>> good evening. amna: >> tonight, death and desperation in gaza. more than 100 people trying to get food from an aid convoy are killed in chaos fire. geoff: president biden and former president trump hold dueling events at the texas border, showcasing their conflicting immigration policies. amna: women who struggle to get pregnant share their personal experiences and views on the alabama supreme court ruling that jeopardizes in vitro fertilization. >> what is an embryo? is it a person?

is it a clump of cells? does it have potential for life? all of those things are still undecided. ♪ >> major funding has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years, bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the kendeda fund.

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amna: welcome to the newshour. 30,000 is the number of gazans the health ministry says has died in just 146 days of war. that grim threshold was crossed after one of the deadliest single incidents of the war. more than 100 people reportedly killed trying desperately to get aid from trucks. geoff: the need is higher and the hunger is acute. the u.n. says more than half a million people in gaza are one step away from famine. the white house today called the deaths in northern gaza tragic and alarming. president biden said it could complicate negotiations because -- to pause the war and release israeli hostages. the following report includes images that are disturbing. nick: they went to retrieve aid. they returned instead with the dead. the food they desperately wanted for their families is covered in

blood. it happened at 4:00 a.m. as egyptian aid trucks arrived in gaza city. the sound of gunfire as people who had come to gather aid began to flee. afterward, residents walk away with bags of food surrounded by the injured. israel released this footage of crowds and tanks. that is when gazans began fighting for food. >> the tanks that were there to secure the convoy cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots. when the hundreds became thousands and things got out of hand, the tank commander decided to retreat. no idf strike was conducted toward the aid convoy.

nick: at this hospital where the injured were rushed, eyewitnesses blamed israel. >> we were surprised by the israeli tanks that came out and opened fire on people randomly and directly. this is my brother, who brought food for his children. if aid is to come to us in this way, we do not want it. we do not want to live on the blood of our children. nick: but the aid is desperately needed. in northern gaza one in six , children under the age of two are acutely malnourished. some do not make it. one said this baby died of hunger and dehydration. a helpless mother left to grieve. to a man with an empty stomach, food is god. for this family in central gaza, salvation comes from a plant that, like them, can survey the harshest conditions.

a thorny, prickly cactus. >> today we are living in famine. there is nothing left to eat. we eat cactus, even with its thorns. nick: in southern gaza, volunteers from the international humanitarian organization document children's nutrition rates. there is an alarming truth. the u.n. says famine in gaza is looming. >> hunger is a major issue right now. the severe malnutrition of children is alarming. nick: he volunteered in several clinics and hospitals in southern gaza last month. >> when we were there, there was no food. no chicken and no eggs and no milk. no fruits and vegetables. food was very expensive. the average adult eats less than one meal a day. nick: israel says there are no

restrictions on aid. they blame the limited flow of aid on the u.n. the u.s. says israel targets hamas fighters that would be guarding the aid. leaving convoys vulnerable to the kind of incident that occurred today. on monday, gazans flocked to the beach after jordan airdropped aid into the sea. officials are planning for the possibility of u.s. airdropped. >> this is something that has to be done because people are dying of lack of food and lack of medicine. this should not happen in the 21st century. nick: for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. geoff: for more on the humanitarian situation in gaza, we turn to the president of refugees international. he previously served in the biden administration on a covid task force. thanks for coming in. this incident in gaza city, israeli forces firing on a crowd of palestinians waiting for aid,

at least 100 people were killed. it is not clear how many people were killed from gunfire or in the ensuing panic. what more can you tell us about what transpired and what contributed to it? >> one thing really notable here is the traditional humanitarian organizations seem not to have been involved at all. it did not involve other un bodies. this seems to be have been organized more by the israeli government. it was secured by israeli tanks. that is not typical. this suggests it is israel trying to find other ways to show that they are doing something without actually working with the humanitarian capacity that exists. geoff: the u.n. says a quarter of gaza's population is one step away from famine. infants dying from starvation. your team was just on the ground. what did they encounter?

>> they heard shocking stories of the damage from the war. they talked to one man who is a pediatric surgeon at a european hospital who told the story of his brother and nephew. his brother had a five-year-old child with cerebral palsy who he did not want to evacuate. the child did not do well outside of the house. their house was raided by the idf. both parents were killed and the older brother had to drag the younger child overnight to the hospital. the five-year-old had shrapnel in his face. he loses his eye. all of these stories of incredible deprivation and harm to civilians. as we saw with the report today, to all appearances, really indiscriminate military action by the idf. geoff: the biden white house is considering air dropping aid into gaza. you could argue that is one solution but not the best solution. how do you get aid to 2.5

million people? are there other viable ways to get aid in and make sure it is delivered in a fair and logical way? >> i served previously in the obama administration. i coordinated drops like this. we only used them when we had no other option. they are the worst way to get aid in. they cost a lot of money. they are difficult to mount. they get very little volume in. we need to see the opening up of border crossings. israel doing much more to facilitate humanitarian action. they have been actively blocking humanitarian groups from getting into northern gaza and restricting access to southern gaza. we are only resorting to air drops because of these blockages. geoff: the other side of that is, how do you do that when the idf is fighting 20,000 hamas fighters who underground with hostages? who are engaged in these high-intensity combat?

>> they are engaged in a pretty difficult combat operation. they has also conducted that in a extraordinarily indiscriminate way for five months. the way they have conducted the war, the president has said it is indiscriminate and over-the-top. if they had conducted this war differently, it would be a lot easier. for humanitarians to operate there. the way israel has conducted the war, it has been nearly impossible. because they have not done it in line with international expectations. geoff: as we reported earlier, the gaza health ministry is reporting that 30,000 palestinians have been killed since the start of the offensive. that figure, even though it comes from the gaza health ministry, is widely viewed as the most reliable figure available. what does that say about the way israel is conducting the war? >> it underscores the indiscriminate nature of what they have done. to go five months, to have made

as little progress they made in their own objectives, while incurring this amount of civilian damage, it is the definition of disproportionate and indiscriminate military action under international law. the u.s. government has yet to take a firm stance on that. they will need to. the rafa offensive would overshadow anything that has happened in this war to date. every offensive so far, people have been able to move out of the way. with rafah, there is nowhere left to go. this would be happening against a civilian population. it would be devastating geoff: thank you so much for your time and your insights. >> my pleasure. ♪ when nessa: here are the latest

headlines. fire crews in texas fought to gain ground on the largest wildfire in the state's history. it has already burned across a million acres in an area larger than the state of rhode island. amna: in the texas panhandle, heaps of ash are all that is left of these families former lives. >> it was heartbreaking. it is our home. amna: the smokehouse creek fire claimed his house. he was away. his wife fled with what she could. >> a lot of sentimental things. blankets, pictures, toys. other than that, that is it. about all she could fit in the car. amna: this is the largest fire in a cluster still blazing in the panhandle. by this morning, it had burned more than 1700 square miles and was just 3% contained. earlier this week, unseasonably

warm temperatures and high winds sent flames barreling across farmland and through towns, fueled by dry grass and vegetation. >> you have to go now. amna: hundreds were ordered to evacuate. unpredictable convictions pushed walls of fire across highways, blocking an escape. an 83-year-old woman was found dad in her burned home in texas. scores of houses has been destroyed and tens of thousands of cattle could be lying dead in scorched fields. satellite images show a town in hutchison county before and after a fire reduced it to ash. >> i know there are a lot of people still waiting to get in. amna: deidra thomas warned residents to brace themselves for the damage. >> the easiest way to put this is i don't think a lot of the folks who live in this area are probably going to be prepared for what they're going to see as they go into town.

amna: officials also predict the flames could pick up again this weekend. >> i did not want the community there to feel a false sense of security that all of these fires will not grow anymore. amna: for now, cooler temperatures and lighter winds have opened up a crucial window for firefighters to tame the blazes. vanessa: the second death was confirmed earlier today. former president donald trump today appealed a ruling that bars him from the illinois primary ballot. a state judge found he incited insurrection in the january 6 assault on the u.s. capitol. mr. trump's lawyer argued that staying the judgment until the illinois appellate courts finally decide this case would reduce the great risk of voter confusion. the u.s. supreme court is already considering a similar case from colorado. congress passed a short-term spending bill to head off a partial government shutdown this weekend. the measure finds one set of

federal agencies through march 8 and another group through march 22. president biden is expected to sign it. in russia, vladimir putin has renewed his warning to the west that it could risk a nuclear war over ukraine. that comes after french president mcaron said sending nato troops to ukraine should not be ruled out. putin responded today in moscow and his annual address to parliament, painting western leaders as reckless. >> we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. what they are doing now try to scare the whole world, it risks a conflict with nuclear weapons. that means the destruction of civilization. don't they understand this? vanessa: the u.s. and other nato members have already said they would not send forces to ukraine. back in this country, lloyd austin got grilled at a house

hearing for not informing the president and others for not knowing he was hospitalized last month. he said there was no lapse in command structure while he was treated for complications from prostate cancer surgery. at the same time, he acknowledged that transparency is essential at all levels. >> if a service member was in the hospital, i think the chain of command would be concerned about why they were in the hospital. and make sure that they are doing the right thing to take care of them and their family. >> don't you think it is their responsibility to notify the commanding officer? the answer is yes. >> in my case, i would expect that my organization would do the right things to notify senior leaders. if i am the patient in the hospital. vanessa: a pentagon review has concluded there was no indication of ill intent or any attempt to cover up. a passing of note.

the former canadian prime minister died today. he was elected in 1984 and served for nearly a decade. his signature achievement, leading canada into the north american free trade agreement with the united states and mexico. brian mulrooney was 84 years old. still to come, a palestinian-american artist exhibit in indiana is canceled in response to the israel-hamas war. a community parks advocate gives her brief but spectacular take on the power of nature. and much more. >> this is the "pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: today president biden and former president trump made visits to two towns on the southern border as immigration becomes a key issue ahead of the member election.

laura baran lopez has been reporting on the president's trip. >> in his second visit to the texas-mexico border, president biden met with border patrol officials in brownsville, to determine the tables on his likely rival, donald trump. pres. biden: here's what i would say to president trump. instead of telling members of congress to block this legislation, join me, or i will join you, and telling congress to pass this bipartisan security bill. we can do it together. you know and i know it is the toughest, most efficient, most effective border security bill this country has ever seen. >> meanwhile 300 miles west , along the rio grande in the town of eagle pass, trump attacked biden and again demonized migrants. >> the u.s. is being overrun by the biden migrant crime. it is a new form of vicious violation to our country. migrant crime. we call it the biden migrant crime. >> the showdown here at the

border is defining the battle. a fight guaranteed when republicans killed a bipartisan deal to stem the flow of migrants and funnel millions to border security. what do you hope the president's trip accomplishes? >> hopefully when he meets with the border patrol agents, they give him an idea of what you can work from. anytime you want something done on the front line, you need to talk to the frontline workers. >> chris cabrera is the vice president of the national border control council, a union representing 18,000 agents nationwide. do you want the bill to still pass? >> that is the hope. at the end of the day, anything will help. i know there is the power of the pen. there is executive action he has done in the past with other issues. he has the power to put a stop to this today. granted, congress does have some fault in this.

they have been kicking the can down the road for quite a few years. not one side or the other, but both sides. if they are not going to do it, either we get somebody in there who will or the president needs to take action. >> with the senate deal all the dead, sources have told us that the president is considering using his executive authority to block some asylum-seekers from entering the u.s. while state and federal authorities clash in eagle pass, here in brownsville advocates say things are different. >> we often hear the border is chaotic. it is orderly. it is not chaos. >> she is the executive director of a group that helps welcome asylum-seekers in brownsville. what would the impact be for migrants if the u.s. were to put in place more severe asylum restriction? >> seeking asylum is a right. we want to make sure that as a country, we are looking at solutions that allow them to seek asylum in a safe way and not putting them in danger.

>> despite the danger, some are still making the long journey with their children. roxana just arrived from cuba. >> it was difficult because we had to travel with coyotes and we had a small child. >> i cried a lot. it was terrifying. i am 22 years old. i don't know how i did it. i was able to lease. -- how i was able to do with my son. it is something i don't know how i did it. but i accomplished it. we are here. that is the most important thing. >> fleeing venezuela, she was robbed twice before arriving for her appointment with customs and border protection. >> i want a better life, a better future for my sons. i want to start a new life. >> those migrants are arriving through the appointment system app that the president has urged them to use.

overall, crossings are low here right now in texas. geoff: let's return to what we heard today from the former and current president. donald trump had his criticisms of joe biden. how do his stated concerns and intentions square up with the facts you are reporting? and what you are seeing their along the border today. >> chris cabrera of the border patrol unit told me that there were only six apprehensions and brownsville yesterday. overall across taxes, other border towns might have slightly higher apprehensions. but it is overall low. but i want to fact check one of the things the former said today. he was claiming there was a migrant crime wave occurring. the data just does not match up with that. a stanford study shows that immigrants are 60% less likely than nativeborn americans to be

incarcerated. and in sanctuary cities each unit increased actually represents a 5% decrease in violent crime. geoff: president biden called on senate republicans to call -- pass the bipartisan border deal. he said he might act alone with an executive order. tell us more about that. >> it could come in a matter of weeks. what is being considered would severely restrict asylum-seekers. it would narrow who can claim asylum. i was talking to immigration advocates today who have been in talks with the white house and they are trying to convince biden to essentially go a different route with an executive order. declare an emergency declaration and send more resources to the border rather than restrict asylum. it is important to note that asylum under current u.s. law is a right for migrants to claim

whether they are presenting at a port of entry or between ports of entry. geoff: in the meantime, there's this continuing dispute between texas and the federal government over border security. where does that stand? >> a federal judge today blocked a texas law that would give police more authority to arrest migrants that they suspect may have entered into the u.s. illegally. i was speaking with an immigration lawyer earlier today who said they expect taxes will -- texas will ask for a stay as they try to implement that law as legal proceedings move forward. they will be battling with immigration advocates and lawyers who are trying to block this taking effect. one thing important to note is that a lot of people cannot always present at a port of entry when they are trying to come into the u.s.. there is a lot of reasons why they actually present between

ports of entry as they are trying to flee violence. i spoke with a lifelong texan today in eagle pass. he is a business owner who has been really frustrated by the governors operation lone star saying that , initially he supported it but now he is not really happy with what has been going on because the governor has seized so much of the land and public property in eagle pass. geoff: laura thank you. ,♪ amna: lawmakers in alabama have quickly passed bills to protect ivf clinics and providers so treatments can resume in the state. a state supreme court decision last week ruled that an embryo created through in vitro fertilization should be considered a person. since then, three providers in

alabama have paused some services, including the university of alabama at birmingham hospital, the biggest hospital system in the state. the decision is rippling across the state and sparking fears in other states of similar rulings. we spoke with a few women who were affected. >> i am located in birmingham. i am 38. when i heard the news about my particular clinic, i cried at my desk at work all day. i could not hold back the tears. my blood pressure has been up just about every day since the news hit. i am just pleading and hoping that lawmakers will listen. >> i am 36 and i live in birmingham. i am in between treatments. i am currently going through ivf. i just finished my second treatment on january 31. we are awaiting some test results.

we were hoping that over the second retrieval we will be able to move forward beginning in march and schedule our first transfer. this ruling has now put our timeline and all of our hopes in jeopardy. >> i live in nashville, tennessee, and i'm 32. i think it is absolutely horrific and shocking that this is the reality in the world we live in. as someone who is currently 15 weeks pregnant with my miracle ivf baby, i cannot imagine that it would be looked at as anything but a gift for people trying to achieve their family goals and navigate the world of infertility, which is traumatic enough. >> unfortunately i had multiple ectopic pregnancies that were not really diagnosed. ivf was the ideal choice for us.

to be honest, it might be the only option. >> i disagree with the court's ruling that an embryo should be protected legally as a child. this embryo cannot thrive or grow without being in cryogenic freezing. it can only thrive or grow if it is implanted in a uterus and given the chance to be born. >> sometimes some of these rulings can have a domino effect. while there are still tennessee decision-makers who have said they support ivf, they do not see this coming to tennessee. at the end of the day, you don't know who will really stand up and do the right thing when push cometo shove. >> i am very worried that women who are facing the fight of their lives from a cancer diagnosis now will have to further make tough decisions in terms of if they are going to wait and see what the courts do in order to poteially preserve their fertility or if they will

have to decide to immediately start treatments and lose the opportunity to have families in the future. >> we have three embryos that are still frozen right now. i am just hoping, even if it is just one, just that one, my husband and i will be happy if it is just that one. i hope at least to have the opportunity to try. >> supporters of the legislation to protect ivf treatments gathered at the alabama state house yesterday to speak with lawmakers. she helped organize this effort. she is the president and ceo of the national infertility association. thank you for joining us. we have seen lawmakers in alabama move quickly to pass bills allowing treatments to resume. the governor is expected to sign that into law. the state attorney general says he will not prosecute clinics or doctors providing ivf

treatments. do all those things combined ease your concerns? >> thank you so much for having me. i am listening to the providers on the ground in alabama. those three clinics you believe that are paused. they believe this bill, if passed and signed into law, will give them the opportunity to start seeing patients again. i do want to say that there is still a lot to be determined in alabama that is not totally resolved with this legislation. for now, the clinics are confident that they will be able to reopen and begin seeing patients again once this is signed into law. amna: what is not resolved with the legislation as it is right now? >> the law does not live talk about the status of an embryo. that was the real crux of the supreme court case. what is an embryo? is it a person? is a clump of cells?

does it have potential for life? all of those things are still undecided. this bill protects those providers and patients from any kind of criminal or civil prosecution. it gives them immunity. quite honestly, that was a big reason why they paused. we have a lot work ahead of us. the good news is these clinics feel confident that they can soon reopen. amna: that is the case in alabama. we also just heard from someone in tennessee worried about what she called a domino effect. that other states could move forward with similar rulings or legislation. do you see that concern as valid? >> absolutely. for many years we have been fighting embryo personhood bills in many states. far before roe v. wade was overturned. when roe v. wade was overturned,

we were very concerned because we thought we would see a larger number of these kinds of bills, which we did in 2023 and we have already seen a lot this year. we do not have the protection or backstop of roe v. wade if one of these passes. we know legislators want to regulate ivf. they want to define when life begins. i was in the capitol building yesterday. i was approached by folks who do not approve of ivf who want to shut it down. they have a voice and their voices are being heard, not only in montgomery but other statehouses. amna: we are talking about the state level but at the federal level we saw a effort by senator tammy duckworth, who relied on ivf to conceive her two daughters to enshrine ability to

have ivf. do you see some kind of federal legislation? >> i think it is a number of things. the federal bill is an incredible step. an important piece in the puzzle. there are some state constitutions that we will have to get fixed, similar to what we have in alabama. that federal legislation has gained a lot of ground. we are strongly supporting it. we need to get that past. amna: we mentioned a lot of what we have seen since the fall of roe v. wade. where do you see this ruling in terms of the trend we have seen since then when it comes to reproductive rights? >> this is been on the radar all along. it has been on the back burner. this alabama court ruling has brought it to the forefront. we have seen some governors say they support ivf. others have said we need to

look at this and study it. i concerns me greatly. i think we will have our work cut out for ourselves in many states. amna: that is the ceo of the national infertility organization. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. ♪ geoff: now a story about an exhibition you cannot see. some arts institutions have been roiled by tensions from the ongoing war in the middle east. one controversy has unfolded at the artman cm of indiana -- art museum of indiana university. a palestinian artist was scheduled to have her first american retrospective this month. >> a work of art returning from an exhibition. carried up the stairs to the new york studio of its creator. >> is the queen vee, being

treated like a princess. >> this is no routine return. the queen vee -- queen bee was never put on display. the exhibition was scheduled to be shown at a museum of art at indiana university. it was canceled in late december. >> the only thing they told me was a two sentence letter. the show was canceled and the artwork would be returned safely. that's all. >> she is known for large and vibrant abstract paintings, which she has been making for more than 60 years. she also creates sculptures and works with fiber and textiles and was an early practitioner of computer and digital art, teaching herself how to write computer programs in the 1980's. she is also a passionate supporter of palestinian culture and an advocate for palestinian rights. she was born in jerusalem in 1936 when palestine was under british control.

fleeing with her family and eventually came to the u.s. and settled in cincinnati. >> as an intellectual i chose to , be an abstraction is. i am a palestinian and i believe in the palestinian will to have freedom. i believe in the right of self determination and self defense. i love palestinian culture. all of these things are me. >> her tie to indiana university is strong. she received her master of fine arts degree there in 1960 three and later taught before moving to yale in 1972, where she was the first woman to have the title of associate professor at the school of art. her work is in the collections of major u.s. museums, including the national gallery of art washington and the guggenheim in new york.

she recently had a large retrospective in the united arab emirates. the cancellation came as she was using instagram to express outrage at the bombing of gaza. she called israel's retaliation a genocide and compared gaza to auschwitz. though she was well aware of the tensions at universities around the country, including alabama she says the cancellation was a , surprise. >> i thought i was immune because i was an alumni. it came as a surprise. my first reaction was to be upset because this is my second home. someone is now stealing my second home from me. but then i got over that quickly. i thought the community was really upset about it. >> it has been quite a big deal. the fallout is still coming.

>> he has been covering campus reaction in indiana. as a multimedia journalist with indiana public media. >> we are seeing a lot of students and faculty organizing protests. a venue in town is putting on a retrospective in place of the museum. the response here has been quite significant. >> the university has said little publicly. in response to our request for an interview with university president, we were referred to this previously released a short statement. the exhibit was canceled over concerns of guaranteeing the integrity of the exhibit for its duration. last month, the university provost also cited security concerns at a faculty forum. >> we had clearly competing values. we had an exciting debut

exhibit. it was three years in the making. we also had a potential lightning rod that could draw major protests. >> he sampled responses across the campus. >> i have not spoken with anyone who feels like this is a compelling enough reason to cancel the exhibition. i have spoken to faculty members who say, if there is a security risk, that is why we have the police department that can provide that extra security. i don't think a lot of people are buying it. >> he had worked on the exhibition for several years. in lieu of an interview, she sent an email statement saying

i am immensely proud of the work that has been accomplished together. anyone who has the privilege to witness her artwork in person will understand some small piece of the beauty and joy we have experienced working together over the past several years. the controversy in indiana is just one example. including a cultural center in new york canceled in october event with a novelist who signed a public letter critical of israel. several staff members resigned in protest. other authors pulled out of their events. the editor-in-chief at art forum was fired after the magazine published an open letter from artists calling for a cease-fire in gaza. at another midwestern university, they decided to keep

an exhibition by a palestinian artist that it opened prior to october 7. but it canceled eight public -- a public panel she was scheduled to take part in. we asked if the university was aware of a specific risk. if it had received pressure to cancel the exhibition from politicians or donors. we were once again referred to the one sentence statement. she believes she knows why the exhibit was canceled. >> it is obviously an extension of what is happening. we palestinians are not allowed to speak or express our opinion. or in my case, provide a role model to students for what intellectual activity can be like. >> when a museum or university does have the right to decide

who they going to exhibit. >> they decided to take me over two years ago. they changed when the genocide began. what gives? >> you have no regret about using that language? >> i have a right to express my feelings. my feelings are i am horrified. i am equally horrified when i see other things happening. i am equally horrified at the holocaust of the jews. i'm equally horrified about hiroshima and nagasaki. i am horrified by what happened to the african-americans. when i read about all of these thanks, they bring me to great sadness. >> meanwhile on campus, a petition to reinstate the exhibition is circulating. he is hearing fears of another kind of fallout. >> a lot of faculty i have spoken with are worried that

these signals that the university could be sending that they are not standing strongly enough by their researchers, it could send a signal to people who might apply as students, graduate students, faculty. that indiana is not a place where they will be able to perform their research undisturbed. >> her work will next be shown at a venice exhibition. her canceled retrospective is so far set to run at its next venue in michigan. beginning june 29. for the pbs newshour i'm jeffrey brown. amna: we will be back shortly. geoff: but take a moment to hear first, from your local pbs station. it is an offer for your support. ♪

amna: for those staying with us, a new book is examining how innovation can lead to gains for all stratus of societies, not just the elite. our economics correspondent meets the author. >> spot the wonder dog, using ai to navigate tricky terrain. already in service today. tomorrow? >> it could be something that helps workers be safer or more productive. o'er the same spot could take people's jobs. i think it is in the balance. reporter: they surveyed the history of technological progress and came to a sobering if familiar conclusion. >> technology changes all the time but it does not turn into shared prosperity.

a lot of important steps have and missing from human history. reporter: as in the middle ages. >> take the plow and other improvements in agriculture. productivity increased but not the living conditions of ordinary folk. reporter: in the industrial revolution, textile tech. a power loom revolution editing -- revolutionizing at a cost. >> these were the machines they were breaking. reporter: this was already displacing workers in england 200 years ago. >> all those previous people have been handloom weavers. they were thrown out of work. the luddites were really angry. they had been making good money. those opportunities eroded and nothing else sprang up to take its place. this was not good. reporter: workers ditched, business owners enriched. >> we had a steam engine back

here. reporter: sometimes technological progress did lead to shared prosperity. >> this would transferred the power throughout the entire system. if you want to use a particular machine. reporter: the new factories of the 19th century prompted the long process of harnessing technology. >> they offered jobs to people that did not have a lot of education. they were more productive. demand for labor goes up, wages go up. trade unions show up and say how about we pay at -- an extra wage and have the weekends off? then you got shared prosperity in the 20th century. reporter: labor organizations were key to seeing that everybody shared in prosperity gains. and so it remained for almost a century. but since about 1980, automation has outpaced the creation of shared prosperity jobs. >> people with not much education have jobs for the

wages of the low-end have not come out. we are missing now that middle and we been missing it for 40 years. this is not an overnht phenomenon. >> at this exhibit at the boston museum of science, a car programmed by toyota to assist drivers. >> the vision is not to replace human drivers. it is to make humans safer, better drivers. there are thousands of fatalities every day on the roads. almost all of those are due to some form of human error. reporter: the hope is that ai can reduce human error. but concern is that ai will replace jobs like taxi and truck drivers. >> this goes through store aisles looking to verify prices and make sure everything is properly stocked. reporter: this is good for jobs or bad for jobs? >> i think this is bad for jobs. you previously had a whole set

of folks working the night shift restocking the shelves. reporter: they will now be competing for lower wage jobs. same for drive-thru robots. >> there are fast food chains that have announced that they plan to replace all the human interaction. it will become automated. that is a lot of jobs. reporter: plenty of much better paying jobs are also under threat. even those of us who may have figured we were safe. johnson first used the chrome browser. >> we can search for you. are you sure you want to go there? reporter: i am fine. >> you are american. you have brown hair. >> once upon a time. >> we can stop right there. you have blue eyes. reporter: i do not have blue eyes. >> you probably lied to the dmv once. reporter: not really reliable. but here is chatgtp.

>> write a script for the pbs newshour. reporter: a script for this very story. >> here is the suggested script. i am reporting a compelling new analysis that is stirring the -- debate in economic circles. that is good so far. cut to a book image. the work challenges conventional wisdom on the relationship between political power and economic development. not bad for a first pass. i would put in more about technology. steam engines and a little bit of industrial museum ambience. >> that's what we have added. >> that is what we are pushing. our power to harness the process of technology in the service of shared prosperity. what policies do you put in place to get spot to augment people's labor as opposed to replace it? >> they were pushing for autonomous vehicles by having some grand challenges.

you could challenge people to find ways to use these types of robots or ai in general. to develop technologies useful for teachers, nurses, plumbers, electricians. reporter: as toyota is doing, for example. but economy wide. >> we have done it many times. the covid vaccines. the list goes on in terms of technologies developed with government money and social impetus that say this is another task. reporter: with that thought, this story comes to a close. for which i might as well use chatgtp's conclusion. back to you in the studio. ♪ geoff: a washington native is the

executive director of the friends of anacostia park. it is a program aimed at improving a park in southeast washington and the lives of community members. she shares her brief but spectacular take on the power of nature. >> nature will far outlive us. sorry to say, but that is the truth. when i am in the park, i feel peace. i hear children laughing. i hear people on the basketball court. i smell cookouts. it is located along the anacostia river. it is a different kind of park. it is mainly a recreational park. it is flat. there are no monuments. there is a skating pavilion, a pool, a bike trail. easily a million of people use the park over the course of a year. the majority are african-americans. the park gets a lot of use in a cultural context. the friends of anacostia park

helps goals to keep the park nice. when i was tasked with building the friends group, i knew i did not just want to be in an organization raising funds. we had a lot of social and human capital that we needed just as much as the dollars. the premises on membership where you have no money and you can just donate your time. so the human capital could be a form of helping us clean up the park. we also need grandmas to sit at the playground to make sure people are safe. i would ultimately like to establish this park as a trauma informed park that has models and systems that can be shared in other places. so it can really be seen as a clinic. whether you are using the space for restorative justice or having court mandated mental health happen in the form of a hike instead of being in a room and called therapy. there are people who use the bike path who have gotten off their blood pressure or diabetes medicine. i have met people who are trying

to get clean from drugs. just staying in the park. the stillness of the park is helpful. and the fact that there are people they can talk to. that is what we are about. not just the park but the people. that park feels like that is my family. the elders feel like my grandmas. having our staff here and seeing people working and bringing their kids, it feels like a village. if you feel like you need the healing power of nature, just step outside your door. there are birds in the sky, we just don't look up. this is my brief but spectacular take on the power of nature. geoff: >> that is it for tonight. amna: on behalf of the entire team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by -- ♪ the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

and friends of the news hour, including lynn durden norma k lorfine. >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of leisure and british style. all with white star service. >> actually, you do not need vision to do most things in life. it is exciting to be part of a team driving this technology forward. i think that is the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.

>> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsle for its caption content and accuracy.] >> this is the "pbs newshour" newshour west from weta studios , in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "cook's country," i'm making one-pan roast turkey breast with stuffing.