Inspires. Sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. Barbara hope zuckerberg. Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support has been provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. From the tisch wnet studios at Lincoln Center in new york, hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan good evening, and thanks for joining us. Police in charlotte, North Carolina, said this afternoon they would release their own dashcam videos of tuesdays Fatal Shooting of a brack man, keith scott, this as people took part in a fifth day of protests. Police chief kerr putney said it had been decided releasing the the videos would not adversely impact the investigation. He said he was in possession of a hand gun, in possession of marijuana, and had committed a crime. Police shot and killed scott tuesday after in the parking lot of an apartment complex where he parked to wait to pick up his children after his wife released this video yesterday, which she recorded on her phone as she witnessed the fatal encounter. Shes heard telling police her husband had a brain injury and had just taken medication. Dont shoot him. He has no weapon. Sreenivasan earlier today, i spoke with Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery about the implications of Police Shooting videos. There is a much larger amount and volume of camera footage from Police Departments around the country, but there doesnt seem to be a consistent policy. And when you look at maybe even the top 20 Police Departments, theres differences in whether or not theyre using it and how theyre using it. Reporter , you know, one thing about body cameras and dash cameras, this video is in many ways a new frontier for police. Civil activists say this all the time. The Police Shootings arent new. Whats new is the video. You know, unarmed manor the the person who had a weapon planted, and so often we didnt believe those people. We believed the Police Officers, and now we have video that in some cases shows us the officers stories are not true. However, the spread of cameras you know, there was a huge spread of cameras, especially postferguson there still remains not a ton of best practices or set of standards for how those cameras are deployed. You will see a lot of instances in which officers arent turning them on or not turning them on until after. On top of that, there are no best practices governing the release of this video. You have a Public Record being created by taxpayer dollars, these videos, but when are they released and when are they not released . Our review found while many were shootings were being caught on camera, not many are being released. In fact, its more likely than not when a Fatal Shooting is captured on camera, it will not be released to the public. Rather, it will be something the Police Department holds on to. Sreenivasan some Police Departments say, hey, we dont try cases in the court of public opinion. We dont stack all the pieces of evidence out there as we get it. And sometimes, this release of the videos could actually jeopardize the investigation. You know, i think we very often hear that. I think it would be really interesting to interrogate that further. The mans name is a piece of evidence. The idea that he was armed is a piece of evidence. Even saying that is a piece of evidence that theoretically could help color the perception of witnesses, because now theyve heard from the police he was armed. So now maybe they remember a weapon in his hand. And the other thing thats interesting here and this comes from our reporting as well in many of these cases, the officers themselves are allowed to watch the video before writing their statements, so you are potentially changing their statement because they are given the benefit of seeing the video. Could that not have an impact on the investigation . In a postferguson world, i have heard people argue when you put out factual information, it prevents some people who did not really see things coming out and claiming themselves to be witnesses, or helps you weed out people who clearly did not see what happened. Thats one of the arguments ive heard there several sides here. Sreenivasan Wesley Lowery joining us from charlotte tonight, thank you. Any time, thank you. Sreenivasan a massive search for a lone gunman in Washington State continued today after five people were killed in a mass shooting last night at a mall in burlington, 60 miles north of seattle. The gunman, described as a young, darkhaired male carrying a hunting rifle, opened fire last night just after 7 00, killing four women and wounding one man who died early this morning. The suspect was last seen on foot walking toward a nearby interstate highway. Authorities say the weapon was recovered. More than 200 Police Officers and f. B. I. Agents have launched a manhunt for the suspect. Authorities have said that as of now, there is no evidence linking the shooting to any previous attacks nor to any planned attacks. They said theres no indication this was a terrorist act. The ceasefire in syria that began with so much hope and fanfare almost two weeks ago is no longer, despite diplomatic efforts at the united nations. Russian and Syrian Government warplanes carried out more relentless attacks today on the rebelheld eastern part of divided aleppo. On the ground, syrian troops and their militia allies gained a key strategic goal, a rebelheld Palestinian Refugee camp on high ground overlooking rebel positions in the city in northern syria. Scores of people are reported killed since the new syrian and russian offensive began two days ago. And theres another crisis Running Water has been cut off for two Million People throughout aleppo as the fighting intensifies. Four years since the groundbreaking, the Smithsonian Institutions National museum of African American history and culture opened today in washington, d. C. In 2003, george w. Bush signed legislation approving its creation. Former president bush spoke at the opening ceremony, along with georgia congressman and civil rights leader john lewis and Supreme Court chief justice john roberts. Prominent African Americans stevie wonder, Oprah Winfrey and will smith also spoke. The ceremony included a speech by president obama, who was joined on stage by the youngest and oldest members of the bonner family. There was sevenyearold christine and 99year old ruth, whose father was an escaped slave who later became a doctor. It is a monument to the deep and abiding love for this country and the ideals upon which it is founded. For we, too, are american. bell rings sreenivasan together with the president , they signaled the opening of the museum by ringing a bell belonging to the first black Baptist Church in virginia. Sreenivasan novembers election isnt just about winning the white house; it may also help decide who controls the house of representatives after the next u. S. Census, just four years away. Thats because of the hardball political process called redistricting, how state legislatures redraw the lines on the map that divide their states into house districts. In tonights signature segment, newshour weekend special correspondent Jeff Greenfield takes a closer look at why redistricting can be so contentious. Reporter for dr. Mark plaster, its another day on the road, racking up mile after mile on a bus thats seen better days. Weve worn it out. I mean, weve put a lot of miles on it. All this upholstery thats all beat up right now used to be pristine. Reporter but plaster isnt maing rounds as the emergency room doctor he was; hes running for congress as the republican nominee in a maryland district whose shape seems inspired not by geography but by pure partisan politics. Was this district drawn that way just because a couple of guys got drunk, or is there a political motivation to this . Its pretty clear that it was politically motivated. The idea was to hand a district to the democratic candidate. The state pretty much is about even, roughly, maybe a slight advantage for democrats in registration. But by drawing it the way they have, it now is 71 in representation in the house. Reporter what plaster is talking about is called gerrymandering, the art of drawing districts to put as many of your voters together, or, more often, to make sure the other partys voters are broken up and scattered. It gets its name from a 19th century politician named elbridge gerry. As governor of massachusetts, he helped shape a Congressional District so blatantly onesided that one critic said it looked like a salamander. No, another replied, a gerrymander. Today, state legislatures across the country, the majority of them republican, draw Congressional District lines, something required with every new census every ten years, to maximize their partys advantage. That had particular impact after the republicans dominated the 2010 midterm elections, taking control of both legislative chambers in 25 states and governorships in 29 states. 2010 was a real benchmark because it produced so many states in which the republicans completely controlled the process. Reporter david rohde is a political scientist at Duke University in North Carolina, one of the states where republicans won control of the state legislature. Gerrymandering has a larger impact on bigger states. That is, the more the population, the more ways you can divide it up, the more seats you have to distribute. So, the republicans were fortunate enough to gain control of a number of large states in 2010 where they had not controlled redistricting before. Reporter in pennsylvania, for example, 44 of the voters chose Democratic Candidates for the house of representatives in 2014, but 13 of the 18 districts, more than twothirds, are represented by republicans. In ohio, about 40 of the voters chose Democratic Candidates for the house of representatives, but 12 out of 16 seats, three quarters of them, are represented by republicans. In maryland, which was controlled by the democrats in 2010, the partisan tilt is unsurprisingly reversed. If you want an example of gerrymandering at its most creative, come here to marylands third Congressional District so attenuated, so detached, that to get from one end of the district to the other, you would need a tank full of gas or a boat. The districts perimeter runs about 225 miles, with a shape described by one federal judge as a brokenwinged pterodactyl lying prostrate. Its body is broken up by four other Congressional Districts, making campaigning a logistical nightmare. Indeed, so disconnected is the third that protestors staged a gerrymander meander, showing just how sprawling it is. Its not so much going through other districts as much as how different the people are in each one of those areas. Annapolis is a very military town, somewhat conservative. It goes all the way up to pikesville, which is a jewish community. It goes and incorporates gibson island, which is the ultrarich waterfront. It involves the inner harbor, what i call the hipsters of federal hill. Its very, very different. And those folks have a tendency to not know each other, nor do they have a lot of issues in common, which makes it difficult. Maryland has been singled out for one of the most gerrymandered districts in the entire country. This is not a distinction we should be proud of. Reporter larry hogan, a moderate republican, was elected governor in 2014 and had made redistricting a Major Campaign issue. Last year, the governor created a commission that looked at the issue. It recommended maryland join california, arizona, idaho and Washington State in taking the power to draw these lines away from the legislature and putting it into the hands of an independent commission. Theyre never going to reach them by that date. Reporter democrat Joan Carter Conway, a maryland state senator for 19 years, served on the panel that studied the issue. Legislation that would have given a Commission Power to draw legislative lines in the future failed. The state of maryland today, we are democratic, and we have a process in terms of how we redistrict. And at this juncture, we dont see any errors or flaws in it. Reporter senator conway says she was unwilling for her state to change its prodemocratic tilt while far more states draw their district lines to benefit republicans. I dont think maryland should be in a position to change unless its a national change. Its very partisan. The democrats have been accused of drawing lines to help them, the republicans draw the lines to help them. Reporter she could well be thinking of North Carolina, which holds the distinction of being one of the other most gerrymandered states in the union. Though republicans won a 56 statewide majority of votes for congress in 2014, they hold a 103 majority in the delegation. For republican state representative david lewis, who cochaired the States Committee on congressional redistricting, its simply impossible to take partisanship out of the process. I think its more honest and upfront to say that as a republican im going to follow the law, im going to follow the rules of the law, and if there is a discretionary decision to be made, i will make it from my partisan point of view. Reporter the Supreme Court has long told states they must draw lines that provide for equal populations, one person, one vote, and since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights act has looked with suspicion on raciallymotivated lines. But as a rule, the court has permitted redistricting with a partisan purpose. Thats a point that lewis made in a remarkable display of candor on the state house floor back in february. The lines were drawn in part, he said, to give republicans the biggest possible benefit. A further criteria was partisan advantage. We believe that this map will produce an opportunity to elect ten republican members of congress. Reporter as for those independent commissions, lewis sees them as politically motivated by democrats. I think its great politics. If i felt there were any way in the world that i could stand before my constituents and say, i believe that its possible to come up with a group of people who have no political bias whatsoever who will simply sit down in a room and magically create districts, id be behind it. Id be behind it 100 . But those people dont exist. Reporter its a rare point of agreement with democrat Joan Carter Conway in maryland. The concept is a marvelous concept, and i will not sit here and say i disagree with the independent commission. The problem then becomes, who are you considering independent . Reporter but the Supreme Court has warned against too much partisanship. In a 2004 concurring opinion, Justice Anthony kennedy wrote partisan gerrymanders are incompatible with democratic principles. The Supreme Court has said that this is a political question and that legislatures are allowed, expected to try to extract advantage. But justices have also said. Some justices disagreed with that, but other justices say, yes, thats true, but you can go too far. Reporter thats kennedy. That was kennedy, among others. So, the question is, whats too far . And its sort of Potter Stewarts old obscenity definition ill know it when i see it. Reporter for marc elias, a prominent democratic election law attorney advising the Hillary Clinton campaign, North Carolina has clearly gone too far. You dont necessarily need to worry about where you draw the line to know it when you see it, because if ever there were a place where we knew it was 100 , it was in North Carolina. Reporter elias sued the state in 2013, arguing the congressional lines unconstitutionally diluted africanamerican voting strength. And then, earlier this year, he argued that the replacement map was also unconstitutional. Why . Because he said it was a bald, partisan gerrymander. The states need to have meaningful elections. And if you create a system in which the votes for congress are simply meaningless because the incumbent members have essentially drawn districts that they can never be defeated, query whether or not you even have a true republican form of government. Reporter one of the assertions of representative lewis is, theres no such thing as a nonpartisan person. He says you cant take politics out of politics. The fact that you may never be able to find someone who is entirely nonpartisan isnt really an. Isnt really an excuse for leaving it in the hands of a legislature in North Carolina that said were going to draw the map 100 based on partisanship. Reporter in addition to the challenges in North Carolina, cases in maryland and wisconsin challenging partisan redistricting are all making their way through the courts. Thats too late to help dr. Mark plaster in his underdog campaign. After hopscotching maryland highways for 45 minutes, in and out of the third Congressional District, we returned to the area he hopes to represent. Weve made this problem. It just doesnt need to be. There are enough people to form a Congressional District within 20 minutes of where we started. But instead, we have to travel an hour and a half this way, an hour and a half that way, an hour and a half that way. And its by design. Sreenivasan take a drive through one of the most gerrymandered Congressional Districts in the country. The fourhour journey only takes one minute at www. Facebook. Com newshour. Along the northwest coast of Washington State, in the Pacific Ocean inlet known as puget sound, hundreds of White American pelicans arrived unexpectedly this year. Their appearance excited and surprised bird watchers because puget sound and the surrounding region is generally outside the pelicans range. But as reporter Katie Campbell from pbs station kcts and the Public Media Partnership earthfix tells us, the pelicans seem to be adapting to Climate Change. Reporter Matt Kerschbaum and sue ehler have a ritual every other week from april through september. We come down and we set up our spotting scope. We get out our data sheets and a hand clicker. I call it a talleywhacker. Reporter and the citizen scientists count the herons of padilla bay. Youre seeing sometimes in the neighborhood of 500, 600 birds. Its extraordinarily difficult to count in your minds. What was your total count on that one . 210. 210, okay. Reporter this estuary in northwest washington is home to thousands of birds, including the largest breeding colonies of great blue herons in the pacific northwest. Counts like these serve as an annual checkup. We watch all the species that are here and are kind of used to whos who. Reporter the american white pelicans range stretches across much of the country, but it usually doesnt touch western washington. Its unprecedented for them to be here, so something really unusual is happening. Okay, i found the pelicans. Theyre right by the boat. Ahha wow, okay reporter white pelicans are conspicuous birds, with their ninefoot wingspans and long orange bills. Theyre different from brown pelicans, the ones that dive for fish, and a more common visitor to coastal washington. At first, kershbaum and ehler counted just a handful of pelicans. Then, we had, like, 30. And then, there were 50. And finally, it was up to 100. Reporter from the spring to the fall, the regions white pelicans normally stick close to a few major breeding areas farther south and east. With parts of oregon and california enduring another year of severe drought, some of their best protected breeding grounds have gone dry. Oregons Malheur National wildlife refuge has reported failed breeding colonies for two years. So, these pelicans in puget sound could be pioneers searching for a suitable site for a new colony. One place they seem fond of is this small lagoon. Well, this is the first for them to be here. Reporter joe sheldon has never seen pelicans in almost 20 years of living here. Seeing white pelicans in western washington is unusual. Seeing a 180 white pelicans in western washington is unheard of. Reporter sheldon is a retired professor of ecology. He says the pressures of Climate Change could be at play. You might describe these as a climate refugee, if indeed malheur has dried to the point where they can no longer feed and breed there. Reporter pelican colonies across the country have indeed been shifting north by about 200 miles over the last 50 years, but its too soon to say if these pelicans are just puget sound tourists or new seasonal residents. So, will they come back . Well wait and see for next year. This is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. Sreenivasan phil freelon is the lead architect of the new smithsonian National Museum of africanamerican history and culture in washington, d. C. He spoke with the newshour before the opening and talked about what the unique structure represents. This site is a very important site here in the nations capital, literally within the shadow of the washington monument. Many of the buildings on the mall are marble, granite, concrete, lighter in color. This building has a variation in how it appears. So, on certain days, on certain lighting conditions, it can be very vibrant and bright. And other times of the day or evening, it is darker. So, we want to bring Natural Light into the publics areas, but, at the same time, we want to shade that heat gain and glare. So, the corona serves the function of variegating the light, of creating shade on the building. This building is the first leed goldcertified museum on the mall, and thats important because we want this building not only to be here for a hundred years plus but not be a burden on the environment. This museum is for everyone. I want to be clear about that. Our story, the story of African Americans in this country, is one that the director, lonnie bunch, often says is the quintessential american story, right . Theres some struggle, but theres also triumph. And so, we tell the truth. And there are some difficult moments that we all know about, and they continue even forward into 2016 and beyond. So, it is important to have those stories there, but theres also the everyday successes of people in this country, African Americans, and the contribution we made not only to this culture but worldwide. Sreenivasan and a reminder that you can stay up to date with developments from charlotte online at pbs. Org newshour. Thats it for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. Im hari sreenivasan. Good night. Captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org pbs newshour weekend is made possible by bernard and irene schwartz. Judy and josh weston. The cheryl and Philip Milstein family. The john and Helen Glessner family trust. Supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. Sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. Barbara hope zuckerberg. Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support has been provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ho coming up next on voces, the story of loreta velazquez, confederate Soldier Turned union spy. Loreta is one of an estimated 1,000 women who secretly soldiered during the american civil war. [gunshot] her story is shrouded in mystery. Who was she . Why did she fight . And what made her so dangerous she has been erased for over a century . Funding for this program was provided by these funders. And by the corporation for ic