>> good evening, i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm amna nawaz, on the newshour tonight. congressional leaders meet president biden to negotiate a spending bill and avoid a government shutdown. >> michigan democrats wonder how many will vote uncommitted in the presidential primary tonight to protest president biden's handling of the israel-hamas war. amna: outrage over the alleged murder of a university student by a venezuelan migrants fans the flames of immigration politics. >> we need to pay attention to

broader factors that contribute to this senseless violence rather than aiming our targets at democrats. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by. ♪ >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour. including kathy and paul anderson and and george smith. >> these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. >> i'm thriving by helping others every day. >> people who know know bdo. >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the

world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of leisure. and british style. all with cunard's white star service. >> the john s and james l knight foundation. 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. amna: welcome to the newshour. the top four leaders in congress met with president biden in the oval office to discuss how to fund the government and what should happen next for u.s. support of ukraine. >> congress faces a number of crises as leaders race to meet deadlines, including one that could spark a partial government shutdown. funding runs out for parts of the government late friday. as we have reported, ukrainians say without more u.s. support, they will lose the war. lisa desjardins has been following it. the meeting was significant, especially for house speaker johnson, who is likely the one who determines how things progress. give us a sense of what

happened. >> it was significant. we had a meeting that was serious. the leaders came out and said it was positive discussion. it was not intent. it was not a classical meeting in that it was lopsided. democrats in the meeting including the president and senate leader for the republicans on the same page. they want a quick funding solution this week and they want to fund ukraine. on the others, speaker johnson. what he thinks, has a problem they have not decided what to do in the house. you could hear that optimism, but complicated tone as the leaders walked out. >> the meeting on ukraine was one of the most intense i have ever encountered in my many meetings at the oval office. the overwhelming sentiment was we have to do ukraine now. there are other issues we should address, but not now. we want a fixed border.

it was also clear the speaker did not give a reason why you had to do one before the other. >> the other big priority for the country's funding of our government. we have been working around the clock every single day for months and weeks and over the last several days, quite literally around-the-clock, to get that job done. we are optimistic. i hope the leaders came out and told you the same. >> you can hear they are testing each other. one thing they are going up against is the history. let's look at the funding problems. here's what happened in september. they passed seven weeks of funding in congress. november, they split up the bill. in january, more. five and six weeks extension. while there may be hope these leaders can pass through bills to avoid that friday deadline, i don't know. by my count, they don't have enough time, they need a resolution or we will get a partial shutdown. t-rex what is preventing speaker

johnson for moving quickly, it is tied to pressure from donald trump and that wing of the republican party? >> absolutely, not just trump, but the fractured nature, of house republicans. they are in several groups. talk about house speaker johnson trying to keep his speakership going. could be house by any member bringing a resolution to the floor. he has trust and integrity with his conference, but they are not united. let me show you the different demands of house republicans in this current negotiation. some house republicans, freedom caucus members, want border changes in any deal. others oppose any short-term funding. there are others who oppose the opposite. they don't want full funding bills. without those, they may have an automatic cut. the other side want a shutdown. they think it is good leverage. house speaker johnson is trying to negotiate this. he has to make a decision. >> we heard chuck schumer say

the exchange over ukraine aid was one of the most intense scenes he's ever witnessed in the oval office. where do things stand? >> and he is a new yorr, i have a feeling it tells us a lot. house speaker johnson essentially said ukraine is not his priority. he may agree in theory it needs to happen. but he said america first, we need to deal with our problems. that is a problem for ukraine specifically. some in the house are trying to work around him. i want to look at jared goldman of maine and brian fitzpatrick of pennsylvania. they are working on a work around to get a bill that would have about $50 billion in aid to ukraine in it. they believe it has the two thirds support needed. they would probably have to go around speaker johnson. would that topple his speakership or not? when is johnson going to take action on ukraine? he said they will move in a timely manner.

i had to look that up in a dictionary, who knows what that means. it means not now. geoff: we expected action in the impeachment trial of homeland security second -- secretary al hunter mayorkas. one thing was getting the articles of impeachment delivered from the house chamber to the senate chamber. where do things stand? >> this is another thread tied in everywhere else. they could have a partial shutdown this week. they think impeachment of an officer of the u.s. -- cabinet officer, would not look good. some senate republicans want to make her there will be a trial. here's the number two senate leader. >> i believe the senate needs to hold a trial. this is such a miscarriage of the law. and it is important the united states senators sit and hear the american people, and the american people hear about this incredible crisis at our southern border. >> this is about the crisis at the border. they say he's done nothing

wrong, that there is a crisis. but the issue is i think democrats want to move to not have a trial. they don't think there is reason for one. we will check with it next week, may be the following weeks after the crises. geoff: thank you so much. ♪ amna: in the day's other headlines, the people of michigan took their turn weighing in on this year's presidential field. they cast ballots in the last primaries before the super tuesday contest next week. president biden and former president trump were expected to win again. the president faced a protest vote over the war in gaza and mr. trump faced questions about broadening his base. israel and hamas cast out today on president biden's suggestion that a gaza cease-fire deal could be reached by monday.

israeli officials said the remarks came as a surprise. hamas insisted it has not backed off its demands. at the white house, john kirby defended the president's statement. >> he certainly shared with you his optimism we can get there and hopefully short order. he also said it is not done yet. and you don't have a deal until you have a deal. we don't have one now. we believe we are getting closer. and while we don't want to sound too sanguine, we do think there have been serious negotiations. amna: more food, medical supplies, and other relief or dropped into gaza. the packages floated to the mediterranean shore as crowds of palestinians ran along the beach to grab them. i mean it is across israel held local elections today, despite the ongoing war. voters chose mayors and city councilmembers in most places. but evacuated towns near gaza and lebanon had to postpone

their elections until november. in ukraine, the military has retreated from more territory in the east after intense battles overnight. government troops withdrew from two villages outside of a larger city captured by russian forces earlier this month. the russians have stepped up their push as ukraine runs short of weapons and ammunition. a veteran human rights activist in russia was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for criticizing the war in ukraine. he cochaired the nobel peace prize winning group memorial. in his closing statement, he said he did not regret speaking out against the kremlin, and announced the war before being led away. >> we live in the 21st century. they are going back to 2017 and 2016, they are dragging the country with them. >> his sentence is the latest in the efforts to quash dissent

over the war. in this country, a federal jury in new york convicted two men of murdering hip hop dj jam master jay almost 22 years ago. born jason misell, he propelled the group run dmc to stardom and into the pop music mainstream. he was shot and killed in his muse -- mesic studio in 2002. the motive was a drug deal gone bad. san francisco's board of supervisors apologized today to black residents and their descendants for racist laws and policies over the years. it was seen as a first step in the process of considering financial reparations. san francisco joins boston and apologizing for its past treatment of black citizens. on wall street, stocks mostly surged for direction. the dow jones lost 96 points to close at 38,009 hundred 72. the nasdaq rose 59 points. the s&p 500 added eight. still to come.

an idf soldier's video diaries offer a unique perspective on israel's war in gaza. skepticism grows over a tech billionaires plans to ease the bay area's housing crunch by building a new city. the story of an african-american woman who helped take down one of america's most notorious mob bosses. plus much more. ♪ >> 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. geoff: voters in michigan are casting their votes in the presidential primary. some democratic activists are hoping to send a message to president biden by voting uncommitted. it follows a growing frustration among some muslim and arab americans over the administration's handling of the war in gaza. rice four years ago, i voted for joe biden. it was important that we vote to get trump out of office.

and today, i feel very disappointed in joe biden. and i don't feel like i did the right thing. last election. geoff: we are joined by democratic chair lavoro barnes. thank you. this push by some democratic activists to urge voters to vote uncommitted in the primary has picked up steam since it was launched earlier this month. to the point where michigan governor gretchen whitmer is saying she expects a sizable number of protest votes against president biden's handling of the israel-hamas war. you agree? what is your level of concern? >> i'm thrilled so many are participating in this. we fought hard to be an early state and to have our voices heard in the primary process. that is exactly what is happening. over one million folks grabbing ballots early on in voting.

i'm happy they are reaching for the democratic ballot and participating in this process. i look forward to taking this enthusiasm and interest into november, where the question is joe biden versus donald trump. we know the answer is joe biden. geoff: they might take the democratic ballot, but they are not taking the democratic candidate. >> they are making their voices heard. i am pleased they are able to do that. we have a big tent. part of the reason we built it and want to be part of the process was to make sure the voices of michiganders were part of the conversation. that is exactly what is happening. the president is listening, we are listening. the president saying he's expecting some news about a cease-fire. that is great news. a sign he's been listening to the folks in michigan. that is what we wanted. geoff: michigan democrats pushed for the primary to be earlier this year to give a greater voice in the overall electoral calendar. to highlight president biden's

perceived areas of strength. with lack voters around detroit, union workers. but there is a story that president biden has weak support from nearly all democrats' key constituencies. black voters, the ages of 18 to 29, and those holding college degrees. how is the party aiming to turn that around? >> that describes my job. i'm organizing our team, volunteers, staff, we have been talking to voters and will continue talking to voters at the doors, on their phones, wherever we can find them, even on social media, to make sure we are telling the story of the biden-harris administration and what they have done on behalf of americans and michiganders. the manufacturing jobs they brought back, the union jobs, and the protection of reproductive rights. we will continue having that conversation and talk about the contrast between the choice we have in november, either joe biden or turning back the clock to donald trump.

donald trump has been clear about what he is and what he's done. we will make the story of his record, tell the facts of who he is, what he will do. he wants to be a dictator. he calls people of color poison. he's not good for america and not good for michiganders. geoff: can president biden win michigan without support of the arab-american and muslim americans who are profoundly unhappy and is appointed with what they see is his unwavering support of israel? >> we will continue having those conversations and the president will listen to folks and we will win in november. building the coalition we've had in place for several cycles and making sure folks turn out and support the president, recognizing otherwise we may end up with donald trump, which is unacceptable. >> lavoro barnes, thank you for your time. ♪ amna: the murder of a college

student in georgia and the immigration status of her alleged killer have thrown new fuel into the heated debate over the u.s. southern border and the government's policies. at the university of georgia, grief hangs in the air. after last week's death of 22-year-old nursing student lacon hope riley. students, including her sorority sisters, gathered to remember her. >> she showed incredible wisdom throughout her friendships. many sisters shared she was the best listener. she would allow you to ramble on on how your day was or how you have been and she soaked it up intently. her wisdom floated through all aspects of her life. >> her body was found in this wooded area on campus last thursday. her roommate reported her missing after she failed to return from a morning jog. a 26-year-old venezuelan citizen was charged with her murder. immigration officials say in september of 2022, he was

detained in texas after illegally entering the u.s. from mexico, but released for further processing. students returned to classes this week, but the community has been shaken to its core. riley's death is believed to be the schools first homicide in nearly 30 years. >> as a mom, i could not imagine something like this happening to my children. >> a dangerous foreign national broke the law and suffered no consequences because of fringe policies the far left claims are compassionate. >> this is another selfless -- selfish preventable death because of this open border. >> conservatives and right-wing media link the biden administration's immigration approach with riley's death. >> it is a result of failed policies on the federal level. >> george is a republican governor pointed to record high numbers at the u.s. southern border. >> it is an understatement to say this is a major crisis. because of the white house's failures, every state repeatedly

is a border state. and her murder is the latest proof of that. >> on social media, former president trump said bidens border invasion is destroying our country and killing our citizens." he reiterated his campaign pledge to "seal the border and deport illegal criminals." the white house expressed condolences to riley's family, but has not responded directly to the republican accusations. all this as both biden and trump plan dueling border visits to texas on thursday of this week. to help with context around these questions around immigration and crime, i'm joined by a professor of criminology, law, and society at the university of california irvine and co-author of the book "immigration and crime: taking a stop." our thoughts are with the family of lacon riley her friends. this senseless loss of a young

woman's life. authorities also revealed her death was due to blunt force trauma. the man accused is an undocumented immigrant. what do you make of the larger conversation around those facts right now? >> when i heard about this tragic event, my heart went out immediately. that is the first reaction i had. the second is i hope this is not used, this awful event is not used for political advantage. it appears that is what is happening. we see a tragic event become a sparking point for restrictive policies aimed at immigrants. >> i know in your work, you look at this issue. going back to the early 1900s about the intersection of crime and immigration, what have you learned? >> so much research has been done on how immigration and crime are related. immigrants are more or less

crime prone than their nativeborn counterparts, and the area because an area to go up or down? there has been an explosion of research in this area because of public perception and interest. what is amazing is across all of this research by and large, we find immigrants don't engage in more crime then nativeborn counterparts, and immigration can cause crime to go down rather than up. right contrary to perception. >> are there any differences between an undocumented immigrant and those who are legally in the u.s.? >> that has become an increasingly important question we have sought-after. there are a handful of studies that have done this using sophisticated estimation techniques to identify a number of undocumented individuals. the studies find similar to the research in general, there is no criminal genic impact among on documented immigrants.

undocumented immigrants are not engaging in more crime, contrary to public perception, and the presence of a document immigrants does not correlate with higher crime, particularly violence. >> i'm sure you heard this before, we are hearing this again. if this man had not been allowed to enter into the u.s., if he had not been allowed to stay or commit this crime, this young woman would still be alive today. are the people making that argument wrong? >> it is not that it is wrong, because it is true, but i think it is misplaced. at the end of the day, if we want to cut down on crime in general, absent this one horrific incident, making restrictive, exclusionary, and harsh policies aimed at immigrants will not yield the benefits of production and crime any people believe because immigrants are not the ones engaging in crime. i would point out there has been a lot of instances of violence

on campus with young individuals getting killed. a tragic event. most of which are occurring by nativeborn americans. i think we need to pay attention to broader factors that contribute to this senseless violence rather than aiming our targets at immigrants. amna: the leap from the crime of one person catalyzing to fear of an entire group or population, we don't really see that with nativeborn americans or white americans. is it something unique to immigrant populations? >> that is the interesting thing. i've never seen a headline that has read nativeborn american has engaged in this crime or that crime. what happens is most of the stories identified a person's immigrant status and link it with crime in headlines, social media, the news, that essentially reinforces the public perception that both go hand in hand, when the data

showed the opposite. there is an uphill battle in terms of public perception. >> what should we expect to see in the months ahead? we are in an election year, it is a top issue for voters. do you expect the conversation to continue at this heated level? >> i think it will for the reasons i mentioned early on. this is an opportunity to seize the political advantage. what i hope happens is we identify places we can improve things when it comes to immigration, but do so in a way that makes smart policy, policy that will help things more broadly rather than use a scapegoat moment for more at ath restrictive policies. amna: thank you so much for your time, we appreciate it. ♪

geoff: now for a rare view of the israel-hamas war from an israeli infantryman. he is a british israeli whose period of service just ended. in normal life, he works in information technology. for his months of fighting in gaza, he's carried a small video camera. our special correspondent sat down with him in london. >> this is the video diary of the soldier behind the officer on point. >> together with my brothers in arms, we are part of history. >> this will probably be a very significant event in the history of the middle east and israel. >> is also good for the world to see as well that shows the true experience of the soldier on the front line and shows the different side one sees through propaganda or social media as

soldiers, now i am a real person with real emotion. >> yesterday was awful. the smell of dead bodies everywhere. not a great start. >> sam sank went to war on october 7. immediately after the terrorist attack by hamas. training in northern israel with his company, and in gaza several weeks into the conflict. and spent nearly two months there. >> here we go. >> yesterday was a really bad day. two guys got injured. one quite seriously.

in a helicopter to the hospital. was shot in the back. >> going to check this out. >> as second in command, he ventures forward to examine the entrance of a hamas tunnel, once home to a quarter of a million palestinians. >> gaza is our ghibli one of the most dense places in the world. hamas decided to use it as a battlefield and to use human shields to protect themselves and to put civilians above ground and ammunition and terrorists below the ground. >> a few israeli soldiers were killed at that specific spot. after weeks of fighting, we were able to locate the tunnel entrances. >> people watching that might think you are sharing

palestinians homes being blown up. >> it is being destroyed, and for us it was the sense of achievement that we had killed hamas terrorists that were hiding underneath. and we had eliminated a big threat to our soldiers lives. >> we are in eastern central can unions. we are sitting here. you can see -- a very urban area. it is going to be our new home for the next few days. but feeling good. >> he has returned to his civilian job in i.t. and has time to reflect. how can you justify those thousands of women and children being killed during the conflict?

>> i don't think i can justify the numbers, but explain why that happened. we are dealing with an organization that has decided to put civilians at the forefront of the basis of their battlefield. >> welcome to the southern part. we are in a house -- >> arrived here yesterday. crazy dissidents coming into a more urban area was exciting to see at night. going through the city, seeing destroyed buildings. >> do you think there may have been a better way of fighting the war, to more accurately target those people responsible for starting it? >> if there was a better way of

doing it, it would have been done. i trust in the strategic command of the idf and israel to make the best decision to protect its soldiers and the palestinian civilians as much as possible. >> do you feel as though israel has fallen into a trap created by hamas because they knew israel would come in and in the end, if it kept going, would end up losing? >> yes. for sure. hamas set the trap up. it is the ploy of hamas and other terrorist organizations have been using it for many years. israel does not have a choice and has to move into that trap. because if we want to defeat the enemy, destroy the terrorist, and bring our people back. we have to go into gaza. the war will always be against

israel in this conflict. there is an underlying anti-semitism that exists. this is just our generation's persecution of jes. -- jews. hopefully a couple of quiet days before we are supposed to leave. the final -- in gaza. can't wait to go home. can't believe how long it has been. just counting down the hours. everyone is making fun of me, but i'm desperate for this to be over. just want to get back to normal life. >> do you think you can live side-by-side with palestinians? >> 100%. you look at conflicts over the world, people that hated each other with a passion, and are living together in peace. whether i think it will be a happyeas, maybe not. even a cold peace is better than what exists today. i think that can happen. if the palestinians love their children more than they hate ours, there will be peace.

if they start celebrating life rather than celebrating death, there will be peace. >> such a piece remains in the realm of dreams. despite suggestions progress is being made. for the pbs newshour. ♪ amna: cities worldwide are overcrowded, overpriced, and a source of global warming. the dream, build a livable, affordable, eco-friendly community. paul solman went to california to see the plans for one of the big dreams but there is plenty of skepticism about that vision and the developers behind it. >> the line will be home to 9 million residents. >> want a brand-new dream city built? how about in a line in saudi arabia? >> the line is 500 meters tall.

200 meters wide. >> no cars, no carbon emissions. designed to host a population of 9 million. maybe someday, maybe not. but a lot closer to home, perhaps to reality, now california forever. they planned cutting edge community that has gobbled up 60,000 acres of farmland in solano county, an hour north of san francisco. >> we are building a new community in the bay area. >> the ceo -- >> that's going to make it possible for a new generation of californians to realize the california dream the way prior generations have been able to do it. >> this is the footprint they are presenting. >> here's how the new community depicts itself and the plans showed to the mayor of rio vista , population 10,000, which borders the 60,000 acres. >> surrounding communities will come here to restaurants and do shopping and other things. but everything is walkable. >> housing for 50,000 to start,

as many as 4000 people eventually. with condos a lot cheaper than anything you can get in and around san francisco. 18,000 acres for the town, another 21,000 acres for a solar farm to power it, with energy to spare. we are in the heart of the new community, this would be medium density urban form blocks of housing. our downtown will be just a little bit this way from where we are standing today. >> when you are starting from scratch, building new water recovery plans, new energy plants, this can be entirely renewable and a sustainable model for the rest of the world to follow. >> in order to expand the project, they made a series of legally binding promises to create 15,000 new jobs, spend $30 million to protect local ecosystems, and allocate $400 million for housing assistance. >> homes families can afford in

safe and walkable neighborhoods. >> moreover. >> it gives people a chance to build generational wealth. >> a historical problem for black people, says princess palmer. >> a lot of times, the down payment and the closing cost prevent people from buying in california. that would be an amazing opportunity that you do not see right now in california. >> another local likes the project for a different reason. >> i have small children, a three-year-old and one-year-old. i have these concerns of where will they live? is there going to be housing for them when they are ready to buy? >> the project seems pretty unobjectionable. but of course not. there have been objections galore. like at this town hall meeting. >> how do you expect anyone in this room on the county to believe what you are saying? >> for years, a firm known as flannery associates quietly amassed tens of thousands of acres in solano county, but no

one knew why. only last august did the new york times report flannery was backed by silicon valley billionaires, which the ceo now acknowledges. >> our investors are a group of californians who have decided to double down on the state. they include michael morris, and the venture fund -- horwitz. >> he first appeared before locals in november. locals did not like the secrecy and worried about the strains that come with development. like water depletion. >> every drop of water in this county is taken. >> catherine moye, mayor of fairfield. >> they do have some water from the land that they bought. it is not enough for a city. it is not enough for that. they say they are going to buy water from elsewhere. okay. i bet they might. but i don't think it is going to be enough. >> but says the ceo -- >> we have a water guarantee for

every single building we build. whether an office building or manufacturing facility or home. we have to prove we have enough water for many decades. including through drought period s. >> this is my grandfather and one of his pals. >> a little ways down the highway, rancher kathleen threlfall tends the property purchased by her great-grandparents. >> when i come down the road, it is what everyone in the world wants. it is the relaxation experience. i am home, this is my place. >> how long are you going to stay here? >> probably until i drop off the tractor or something. [laughter] >> offers to buy her 243 acres, starting at $2 million, now up to $4.5 million, were not starters. >> they have tried to buy my land, i said no. >> why? >> why?

-- [laughter] this is my spot. >> there is the phrase we all know. not in my back yard. >> i hate the idea of being a --, i really do. >> but that is what you are. >> that is what i am in this case. i'm saying this is not a good idea in this particular place at this time. i don't like being called a -- either. >> mayor moye. >> i am a person who grew up here, loved this area. and this is upending all of that. >> there is one other big issue. the lawsuit. >> we have spent more on this lawsuit than what it would cost to get our kids through school. >> that is a half a billion dollar suit against landowners who refused to sell. claiming they colluded to inflate the price. ian and margaret anderson, and

their distant family matters, have been forced to defend themselves. >> they just pulled those family members in, as well. i think as a strong-arm tactic to frighten people to sell their land. >> the ceo's version. >> we made it over to the andersons, they made a counter offer where they asked for a high price, we said we don't want to buy the property at that price. the lawsuit alleges after that, the organized the price-fixing conspiracy to force us to pay the higher price. >> have you been colluding with other people to jack up the price? >> i have been a farmer in this area for 67 years. i have never done any colluding in that realm. >> as to the discussion of selling, it remains a painful one.

>> it is amazing what a person considers doing when they are being asphyxiated. that is what we felt was happening. there were many discussions between us about the right thing to do. do we do what is right for us and plant our heels? or do we think about the possibility to provide for our son in the future? >> and to keep the tradition -- >> keep the family operation going. >> there must be a price at which you would sell. >> i take a little offense to that. i wake up each morning looking forward to the farm day. >> there are opportunities for our city, some warning signs for our city. >> as mayor, he's in favor of economic rose, a resident who treasures where he lives.

not so sure. but in november, he and his fellow citizens of solano county have to vote on preserving their backyard as is or -- opening it up to others. for the pbs newshour, paul solman. ♪ geoff: we will be back shortly for the story of a woman who helped take down one of america's most notorious mob bosses. amna: take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. a chanc offer your support which helps keep programs like ours on the air. ♪ geoff: for those of you staying with us. in the 2000 years since the chinese invented paper and paper cutting, artists around the world have developed their own unique styles.

earlier this year, special correspondent kat wise visited an artist whose work is inspired by the natural beauty and people of the pacific northwest. >> every morning, artist and author nikki mcclure takes a long walk in the woods surrounding our home in olympia, washington. she feeds the birds and wildlife that dwell here. and spends time on the beach steps from her front door. inspiration for her art is everywhere. >> by the time i've taken that walk, a story going to me, and i sit down and work. >> she begins with the sketch she transfers to black paper and begins to work her magic with her knife. cut by tiny cut for nearly 30 years, she's revealed the world she sees and the creatures in it. she's author and illustrator of

15 books and has collaborated on several more. including the new york times bestseller all in a day with cynthia ryland. she also sells her original paper cut art, prints, and a yearly calendar. her deep connection to nature and surroundings can be traced to her early years in olympia when she studied natural history at the evergreen state college. >> i just kept drawing and drawing, every stick of relief, every insect, every bird focused and trained my eye to see details, then train my hand to draw those details. >> for a time, she wrote and performed music and lived next to one of the most famous musicians to come out of olympia , kurt cobain of nirvana. >> i moved into this house and he lived behind. i shared the wall.

i could hear him play his songs through the wall. seeing them play, there was a strong connection in this house. >> after deciding to become a full-time artist, she began experimenting with paper cutting. she self published her first book apple for children in 1996. >> i found making art was a more calming weight to communicate. i'm singing my songs, but as a child in a lab, in a home, it is ultimately like that is where i want to stick my songs. >> they may not be exact. they have this mind of their own sometimes. >> one morning i was swimming, i had my arms in front of me. the way the water was making my arms was they were all squiggle.

they were no longer solid, even though i knew they were solid. >> how do you know where to cut to make the image reveal itself? >> i don't. you just have to trust it. >> what i like about this process is there are so many mistakes made. and you are making mistakes all the time in the sense of that did not work out. but you keep going. it is just a piece of paper. >> and what she can do with a piece of paper. many works focused on her experiences as a mother and raising her son with her husband , jt scott, a woodworker in olympia. such a remarkable gift to participate in this life as it developed and formed and grew. started asking questions like his summer yet? not yet, my little one. but the buds or swelling.

it soon leaves will unfold. >> is it summer yet? >> not yet, but the squirrel is building her nest. soon her babies will be born. >> in what will these hands make? released in 2020, she highlights a family and their community has a prepare for a celebration. >> this is the center map spread from what will these hands make. it tells the story of this family. here they are going from grandma's house all the way across town. because there is going to be a big party leader. >> the community filled with people who make things with her hands. >> my friend's pottery studio. >> is fictional, but many characters and businesses are inspired by our mutual hometown, olympia. >> i woodrow over and go to browsers bookstores. >> real browsers bookshop is one

of the local businesses she had delivers her calendars to each year. >> i brought you more calendars. >> andrew griffith is the store's owner. >> her work feels like olympia. it is tied to the natural world. she teaches us how to see things. >> griffith says she feels a connection to her art. >> last month's calendar is an image of her sons vote because her son was going to college. >> i think we are all a little sad. >> i guess what i want people to come away with or what they feel is a sense of place and to slow down and take a moment. our lives are so fast. everything is now.

but we forget even what time of season it is. the picture can transport them to a quiet, slow, still moment. just for a brief second. >> she has been working on illustrations for a new book i'm a witch will be released in march. for the pbs newshour, i'm kat wise in olympia, washington. amna: and now to the story of an african-american woman who helped take down one of the most notorious mob bosses. john yang has this report that originally aired on pbs news weekend as part of our black history month series hidden histories. >> eunice carter always understood the power of public service. when she was seven years old,

her parents, both social activist, fled the south after the 1906 atlanta race riots, moving the family to brooklyn, new york. she's the director of public programs at the museum in las vegas. >> her father, william hunt, he founded the black division of the ymca, and her mother was a social worker and activist and political organizer. she also worked for the ymca's war efforts during world war i. she was one of the women assigned to work with about 200,000 segregated black troops stationed in france at the time. her family history holds a lot of depth, -- >> this is the example carter is growing up in, -- >> jermaine fowler is the author

of the humanity archives which highlights the achievements of black americans history books have long ignored. >> the family also made sure she got a good education. >> she went to smith college, only the second black woman to receive a bachelor and masters degree in four years in 1921 entering law school as the first black woman to graduate from that >> school. >>she became assistant district attorney, working in women's court, prosecuting sex workers. her talons came to the attention of thomas e dewey, coming to his rise as a new york state special prosecutor going after organized crime. carter joined his otherwise all-white, all male team. >> the kind of had this unconventional relationship. he clearly knew how talented and how educated eunice carter was.

she was in the community and people were talking to her. they may have not felt as comfortable talking to the men about what they were doing. >> she was paid less than her male counterparts and passed over for promotions. but her experience in women's court gave her knowledge they did not have. >> she noticed women being arrested for prostitution from all over new york city were represented by the same lawyers and bells bondsman. >> she meticulously followed them back to the reigning boss of mafia bosses, charles luciana. >> he was a savvy businessman, but a ruthless mafioso. what we know of as the mafia was started by him, he consolidated these blood feuding gangster families during the prohibition era into one criminal syndicate. after months of interviewing and

wiretapping, carter and her colleague at the time convinced dewey that organized crime essentially controlled the brothels. they would pocket about $40 of their $200 weekly earnings and in contrast, luciana learned millions every year. >> carter spearheaded an investigation including raids on brothels across new york city. the evidence gathered led to his 1936 conviction on more than 60 counts of forced prostitution. he was sentenced to 30, 50 years in prison. the episode really helped establish him nationwide, ran for political office, how much credit did eunice carter get in all this? we kind of see her overlooked, and in the last few years we are recovering her legacy and contributions to the case that she holds in american history

for prosecution and going against organized crime. after leaving her government, carter and her private practice, she was active in the ymca, and a partner to the united nations. it was her work in the luciana case getting justice that cemented carter's legacy and earned her the title lady racket buster. >> she was able to really hone in and really put the case together in a way that only she could do. >> join us again tomorrow night where we look at how some governors are trying to solve their states problems at a time of intense political polarization. that is the newshour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett.

, amna: i'm amna nawaz, on behalf of the team, thank you for joining us. >> consumer cellular, this is sam. >> this is a pocket dial. somebody's pocket thought it would let you know with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> carnegie corporation of new

york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting at contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ hello, everne, and welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what's coming up. as the palestinian government resigns in the west bank, we discuss the latest . and -- >> success forward will depend on the united states. >> kyiv calls for aid as it says 31,000 ukrainians have died since russia invaded. i'm joined by a french p who wants a european defense fund for the embattled nation. also