captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. m judy woodruff. on the "newshr" tonight: the gloves are off between president trump and james comey-- theen presidtrades barbs with the former f.b.i. director following an interview that targets the commander-in-chief. then, the state of play in syria after u.s. air-strikes, a debate heats up in congress over the power to authorize military action. and, sounds of the desert-- we travel to mali, in west africa, to hear how the music of the taureg people helps them endure >> we sing about how we have suffered through politics,ro through racism against us and our ancestors from the desert, we say we are here, don't forge us. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour."

>> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> consumer cellular. >> consumer cellular believesve that notone needs an unlimited wireless plan. our u.s.-based customer service reps can help you choose a plane based on how much you use your phone, nothing more, nothing less. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv

>> babbel. language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new promoting the well-being ofin humanity around the world by >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. b

thank you. >> woodruff: the trump white house has spent this day on comey and cohen-watch. the president's legal team joined in a federal courtol hearing ing his personal attorney, michael cohen. and, mr. trump aimed more barbs at fired f.b.i. director james comey, over hiscathing new s book. yamiche alcindor begins our coverage >> is donald trumpsinfit to be pnt? >> yes, but not in the way often hear people talk about it. >> reporter: james comey led off cus media blitz by criticizing president trump, ng much of his attack on the president's character.ri t came an "abc news" interview ahead of tuesday release of his memoir, "a higher loyalty." while comey told abc he doesn't support impeaching trump, comey pointed to mr. trump'sion to last year's charlottesvilles unrest, his past treatment of women, and what comey said were mr. trump's constant lies.

>> our president must embody respect, and adhere to the values that are at the core ofv this country.s the most important being truth. this president is not able to do that.h e is morally unfit to be president >> reporter: in the interview, comey also opened about theou 2016 election. he said, for him, having to h handle tlary clinton email investigation was "a no-win situation." >> i'm here to give you an update... ou reporter: and he explained again why he wenon his own to announce why that probe would not lead to charges. in the process, he described hir discomfort with the perception that then-attorney general loretta lynch may have been too close to clinton and her. campai >> i decided, i have to step-- as much as i like her-- i have to step away from her and show the american people the f.b.i.'s work separately. i actually thought as bad as this would be for me personally, this is my obligation: to protect the f.b. and the justice department. >> reporter: in a statement's s before aomey interview aired, lynch said she never

discussed the probe with anyone from the clinton camign or the democratic national committee. she also said that comey had, "ample opportunities to raise concerns with me. he never did." comey, of course, came to lead a probe into mr. trump's campaignd ussia-- one that continues today under special counsel robert mueller's purview, and could eventually lead to legal jeopardy for the president. in a separate sit-down with "usa " comey said he couldn't rule out whether president trump has been compromis by moscow. >> it's hard to explain someut things witt least leaving your mind open to that being a possibility. i don know whether that's the business about the activity in a moscow hotel room or finances oa something else. but again, i don't want to overstate it, i'm not saying i it's likely, i'm saying to be y honest with i have to say it's possible.>> reporter: the white house said today that president trumpe saw pieces of comey's abc interview. and mr. trump himself today questioned comey's credibility. he call the former f.b.i.

director, "disgruntled," and said comey and others "committed many crimes!" in neyork today, the fighting a different battle.a elis personal lawyer micha cohen went to court to prevent government investigators from reviewing files seized during an f.b.i. raid on his home and.i office last week. cohen's lawyers called the raids "completely unprecedend." at ise: attorney-client privilege, and whether the president's protectedco ersations with cohen mighton be revealed. mr. trump voiced his concerns on twitter over the weekend,ek writing: "attorney client privilege is now a thing of the past."th u.s. attorney's office for the southern district of new york, which is not connected toi the s counsel's ongoingng russia probe, says that any material taken from cohen will be inspected by a separate atilter team" to protect privileged infon. but the president's new attorney argued that the president himself must be allowed to determine what is covered by

privilege. in a letter sent to the judgeay latshe wrote that the president is "the only person who is truly motivated to ensure that the privige is properly invoked and applied." the u.s. attorney said that proposal "would set a dangerous precedent." for his part, mr. cohen's own attorney's argued in court thatr the judge should appoint an independent "special master" tog sort ththe files "to ensure the public's confidence in the 'appearancof fairness.' prosecutors say cohen is the target of an ongoing criminal investigation, in part because of a $130,000 dollar payment he made to adult film star stephanie clifford-- also known as "stormy daniels"-- so sher would keep heleged affair with donald trump secre daniels and her attorney were in the courtroom today as well >> woodruff: in the day's other news: at least seven inmates died at a prison in southst

caleolina after a pitched ba that lasted most of the night.ig one inmate said bies were, "stacked on top of each other".t it happened at a maximum security facility in bishopville, where gang members fought each other with homemade knives.au horities say most of the dead wre stabbed or beaten to death. 17 other prisonee seriously injured. >> what we belve from the w initial investigation is that this was all about territory.wa this is about contraband. this is about cell phones. anyou've heard us talking about these over and over againi these folks are fighting over m reey and real territory while incarcerated. >> woodruff: at least 20 inmates have been killed in south carolina prisons since the start of last year. the head of the envirmental protection agency, scott pruitt, faces new questions tonight. the government accountability office reported today that the s e.p.a. illegalnt $43,000 on a soundproof communications booth for pruitt's use.

he's already under fire overfi t-class flights and a bargain condo lease linked to an energy lobbyist. meanwhile, an inspector general's report found interior secretary ryan zinke could have avoided taking a $12,000 charter flight las year. a powerful spring storm moved out of the northeast and mid- ainantic today after lea heavy snow and damage across a wide swath of the nation. severe wind blasted damagedre >> ily looked like a war zone, and we have to remember that people are living these conditions. today, today everybody is grateful jtt to be alive as we are grateful that they are alive. they are going to be living under some very difficult conditions for a very long time.

>> woodruff: to the north, the system dumped two feet of snow in wisconsin and minneso over the weekend, and broke records for april snowfall all across the upper midwes in china: the widely used microc blog site "weibo" has reversed its decision to censor gay content, after a public backlash. the company initially said the cracown was a response to tough cyber-security laws. now, it says it willainly focus on removing pornographic and violent material. president trump is working to fill more vacancies on the seven-member federal reservebode d. he's tapped richard clarida, a professor at columbia university, to be the fed's vice chairman. he also nominated kansas bank commissioner michelle bowman too ill a spot reserved for both nominations require senate approval. r wall street's week is off to a good start.he ow jones industrial average gained nearly 213 points today to close at 24,573

the nasdaq rose 49 points, and the s&p 500 added 21. the 2018 pulitzer prize winnersu are out, and they're dominated by reporting on sexualnd mist and the russia investigation.l thhe new york times" and the "new yorker" wopublic service prize for coverage of the harvey weinstein scandal that galvanized the "me-too" movement. the "times" also won, along with "the washington post,"or investigating russia's meddling in the 2016 election. in the arts: rapper kendrick lamar's album "damn" took the music prize. he's the first non-classical or jazz artist to win. and, andrew sean greer's novel "less" won the prize for fiction. ill to come on the "newshour," how revelations from the former f.b.i. director affect the ongoing investigations surrounding the president.ur the situion in syria following the weekend's bombing campaign by western allies.

inside the musical culture of the tuareg people of mali, and much more. od >> ff: as we reported earlier, new revelations made by former f.b.i. director james comey have stirred thee president's ire on twitter. but ewd they reveal anything about the potential legalut trouble mr. trump could face? for that, we're joined by chuck rosenberg who twice served as a u.s. attorney, and also as a senior f.b.i. official, under both former f.b.i. directors robert mueller and james comey. welcome back to the program. you've now had a chance to read james comey's book. what was your overall reaction? >> well, i did have a chance to read the book. i read it cover to cover this weekend. couple of different reactions. one, it's exceedingly well written. ates story well told.

two, i don't think there are velots of new rtions in it and, by that, i mean, for thega case that mueller and his team might be building against the president orui others. then one other thing i think i should add, it's a little bit unusual to have witnesses oute as publicly as jim comey is out there now speaking and writing. normally aw prosecutor -- and in was one for aong time -- would caution a witness against that, but j isn't an ordinary witness, and i'm sure the mueller team alreadynows his story backwards and forwards.rd >> woodruff: i want to ask you about that, chuck rosenberg because there are a fair amount of comment about the fact that n james comey only make observations in this book and the number of intervis he doing on television -- in fact we welcome him in an interviewho on the "ner" next week -- but he's making what we inna josm call editorial comments, he's commenting on the president, he thinks he's unfit

for office, and some pretty strongly negative comments about the president.nt that? dyou make of is that an appropriate thing for the former f.b.i. director to do? >> well, is unusual, judy, there's no question about that. it's a book and not a legalb ef, and, so, while, normally,ma you wouldn't expect an f.b.i. director or form f.b.i. director to do that, i understand it becausee' also telling a story, and when you tell a story, to bring in your reader, you add some color, you add observations.a legal brief wouldn't sell very well. i suspect thisw bookl.l. >> woodruff: and in connection with that there's been real pushback. the white house is saying this is juste an effort to sell his. boo the president has used strong language, called him aim s ball. what do you make of this? he's basically gotten himself into a new war with the president. >> yeah, those terms are deeply, deepun unfoe, and i don't

think they befit the office of the president. look, i'll s this, i've phone jim comey for 25 years, a a friend, a colleague, as a boss. he hasis faults, we all do. he has flaws, we all do. he can be stubborn, he can be shead strong, he a healthy ego, but in 25ar i have never -- i should repeat never -- known m to tell anything but the truth. he's a truth teller, and that's what i see in the book. stories i already knew because i lived through them wh him and stories that i learned in reading it, but i've never known him to d b anything tell the truth. >> woodruff: and i gather fromnd what you're saying chuck rosenberg that you don't see anything in here in either what he's saying in interviews or the book that's going to change the trajectory of the mueller investigation? >> i really don't. i mean, there's>> a legal campaign, and that will be waged by agents and prosecutors on one si and defense counsel on the other, and then tre's a p.r.

campaign and, obviously, being waged by, young ow, media folks and pundits and analysts and the like. but if you're looking at the legal campaign, no, i think it changes anything. again, we don't normally want our witnesses out talking publicly. >> woodruff: right. i get that. but i don't think it anges the trajectory of the investigation or the case. >> woodruff: all right, dierent development today in a new york city federal courtroom, michaelohen, one of president trump's personal attorneys in court, in essencefe protestinral agents comingal into his home, into his offices last week raiding, taking materials. what was that hearing all about, ancan you explain to us whatt the judge's ruling decision was afterwards? i hope so. so, essentially, the cohen team wanted to stop the prosecutors and the investigators fromth reviewing ag that wass taken from his office. the prosecutors had set up a syst, we always do, where a

privilege review team would look first athe stuff and decideec whether or not it is attorney-client privilege.en if it isn't, they can essentially throw it over the transom to the inveigative team. mr. cohen and his attorneys asked the judge to stop the process and the judge said she would not.d the judge did say we have to think about how it's going to look going forward, whether orng gnot they're jung to let the prosecutors and privilege review team do th wk, whether she'll appoint a special master, somebody beholden the court, to do that work.rk to be determined on the pocess d the details. but essentially, mr. cohen's team lost, the case will proceed and thew of the privilegedri documents will take place in some fashion. s >> woodruff: a lot of emes that set of procedures. chuck rosenberg, thank you very> much. > thanks for having me.haha it's a privilege.

a>> woodruff: now, to syr s the aftermath of the air-strikes launched by the u.s., unitedki dom, and france to punish assad regime's alleged use ofl chemiapons. as lisa desjardins reports, the military have renewed questionsd about prential war-making powers. >> reporter: pentagon video>> shows the hail of missilesea stking toward syria on friday s night. their target: three chemical research and production facilities in damascus and homs. satellite pictures displayed satellite pictures displayed the sites hit: here, before the launch-and then after they were leveled by at an unrelated event in florida today, the president described the strike as a success. >> they didn't shoot one, yy now, you heard they shot 40 down, then they shot 15 down, then they, what, then i call, ie

say did t and they say, "no, sir, every single one hit its target."y think of it.wa not onshot >> reporter: meanwhie, a fact- finding team from the organization for the prohibition d chemical weapons arrive damascus over the weekend. it's on a mission to determine the chemical used in this month's attack on the suburb of douma that left dozens dead. but as of today, the team saidto syria and russia were blocng them from entering the area. te o.p.c.w. called an emergency meeting at the hagay, and britain's ambassador to the netherlandcalled on the syrianed government and its russian backers to give the inspectors the access they need. >> we see no reason why they should not be able to get to duma and carry out the investigation as soon as s possible.te >> reporr: the u.s. representative to the t

inspectors' group said there are indications that russian teams went into douma already.re russian n minister sergei lavrov told the bbc that there was no evidence of chemical weapons in doumaand denied, suggestions that russia had tampered with the site. >> there is no proof that on april 7 chemical weapons were used in douma. frankly speaking all thee evideich they quoted was t based on media reports and on social networks. >> reporter: but in the house of commons, british prime ministerp theresa may said russia was covering up the attack. this as washington apparently prepared to fire another economic salvo at moscow. u.n. ambassador nikki haley spoke sunday of new sas on russian firms the u.s. believes helped syria's chemical weaponss program. but "the washington post" reported this afternoon that mr. trump was not yet ready to impose the sanction and had s ordered a delay. the air-strikes came weeks after

president trump said he wantsta the u.s. miliry out of syria entirely.il french president emanuel macron yesterday that he'd "convinced" president trump to maintain a presence in syria. but he walked back those commes today. >> ( translated ): we have one military objective in syria, and one alone: the war against isis >> reportite house spokeswoman sarah sanders said today the president still wants to bring troops home from syria, but there's no timeline-- yet-- for their exit. >> there was no opposition to using military force.mi a group of bipartisan senators unveiled a bilto rewrite current oppositions used in iraq nd i.s.i.s. i'm joined by one of the bill's co-sponsors cris kountze of delaware.

looking ov the outline of you bill, it does not deal specifically with syria but wth the fight against terrorism and iraq. i want to ask you about the air trikes against syria.. do you believe the president haa ththority, were those lawful air strikes last week? >> well, this is a grey area, lisa, and one of the reaso i've engagedns in moving forward with this bipartisan bill that inters corker and cain are leadingye is to trito reassert some of congress' authority and responsibility in the taking of military action. it's been now 17 years since the 9/11 strikes at the led to the 2001 thorlings for the use of military force, and i think those initial authorizations from 2001 and 2002 against afghanistan and iraq and against taliban and al quaida have beenn soaks tended and so overused by both the bush and obama administrations tattooed theye ar no long timely and

relevant and, so, it's long past time due for the united states congress to step up and take our role in crafting an amf that fits our current situation. it is not clear to me that trump has a plan for ourrwath frd in syria or that these strikes were appropriatelyho azed. >> and we should mention weo reached outhe white house to invite them or someone from the white house toea aon the program. they didn not supply someone bt plan to have the voice on the show soon. we have been talking about this a long time au i know want congress to ring in here but can we talk about the balanceof power more globally? why has congress, it seems, almost given full pow to the president and in essence has the congress no longer any sayti esselly and let presidents do what they want with theth military? >> well, this has been a long time coming, since the 1970s, in militaryon afterr nelitary action, president after

president has dmore and more to skirt around congress' role, and congress has not reasserted itself. in 2001 and 2002, congress stepped up and passedau horizations that were specific to the conflict in afghanistan and iraq, but since thenve not acted. late in president obama's administration, i worked to tryy and persuade whit house counsel and the president to work with the then democratic majority in the senate to try and replace the 2001aumf but was unsuccessful. senator cain led these effortsor in the democratic caucus and i hope we'll have adebate and vote in the foreign relations committee in the weeks ahead.. i thnk we owe no less to the men and women of our armed forces currently carrying out missions around the world and in think we owe it to the americanr people to be cabout what role congress is going to take and for us to take some responsibility which we frankly

haveallowed to slip from our grasp over the many years since the 2001 beginning of the global war on terror. >> senator, this conversation office centers around the middle st, syria afghanistan, iraq, but you spent a lot of time inc af you know the united states has at deploys drones, is involved in military actionn dozens of countries around the world. where is the line?in should, for irotance strikes be something congress approves briefly?es >> i think this is exactly whywe eed to have this debate is because last year when four american soldiers tragicallydi were lost in the line of duty in niger in west africa, i think many american senators were unaware americans were engagedng in a train and equip mison in west africa. a there are members of the intelligence committee, thed ll arrvices committee who doo stay up to date on this and i do as well on foreignat rns, but there are many others who

don't. i think it's long past time for us to debate where we are engaging in militaryct anddu what kind. >> you've proposed a bill to limit the president's ability to fire special counsel mueller on a differentll topic, the russia investigation. >> yes. what is your concernve there? ell, republican senator tom tillerson, lindsey graham joined with corey burke and me in introduce ago bipartisan bill.il pe are hopeful it gets marked next week in the judiciary committee. i think given the wa president trump has been tweeting more aggressively, challenging robert mueller's special counsel investigation, it's no longer a question of i but when he will try to take an action to restrict on the otherc hand the inveigation, whether by firing rod rosenstein or directly trying to interfere with the investigation. current justpa disment regulations prohibit that but i am concerned given recent

developments the president mayt act abruptly.ab seen your republican senatorss said that would be the end of the trump presidency, and i'm looking to find a vehicle tons allow republiand democrats to work together to make it just a bit harder for the presidentn to act in abrupt and inappropriate way. this bill would allow tec l counsel, if fired, to go to a three-judge panel and allow them to determine that if he was fired inappropriately, he would, be allowed to resume the investigation. >> senator chris kountze of delaware, thank you. >> thank you. na woodruff: we turn to mali, the west africaon that's home to over a half a million tuareg people. th are an ethnic group th has controlled the trade routes in the sahara desert-- thatde spans northern mali-- for almost 2000 years.e but areg have nevereg

enjoyed significant political power, channeling their frustrations into a usical culture. special correspondent monica villamizar went to have at listen. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: ahmed kaidy says>> that the tuareg people have utalways been warriors, bhe traded his rifle for a guitar. >> ( translated ): it's a music of resistance, it'soetry for a people that have plenty of things to say. we sing about how we havesu fered through politics, through racism against us and our ancestors from the desert, we say we are here, don't forget us. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the 42 year oldeg r tuarpent the first half of

his life as a soldier for libya's infaus dictator, muammar gaddafi. thousands of tuareg like kaidy were paid to uproot themselves, move to libya and fight for africa's outspoken ruler. but after gaddafi was killed in 2011 during the early days of the arab spring nearly 30,000 tuareg made the journey south from libya back to mali. ♪ ♪ ahmed kaidy says the tuareg are the masters of the sahara, t navigati dunes only by following the stars, surviving in one of earth's most inhospitable places.h' and their music reflects this experience of traveling the dest. >> ( translated ): it follo r ththm of the camels walking, like hmmmmmmmmmm.me

it's like a trce. you are alone with the camels, and you hum to the rhythm of the camel. it's like a trance that helps you make the long journey aheada and you are alone, no one to talk to.y ♪ ♪ >> repter: tuareg culture became known in the west thanks to music, and the so called,eg tublues. ♪ ♪ every year music bands gathereda esert festival outside the fabled city of timbuktu. even western singers-- like u2's bono-- flocked there buhefor the last five years, festival has been ccelled after violence ripped through northern mali.i. by janua, 2012, a tuarega militia began to fight for

independence from mali, and its own tuareg nation. guns from libya fueled a revolution led by bilal ag sherif. but al qaeda used those same guns, and hijacked the revolutio all of mali became a battleground. then, french troops landed to stop the islamists in 2013; ands u.n. peacekeepers soon followed. a cease-fire with the tuareg was signed so, bilal ag sheriffsn't feel safe here in his own country under the peace accord.n the u.n. troops or malian army must protect him, but he doesn't trust them fully and his security and bodyguards aree tuareg. hi mister bilal how are you? >> before 100 years, the tuareg controlled their areas.nt befre colonial period. they are the masters of their countries. but the situation changed totally.

this is why there is always revolutions and resistance so i think today i will hope in 100ears we will never have tuareg who is thinking ty are the second class in their countrie >> reporter: ag cherif says the majority of his people stil dream of a tuareg state, but not all leaders agree. fahad ag al mahmoud blames the tuareg rebellion for unleashingh the chaos that turned northern mali into a conflict zone. >> the rebellion that started on 01 ( translated ): the rebellion that started on really hurt the tuareg. today terrorist groups are the masters of the terrory. we are dominated by outsiders in our own land. >> reporter: ag cherif would like to incorporate tuareg fighters into thmalian army,e to help remove al qaeda and isis frm the north. many tuareg have fled the violent sahara abandoning their nomadic way of life.c there aren't any tourists

joining the camel caravans or visiting the bustling markets of timbuktu. 600 miles south is the capital whe many are trying to relocate and build a new life. c bamako, tital of mali, is a world away for the tuareg people. there is a river, and its humid, and they are desert people, so for them life here is completely different to what they are used to. fadata walet is getting herdi ancient instruments rey. her mostly female group named tartit makes the instrumentshe they play.♪ ♪ the band used to tourev constantly performingg internationally, but times are tough. >> ( translated ): since the rebellion and the war in 2012, we don't go on tour. i don't know if its because it's a traditional music oneda by older people, or if its because of the crisis.

♪ ♪ >> reporter: to make ends meet,a fadimata's plays weddings.. and also.ivorces. tuareg culture is matriarchal so when a woman divorces it isrc cause for celebration. >> ( anslated ): even if i physically here my mind and soul are in the desert, i always need to live and think of going back to the desert if i'm in new yori or washington i think of myin native villaghe middle of the desert sitting on a large sand dune, theri am in peace, no phones or anything, i sleep perfectly well there. ♪ ♪>> eporter: fadimata says she>> remembers the days when the lyrics to tuareg music functioned like a newspaper, and people learned about current events through song.

♪ ♪ >> ( translated ): our culture has tendency to disappear, that's why i formed this group of women who spreagetheir mesround the world. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: today fadimata and her band play to only our camera as the niger river bears witness. b for the pbs newshouronica villamizar in bamako, mali. >> woodruff: last week twoam africaican men were arrested in a downtown s philadelphrbucks. amna nawaz looks at how theth esattle-based coffee chain is struggling to adthe outcry on social media and elsewhere.

>> reporter: thatutcry built to a crowd of protestors at that particular starbucks, today, unmoved by c.e.o. kevinby johnson's apologies and call for "unconscious bias"raining fors" employees. all this after video of last thursday's incident went viral.h clip shows police officers confronting two black men seate inside the starbucks as they wait for a third guest. the store manager reportedly called police after the men asked to u the bathroom, without buying anything first. minutes of calm conversation follow. other patrons can be heard police officers eventually handcuff both men and force them to leave. starbuck's kevin johnday called the arrests "reprehensible," and vowed to make surehis did not happen again. for more on this i am joined byl elphia city councilman kenyatta johnson, who represents the district where the starbuc store is located.. councilman johnson, thank you for your time aan welcome. i to begin by asking you, now, since you have met with a number of people involved ing

this incident, why do you believe that it ended upis in t way? >> well, you know, first and foremost, councilman of a very diverse district, but we also represent theck star in my district. i want to make sure, as aon council pehat no form of racial bias or racial profiling is accepted, and, so, we called a press conference today tos addr this issue and to denounce the recent arrest of the two african-american young men who were arrested after waiting while being black in the starbucks cafe and as we move forward we want to make sure starbucks have come up with a plan to specifically address the issue of diversity and inclusion as well a addressing t issue of racial awareness when it comes to how their businss operates. >> councilman, you've now spokev to a number of people invved. you've now seen a lot more than

most of us who have only seen the video.e do you believe these men are the victims of raal bias? >> yes. you know, everyone knows that starbucks brand is you can come there, use theirwi-fi and, in that environment, you know v meetings, you know, and take a moment and take care of your day-to-day business while you're inside of their particular store. that'slways been their particular brand. in this particular case, you have two african-american young men. they're not dressed in suits, they're in rittenhouse square, which is a high-income area in the city ofiladelphia, andla the person who actually callede the police, i believe,n overreacted, we had the interaction with these young when who said they were waiting for someone to come meet with them, and that resulted in her calling the cops, which resulted in the unnecessary arrest of the two african-american men. so a lot of people in my district are in outrage, a lot

of people in my district want aners, but most importantly they want to make sure we continue to hold starbucks accountable. >> the first reaction from starbucks was rather tepid policy, the backlash grew and a more robust statement followed by a video statement from kevin johnson in which he said this -- >> these two gentlemen did not >> these two gentlemen did not deserve what happened and we are accountae. i am accountable. now, going through this, i'm goingo do everything i can to ensure it is fixed and never happens again. heether that is changes to policy and the practice, additional store managerud training inng training around unconscious bias, and we will address this. >> councilman johnson, are you satisfied with starbucks response? >> not at all. n you knowst l, i work with several major corporations in ao variety of different aspects regardingng organi for wages,

for low-income individuals, and tknow howis game works. we need to see more than just lip service. we need an actioni plan that specifically goes toward racial sensitive training, also campaigning and letting the people here in the city of philadelphia know that anyone i welcome to come to the arbucks cafe without fearing any type of racial or social bias perspective when itmes to individuals hanging out or coming to frequent and patronize thiro business. it's totally unacceptable. people are in outrage, and we have to continue toe sure that they aren't just giving an apology. we want an action plan to actually address this issue. >> you mentioned the manager who ly first called the police to the scene has now reportedly been removed from the store pending an investighaion. isthe standard to which you as councilmen will hold other businesses in your

district, that they shouldhe remove employees who exhibitana kind of racial bias? >> absolutely. i would go further to say if the evidence shows they've exhibited some sort of racial bias, they should be fired, to be frank with you, because, at the end of the day no one should feel in 2018 any form of racial discrimination regardless of then backgr lifestyle or and most importantly thei race.c this is totally unacceptable and yoarbucks must be held accountable and b issuing an apology, beyond removing then lady, we need to have an action plan to make sure there's racial sense thetiviraining for the employees, we need to make sure people in philadelphip know f racial awareness campaign in starbucks that anyone can come to starbucks and feel welcome without feel that they will be kicked out based upon their race, creed orolor. >> philadelphia councilmann kenyatta johnson, thanks for

your time. >> thanks for having me here today. f: >> woodrpresident trumpde might be in florida, but the political drama resonated today from washington to new york, and beyond. here to discuss all that, it's t time for politics monday with tamara keith of npr, and amy walter of "the cook political report." welcome to you both, politics donday. so, tam remarks t know if you call itr political drama or something else, but james comee former f.b.i. director is make quite a tour after his book came out a few days ago. what do you make of the reading and talking? >> so i think what stands out, especially from the interview last night which he did, wch s an hour-long special on abc and the a interviews followin a the reaction to it is this is the james comey everyone

remembers. this is someone who democrats d are still very mad about what he did in the leadup to the election, republicans still don't like him andpu they aren'' going to like what he's saying about president trump, and he is this remarkably polarizing figure who sort of puts himselfs at the center of it and says that he made these decisions all out of the same sense of principle and higher purpose. but while we are right back in 2016-2017 all over again. >> it is. it's like we cannot let the 201o elego. g much to have the interview was a rehash of the016 campaign and decisions made during that campaign so it feels, yes, there is a little bit of, like, gosh, we can never get this out of our system. the other pieces, there reallyt wasything new in here. you didn't see or hear anything from these interviewsor the

excerpts from this book that suggests that there is a newc piece of evid that he held back in talking about publicly, think this is important, that he could say definitively that there is something ilhagalo the president has done that would put him in jeopardy. he also, of course, went on to say i don't think he should be impeached. >> right. so i think, if there's anything that was new,t might have been that. >> he expressed strong views about the president, said he's not fit for office, but, you're right, weed intervihuck rosenberg earlier in the program that worked for james comey and says ianon't think this s the mueller investigation in any way. in connection, though, tam, with the mueller investigation, today in federal courtroom, new york city, one of the president's lawyers, michael cohen was there to try to pull back some of that material that federal agents raided his offices to take las week. a lot of eyes were on that t courtroom because stormy daniels, the porn adult film star was there in the courtroom

r,th her law but are we -- where are we in that whole drama? it is drama.ra it feels like law and order presidential unit or something. it is very muchid a dramatic lawyerlalso a representing the president of the united states arguing th, because of attorney-client privilege, he should be able to get the first bite at the applen all this evidence. my understanding is the judge was not receptive to that argument. you then fidael cohen had to name who his clients were. he says he has three clients -- one is the president, one this big g.o.p. donor who had to withdraw from being on the finance committee, and the other is sean hannity the fox news personality who sin tweeted saying, well, i never paid cohen anything. it is perplexing.s and if what hannity is saying is true, that actually helps thenm

govt's case because theec government is arguing that cohen didn't really functn as an attorney and, thus, shouldn't have attorney-client privilege.i >> woo and these are the three people whose papers were taken, the documentstaereen related to conversations. >> that'ste right, and now there is aebate over is he a client or somebody who just talked on the phone and had conversations withch mel cohen, was it privilege or not, and it feels like a reality show. had the writers told you coming out of this court date with michael cohen with was going to with the revelation that he is advising one of the strongests support the president who goes on television with the show that is ver sportive of the president. i mean, in some way, i guess it's not shocking, but it really was shocking, of all the people who say this was my secret plan -- >> woodruff: it qualifies. the big reveal in this episode was a surprise.r >> woodruff: the u-turn, aur coupl of polls came out, can't

go too many weeks without pollst showing, tam, greater enthusiasm this yearo seedemocrats elected than rest. of course, the poll is always a snapshot, we always say that, but it is part of a trend we're seeing this year? >> yeah, and democrats, they are in some ways, democratic voters, it doesn't matter who thee candidll be, they arell going to the polls in november to make a statement about president trump, whereas republican voters,pu president trump has to convince th go to the polls to make a statement in support of him, oherwise they're trying get them to be excited about the the tax legislation, try to get voters excited about the economy which is chugging aong, but for democrats is pretty simple, it's a protest. n yeah, it's always b b challenge for democrats in an off-year election because republicans, just the kind of voters who identify as republica, a little bit older, more white voters turn out t

vote in mid-term elections than more diverse, younrelectorate that vote in a presidentialnt election, so democrats are always trying to get the younger voters tooteir base come out in a midterm. what's happening now, tam's exactl right, they're coming out -- that base is coming out at a rate that republicans haven't seen in quite some time. so it's not en that republicans -- they haven't faced that. that republicans aren'going to turn out to vote, they absolutely can turn out to vote but that may not be atough because more demo are going to turn out than traditionally do in a mid-term year, then we have to see what independents do. they have been sour on thede president now pretty much universalsly from the beginning of his presidency.si is that going to translatento votes in the election? we would suggest yes. all the special elections andt mid-term elections, the off-term elections, this democratic enthusiasm has shown up by about eight points. >> we only haveo seven months to analyze this and we

will have to do it every day, all day long.ng love it. amy walter, tamara keith, thank you both. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: as we reported earlier, recipients of ther, pulitzer prize were announcedpu today, and they included winners in literature, music, and the arts. jeffrey brown is with us from boston to run through some ofh them. >> woodruff: hi, jeff. j >> brown: hi, judy. w >> woodrufner in music, big surprise,ar kendrick lma >> brown: that is a really big prize, ju. the pulitzer prize in music has almost always gone to someone in theorld of contemporary, classical music.si twice it has gone to some jazzt greats, at didn't even happen till 1997, the firstnt marcellus and in

2007warnack coleman.le but now we hav kendrick lamar from the world of popular musicd one, rap music, which has never happened before. so it's quite inresting. there's no question about he'ss bona fide as one of the great wordhs smi and popular music day, but it is to think about the value of the mus and what's being honored. it's quite new. an analogy is bob dylan winning the nobel prize a couple of years ago. he was getting the prize for literature as a poet but he was a musician. kendrick is doing music but this is new for the pulzers. >> i. >> woodruff: i'm a fan of kendrick lamar, so good for him. there were other winners,c egories.

tell us about those. t >> brown: the winner many poetry was frank, a renowned elder statesman at this point. and he won for his called half light, and it's collected poems. and, so, this is clearly honoring him for many decades of wonderful work. he's best known for his dramatic nologues, longer poems in which he sort of uses a dramatat character. sometimes a real character, and puts it into poetic form. the winner in nonfiction, sme of our "newshour" viewers will remember james foreman, jr., it's for long locking up our own, about crime and punishment in america, and very timely look at many kinds of issues, particularly around race involving involving involving the criminal justice system. in theof world biography,

prairie fires, caroline frazier, the biography of laura i think think -- laura ingalls wyleer, about the american west and the prairie. >> woodruff: these pulitzers extend beyond journalism to so many areas of culture and our life. james brown, thank you. >> brown: thanks,fe judy. >> woodruff: nell so vile talks about the culture of harassment that plagued her industry.in hnight she shares tonight she shar humble opinion on why-- even with what seems like safety in numbers-- it's still hard for women to speak out. >> reporter: oh, yeah, me, too. recently, i shared my storyst about being sexually manipulatew by a bon i was just starting my career as a tv

comedy writer. was in my twenties. he was in his forties.s. now i'm in my fifties. three decades later, gong public has stirred up a lot of fresh emotions. still, when a friend recentlynd asked me, "aren't you happ" about the me too movement?" i was thrown. happy? of course, i feel relief and satisfaction that women o can are raising their voices andnd naming names. but happiness doesn't really factor into this. with all the toppling of famous directors, actors and anchors, you may think it's easier now to speak out about this. nope. hollywood is still a place where if a powerful person behavesia inapproly and you call them on it, somehow you pay the ice. which reminds me of an old jewish joke: there's a terrible pogrom in the shtetl. all the villagers are rounded up by thcossacks and lined up against a wall for the firing squad. the rifles are cocked, and the head cossack says, "before we

open fire, does anyone have any last requests?" one of the villagers raises his hand timidly and says, "as a matter of fact, i do." his neighbor leans over and whispers, "shh, don't make trouble!" we're conditioned to see the world through the eyes of thepl pin power even when our backs are up against a wall. by standing up for ves, somehow we get branded as the troublemakers. shh, we're not. writer zora neale hurston observed: "if you are silent about your pain, they'll killan yosay you enjoyed it." as difficult and as awkward as speaking out can be, those who can, should. it's our responsibility to sopo manwho can't. and i don't agree with those who say that it's time for male colleagues to "shut up and listen." just the opposite. we need men to add their voicesd to ours. they can also help by sharing

salary information and letting us know about job opportunities. they can hire women and promote them. ned the next time, a woman makes a request and somhispers," shh, don't make trouble," i t hope sls them, "i'm not making trouble. i'm ming progress." >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> and by bnsf railway.

>> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial litecy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peacefulrd world. more information at macfound.org >>tnd with the ongoing supp as these institutions >> this programade possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to yourbs station from viewers likyou. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llcws c media access group at wgbh media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.orgne

welcome to the future. pbs digital. elyse: we're the history detectives, and we're going to investigate some untold stories from america's past. this week, is this mysterious marker in southern texas connected to the birth of the legendary american cowboy? gwendolyn: does tres poster hold a st about escape artist harry houdini and his desperate attempts to speak to the dead? wes: and can this flag take to one of the darkest days in u.s. histor t the murder of presiden william mckinley? [ gunshots ] elvis costello: ♪ watchin' the detectives ♪ get so angry when the teardrops start ♪ ♪ but he can't bes ounded 'cause he't no heart ♪