Transcripts For KQED PBS 20240703

If there is anything that democrats and republicans can come together on is supporting a part of our country that is hurting and getting the infrastructure back where it needs to be. Geoff an Florida Supreme Court paves the way for a six week abortion man but also allows the issue on the ballot in the fall. Major funding for the pbs has been provided by these are people who are trying to change the world. Startups have this energy that energizes me. I am thriving by helping others, every day. People who know, know bdo. The ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including kathy and Paul Anderson and camilla and george smith. Certified Financial Planner professionals are proud to support pbs newshour. Cfp professionals are committed to acting in their clients best interest. More information at letsmakeaplan. Org. The john s and James L Knight foundation, fostering informed, engaged communities. More at kf. Org. 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. Geoff welcome to the newshour. There have been few incidents in six months of war in gaza that have created the level of outrage that leaders across three continents expressed today. Amna overnight, israel killed Seven Members of the Charity World central kitchen, one palestinian and six foreigners, including one dual americancanadian, as well as an australian and europeans. The president of the u. S. Called the groups founder, the chef jose andres, to express his heartbreak. Israel called the killings unintended and vows to investigate. Nick schifrin begins our coverage. Nick in the words of the world central kitchen, this was a targeted attack, a direct hit on the groups armored vehicle, incinerating everything and everyone inside, all that was left intact, a metal plate with the groups logo. They came here from all over the world to feed the hungry. They weave in the white body bags worn by this wars more than 30,000 victims, among them, the groups palestinian driver, saif abutaha. This was all a mistake, said israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Unfortunately, in the last day, there was a tragic incident of an unintended strike of our forces on innocent people on the gaza strip. This happens in war. We are checking this thoroughly. We are in touch with the governments, and we will do everything for this not to happen again. Nick but world central kitchen says it coordinated with the Israeli Military as the convoy left its warehouse in Deir Al Balah by the sea in central gaza. Israeli munitions hit an initial vehicle. The israeli newspaper haaretz reports that world central kitchen workers then moved to another vehicle that was struck, and then a third vehicle that was struck as they traveled on or next to the coastal road that israel designates for humanitarian aid. Damian sobol, world central kitchen hello, everyone. Damian checking in from cairo. Nick damian sobol from poland recently showed a warehouse full of supplies to feed 20,000 gazans. Hey, this is zomi and chef olivier. Nick Lalzawmi Frankcom was known by everyone as zomi. She was australian, and in march showed off the world central kitchens gaza chef and the meals he prepared. Her friends said, when others faced their darkest moments, she was a shining light of comfort. Last night both their passports were covered in blood. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Anthony Albanese, australian Prime Minister this is just completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers. Nick secretary of state antony blinken. Antony blinken we shouldnt have a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow human beings are themselves at grave risk. Nick multiple victims were british. Prime minister rishi sunak were asking israel to investigate what happened urgently because, clearly, there are questions that need to be answered. Nick the war in gaza has been the deadliest ever for humanitarian workers. The u. N. Says at least 196 have been killed since hamas october 7 terrorist attacks. U. S. Officials cite poor israeli coordination and deconfliction. Today, defense minister yoav gallant promised to establish an independent investigation and brief ngos on the findings and to open a joint idf International Ngo situation room. We will get to the bottom of this and we will share our findings transparently. Nick back in northern gaza, amid the ruins of gaza city, lies the damage done to what was once gazas biggest hospital, al shifa. The World Health Organization said today the heart of gazas Health System had been ripped out. The Israeli Military says a twoweek operation by its equivalent of navy seals killed or detained more than 700 terrorists hiding within the buildings. The Palestinian Health Ministry Says hundreds were civilians, and the u. N. Says 20 patients died. After the world central kitchen incident, aid organizations are suspending their gaza operations, as the u. N. Warns that gaza is on the brink of famine. For the pbs newshour, im nick schifrin. Amna for more on this, we turn to sean carroll. Hes the president and ceo of anera. Thats a nonprofit helping refugees in the middle east. For the last six months, they have been delivering medicine, water and food in gaza, including some 150,000 meals a day. In sean, i just want to begin with your reaction to this news. What did you think when you heard about the killing of these world central kitchen aid workers . I thought, no, this cant be. How can this be . This cant be. This cant be explained. It cant be, and then devastation. World central kitchen are is a partner. Theyre colleagues. Theyre friends. The people who were killed are people that our team in gaza work with. So this was devastating, devastating news. Amna and we should say too, you and your team know this loss. Last month, you lost one of your team members, mousa shawwa, your Logistics Coordinator in gaza. He was killed in an israeli airstrike after sheltering with his family in Deir Al Balah, after hed been out distributing aid. We are so sorry for your loss. But i have to ask, do you believe its possible for aid workers to work safely in gaza right now . Sean well, look, we have made a decision to pause our work. And thats not a decision we came to lightly. Our palestinian staff who live in the communities, who work in the communities that are from and live in, they have never really had safety, but they kept going, and now this level of depravity and inexplicable killing. And i know there are questions and debates about whether it was intentional or unintentional. I think we need to ask ourselves, is one better than the other . If this was unintentional, how could this happen . This was a clearly marked humanitarian aid convoy of three cars with world central kitchen logo and lettering clearly displayed. So how could it be an accident . And the evidence we have seen so far and what i have heard from our colleagues at world central kitchen suggested that it wasnt an accident, it was intentional. Amna well, let me ask you about that, because israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, in fact, said it was an unintentional strike, that it was what he called a tragic accident. I know you cited some of the evidence why you believe it wasnt, but why do you believe israel would target humanitarian aid workers . Sean you know, i dont know. I think thats the question we all have to ask. And i think Israeli Society and the Israeli Government and the Israeli Military need to ask themselves as well, is this contributing to making israel and israelis safer . I dont see how it could be. So after the first reaction of shock and despair, the next reaction is, how could this be . It doesnt make any sense. I cant make any sense of it. How would this be serving any objectives that make sense for anybody, for any side of this conflict . Amna netanyahu has also pledged a thorough investigation. U. S. Officials have said today they hope it will be swift and that the findings will be made public. Do you have faith that the Israeli Government can investigate its own forces in this case . Sean when an investigation is needed, the parties to the conflict, to the accident, to the incident, to the subject being investigated are not the best investigators. We should have an independent investigation. We would like to have it for our coworker mousa shawwa, who was killed just under a month ago. We still dont have an explanation on that killing. This is an absolute minimum requirement, certainly for world central kitchen, and but for all of us, because were wondering, are we next . Amna sean, have you had communications directly with israeli officials about the safety of your team on the ground in gaza . Sean sure. We communicate all the time. We have to deconflict the areas we work, the shelters where our staff and their families are staying, where our staff are sheltering, our distribution centers, our cars. That all has to be deconflicted. We share the coordinates, the map coordinates of those. And we check in. We check in with them to verify or they check in with us . But we had a checkin from them four days before mousa shawwa was killed in an airstrike. And that and this world central kitchen killing now is makes us worried. It makes us feel like its not working. Amna when you say its not working, to be clear, youre saying you are in constant contact, groups on the ground are informing israeli officials about your location and your coordinates, theres no way you see israeli officials would not have known these were aid workers . Is that what youre saying . Sean i mean, that certainly looks like the case with the world central kitchen, very clearly marked cars in a threecar convoy. And this is something thats been an issue among many International Ngos throughout the course of this war. And the deconfliction is actually done with the military, with the idf. And so the conversations and the communications feel like theyre genuine, that were all doing the right thing, and were deconflicting, and were getting things put into the system. But if people are killed, when they shouldnt be, then, obviously, we end up questioning whether this is working. And it doesnt seem to be working. Amna and what has been the response from israeli officials when you raise those concerns . Sean well, we dont wed like a response on the death of our colleague. We dont have any response. There seemed to be interest initially when they mistakenly thought he was an american citizen. That interest seemed to lessen when we said he didnt have a u. S. Passport. Hes a palestinian. We dont have a response yet. I hope we will get a response. And im sure world central kitchen is very much going to be demanding an explanation for the death of their staff. Amna that is sean carroll, president and ceo of anera, a nonprofit helping people in gaza, suspending operations for now. Mr. Carroll, thank you for your time. Sean thank you for having me. Stephanie the head of the Israeli Military issued a public apology late tonight for the airstrike that killed the seven world central kitchen aid workers in gaza. I want to be very clear, the stri was not carried out with the intention of harming wck aid workers. It was a mistake that followed the misidentification during the war in very complex conditions. It shouldnt have happened. Stephanie the general vowed israel will improve the way it core needs a distribution because it will take immediate action to protect humanitarian aid workers. He set a thorough investigation will be completed in the coming days. In the days other headlines President Biden and chinese president xi jinping spoke by phone in their first conversation since a summit in california last november. White house officials said the topics ranged from taiwan to fentanyl to artificial intelligence. They described the conversation as quote candid and constructive, as the leaders try to tamp down tensions. We believe that there is no substitute for regular communication at the leader level to effectively manage this complex and often tense bilateral relationship. And both president s agreed to pick up the phone and speak when needed. Stephanie as for xi, chinas state broadcaster quoted him as saying that beijing and washington should make stability in relations a priority. The president also hosts Muslim American leaders for a meeting tonight and iftar dinner, breaking the days fast during the islamic holy month of ramadan. The gathering was reportedly downsized after invitations were declined by some Muslim American Community Leaders amid ongoing political tensions over the war in gaza. Ukrainian military drones struck a major oil refinery today in a dronemaking factory in what may be the deepest attack inside russia yet. The targets were near cities in tatarstan some 750 miles east of ukraine. Initial reports said the attacks did no significant damage. Cell phone video caught the moment one of the drones crashed, causing a large blast. An official on the scene said two people were injured. In turkey, a fire at an istanbul nightclub has killed at least 29 people. The blaze broke out today as the club was undergoing renovations while its closed for ramadan. Flames and smoke engulfed the site and rescuers brought out the injured as the fire left the club in charred ruins. Istanbuls mayor said the city had never approved the construction work. Theres no application to the local municipality for renovation or construction. And, as it was below the ground level, the repair work wasnt visible. Stephanie there was no word on the cause of the blaze, but several people were detained for questioning. An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7. 5 struck off of southwestern japan late this evening. It rocked the entire island of taiwan, collapsing buildings there. A tsunami warning has been issued for the region and coastal areas in japan were ordered to evacuate. There is no word on casualties. Back in this country, hundreds of thousands of people lost power across the nations midsection as severe storms rolled through. In southern indiana, some homes had their roofs ripped away. And kentuckys governor declared a state of emergency as communities cleared through debris scattered by high winds. In northeastern oklahoma, the storm front spawned three possible tornadoes. At least one person was killed. Four more states had their say in president ial primaries today. Connecticut, new york, rhode island and the battleground state of wisconsin. President biden and former President Trump have already locked down their nominations. Still, the contests are being watched for the degree of opposition both men still face within their parties. Still to come on the newshour, the fallout around rap mogul sean diddy combs, who is accused of rape, sexual assault, and human trafficking; the evolving role of americas first ladies; and author Percival Everett on his reworking of the adventures of Huckleberry Finn from jims point of view. This is a pbs newshour, from wta studios in washington, and in the west, on the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. Geoff a massive cleanup operation is under way at the site of the deadly bridge collapse in baltimore last week. Crews are undertaking painstaking tasks, removing sharp, twisted steel and concrete debris from the port. No one knows just yet how long it will take to clean up the wreckage and reopen the channel. But the Biden Administration has pledged to help rebuild the bridge, and the president is expected to ask for more federal funding soon to make that happen. Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is going to play a key role in all of this. And he joins us now. Welcome back to the newshour. Pete Buttigieg, u. S. Secretary of transportation good to be back with you. Geoff the Washington Post reported that rebuilding the Francis Scott key bridge will take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Do you agree with that assessment . And how difficult will it be to get that funding, Given Congress inability to pass much of anything these days . Sec. Buttigieg that assessment is certainly plausible. We have not yet seen a hard timeline. And, remember, there are a lot of things yet to be known, both in terms of the condition of the parts of the bridge that did not collapse, and in terms of the design of what will take its place. For example, one advantage of having a design thats identical or similar to the old bridge is, it could be done more quickly. On the other hand there may be advantages to having a different design. Those are decisions that the state, under the leadership of governor moore, will work through. Were not going to dictate that. What we are going to do is make sure that theres funding and, whenever requested, Technical Assistance to help them get that job done. We have already moved the first 60 million made available through our emergency relief program. There is certainly going to be a need for more funding. We will do what we can with the dollars we have, but, if we need to turn to congress for more dollars, i hope and expect that that will be a bipartisan priority. If you think back to the minnesota bridge collapse back in 2007, it was a matter of days before Congress Passed legislation to get more funding to make sure that they were able to rebuild that bridge. And a little more recently, the bipartisan infrastructure package itself was delivered with a bipartisan vote. So i know that this is a polarized time, but id like to think, if theres anything that democrats and republicans can come together on, its supporting a part of our country that is hurting and getting infrastructure back the way it needs to be. Geoff will the administration waive certain regulations to speed up the process of clearing the debris and ultimately rebuilding the bridge . Sec. Buttigieg we will tear down any bureaucratic or administrative barrier that we responsibly can. To be clear, this has to be done safely. It has to be done properly, whether were talking about checks to make sure that taxpayer funds are being used the right way or any safety consideration. But within that and within the framework of the law, were going to provide as much flexibility as we responsibly can because we have got to get this port back open and we have got to get that bridge back up. The port reopening will, of course, come sooner than the bridge replacement, but both of those are important, not just for baltimore, but really for our supply chains, for the u. S. Economy. We have got to do everything we can to get it done. Geoff i want to ask you about rail safety, because you announced a new rule today requiring twoperson crews on railroads in a move to improve safety after that toxic derailment in East Palestine last year. The railroads say that the size of train crews should be determined by Union Contract talks, and not by federal regulators, since there isnt enough data to support this notion that twoperson crews are actually safer. Whats your reaction to that . Sec. Buttigieg i would start with common sense. The idea that you could run a twomilelong train, maybe even a longer train than that some of them are getting closer to three miles and have only one human being on board that train, my guess is, most americans would be surprised to learn that, until this morning, that wasnt already prevented. Were talking about the absolute commonsense minimum here of having two people on board a Freight Train that could be moving through an american community. And, again, these trains are getting to be twomileslong or longer. Now, this is something that was developed actually back in the obama administration, was the first work done on this. The Trump Administration halted that work. We picked that work back up even before what happened in East Palestine, but our attention to rail safety measures, including this one, was, of course, supercharged by the National Focus on Railroad Safety that East Palestine brought. And thats just one of many areas that we have been working on. I also want to reiterate my call on congress to do more. They have a Bipartisan Railway Safety act just sitting there waiting its turn. Its been more than a year since that ohio crash. Congress needs to act. Anything that doesnt require an act of congress, were going to seek to do on our own here at the department, like todays rule. Geoff you know, it strikes me Freight Trains are getting longer in the u. S. , as you say, in some cases threemileslong. You also have cargo ships that are in some cases now dangerously big, like the one that caused the bridge collapse in baltimore. In your view, are the modes of transport getting too big, or do we need to improve our capacity and our infrastructure to accommodate them . Sec. Buttigieg i think it really depends on the mode of transportation. Its not automatically intrinsically safe unsafe to have a larger ship or a larger train or, for that matter, a larger vehicle or a larger aircraft. But it is very important that every step be taken to make sure that, as they grow or as they have any other feature thats different from before, that it is safer than ever. And thats where regulation comes in. Its vitally important that we maintain the pattern we have had in this country of making our modes of transportation more safe. And we still have a long way to go, especially on highway safety, but also in Railroad Safety. Geoff lastly, a question about boeing. Theyre facing a significant safety crisis after that door panel flew off at Alaska Airlines flight some months ago. The companys ceo announced that hes leaving at the end of the year. The head of the commercial airplanes at boeing has already left. What concerns remain . Is this leadership overhaul sufficient . Sec. Buttigieg i would say its going to take a lot more than what individual has what title at that company. And thats something i have communicated to the Senior Leadership at boeing. Its something that our faa administrator, mike whitaker, made clear after hisisit to their key manufacturing facility, and has put them on a 90day clock were roughly 30 days into that to put together a comprehensive plan. And faa is not going to let them increase their rate of production until and unless they demonstrate that they can do it safely. Were talking about operational issues. Were talking about observations that were caught in the audit on the shop floor, but were also talking about culture. And i would say that whoever lines up at the helm of boeing, as well as their board and everybody up and down that entire organization, they all have to be prepared to put safety first. So much depends on it. Look, the aviation Safety Record of the United States of america is extraordinary. But there is nothing about that that guarantees that itll be the same for the future. Thats why every incident like this gets an extraordinary amount of attention. Its why boeing is under a microscope, and its why its going to stay that way as they work to demonstrate that they can safely increase their production. Geoff do you feel safe flying on a boeingmade jet . Sec. Buttigieg i fly on a boeing made jet just about every other day. And, yes, every time i step on an airliner, i know that i am safe. And if im with my family, i know that my family is safe because of all of the work that goes into overseeing that, the work of the faa, the work of all of the professionals in the aviation sector, including, importantly, those flight crews on board, who do such good work. Every time i get on that airplane, i know im participating in the safest mode of transportation in america, which is an astonishing thing, if you consider what air travel is, flying through the air at nearly the speed of sound. But, again, you cant take that for granted. Safety is not a destination. It is something that we have to continually work toward and reinforce. Geoff that is transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. Thanks again for your time and for your insights this evening. Sec. Buttigieg thank you. Amna just last week, federal agents rated two homes of rapper and music mol sean p. Diddy combs in los angeles and miami. Combs is the subject of a federal investigation and already facing a series of civil lawsuits from several women and at least one man, alleging he either assaulted, abused or trafficked them. Some of the accusations date back at least 30 years, and combs has denied all allegations. For the latest now, im joined by Sidney Madden, music reporter for npr and cohost of its podcast louder than a riot. so, sidney, lets begin with those raids by federal investigators. What do we know about why they went in and what they found . Sidney madden, npr music well, its not exactly clear what the charges are that prompted these raids, although we do know that, in the civil suits that were recently filed against him dating back last year that date back decades, there have been many allegations of sex trafficking in the midst of those civil suits, and that Homeland Security and federal agents do investigate those charges criminally. Amna so, sidney, remind us as well. Now, there was a late 2023 lawsuit by mr. Combs former girlfriend Cassie Ventura that really opened the door for these other lawsuits to follow. What was so damning in that original lawsuit that prompted this cascade of lawsuits we have seen since . Sidney madden Cassie Venturas original lawsuit, it really did open the floodgates, as you said, because it detailed almost two decades of hidden coercion, abuse, assault, even rape. And it was kind of the dark side of their very Public Relationship and their working relationship in the Music Industry that dates back to the early 2000s. Amna and when we talk about these other lawsuits, how many more are we talking about . And are the allegations consistent across all of those will cases . Sidney madden so, as of this date, there have been five civil suits filed against diddy. And the latest one, again, as of this date, is filed by lil rod, aka rodney jones, who is a music producer who worked for diddy between 2022 and 2023. And jones is the same behaviors and indiscretions that have been that cassie and other people have claimed that the music mogul was doing all of this in time, things like using people on his staff for drug mules, things like pushing drugs onto multiple people on his team, pushing people onto his team. Lil rod accuses diddy of groping him, accuses diddy of having people on his staff proposition and sexually assault him, and hes accusing him of propositioning sex workers all throughout the United States to come to diddy and have alleged freakoffs. Amna as we mentioned, sean combs denies all of the allegations. Have we seen any kind of a public response from him, though, online or in any other form to these accusations . Sidney madden its been a lot of sidestepping, i would say, publicly from diddy. He broke his silence on social media recently by posting a lot of his children for easter sunday. Hes been very jovial, i would say, publiclyfacing, but diddys legal team says they vehemently deny all of these claims and that the Homeland Security raids specifically were a gross misuse of militarylevel force. Amna sidney, i think its fair to say it doesnt get bigger than diddy in the music world. He works in moves in rarefied circles of entertainment and celebrity. Have any of these allegations had an impact on those relationships, business or personal . Sidney madden definitely. I mean, the fallout from these allegations so far has definitely been a blow to diddys business and his public reputation. So, since these allegations started to come out, he has stepped down as chairman of revolt tv, revolt entertainment, his news media channel. Hes also sold off all of his shares of that. And hes parted ways with the Liquor Company that used to distribute a lot of his namebrand liquors and collaborations. And there have been a lot of people in the hiphop space who have kind of just used this as a moment to say that all of these indiscretions that hes being accused of are open secrets that have been proliferated in the Music Industry over the years. But what that fails to interrogate is how they have been able to operate as open secrets without anybody calling him out, for fear of losing here their proximity, their business, their just access to his celebrity. Amna what about that allegation of this being an open secret for so long . I mean, when you and i spoke at the end of 2023 after the ventura lawsuit, we talked about whether this was some larger moment of reckoning in the industry. And back then, you said it was too early to tell. But what do you make of that now . In Sidney Madden now, i would say, i think, as more time has passed and more suits have been carried out, there are many more people in positions of power who are publicly distancing themselves from him. And in the hiphop space, its about money, power and respect. I would definitely say the fallout is happening. Amna that is Sidney Madden, music reporter for npr and cohost of the podcast louder than a riot. sidney, thank you. Sidney madden thank you. Geoff now to a Major Development in the fight over Abortion Access. The Florida Supreme Court late monday paved the way for the states sixweek abortion ban to take effect. But the justices in a separate ruling said florida voters will pcon protecting Abortion Access in november. Lynda bell is president of florida right to life, one of the states largest antiabortion groups, and she joins us now. Thank you for being with us. Lynda bell, president , florida right to life youre welcome. Its my pleasure. Geoff whats your assessment of this decision by the states Supreme Court, on the one hand paving the way for the sixweek abortion ban to become law in florida in 30 days, while giving florida voters the final say in november . Lynda yes, it seems a little bit contradictory. But in light of the fact that we thought the privacy clause in the florida constitution would be stricken and so, basically, the 15week bill was challenged based on the fact that they used privacy in the florida constitution to say that privacy includes abortion. The Supreme Court said, no, it does not. It does not include that. It was never meant to include that. So they ruled that. So once the 15week bill was upheld, that allowed for the sixweek bill that was passed last year and signed by our governor so that was what happened there. Now, the other decision went 43, with the three women dissenting against the four men. And the three women thought that the ballot language should be struck because of the ambiguity and how vague and how actually deceptive it was. And even the majority, in the majority opinion, even in their opinion that i was reading, it ruled that, while it was quite ambiguous and vague, that it still shouldnt be struck, which really struck me very much. And i love the three women, their dissent. I have actually put their quotes in my press release because theyre saying that you expect us to not use the fact that we have used facts that we have used in the past under previous decisions. But let me just say this. This language is very dangerous. And it has loopholes enough for an elephant to go through. Geoff well, let me ask you this, ms. Bell, because abortion had once been broadly accessible in florida. But Florida Governor ron desantis has now signed two major abortion bans, initially one starting at 15 weeks and more recently one starting at six weeks, before most women even know that theyre pregnant. And donald trump has described a sixweek ban as quote a terrible thing and a terrible mistake. Why cant republicans and antiabortion advocates find consensus on an acceptable path forward, when overturning roe had been a decadeslong pursuit among conservatives and antiabortion activists . Lynda well, we prolifers we like to be called prolifers, rather than antiabortion. But we are prolife. Now, the antilife community, they want abortion. It doesnt matter. They dont care. They want abortion through birth. So they want unfettered access. Geoff ms. Bell, thats not true. Lynda its this language right here does not stop that, because everything is to be determined by the health care provider. So the health care provider, when it says viability, what that means is, its going to be determined by the health care provider. So abortion literally could go through birth. That is absolutely a fact. Now, jumping into your specific question, the sixweek bill provided for rape, incest, life of the mother, medical emergency, fetal anomaly. So there were very many exceptions in there for women who needed to have an abortion procedure in these very dangerous situations for them, because were not just probaby. Were prowoman. And we dont want any woman to experience anything that would be dangerous for them. So we in the prolife community, we love them both. We love both the babies and their moms. Geoff well, let me ask you this, because the data is clear that states with more abortion restrictions have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. How are those outcomes consistent with your organizations stated goal of protecting the sanctity of life . Lynda well, i dont know that that data is absolutely correct, and so id love to challenge that data as well. In fact, im going to look into that data. Geoff its from the commonwealth fund. Its an independent Research Organization focused on health policy. Lynda yes, id like to look at their base data first, because we have seen so many polls and so much data out that is very factually flawed. So id love to take a look at that, because im telling you, this amendment right here is dangerous for girls, its dangerous for women, and it does nothing to protect anybody. What it does, it does its not a prowoman. Its not a progirl. It is nothing but proabortion. Geoff when this sixweek ban takes effect, how lifethreatening must a pregnancy be to end it legally . Lynda rape, incest, life of the mother, medical emergency, fetal anomaly. I mean, anything that would be considered a situation, any kind of dangerous situation, that woman can have an abortion immediately. So, every single base was covered when it comes to protecting womens lives. Geoff that is lynda bell, president of florida right to life. Thanks for your time this evening. Lynda thank you. Amna the first lady of the United States is often studied with a mixture of fascination and scrutiny. Geoff laura barronlopez has more on a new book that looks at the modern history of the role. Laura part policy messenger, Part Campaign whisperer, part style icon, expectations of americas first lady shape shift with each administration. In her new book, American Woman the transformation of the modern first lady, from Hillary Clinton to jill biden, New York Times correspondent katie rogers explores how each wife has brought something unique to this everchanging role. Katie, thank you so much for joining us. I want to start with your inspiration for this book. You mentioned that you have been fascinated with the role of the first lady for years now. Why write this . Where did it come from . Katie rogers, author, American Woman the transformation of the modern first lady, from Hillary Clinton to jill biden i went to school in chicago, and the birth of my interest in first ladies grew from covering an exhibit at the field museum about Jacqueline Kennedy and how she used style to further american diplomacy abroad. She spoke french, and she convinced the french to send over the mona lisa across the atlantic so americans could see it, and i thought that was a really incredible thing for anybody to do in an administration, let alone the first lady. So i began covering the Trump White House during the trump inauguration, essentially. I got moved down from the new york newsroom. And i gravitated toward Melania Trump pretty immediately because there was so much about her i think that the public really didnt know, and there was so much about her that she wasnt willing to let the public know. So she was a really interesting figure to cover as a white house beat reporter. Flash forward to the beginning of the Biden Administration. I was approached with an idea to do a jill biden book, as i had been approached before to do Melania Trump books, and i thought i would like to actually place them in sort of a lineup of women whove had this role since the turn of the century. Laura as you go across these first ladies in modern history, you write that the first ladys behavior is expected to quote fit every prism of our kaleidoscope of expectations of American Womanhood. how do you find that the role of the first lady, particularly in the last 30 years, has changed . Katie they have all sort of struggled with this idea of whether they should work. Hillary clinton told me even she said, i considered it briefly, and then i quickly set it aside. She had a legal career. Michelle obama briefly considered trying to work, but put that aside in service of adjusting her two daughters to washington and making sure her husband had the best chance he could at winning. And jill biden is really the first one to successfully say, like, i really want to keep this part of my identity. So i think that is a key way the role has changed, where this is becoming now a normal conversation, rather than expecting them to sort of give away this chunk of their identity. Laura when you write about jill biden, you say that her story is modern. Why do you say that . And, also, how does she compare to the others that came before her . Katie her story is modern because, a, to know anything about the bidens, you know how jill biden came to be in public life. He was elected to the senate and lost his wife shortly after in a car accident and his infant daughter. So, really, one of the key questions i had about jill biden is, who would come in and try to knit this family back together . That is modern, to have a nontraditional family. And thats something that a lot of americans can relate to, and its not always something we see with first families. Living in a family where the north star is joe biden, and theres always a new campaign, and theres always a new ambition, to hold on to that as a ballast was really interesting and modern. And i think anybody in a relationship struggles to kind of figure out the dynamic, the power dynamic there. Even Melania Trump, i think, there were questions about, would she do enough with her policy platform . Was she supportive of her husband enough . Did she not move to washington early enough . All of these women have to sort of make these tradeoffs and be a political spouse, at the end of the day. Thats theyre not housewives. Theyre partners and advisers to the most powerful person on the planet. Laura you explore this idea of the different powers that first ladies can have, whether its a campaigner like jill biden, but also diplomacy, like you mentioned with Jacqueline Kennedy. But when youre looking at these modern first ladies, how has the role been used to the president s advantage . Katie first of all, these women can go places the president cant easily. So, before President Biden was able to get to ukraine, jill biden secretly went into ukraine to meet with olena zelenska, the first lady of ukraine, to offer americas support and a promise that we were going to stand by them. And even during the pandemic, she was the one who was going to southern states, to deep red states, going to colleges and medical centers and holding peoples hands while they got the vaccines. Its a powerful messaging role that can work and function on behalf of the west wing. And its as valuable as any other principal, if its used correctly or used effectively, i should say. Laura when you conducted all of the interviews that you did for this book, which first lady surprised you the most out of the five that you write about . Katie yes. Well, whats interesting is, i didnt get to interview her. Laura bush doesnt do many interviews, so i tried, but i would have loved to interview her because the bushes were in office when i was a teenager, and 9 11 happened when i was in high school. Emotions were very high about the wars we were engaged in. And it was all about him. So, as a journalist, returning to her really and exploring her tenure and her presence as first lady was super fascinating. Their advisers told me shes really the one who was there to remind him where he came from. She was never somebody who wanted to be a policy heavyhitter. She was there to sort of help her husband in any way she could, but she also became a wartime first lady overnight. And she took over the president s radio address, and she took over an initiative to support afghan women and girls. She launched the National Book festival, which is still around. So she was really a productive first lady, even though i think at the time people thought of her as more of a helpmate or just a housewife kind of presence. She was super fascinating. Laura katie rogers, this is a fascinating book. Thank you so much for your time. Katie thank you for having me. Geoff it is one of the cornerstones of American Literature, the adventures of Huckleberry Finn by mark twain. Now a new novel takes another look and brings a littleheard voice to the forefront. Jeffrey brown speaks to author Percival Everett for our arts and culture series, canvas. Jeffrey a trip down the Mississippi River in 19th Century America taken by a young white boy, huck finn, and an enslaved black man named jim running for his life. Huck told the story in mark twains 1884 novel. But what if jim had his say . Its only fair. Jeffrey its only fair . Percival yes, jim, this character, whos become iconic in our literary landscape, has never had a chance to speak. Jeffrey in Percival Everetts novel, jim, or james, does in a voice that is knowing, funny, pained, and deeply humane, expanding the world everett first found in the adventures of Huckleberry Finn. percival i read an abridged version when i was very young. Jeffrey yes. Percival but when i was a teenager and i read it again, it had a lot more resonance, even though it was also problematic because of the depiction of jim. Jeffrey we joined everett at new yorks renowned strand bookstore, where he was signing an enormous stack of his widely acclaimed new book. I have seen this novel described in different ways, a retelling, a reworking, a response to the adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What do you call it . Percival well, i understand all those designations, but, to me its and maybe i flatter myself in saying it i consider myself in conversation with twain. Jeffrey conversation . Percival yes. Yes. Im perhaps writing the novel that he was not equipped to write, and nor would he even imaginit, because his character is huck finn. Its hucks novel. But he could not occupy the psychic and cultural space that was occupied by jim. Jeffrey author of more than 30 books, everett is a famously eclectic and inventive writer, taking on a wide range of genres and subjects, including sometimes race, as in his 2011 novel erasure. Jeffrey Wright, actor why are these books here . Actor im not sure. I would imagine that this author, ellison, is black. Jeffrey it was the source for the recent film American Fiction starring Jeffrey Wright that skewered the mostly white Publishing Industry for pushing black authors to write just one stereotypical black story. Was that character in erasure at least partly you . Percival well, i have to admit that hes alarmingly similar to me. laughter jeffrey alarmingly similar . Percival i wrote a novel about the greek god dionysus called frenzy, and it was turned down by a couple of houses. An editor came to me and said well, we turned your novel down. i said yes, thats cool. I dont mind. and then this editor said can you tell me, what does dionysus have to do with black people . jeffrey the assumption being that you have to be writing about black people . Percival well, yes. And i said would you have asked that of john updike if he had written this novel . but thats the impediment to making art that so many writers of color run into, the expectations of what you can make, and also this notion of authenticity, missing the fact that black people are as diverse as white americans. What i love about this one is, he put mark twain in parentheses. Jeffrey yes. laughter jeffrey so clemens first. Percival clemens first, which i always wondered on. Jeffrey of twains novel, Ernest Hemingway said, all modern American Literature comes from one book called Huckleberry Finn. everett acknowledges its importance. Percival instead of being a book about slavery, the way Uncle Toms Cabin is a book about slavery, this is a book about an american youth, about america itself being an adolescent, wandering through its own landscape, trying to come to terms with the contradictions of slavery. Thats a pretty remarkable novel. And its pretty remarkable for its time, when you when you when you view it in that way. In that way, hemingway is right. Jeffrey in twains book, jim speaks what the author called the missouri negro dialect. In everetts book, james learns to read, but only in secret. He has imaginary debates over the meaning of equality with the french philosopher voltaire. And the slave dialect he and all blacks use is a kind of second language, a correctincorrect grammar, in james bitterly humorous phrase, taught to black children to use in order to hide their real knowledge, their true selves, a survival mechanism in a brutal world of white dominance and violence. Percival any oppressed, enslaved or imprisoned people will find a way to communicate with each other in front of their oppressors where their oppressors have no entry into their language. Thats what we do as humans. Thats our often, its it takes the form of humor. Fulfilling expectations is what will allow them to survive in this world. And so the way they speak satisfies the expectations of their oppressors. Jeffrey with a pencil gained at horrific cost to a fellow slave, james tells us, i wrote myself into being. percival its the avenue to freedom. Its e avenue to selfactualization. What you can say to yourself about yourself will define you. Jeffrey there are passages here that are hysterically funny, laughoutloud funny. And then, within another short passage, the horror of slavery comes out. Percival my humor, ironically, as a child with shape much by twain. Jeffrey really . Percival oh, yes. I can cite the sources of my sense of humor, my father, mark twain, groucho marx and bullwinkle, my sources. Jeffrey because you read twain in childhood . And percival yes, life on the mississippi and roughing it, i thought were hilarious, and hilarious because the humor resides in his observations, not in jokes. Jeffrey but tell me more about this mix of humor and horror. Percival if you get someone laughing, then you have removed some defenses. You have removed some walls. And then you can show them the bad things. To have someone ask themselves why theyre laughing, then you have done something even better. I dont go to work with a message or a mission, but i do hope to generate thought. Jeffrey is that how you feel as a writer . Percival yes. I dont have any stake in what people think, but i certainly want to live in a world where people think. Jeffrey given where we started, the conversation that you wanted to have with mark twain, what is it that you hope readers will take from james . Percival that that landscape was not wandered alone by huck, that there was another agent there, someone with agency, experiencing this role in a very different way. That wideeyed, innocent american wandering through that landscape is certainly attractive and youthful and promising, but hes wandering through there with a victim who has built it for him. Jeffrey the book is james. Percival Everett, thank you very much. Percival my pleasure. Thank you. Amna joan wicks is a sixth grade humanities teacher in los angeles who helped her students rebound from covid learning loss through her devotion and advocacy. The school was recently recognized with the california distinguished schools award. Tonight, she shares her brief but spectacular take on inspiring a love of learning. Joan wicks, humanities teacher literacy is so important in raising the next generation of kids because we have never had a generation thats about to face what theyre facing. And im talking about something that we have taken for granted, like hanging on to our democracy. So kids have to be an educated and active citizenry to safeguard our country for the future. Im not entirely sure that i chose to become a classroom teacher. I think it chose me. I specifically remember learning to read in the first grade, and i was so excited about that. It was like magic had opened up to me. I found school to be relatively easy because i was such a great reader, and that got me all the way through college. I work at a small Charter School in south los angeles; 98 of our kids qualify for free and reduced lunch. We have about 35 english language learners. Despite these demographics and statistics, theres a lot of hope in this community, and thats one of the reasons i love working there. The sixth grade students im teaching right now went home in the middle of the second grade during the pandemic, and that was a really critical time, because its before most kids have become fluent readers. A good number of our students came in reading on the third grade level, and they seem stuck there. One of the things that we do at our school to help Young Readers is, we provide intervention classes in reading and math for all of our students. So many people were worried about the kids, but theyre rebounding and theyre coming back with a vengeance. I feel like im witnessing a living miracle in south los angeles. My approach to teaching aligns with my approach to parenting, because i set very High Expectations for my children. If you set that bar high, theyre going to try to meet that bar. Well, i have three children. Gabrielle is in the film industry. My son, spencer, is employed at a major u. S. Bank. And amanda was the inaugural youth poet laureate of the United States, and shes also published four books. So shes living a very successful life as a poet. The advice i would give to parents about sparking a love of reading and learning in your children is, you have to be that person. Children are sponges. They look to their parents for everything, the bad habits you picked up. Even your little quirks, they will pick those up too. Its really important that kids experience what a library has to offer, because, aesthetically, libraries are beautiful. When kids see the beauty of books and beauty of the library and its a comfortable space, that makes them want to learn and read and come back. So a library is a great place for parents to take their kids. I get so much joy working with these young minds and watching them grow. I keep coming back to the classroom year after year because i get as much from the students as they get from me. My name is dr. Joan wicks, and this is my brief but spectacular take on inspiring a love of learning. Amna and you can watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs. Org newshour brief. Geoff while you are there, check out this story about the boom and tour is heading to oklahoma to view next mondays solar eclipse. Amna join us back here tomorrow night for our report on major shifts in immigration, following asylumseekers from around the world moving from mexico to the new u. S. Border. That is a newshour for tonight. Geoff thanks for spending part of your evening with us. 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