captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for saturday, july 2: isis claims responsibility for a terrorist attack in bangladesh that has killed 20 people who were held hostage. immigrants in the american heartland, keeping rural businesses afloat. >> without the karen people, we probably would not be able to run the turkey plant. >> reporter: why? >> because people just don't want to move to rural america. >> sreenivasan: and the artist christo, making it possible for visitors to this italian lake to walk on water. next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: lewis b. and louise hirschfeld cullman. bernard and irene schwartz. judy and josh weston. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the citi foundation. supporting innovation and

enabling urban progress. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's 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. nobel peace prize winner elie wiesel has died. born in romania, wiesel was a holocaust survivor who wrote eloquently about the genocide carried out by nazi germany that claimed the lives of six million jews in europe during world war ii. his books, such as "night,"" dawn" and "day,"-- based on his

own experience in the auschwitz, poland, concentration camp-- educated millions about what happened. his parents and younger sister died in the camps. after the war, a humanitarian organization resettled wiesel and other young survivors in france, where he later reunited with two older sisters who also survived the war. wiesel went on with his life-- became a journalist, moved to new york, obtained u.s. citizenship, married a fellow holocaust survivor, and had a son. but he never forgot. he authored almost 60 books and taught at several u.s. universities, spending decades teaching tolerance, speaking out against hatred and racism, oppression and violence. his 1986 nobel citation called him "a messenger to mankind." accepting his prize, wiesel said, "silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented"" three years ago, he spoke at the 20th anniversary of the opening of holocaust memorial museum in

washington, d.c. >> our memory will live in yours. remember that, young people, that now you have an ideal, not only an idea, but ideal, the ideal of saving whatever the past has to offer for the future, and its heroes and also its victims. >> sreenivasan: elie wiesel died today in his home in manhattan. he was 87 years old. we'll have more in a moment. for the second time this week, terrorists belonging to the islamic state group-- isis-- have carried out a lethal attack on civilians overseas. on tuesday, isis operatives armed with machine guns and bombs struck one of the world's busiest airports-- in istanbul, turkey-- and killed more than 40 people. on friday, isis terrorists attacked a restaurant in one of the world's most populous cities-- dhaka, the capital of bangladesh. though it's 8,000 miles from the u.s., three victims were enrolled at u.s. colleges, and one was an american citizen from

florida. early this morning, about 100 bangladesh security forces ended the siege and rescued 13 people who had been held hostage for ten hours. security forces killed six of the attackers and arrested one. however, that was only after the terrorists armed with guns and machetes killed 20 people eating at the upscale restaurant, which was popular with foreigners. nine victims were from italy, and seven were from japan. one victim, from india, was an 18-year-old student at the university of california at berkeley. she had been visiting her father in bangladesh. two students killed were enrolled at emory university. one of them was a junior from dhaka. the other, abinta kabir, was from miami, and about to begin her sophomore year. two bangladeshi police officers were shot and killed in the standoff. the restaurant is in a neighborhood filled with embassies. the u.s. embassy is just a mile away. in its claim of responsibility, isis said it had targeted citizens of "crusader countries." survivors say the attackers shouted "allahu akbar," the

arabic phrase for "god is great," and spared hostages who could recite verses from the koran. in a televised address, the prime minister of bangladesh called the attack barbaric and said her government would always fight islamic extremists on her soil. >> ( translated ): they don't have a religion. terrorism is their religion, that's what i believe. the people of bangladesh will always fight against terrorism. i will always tell the people to stand against terrorism and if they do, then terrorism will never be successful in bangladesh. qhs in recent months, islamic extremists in bangladesh have murdered about two dozen people-- atheist bloggers, gay activists, aid workers, and religious minorities-- including a hindu priest killed yesterday. in great britain today, tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of london-- --calling on parliament to ignore the june 23rd referendum in favor of the united kingdom leaving the european union. most of the participants in th"" march for europe" were young adults-- a demographic that overwhelmingly voted to stay in the 28-nation e.u., as did the city of london.

turning to the race for the white house, today the f.b.i. interviewed presumed democratic nominee hillary clinton for more than three hours about the private email server she used while secretary of state during president obama's first term. spokesperson nick merrill said clinton met with the f.b.i. voluntarily and "she is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the department of justice in bringing this review to a conclusion." merrill added, "out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview." the campaign also said today that mrs. clinton and president obama will make their first joint 2016 appearance in charlotte, north carolina, on tuesday. donald trump said today he will announce the schedule of speakers at this month's republican national convention on wednesday. the convention starts july 18th. california is enacting new gun control laws that focus as much on ammunition as guns. the laws signed yesterday by governor jerry brown require background checks to buy ammunition in california; ban the sale of high capacity

magazines that hold more than ten bullets and require owners of such magazines to turn them in; and ban the sale of semi- automatic weapons with "bullet buttons," a feature that allows shooters to rapidly reload magazines. the laws take effect next january. california legislators began working on them after the mass shooting in san bernadino last december. the state already bans the sale of military-style assault weapons. there will be more restrictive gun measures on the november ballot. >> sreenivasan: as we reported at the start of the program, elie wiesel, the nobel laureate who spent decades teaching tolerance and working to preserve the memory of holocaust victims, died today. joining me now on the phone to discuss his life is sara bloomfield, the director of the holocaust memorial museum in washington.

and was never afraid to speak about power. >> sreenivasan: is there something you remember about him that stands out? >> i think elie, i would say for all his work and all his e lessons of the holocaust.dd, he would never give up. he believed in always trying and the aspiration, and that's what the museum stands for, but i think he had hoped there would have been greater progress in the world by now. >> sreenivasan: sara bloomfield, director to have the holocaust memorial museum in washington joining us by phone tonight. thank you so much and sorry for your loss. >> thank you. in the past few weeks in italy a lake has been transformed so visitors can walk on water, courtesy of the artist cristo who for decades placed fabric around structures to change perceptions of our surroundings.

our news correspondent takes us to the floating piers. >> reporter: something extraordinary has drawn thousands of tourists from around the world to this normally peaceful lake in northern italy-- lake iseo, 60 miles east of milan. it's called the floating piers, nearly two miles of saffron- colored, floating walkways connecting the mainland to two islands usually accessible only by boat. the piers undulate with the waves, and the feet of some 65,000 visitors a day. >> so soft! >> reporter: these college students are from utah. >> it exceeds expectations. it was a long journey out here, but it's definitely worth it. >> reporter: what's it feel like, walking barefoot on this artwork? >> it feels surreal. unreal. the way it moves it feels like you're floating. you are floating, i guess! >> reporter: the installation appeals to both young and old.

a chance for photos, and just chilling out. >> it's cool! >> reporter: chiji is from california. a lot of people wouldn't consider this art. >> i think this is definitely art. for someone to think of what it takes to make this come to life, it definitely takes creativity and imagination. >> reporter: this is the latest creation by christo, the bulgarian-born conceptual artist famous for giant outdoor installations. he wrapped islands in miami's biscayne bay in pink fabric; paris' oldest bridge, the pont neuf, in ivory fabric; and berlin's parliament, the reichstag, in silver. his last major project, the gates-- more than 7,000 of them-- dotted new york city's central park, back in 2005. a few days before the floating piers were finished, i set off to meet the artist. christo! i'm chris. before we started discussing the project, christo was eager to stir things up-- --to show his piers were safe

even with waves. >> see the waves! >> reporter: i had to ask the obvious question. aren't you afraid of people falling in? >> no! there is no banister. >> reporter: no banisters? >> yes. it's the greatest achievement of the permitting process. ( laughs ) >> reporter: a process that usually takes years or even decades. miraculously, the piers came together in 22 months. >> now we walk. the project is about walking, you know. >> reporter: a bundle of energy at 81 years old, christo refused to sit for our interview. the piers are 53 feet wide and about a foot high and made from more than 200,000 interlocking plastic cubes. christo insists his structure is only part of the art. >> everything here. the work of art is not the piers. the work of art is also the mountains, the water, the houses, all the waves. all together is the work of art. >> reporter: the whole thing? >> yes, exactly. mple, christo's projects arelook complex. in this case, involving engineers, helicopters and even scuba divers.

the process starts with photographs of the location by wolfgang volz, who has worked with him for 46 years. christo sketches the design over the photos to make a kind of blueprint. >> now it's this fantastic moment when the project is finished and realized and you look at it and you say, well, it looks just like the drawings, however a little bit better. >> reporter: christo's team identifies suitable materials, and almost everything is manufactured from scratch. on lake iseo, his team took five months to set the cubes in place, filling those near the edges with water to create the piers' sloping effect. we watched the finishing touches, 3.5 million cubic feet of made-to-order fabric being laid over the piers and the streets leading to the water's edge. the budget for all of this-- $19.5 million-- is paid for entirely by christo from the sale of his art.

like his previous monumental works, the floating piers are temporary. they will be open only 16 days and then dismantled. the materials, recycled. and that's part of the point. >> people come to be present for something that exists once in a lifetime and never again. >> reporter: is it art or is it spectacle? >> no, it's the physical art. first thing, put in mind all our projects gave unique image from the concept to today is a work of art. we put together enormous intelligence of people, engineers. to discover myself how the project will look is incredible joy. >> reporter: tempering that joy-- this is the first major project christo has completed without his wife, jeanne claude, who died in 2009. photographer wolfgang volz says she is missed. >> if we have a big problem we always say "what would jeanne claude have done to fix it, if it were catastrophe or something like that?" ( laughs ) you deal with permanent danger

of catastrophe. >> reporter: while there haven't been any catastrophes, the floating piers have posed some unexpected challenges. rain and wind force parts of the piers to close at times. monitors like this woman-- instructed to keep baby strollers off the outer pier, because of the wind-- face arguments from upset moms. so you are sending some people >> reporter: wear and tear from the much-larger-than-expected crowds also cause the piers to occasionally close at night for maintenance and repairs. >> bravo! >> reporter: but all in all, as christo passed by on his boat, visitors have cheered the floating piers as a success. and christo is now looking ahead to two more large scale projects-- a pyramid-like structure in the united arab emirates, and a curtain of fabric over the arkansas river in the u.s., which has been his home since the 1960s. you just turned 81 years old-- >> yes, yes. >> reporter: when i asked if he would ever slow down, christo quoted something his wife used to say. >> you know, she had a great

humor: "the artist does not retire. they simply die." ( laughs ) and this is why art is not a business-- it's the existence. >> reporter: on monday, the existence of the floating piers will start to end. does it ever make you sad to see the project taken down? >> no, no. >> reporter: you like to move on? >> to move on, like our life. >> reporter: a life spent creating art that is fleeting. meant to be savored, in the moment. >> learn about the traveling clown troupe performing for syrian refugees. visit us online at www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: since america declared its ipped this weekend 240 years ago, the nation's population growth and diversity has been fueled by immigration. that continues to be true, not only for our big cities but also in rural america. take south dakota, a rural state that's 85% white with small percentages of native american,

black, latino and asian residents. the demographics in some tons are changing due to a new wave of immigration and with consequences for local economies, as the "newshour's" christopher booker learned on a recent trip to the state. >> reporter: at "dakota provisions," a turkey processing plant in huron, south dakota, worker nyo maung takes only a second-and-a-half to remove the tail of a turkey. with his electric knife, he completes 40 cuts a minute and 2,400 every hour. huron is a small city of 13,000 residents, halfway between sioux falls and the state capitol, pierre. more than 40 turkey farms supply the plant, which distributes meat all over the u.s. it runs like an auto factory assembly line, with about 1,000 workers processing 20,000 turkeys a day. that adds up to 200 million pounds of meat a year. and no one is faster with his blade than nyo maung. >> he cuts tails off the turkeys with a wizard knife. >> reporter: mark "smokey" heuston is the company's human resources director. the foreman was saying that

they've actually noticed when he's on vacation, the productivity levels go down, the yields go down. >> that's correct. >> reporter: on average, floor workers like nyo maung, make around $13 an hour. since the plant opened in 2005, it's been a constant struggle to find and retain enough people from south dakota willing to work in meatpacking. immigrants help fill the gap. >> we're able to keep our turnover down to the 15-20% a year range, which is four or five times less than the national average for the meatpacking plants. >> reporter: like nio mang, most workers here are "karen," an ethnic minority from myanmar, formerly known as burma. between 2005 and 2014, a u.s. resettlement program admitted 73,000 refugees from myanmar, long governed by a military dictatorship until last year. heuston began recruiting the refugees in 2007, when, during a trip to st. paul, minnesota, a magnet for refugees from myanmar, he met a small group of karen people willing to move to huron.

nine years later, through word of mouth and family ties, what started with three, has expanded to more than 600 karen workers. >> without the karen people, we probably would not be able to run the turkey plant. >> reporter: why not? >> because people just don't want to move to rural america. the local young people are going out to see the rest of the world. the karen people have seen the rest of the world, and they've had enough of the rest of the world. the karen come here for exactly the same reasons that our ancestors came here, and that's to be free. >> reporter: nyo maung arrived here in 2012. why did you decide to move to huron as opposed to st. paul or indiana or another place in the united states? why huron? >> ( translated ): the reason that i chose huron is because my relatives live here. one of my relatives or siblings, they arrived here before. >> reporter: but the karen are only part of the story. roughly 16% of the plant's workforce is from latin america. this diverse work force has transformed huron and surrounding beadle county,

bringing the city's population back up to numbers not seen since 1980, while reducing the median age by five years. >> we were maybe one of the pioneers in our area to embrace some of the immigration. >> reporter: brooke sydow is workforce development coordinator for the city of huron. >> we want to see south dakota grow, and we're not seeing the traditional white middle-class american come back to a rural place-- it's just not happening. and so, we're embracing whatever's coming our way, versus trying to bar up and say, "we can't help you." let's say, "okay, come here, how can we help you?" >> reporter: with 46% of the k-12 students being of asian or latino decent, "helping" means expanding the school's english as a second language program and hiring a certified e.s.l. instructor for every grade. they also added more plots to this community garden, believing the space would allow new and old residents to get to know one another, and the city also helps new arrivals with housing needs.

with the help huron's james valley housing group and the department of agriculture rural development program, nio mang was able to buy this $137,000, four bedroom house, with no money down. you have decided to stay in huron? >> ( translated ): forever. always. the rest of my life. i will not go to any other places. i don't know where else to go. i'll stay here. >> we've always been a working- class community, and there's always been different groups of people that have come through and kind of lived and worked in the community. and with the karen population, they fit in really well within our community. we have a huge family-based orientation. they're family-based, we're family-based. so they fit in well. >> reporter: even though there were some minor culture clashes at first. mark heuston tells a story about a karen family raising a few eyebrows after they started laying fish out to dry-- in their neighbors back yard. sydow says the town is more than willing to do what is needed to make immigrants feel welcome. >> if that means putting up another restaurant or if that

means changing the e.s.l. program, or trying to help with community integration, that's what we're going to do. >> reporter: you guys are open for business? >> we're open for business, and that's what sets us apart from other communities. >> this is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. >> sreenivasan: a stretch of florida beaches are shut down due to a massive algae bloom. the thick, smelly green algae started concentrating last week where the st. lucie river meets the atlantic ocean 100 miles north of miami. one resident described the smell as if 100 dead animals laid in the street for a week. the source of the bloom, water 35 meals away in lake okeechobee polluted by runoff from agriculture air aias. the army corps of engineers started reducing the flow of lake water to the river. the corps releases water as part

of its flood control. tonight, garrison keillor airs his final broadcast of ravensbruec"prairiehome" ending. they performed it in the hollywood bowl in los angeles last night before 42,000 people. ♪ coming to you live from the hollywood bowl -- >> sreenivasan: since 1974, the show featured a mix of storytelling, sketches, music and trademark news from lake woulwobegone. he was interviewed about the 40th an screars. >> brown: have you ever stopped to think about why it worked so long? why especially the medium of radio? >> i think there's a lot of

power in list upping to one person talking to you, and this should never be underestimated. >> prairie home companion will resume in the fall with a new host and updated format. >> sreenivasan: tomorrow, high speed internet and more about elie wiesel. that's all for this "newshour" weekend, i'm hari sreenivasan, goodnight. 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. the citi foundation. supporting innovation and enabling urban progress. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's 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.

[footsteps] [car door opens, explosion] [car alarm blares] [debris falls] [somber music] ♪ ♪ - and a voice says, "it was a car bomb." that moment every freedom fighter waits for. will they come for me today? and they'd come for me and i'd survived. ♪ ♪ - albie has been through the grinder, and he speaks what he lives. ♪ ♪ - lying in bed recovering,