castle. To have Police Officers stand and watch her two hours because we had to conduct these raids like it was against a drug cartel, simultaneous raids at three locations the officers were nice initially, but then 17 dissented on her house she sat most of her evening and she said, where are all the good people . She worked at the newspaper for 50 years, we bought it 25 years ago. To keep it from going under chain ownership. A great part of her life. Dedication to Community Journalism that said, you can make more money buying stock or Something Like that rather than buying a Newspaper Company but we wanted to do it because it benefits the community the last 24 hours was devoted to pain and anguish and a feeling that her life didnt matter. I think if she were alive today, she would be pleased that her death has brought some attention to this story in a positive way. But she is not alive now and what do you say about that . Eric meyer, very, very sorry for your loss and appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Thank you, william. Geoff we will be back shortly, but first take a moment to hear from your local pbs station to offer your support which helps keeps programs like this one on the air. For those of you staying with us , john legend is continuing with his special and evening with john legend performances, performing what telling his own story. At the age of 44, he is the portrait of success, having achieved the egot. He is the first black man and second youngest person ever to do so. Jeffrey brown met up with john legend for canvas and has this look. Just a man and his piano at the afternoon sound check. And that night, before a packed crowd. John legend is doing something new in his latest project. Singing songs that influenced him and that brought him famine. Fame. But also telling personal stories of how he got there. In addition to selling delicious fries, mcdonalds did outreach to the black community in the form of a black History Month essay competition. I wrote this essay when i was 15 years old and i said i would try to make history by becoming a successful artist and using my success to make the world better and i still feel that same sense of mission. The other thing you talked about was living up to this name that you chose. I was trying. He grew up as john stevens. In his 2013 love song it has some 2 billion streams on spotify. He is known for collaborating with hip pop stars. In bringing soul, gospel, my own personal experiences. They dont need me to wrap. His celebrity coach on the voice and celebrity husband as well as dad to the couples three children. He clearly thrives on performing. I feel so connected to the audience, i feel so close to the music. I feel like im being fully myself up there. On stage now, a stripped down version ofjohn legend. Its just you and the piano, you like that . I love it. It takes me back to the church where i grew up, to my family where i started to learn to play the piano. He grew up in springfield, ohio and a deeply religious household. His mother suffering depression and addiction left the family. He barely saw her for 10 years. That was a tough time and it made me more independent and more driven as a musician. He also wants to move the needle politically. We are in a time of reckoning. He is focused on issues such as Economic Equity and mass incarceration. Ive never had anyone ask, what are you . His Company Spring forward under told stories and writers. He performed at joe bidens inauguration and said he is impressed with the president s legislative achievement even though continuing to disagree over certain policies. There has been this strain and conservatism that has looked at this new awareness, this new progressivism that said, we dont want that. The backlash has been strong. People on the side of progressive values, people on the side of being one nation together under god have to fight just like the folks on the side of the backlash are fighting. At his concert, john legend revealed his alternative life. I take a job at a place called boston consulting group. He worked as a Management Consultant for several years after college while recording and performing at night. It might not have been so bad a life, he says now. It is such an inspiring and motivating thing to do, knowing you can create something that didnt exist before. Not having end, i cannot imagine it. Im glad life worked out the way it did. For the pbs newshour, in Jeffrey Brown at Wolf Trap National Park for the performing arts. [applause] thank you. Douglas martin is a poet, novelist, and short story writer , he shares his brief but spectacular take on the art of playing paying close attention to the every day. There are things that happen in our life that we think would make a good picture and then they actually dont read at all. I try to write a haiku a day and something i would want to take a picture of and that i know will not be captured in technology. On my way to run, i began as a slam poet at 25 and im building longer poems out of individual haikus. It is the japanese poetic form, we know it primarily as a three line poem that adds up to 17 syllables, five, 7, 5. But i play with this. Possible light rain, i cant tell, but the birds are flying, so i will go. It is about the things that go through my mind as im doing the cardiovascular exercise im meant to do to keep my heart functioning and then these poems have that. The things still going on my mind, i would indeed have a haiku. Seek shadows under bridge. My footsteps light, echo, breathe into changes as i run uphill beside a sidestream, down. Some of the themes and ideas are intimacy, sexuality, the animal world, how to make nontraditional Family Structures outside of conventional marriage , bloodlines, and how politics enter into the home. In these quiet ways and often in these very unquiet ways. A world can be lost. [applause] my name is douglas a martin and this is my brief, but spectacular take on the art of paying close attention to the every day. We have breaking news now, the grand jury in atlanta investigating former president Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the Election Results has returned 10 indictments. They did not release any other details including who has been indicted for the charges. We will have indepth coverage on the newshour tomorrow and on pbs. Org newshour. That is the newshour for tonight. Thank you for spending part of your evening with us, good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by architect, beekeeper, mentor. He Raymond James Financial Advisor taylors advice to help you live your life, life well planned. The kendeda fund. Convicted committed to advancing transformative leaders and ideas. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. 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. This is pbs newshour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. ] introducing a technological achievement so advanced. It rivals the moon landing. Wow ok. Rude. Thats one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind. Today on americas test kitchen, erin makes bridget struffoli, jack challenges julia and bridget to a headtohead tasting of singleorigin chocolate, and becky makes julia pistachiospice biscotti. Its all coming up right here on americas test kitchen