captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a moment of crisis. protests and clashes with police intensify in cities across the country. then, president trump's trips to houses of worship spark further controversy. we explore how to respond in this time of turmoil. plus, we explore the use of national gua troops, and how some police forces across the nation have become more militarized. all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour.

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fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> 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. thank you. >> woodruff: the united states has nobeen buffeted by a full week of protests over police killings of black americans. it began with thdeath of george floyd in minneapolis. amid all this, a new storm swirls around president trump. amna nawaz begins our coverage. >> nawaz: in washiton, d.c. today, demonstrations in the shadow of a shrine. >> i'm here to lend my voice to this moment, to affirm that black lives matter, that george

floyd's life mattered, and that countless black men and women who lost their life to police brutality, racism, violence, lives' mattered. >> nawaz: following a brief visit this morning from president trump, outside the national basilica, police on one side of the line, protesters on the other. >> today, i'm out here with some friends who don't necessarily look like me, but we attend the same church. and largely, i feel that they've been silent. and i want to stand with them and help them to use their voice at this time, to show our community that they really care. >> nawaz: the relative calm. in stark conast to just 24 hours ago... and an extraordinary scene in the nation's capitol... ( chanting "i can't breathe" ) ...when police officers and national guard units marched towards peaceful protestors, deploying gas and physical force to clear a path for president trump to make this walk, from the white house to st. john's episcopal church, for this photo opportunity.

all this unfolded as protests in washington, d.c. continued into the night, calling for an end to police violence against black americans. groups out past the citywide 7:00 p.m. curfew were met with a heavy police presence, including smoke canisters, rubber bullets, and military helicopters hovering low-- a show of force, disperse the crowd. on one d.c. block, police officers boxed in a group of protesters. homeowner rahul dubey, who described hearing bangs and his eyes burning from the smoke on his block, opened his doors to those demonstrators. >> you're the ones keeping us in this house. are you leaning up on my-- why are you touching my door? i can hear you just fine this way. no, i can, i can. >> nawaz: on cnn this morning, washington, d.c. mayor muriel bowser responded to the use of force in her city. >> we don't think that the active duty military should be used on american streets against americans. >> nawaz: across the country

overnight, the mostly-peaceful demonstrations were marred by pockets of looting and violence. in las vegas, a police officer is on life support after what the sheriff described as two protest-related shootings. four other officers were shot in st. louis, but are expected to recover. in new york city, after a massive peaceful march in the afternoon, hundreds were arrested after businesses were looted last night, and three officers injured after being hit by a car. and in richmond, virginia last night, officers tear gassed demonstrators before the city's curfew had gone into effect. >> i'm done being silent! >> nawaz: mayor levar stoney today faced a wave of frustration and fear, like from this little girl, who said she was afraid being tear-gassed. >> the system hasn't worked for us-- hasn't worked for anyone who looks black or brown. and we asked you tgo into our streets and do that yesterday. and people were tear-gassed.

that was wrong. and i-- i will march with you, i will stand with you, i will be with you. >> nawaz: one week after the death of george floyd in minneapolis police custody, local leaders across the nation are grappling with how to meet their communities' concerns and calls for reform, and how to manage their response so demonstrations remain peaceful. today, even federal officials are divided. republican senator tom cotton of arkansas today echoed president trump's calls for greater use of force, and his threat to send in the active-duty military, saying in a statement that "violent anarchists and insurrectionists were once again allowed to rule the streets last night in too many cities. the only way to end this insurrection is the overwhelming display of force." republican senator lindsey graham, of south carolina, however, called this moment a "wake-up call" to the fact that black men are disproportionately

killed by police in the u.s. >> we need to get a grip on it, in terms of order in the streets. but the overwhelming issue for us is, after you stop the rioting, which we will, what are you going to do about the problem that led to the protes >> nawaz: and democratic senator cory booker, of new jersey, condemned the president's actions in no uncertain terms. >> what this president did was to make a mockery of our civil rights. i say ours. i was not there in that park, but ery one of us should wish we were there. and i'm telling you right now, if donald trump wants to gas someone next time, start right here. >> we will not allow any president to quiet our voice. >> nawaz: in an address from philadelphia, the presumptive democratic presidential nominee, former vice president joe biden, decried president trump's rhetoric for ramped-up force. >> the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to position their government for

redresof grievances. that's kind of the central notion of the building of this country. mr. president, that's america. that's america. not horses rising up on their hind legs to push back peaceful protests. not using the american military to move against the american people. >> nawaz: and those protests continued today-- from bethesda, maryland, to hollywood, california. and back to where they began in minneapolis, minnesota, where once again, a community gathered to remember george floyd. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz. >> woodruff: this evening former president george w. bush issued a statement saying, "it is time to listen to one another," and noting that racism that claims the lives in particular of young black men needs to be addressed. he writes, "we can only see the reality of america's need by

seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised. that is exactly with we now stand. many doubt the justice of our country and with good reason." former president bush went on to say, "any solution requires consistent, courageous, and creative efforts." o=7éamiche alcindor has been out reporting around the white house yesterday and today, and she joins me now. hello, yamiche. i know you are just now a few blocks from the white house. tell us more about what you witnessed yesterday and what you're learning from your sources about how president trump thinks he's handling all of this. >> president trump is determined to show dominance over the protests that are gripping this nation, and the president yesterday enacted a surreal scene outside the white house. i was listening to the president

deliver his rose garden remarks on my cell phone. i looked up and there were officers going toward peaceful protestors. they used some sort of gas, a chemical component, possibly tear gas, that started my eyes tearing up, that started me choking. what i saw was protesters running all over the place, trying to get away from law enforcement that was showing an incredible degree of aggression. the presidt says that he wants people to understand that they can't just be everywhere that they want to be and that people should know that this government is going to be one of law and order, but park police say protesters were throwing frozen water bottles and other objects at police. i did not see that, judy. what i saw were peaceful protestors gathering. of course, i learned later that the president did that to clear the streets so he could take a walk to the church. the church bishop who oversees that church says he was outraged that president trump did that and he knew it was a photo op. the white house is saying it's wrong to call it a photo op,

but, of course, president trump did walk to that church to show a bible and take pictures and walk away. the president is willing to move physically law-abiding citizens out of the way totake a walk and show the optics to the nation that he wants to show. >> woodruff: we taked to the bishop of the piss tal church a short time ago. we'll hear that in a little whitton news hour. but yamiche, you've been out there covering these protests for several days. what are you hearing from the protesters themselves? >> well, president trump has said over and over again that these protesters are largely domestic terrorists who don't want to see democracy in america, when what i've seen is americans who rdemanding change who are largely law-abiding citizens who say they want the peacefully protest and they also want a stance from

their government. a mother of four came out yesterday and said she's here because-of-the lives of her chdren. she's scared her children might be business killed by the police because they're african american or a young man who bought his son out here. he said the reason i'm here is for the first 30 years of my life and next 30 years of my son's life. >> woodruff: the president himself says he wants the see injustices corrected. what do you know about a specific plan the white house has to address policing and -- policing and some of these other issues? >> right now the president has not made clear what his plans are to deal with policing. instead today he signed an executive order. he has not so far said what he feels. yet he didn't utter those words. i know the white house might be headed up by secretary ben carson. the other thing that would

complicate the president's solution, is there are a lot of african americans and protesters who see the president as racist and don't think he has the credibility to start a conversation or to enact any sort of legislation that would help the lives of americans, including black americans, people of color, and all americans in this country. >> woodruff: sobering. yamiche alcindor reporting from just a couple of blocks from the white house tonight. thanks, yamiche. >> woodruff: with protests taking places in cities across the country, we turn to capitol hill and how the federal government can respond. republican john the is the senate majority whip. in his home state of south dakota, the national guard has been called to help disperse protests in recent days. senator thune, thank you so much for joining us. i want to start with the

president's actions yesterday in having peaceful protesters forcefully cleared out around the white house from that entire area so that he could walk over to st. john's church for a photograph. as i'm sure you know, some of your replican colleagues have been critical, including tim scott, who saidçahe should not have used tear gas for a photo op, and senator ben sase, who said he was using the bible as a political prop. are they right? >> well, i think that situation, judy, a lot of it is in the eye of the beholder. trump supporters are going to say that was a... he was showing strength and evidencing his commitment the faith and principle and obviously his detractors will say it's a photo op. i think my colleagues are coming down to different conclusions about that. i think there is some dispute about whether or not tear gas

was being used there, but nevertheless, you know, that was a decision made by the whi house and their teato do an event there. and again, everybody is going the draw their own conclusions as they usually do with this president whose tactics and ways of communicating are certainly unconventional in and in many ws unorthodox. >> woodruff: are you comfortable with the idea of law enforcement using force as we saw on video to clear out protesters and journalists out of the area so the president can walk a block over to the church? >> well, i would prefer that if people were protesting peacefully that they be allowed to continue to do that. that's what we want to encourage. now, my understanding is there was a curfew being imposed at 7:00 and people were starting to disperse anyway, but for sure if people are following the law, exercising their first amendment rights to assemble and to make their voices heard in a peaceful way, they should be allowed to do that.

so there are questions about the circumstances down there last night, but i think as a general rule, ye, people who are protesting peacefully ought to be allowed to do that. that's ctainly the kind of thing we want to encourage. >> woodruff: should president trump make remarks to the american people? right now senator, beyond what he said about i'm the law and order president? i'm asking because the "washington post" is reporting that ts is... they're saying this about the president and some of his advisers, and i'm quoting, they calculated she shouldn't speak because "he had nothing to say and no tangible policy or actions to announce." this is what the reporter learned from the white house. should the president have something to say, have something to announce right now? >> i think that the cuntry, judy, is looking for healing. they're looking for a calm voice, a reassuring ice, and i think that's the tone right now that the president needs to projected.

and sometimes, too often, when he resorts to his twitter account, he doesn't always reflect that tone. but i think that right now the thing that we ought to see, i hope you can see more of out of the president is an appreciation for the frustration, the anger, the anxiety that people are feeling, observing these events around the country, and just being willing to listen. i think more than anything else right now, people want to have their voices heard, and i think the president in a copassionate way, in a way that reflects humility and respected, should listen to people at a time like this. so i hope we see more of that out of him and out of his team in the days ahead. >> woodruff: and you do believe the president is capable of projecting calm and unifying the country? >> well, he does at times. like i said, he's... there clearly are instances and examples where the president through the way that he says things perhaps doesn't reflect or send the right message or the

right tone, but i would hope at least as we move forward and continue to deal with the aftermath of these riots and these protests that in addition to suggesting that we need to, you know, protect lawful protests and ensure that there isn't lawlessness out there, he's obviously needs to i think make sure there's order in the country, as well. but also to project the tone of the country that suggests that he understands what they're going through. >> woodruf in connection with that, senator thune, the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, just in the last couple of hours told reporters has a role to play. he said in dealing with racial discrimination and police accountability. what exactly do republicans in the senate have in mind with regard to either of these big issues? >> well, i think that's to be determined. i think what the leader was

suggesting is that we want to be a constructive force. we understand, we get it. people feel very strongly right now, and clearly many of these things have been going on fo way too long. and i think our country is ready for a period of healing. there have been some steps that have been taken in the past. you know in 2017 we passed an economic policies that i think have really enhanced the economic vitality in a lot of our minority communities in this country. criminal justice reform was something that was passed here just in the last year or so, and that was a long-sought-after reform to our criminal justice system in this country. so i think there are things that we can do. and that was very bipartisan. it was something that was advocated by people on both the right and the left. i think there are solutions like that that we ought to be looking atthat i think send a message that we recognize the frustrations and the sense of sort of helplessness that a lot of people in this country feel and the fact that not everybody

speciouses our democracy and our history and our heritage the way that many of us. those of us who have grown up in neighborhoods that didn't deal with a lot of the social unrest and economic challenge that we have in other neighborhoods in this country certainly have a lot to learn from those who have been through those experiences. i think this is a period of time when we need to listen, and if there are solutions that are meaningful, we ought to be lookingwhat we can do to find some common ground. >> woodruff: just quickly, no timetable on that? >> i don't think there's a timetable, but i think we're -- i think what the leader was suggesting is that we are open to solutions, and we want to be a constructive force for change. >> woodruff: finally, senator, i want to turn to the pandemic, which is so very much under way, people sticking getting sick, still dying, a lot of people still -- millions of americans out of work. the paycheck protection program. money that has now been dispissed to businesses, many of them have not been able to spend it yet. it has to do with a timetable

for that. time is running out before you get to the point where they will be required to spend the money. legislation out there to extend the timetable, is that going to be passed? where does that stand right now? >> well, there is a bill that originated in the house of representatives. it passed 417-1, which is awaiting action in senate. i hope we can take action on this. these are changes that need to be made. we are running up against the clock. we have to work through some objections that certain senators have. but i hope we can get there. this is a program that's been very by all accounts successful. it's kept a lot of people employed. lord knows with all the people who are unemployed right now, we want to do as much as we can to keep those jobs there, and so when the economy starts recovering and it is starting to show signs that it is, those jobs will be available some it's an important piece of legislation, and these changes that have been proposed are changes that enjoy broad

bipartisan support. there ought to be a path forward to get it done. i hope we can find that path. >> woodruff: and in the coming few day, this week? >> it would be nice if we could do hit the week. i think th there are reasons why that needs to get done as soon as possible. but as i said, it's going to -- it may take a little longer than we had hoped. we can do things in the senate. if you have unanimous consent, you can do them very quickly. unfortunately we don't have unanimous consent at the moment. >> woodruff: senator john thune of south dakota, we appreciate it. thank you very much. >> thanks, judy. nice to be with you. >> woodruff: and now we turn to another perspective, from bishop mariann budde, who leads the episcopal diocese of washington, d.c. st. john's, across from the white house, has been known as "thehurch of the presidents" for over 200 years. it was partially burned on

sunday night during the unrest, and then, yesterday evening, was the site of the photo-op by the president and some advisors. bishop budde and church leadership have derided the use of the religious site for that purpose, and for the way federal officers violently confronted protesters as the president headed to the church. and bishop budde joins us now. thank you so much for talking with us. why did you decide to speak out? >> it was a-- it was a confluence of events in the-- in the very short period of time when the images of the president following the-- the-- the dispersal of the crowds that you mentioned, following his-- extremely inflammatory to my ears-- remarks in the rose garden, and then-- and then bringing himself and his entourage into our sacred space, using it as a backdrop and holding the bible as if to put

on the mantle of religious authority or blessing of what he had-- had just said and done. and i felt it was urgent to remove that association as quickly as possible and to state our position in faithfulness to the gospel as we understand it. >> woodruff: the white house view on this, bishop budde, has been that what happened at the church the night before, the fire being set there, was unacceptable, and the president wanted to make a statement about that. >> well, he made no statement, judy. and he didn't come to pray. he didn't come to offer his condolences to the-- the grieving families that are struggling with the weight of loss in this country. he didn't offer hope or consolation, to-- to the nation in search of it. and he said nothing to the

officials there about, about the fire. it was a-- there was no conversation whatsoever. it was just simply a symbolic gesture on his part. and i have to say that even we are upset about the fire, as well, but that is not our primary focus. our primary focus is the reason behind the-- fundamental reasons behind the protests in our country right now. >> woodruff: i see today that the president's counselor, kellyanne conway, is saying for, for people to question what the president did, to call it a photo-op or a photo opportunity, is to question his faith. is that what you're doing? are you questioning the president's faith? >> now, i'm challenging his actions, and i am-- i am-- i am saying to him, and to all who will listen, that the gospel of jesus and the teachings of the scripture are antithetical to the messages that he is communicating, and the way he is responding to people in this--

in this moment, and that there is no spiritual mantle of authority for the actions that he had just moments before said that he would take. >> woodruff: you told the "washington post" yesterday, and i'm quoting, "everything this president has said and done was to inflame violence. we need moral leadership, and he's done everything to divide us." is there any way to begin to al this breach that you're describing? >> well, you know, we see examples of people attempting that across the country. the police officials and officers who are moving into the crowds to speak to them. the people who are acknowledging pain and seeking to make fundamental change for the good of the nation, and in particular fothe-- for the safety and dignity of black and brown people in this country. so, yes, there are any number of steps that any one of us can make, including the president, to heal the breach.

but it isn't it isn't by inflaming emotions. it's trying to bring them down and trying to offer a word of unity rather than rather than division. >> woodruff: and what would that look like? i mean, what-- what tangibly needs to be said and needs to be done right now, do you believe? >> well, you know, i am listening to the people that i speak to, who are making their way to protests across this country, including my own children. there is a deep desire for the fundamental issues at stake, brought to light by the murderous death of george floyd and the countless others that we've witnessed in this long string of violence against black and brown people. that, that needs to be addressed in a systemic, fundamental way in the world, from every police department in the country and the vigilante civilian actions that are taken. so that's one thing. the second thing is to address the enormous disparities that have been laid bare by this-- by

this pandemic, and to say that we will work for meaningful change. and finally, judy, to speak a word of hope to rising generations, that they do indeed have a future when so much has been taken from them so quickly. >> woodruff: how big a divide, though, bishop budde, is there inside? faith, the faith, the community of faith in this country. i was reading just a few minutes ago a commenfrom an evangelical pastor in south carolina. his name is mark burns. he said-- he said "jesus welcomes all," referring back to the president, "going to the church," that he shouldn't have needed permission to go there. in other words, saying, you know, this is a moment to welcome evyone. >> well, if the president had come to pray, if the president had come to-- to-- to greet us in the name of-- of the country and to offer our own encouraging word, that would have been one

thing. but that that's not what he did. that's not what he did. and he is always welcome to come and pray. he is always welcome to be part of the worshiping body, but not to use the mantle of the church to his political-- to-- to communicate a political message. and i think that, to me, in addition to-- in addition to steaming-- to stoke the flames of-- of anger and of-- of a punitive response to what's happening in the country, i think is short-sighted and not the moral leadership we need. >> woodruff: and one last thing. have you been in direct contact with the white house about what happened yesterday? >> i have not, and in fact, my message, and that of the church, was not directed to the president, but to the american people, and especially to those who are watching with horror of what was happening, both leading up to his remarks and

afterwards, that we wanted to separate ourselves from his message and to reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence, to justice and to the addressing of systemic racism and white supremacy in this country. and that was where our focus would be, not in speaking directly witthe president himself. >> woodruff: bishop marianne edgar budde, the episcopal bishop for the diocese of washington, d.c. we thank you so much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, federal health officials sounded new warnings that otests gripping the nation could worsen the covid-19 pandemic. dr. deborah birx, head of the white house coronavirus task force, said testing is now more vital than ever. >> i worry terribly about the

peaceful protests. i see some wearing masks; i see some others not wearing mas. and so, we are really trying to work with each of the mayors to expand testing availability over the next week or two, so that the individuals who are involved in the peaceful protests can get tested. >> woodruff: the official count of covid-19 cases in the u.s. has now passed 1.8 million, with more than 106,000 deaths. north carolina's democratic governor said today that the pandemic means the republican national convention, planned for charlotte in august, must be scaled back. in turn, g.o.p. leaders said they will begin visiting alternative cities. president trump has insisted on a full-scale convention. this was the biggest day of voting since the covid-19 pandemic began. nine states and the district of columbia held primaries, and while many voted in person, officials reported sharp increases in voting by mail.

in the democratic presidential race, former vice president joe biden could win the delegates he still needs to clinch the nomination. the united states has deported an iranian professor who was acquitted of stealing trade secrets. sirous asgari had been working with an ohio university when he was jailed in 2016. a federal judge threw out the case last fall, but asgari remained in jail, while iran and the u.s. argued over terms of his return. on wall street today, stocks rose for a third day, as investors focused on economic recovery. the dow jones industrial average gained 267 points to close at 25,742. the nasdaq rose 56 points, and the s&p 500 added 25. and, pro basketball hall of famer wes unseld has died, after a long series of health problems. he played 13 seasons for the team now known as the washington

wizards, and won the n.b.a. title in 1978. later, he served as coach and general manager. wes unseld was 74 years old. >> woodruff: now, to questions raised by last night's police >> woodruff: now, to questions raised by last night's police and national guard action outside the white house. the president has spoken of "dominating" the streets, and has said he would use the active-duty u.s. military to do so. here's john yang. >> yang: judy, under the law and under the constitution, just what role may the military play at a time of civil unrest? nick schifrin, our foreign affairs and defense correspondent, is here to walk us through that question.

first of all, nick, what has the pentagon been doing over the last several days? >> schifrin: john, defense officials say secretary of defense mark esper and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff mark milley have been coordinating with governors, trying to ensure national guard are where they are needed. in total, 18,000 national guard have deployed across 29 states and d.c. but the senior leadership have also been part of president trump's political and rhetorical response. yesterday, secretary of defense mark esper participated in the president's photo-op outside st. john's episcopal church near the white house. today, a senior defense official made the extraordinary claim that esper did not know about that photo owhen he left the white house. he only thought that the president wanted to review a police formation. also last night, mark milley walked washington, d.c., in what's called his battle dress uniform after the president said

he'd "put milley in charge." multiple former senior military officials o i talked to today, john, including those who work in the trump administration, said that milley's walk, esper's participating in the photo op and also espers telling governors yesterday to "dominate the battle space," militarizes a law enforcement issue and politicizes the military. these former officials were especially appalled, one of them used that word, at milley participating in that presidential photo op while he was in uniform. using the military as the face of a controversial policy high help politicians short-term term, but civil military experts say long term it degrades the military's respect among americans. >> yang: and nick, the president has said if cities or states can't protect life or property, that he's going to send the military in, and in his words, "solve the problem for them." can he do that? the. woods hole new york a word, yes, but he has to make a legal

argument to do so, and it's a dramatic step. remember, guardsmen from the communities where they deploy are controlled by the governors, not by the department of defense or by the president. for trump to follow through on his threat to deploy the military, either governors would have to ask for the military to be deployed, or the president has to argue that the governors cannot provide security in their own states. let's think about examples of this in u.s. history. 1992, the l.a. riots, president bush sends in the marines after the california governor requests him to do so. but in the '50s and '60s, about half dozen times presidents invoked the insurrection act because governors wouldn't enforce civil rights law. the most famous example, 1957 in it will rock when president eisenhower sends in the 101st airborne. this of course is a very, very different situation. a senior defense official td us today that the pentagon would prefer not to use any active

duty military, and to be clear, thing from says there are no active duty military responding to any of these protests, but given the presidential threat, john, there are now active duty military police outside washington, d.c., that could be deployed if they're activated. >> yang: nick, why can the president do that in washington, d.c.,? >> d.c. is not a state. in washington, d.c., the national guard reports to the secretary of the army, and therefore the president. federal police in washington, d.c., report to federal authorities. so what we saw in lafayette park yesterday when peaceful protesters were cleared forcibly so president trump could have his photo op, that was controlled by federal authorities under the direction of the attorney general, bill barr inch d.c. the president simply has power that he doesn't have in the states. so whether we're talking about federal police in d. or the threat of sending troops into states, former senior military officials who i talked to don't question the legality of these

orders, they question whether it's appropriate to use federal authority and possibly the military to target u.s. citizens who are protesting. >> yang: john, i want to expand this conversation to policing and what seems to be an increasing military england to policing. for that i'm joined by radley balko. he is the author of "rise of the warrior cop: the militarization of america's police forces." he's also an opinion journalist with the "washington post." he joins me from nashville. radl balko, welcome to the newshour. thank you very much some we're talking about what you call "the warrior cop." are we seeing the blurring of the lines between the warrior, the soldier, and the traditional police officer? >> i think we are, and it's been a continuation of a trend that we've seen since about the 1980s. you know, in this country we have a listening tradition of respecting the line between police and military, and with good reason. a soldier's job is to kill people and break things, it's to annihilate a foreign enemy. a police officer's job is to

keep the peace and protected constitutional rights. when you blur the two, when yo take a police officer and you train them like soldiers and arm them and dress them like soldiers and you tell them they're fighting a war on crime or terrorism or drugs or antifa,% your villain, we shouldn't be surprised if we see some of the images we've seen over the past few days where police officers are treating the people they serve almost like an enemy combattened rather than citizens with rights. >> woodruff: >> does it go both ways? does it change the mentality of a police officer and also the way a protester might interact with that police officer? >> absolutely. i interviewed a number of police chiefs both current and retired, and one thing that came out of e interviews, is that when you respond to protesters with these masked nameless faces that represent everything the protesters are protesting

against, not only are the protestors dehumanized in the eyes of the officers, because they've been trained to think more like soldiers, but the police officers themselveses are dehumanized in the dproo eyes of protesters. it's important i think that police chiefs, heads of police agencies try to sort of humanize both sides. i think we saw with the atlanta police chief in the video, she went out and talked to the protesters and asked what they were upset about,sked... just listened to them, took some time to listen. and i think that can go a long way toward de-escalating some of the tensions. >> and we've seen police officers even take a knee with some of the protestors and listen. and that will often diffuse the situation. we have also seen some of the opposite tactics, quite aggressive tactics from police officers against protestors. take a look at this scene in philadelphia. we saw police firing tear gas at protesters who were trapped against an embankment. police say the protestors were

violent. the protestors say they were totally peaceful. why do we see these kinds of incidents around the country do you think? >> well, i think on one sid people are angry. and on the other side, i tink you have police departments that have increasingly been kind of not only taught to think more like soldiers and approach their job like soldiers and take a very us versus them mentality to the b, but i think during the trump administration, oer the last three years, you have a president at the very top who has, you know, encouraged police brutality when speaking to police organizations who have lashed out at the media. we've seen more attacks journalists by police, direct attacks, knowing attacks over the last few days than we've seen in the last several years. so i do think, you know, these kinds of protests have happened obviously over and over again in our country's history. the reactions have often been sort of aggressive and militaristic. but i do think what we're seeing

now is it seems particularly aggressive and i also think the targeting of journalists, at least on this sort of scale, something we haven't seen before. >> promedia organizations say there have been dozens if not more than 100 attacks, police attacking journalists. we're also seeing the militarization of the police in terms of what they wear. you mentioned the trump administration making different rhetorical decisions is also a policy change. after ferguson, the obama administration curtailed some of the military equipment that police officers could purchase. have those purchases grown since the trump administration allowed more police departments to buy, purchase military equipment? >> so the program you're talking about is the 1033 program. by the time the obama administration rolled it back, it was almost kind of a symbolic move bause a lot of police groups were getting their equip from dhs and through other programs.

but it was kind of an important move symbolically. one thing the obama administration did that they got a lot of ridicule for, i think unfairly, is they paid a lot of attention to symbolism. they cut off the really aggressive made-for-battlefield type weapons. but they said anything painted camouflage would have to be repainted. domestic police organizations couldn't use it. as i said, they got a lot of ridicule. i think it was a very smart decision. it showed that they were aware of the mindset problem, of the idea that we have to -- cops need to see themselves as part of the communities they serve. they need to see themselves as there to protect the rights of the people who are protesting. when you dress in camouflage and you start thinking of yourself as a soldier and the people you're supposed to be protecting as the enemy, it's hard to act as a police officer is supposed to act. you tends to act more like we see a soldier on a battlefield. >> radley balko, author of "rise

of the warrior cop: the militarization of america's police forces," thank you very much. >> my pleasure. >> woodruff: and we'll be back shortly with a "brief but spectacular" take on using art to showcase the evils of racism. but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your support, which helps keep

do is put accountability measures in place, and hope that different communities embrace a multicultural reality, where people can have greater appreciation and understanding. >> alcindor: well, thank you so much for joining me, derrick johnson, the president of the n.a.a.c.p. >> thank you. >> woodruff: tonight, we present an encore of "brief but ectacular," featuring artist paul rucker. his work speaks particularly to the times we are in now. rucker uses his art to shed light on systemic racism, police brutality and the continuing legacy of slavery in this country. his story is also part of "canvas," our ongoing series on art and culture. >> the l.a. riots happened on my birthday.

they started on my birthday, april 29, and that was one of the turning points for me, that i realized i can't make artwork about nothing. >> in making artwork, it's really important to bring truth to light. that's power. we repeat history over and over again, whether we, as a country, allow lynchings to take place-- thousands of lynchings to take place, without any kind of accountability. we have police shootings or shooting by civilians, such as the one that happened to trayvon martin. there's parallels to that system, there's parallel systems as far as slavery in the prison system. we went seamlessly from one system to another system. i did one time-lapse that showed the growth of the u.s. prison system over a couple hundred of years. since 1976, we've built, on average, one new prison a week in the united states. we currently have 2.3 million people incarcerated right now. that's one in every 99 people. my work is not really about black history. it's not white history.

this is american history. you have a visceral understanding of history when you hold something that was once used on humans. this is a ship's branding iron. it w used to brand africans, humans, before they were put on the boat. the branding is "s" for slave. i want to keep these pieces and show these pieces, and i allow people to hold them, so, because they tell a story. these objects hold power over all of us right now, and until we as a society admit and confront that systemic racism is sewn into the very fabric of who we are as a country, we'll never be able to dismantle this ugly legacy of slavery. my father could have been lynched if he didn't yield a sidewalk to someone. my father could have been lynched if he said the wrong word to someone. he lived during a time where you had to be really brave, and unfortunately, really careful. and right now, i shouldn't have to be careful, but as person of color in america, particularly a black man in america, i have to be careful. so, it's my responsibility to bring awareness, regardless of

how dangerous it is. my name is paul rucker. this is my "brief but spectacular" take on the normalization of systemic racism. >> woodruff: and you can find more "brief but spectacular" essays oour website at www.pbs.org/newshour/brief. on the newshour online right now, watch the family of george floyd speak about what he ant to them and what his death has taken from their lives. that on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> life isn't a straight line, and sometimes you can find yourself heading in a new direction. fidelity is here to help you work through the unexpected, with financial planning and advice for today, and tomorrow.

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