captioning sponsored by newshourroductions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, how to change the system and our society, as the u.s. senate weighs police reform, i speak with republican senator tim scott of south carolina about his plan forward. then, one on one-- former defense secretary and c.i.a. director robert gates discusses the federal response to protesters and america's role in a changing world. plus, the movement's moment-- we plore the growing coalition around black lives matter in the wake of recent police killings and nationwide protests.

>> the people who i see who have not traditionally en invested in african american equality who are now invested, i think that's an important indicator to people who are in powerful places. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> supporting social entrepreneurs and thr solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org.

>> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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 drive to reform policing is accelerating tonight in the united states congress. at the same time, officers involved in a deadly encounter in atlanta are called to account. white house correspondent

yamiche alcindor has our report, starting at the u.s. capitol. >> alcindor: two parties. two bills. and a national reckoning on policing and racism. today senate republicans introduced their police reform bill. >> too often we're having a discussion in this nation about, e you supporting the law enforcement community or are you supportingommunities of color? this is a false binary choice. >> alcindor: the justice act includes incentives for police departments to ban chokeholds and grants for body cameras. it also increases disclosure requirements for no-knock warrants and the use of force. senator tim scott of south carolina spearheaded the gop legislation. today, he said he understands first hand the need for change. >> i was stopped this year, driving while black when i got a warning ticket for using-- failing to use my turn signal earlier in my lane change. this issue continues and that's why it's so important for us to

say that we hear you, we're listening to your concerns. >> alcindor: the white house said today it fully supports the scott bill. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell said democrats should also back it. but democrats have their own reform bill that they say more directly changes federal laws on police misconduct. today, the house judiciary committee held a mark-up of the democratic proposal which was unveiled last week. democrats said their plan is the only one that rises to the moment, especially in the wake of george floyd's death in minneapolis after being pinned by the neck for nearly nine minutes. >> what the administration and the senate are missing is the understanding of eight minutes and 46 seconds. they're missing the deeply embedded pain that is evidenced by protesters not only in the nation but around the world and clearly reform-light, milk toast is not going to answer the pain of eight minutes of 46 seconds. >> alcindor: among the

differences between the bills: the democrats' plan outright bans police chokeholds and no- knock warrants in drug cases, rather than disincentivizing and collecting data on them. the democratic bill also ends qualified immunity, a controversial legal doctrine that has shielded police and other officials from lawsuits over their conduct. still, there is some overlap: both parties' bills would make lynching a federal crime. despite the points of contention, some think that washington's partisan lines might be blurring, at least a bit. today, indiana republican senator mike braun said his party needs to go further on qualified immunity. and, california democratic representative karen bass, who chairs the congressional black caucus, voiced hope. >> when i hear that many of our proposals have been incorporated in what i hear is coming out of the senate. in a different way, not as strong, not as powerful, but it makes me feel like there is a pathway for us to do this.

>> alcindor: meanwhile, in atlanta, the district attorney announced the policeman who killed rayshard brooks last week is being charged with murder and 10 other offenses. officer garret rolfe shot brooks in the back and then kicked him while on he was on the ground fighting for his life, the d.a. said. rolfe has since been fired, and a second officer was put on desk duty. that second officer is now charged with aggravated assault for standing on brooks' shoulders after he was shot. he has told prosecutors he is willing to testify against rolfe. the officers were trying to arrest brooks for falling asleep at a drive through and failing a sobriety test. for the pbs newshour, i'm yamiche alcindor. >> woodruff: we want to take a closer look at today's plan with the man behind the republican push for change: senator tim scott of south carolina. senator scott, thankou so much for joining us. i want to ask you first about some of the democrats' reaction. they are saying, yes, this is a move in the right direction, but

the senate minority leader chuck schumer said today it doesn't rise to the moment. we heard house speaker nancy pelosi say it's inadequate. do you think you will be able to get enough democratic votes to get this to a debate and a vote on the senate floor? >> if we do not, they will have to explain to the families i met with at the white house and yesterday in my office on why we're not willing to take seriously some of the changes that are important to those families who have lost loved ones because of the police interaction. the bill modeled after much of the house bill is an important step in the right direction. it also includes the focus of the president and the priorities in the executive order. so we have a chance to do something meaningful for the american people, especially communities of color who are losing confidence in the institutions of authority in this country. >> woodruff: well, senator, as

you know, democrats are calling for an outright ban on certain measures like a chokehold or the so-called no-knock warrant. >> yes. >> woodruff: in your proposal, you are saying these things should be tied to federal funding, that if departments go ahead with them, they risk losing funding. >> yes. >> woodruff: and, yet, you also said today that this is something that should be debated, the chokehold should be debated for the american people to hear. so sounds like you are open to a complete ban on a chokehold. is that right? >> well, i would say it this way, my legislation gets us to a position where if you are in a law enforcement department that does not already have a ban on chokeholds, you do not have access to the federal funding. the house bill does not have the ability to actually, in my opinion, ban sholdz. what they do is defund states' revenue streams from the federal

government. it's kind of the same thing, to be honest with you. the fact of the matter is that policing is a local government decision, not a federal decision. so i'd love to see how the democrats thread that needle from federalism and the local department's ability to make the decisions. we do that through the refusing to give them the grant dollars. the white house, in their executive order, does the exact same thing through a certification process. so all three leaders of government have the same objective. i think we get there if we keep working together, looking for a solution. >> woodruff: so i hear a little bit of give in your position, but let me also ask you about this legal concept "qualified immunity." this protects police from lawsuits for actions taken in their official capacity. this is something democrats say should be completely done away with. i think there have been 1,400 professional athletes who signed

a letter saying do away with it. even republican senator mike braun of indiana is saying this is something that needs to be looked at. are you willing to consider tweaking or doing away with qualified immity? >> it's a very important issue. it could be considered a poison pill for the vast majority of my conferce, but what we already know is our focus on collecting information to lead to the right outcomes is a part of the bill both sides agree on. what we do know as opposed to looking at this things that divide us, we better spend more time on the things that unite us so we actually have an opportunity to have a conversation where the american people can decide whether the good faith effort on the republican side and the good faith effort on the democrat side leads in the direction of getting a bill done. if we're only going to talk in this interview about the priorities of the democrats, that seems to be inauthentic in dealing with the issues facing communities of color every

single day. the ability to deescalate violence is a really important decision, and if we can train people on how to get there, that's a great outcome for families, it's a great outcome for communities of color, and it's a great outcome for restoring hope and confidence in institutions of authority. i welcome all debate on the issues that should be a part of the conversation as it relates to police reform. i'm not going to negotiate with you or with them through this interview. i welcome the opportunity for them to give us a chance to have that conversation on the floor of the senate. if they are more interested in a political point and not an actual law, then they will say no to the motion to proceed. if they want to have a chance to actually have the debate, then we'll have this debate sometime next week. >> woodruff: i appreciate what you're saying, senator. >> yes. >> woodruff: and all this is designed to better understand what your position is, but when

you say changing police attitudes, changing the kind of training police have, this is something that's been done around the country and, yet, these incidents keep happening. >> well, what i can tell you is that, in 2015, i was on the floor of the senate asking my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in providing more resources for those departments so they could have body cameras. had we had body cameras, i think we would see the statistics that we've seen, reinforcing the importance of body cameras, we see a 90% drop in complaints, a 60% drop in the use of force. so the fact of the matter is without a body camera or a video, the amaud arbery situation would have never been known. without a video, the walter scott situation would never have been known. and without a video, the george floyd eight and a half minutes would never have been seen. so there are lots of opportunities for my friends on the other side to come to the table five years later.

>> woodruff: and in that connection, senator, i heard one of the reporters at today's news conference when you were introducing your legislation and explaining it ask you whether you believe there's systemic racism among the police in this country, and i think i wrote this down correctly, you said, some people are racist, but we are not a racist country. >> yes. >> woodruff: and, yet, yield ask you, for those -- i would ask you, for those protesting in the streets calling out the names of george floyd, michael brown, freddie gray, the charleston church shooting, breonna taylor, rayshard brooks, and i could go on, senator, they're asking -- there's a lot of racism in this country. so what would you say to them about how to understand that and how to understand if that's a problem among the police? >> i would say to all of my friends and neighbors in the communities of color, answer african-american elected official who's been stopped

seven times in a single year, as an african-american united states senator who's been stopped coming into the u.s. senate with my lapel pin on, as someone who was driving black earlier this year pulled over by police officers, stopped last november for having my flashers on, i understand the pain and the frustration that comes with that. i also, as an african-american, understand that when my house was broken in, law enforcement showed up to help me out. i understand that when i was in a major car accident, that the law enforcement folks who showed up at the scene to help pick me off the interstate were there to help me. i understand that we have a delicate and weak relationship between the communities of color and the law enforcement community. i would say to them as i say to myself every single day as someone who has to be comfortable in this skin, and i certainly am, that we are making progress. >> woodruff: senator tim scott of south carolina, in charge of

this legislation introduced today to reform police. thank you very much, senator. we appreciate it. >> yes, ma'am. thank you very much. have a good day. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, a bombshell has landed at the white house, in a book by john bolton, the former national security adviser. according to news accounts, bolton says president trump asked china's president xi jinping for re-election help, by buying more u.s. farm products. bolton also reportedly accuses mr. trump of endorsing concentration camps for china's muslim uighurs. beyond that, the "wall street journal" quotes him as writing: "i am hard-pressed to identify any significant trump decision during my white house tenure that wasn't driven by reelection

calculations." the justice department filed suit yesterday to block publication of the book. in the covid-19 pandemic, new numbers today show new york state has cut infection rates to the lowest in the country. it had been the epicenter of the u.s. pandemic. meanwhile, the world health organization welcomed british findings that a steroid, dexamethasone, cuts death rates among critically ill patients. but, it also counseled caution. >> it's exceptionally important that this drug is used under medical supervision. this is not for mild cases. this is not for prophylaxis. this is a very, very powerful anti-inflammatory drug. it can rescue patients who are in very serious condition where their lungs and cardiovascular system around their lungs may be very inflamed. >> woodruff: also today, travelers in china looked for ways out of beijing as officials canceled two-thirds of flights in and out of the city amid a

new outbreak. separately, china says india has agreed to peacefully end a border dispute in the himalayas. the two sides clashed monday in the ladakh region's galwan valley, as soldiers fought hand to hand. a vigil was held in new delhi today, for the 20 indian troops killed. china has not released its casualties. the united states is targeting syrian president bashar al-assad and his inner circle with new economic sanctions. it's aimed at punishing syria for abusing human rights and refusing to negotiate peace after nine years of civil war. with russia's help, assad has recaptured nearly all of the areas once held by rebels. back in this country, the u.s. senate has approved the most far-reaching conservation measure in nearly half a century and sent it to the house. the "great american outdoors

act" includes nearly $3 billion a year for national parks and other efforts. we'll take a closer look, later in the program. and, on wall street, stocks mostly ran out of steam. the dow jones industrial average lost 170 points to close at 26,119. the nasdaq rose 14 points, but, the s&p 500 slipped 11. still to come on the newshour: one on one with former defense secretary and c.i.a. director robert gates. japan's government rushes to lift the state of emergency despite a dire lack of testing. a growing coalition around black lives matter in the wake of recent police killings. and much more.

>> woodruff: the united states faces multiple, simultaneous and competing challenges here at home, and abroad. one man with keen insight on how america has dealt with past challenges is robert gates. he served eight presidents of both parties, and was the secretary of defense under presidents george w. bush and barack obama. he was also director of the c.i.a. under george h.w. bush. he is the author of a new book, "exercise of power: american failures, successes, and a new path forward in the post-cold war world." and he joins me now. secretary gates, it's so good to see you again. and let me start with what the country is very focused on right now, and, as you know, that's the treatment of african-americans. first the first time, an african-american was named to head one of the military service branches. i think my question for you, as

someone who served at the head of the pentagon, is why wasn't this done earlier and why it didn't happen under your watch? >> i don't know really know what it is about the promotion process that has led the number of people -- african-american officers -- to not be as represented in the senior leadership as they are in the military service as a whole. it's clearly not a question of competence or capability, but what is it that kept colonels and brigadier generals and major generals who are african-american from moving into the senior ranks more frequently than in the past. it is a challenge but one that, it seems to me now, the military is taking on seriously, i think maybe for the first time. >> woodruff: was it even discussed when you were at the pentagon? >> no, it really wasn't, i guess in part because we had officers

like general often who were in leading positions. there was a lot of attention to diversity. i would say more frequently discussed was, when i was secretary, was how to promote more women. >> woodruff: i want to ask you about the recent protests in front of the white house, the protests, how the president handled it. after that, we saw secretary james mattis, former secretary under president trump, say that this is a president who has, unlike any president before him, tried to divide the country. do you agree with him about that? >> it's quite clear that being a unifying president is pretty low on the priority of our current incumbent. i think he is a divider, and i think he does so quite consciously. >> woodruff: the thesis of your book, secretary gates, is that american presidents need to use the full range of american power, not just the military,

but diplomacy, economic intelligence, strategic communications, even cultural connections, development assistance. and you go on to say not one of the past four u.s. presidents has done what it takes to be a global power. you worked for two of these presidents at the pentagon. do you accept responsibility -- your own responsibility for that? expand on what you meant. >> what i was writing about there was that many of the -- most of the nonmilitary instruments of power available to the united states and that played such an important part in the successful outcome of the cold war were dis-- dismantled and some dismantled by the congress. the information asy was

dismantled by congress under president clinton. the u.s. agency for international development they wanted to agoalish, clinton refused and stuck it under the state department. so i basically argued that all through the last 25 years or so, all of these nonmilitary instruments of power have been allowed to weaken or wither or even disappear, and the result is that it has left the military with a disproportionate role in both decisionmaking and in executing american foreign policy, that, in effect, if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, and that also means strengthening these nonmilitary instruments of power, which are also instruments of leadership, to exercise our role in the world. >> woodruff: i specifically want to ask about china because you describe how complicated it is, how china is playing the long game, while the u.s. is

not. given the global nature of this competition, that it crosses not just military but economic, it's cyber security, technology, do you worry that the tensions between the u.s. and china could just spin out of control in a dangerous way? >> well, i think there is that worry, especially if the chinese think that we're kind of on the mad. if president xi concludes that we're so preoccupied with our domestic affairs, our economic crisis, our race crisis, our financial crisis, then they may -- he may think that there are opportunities. i think we've seen this in their action with the new law in hong kong, we've seen this is in their aggressive actions toward vietnam, malaysia and the south china sea, toward taiwan, so i do worry about that. but the reality is, you know, if we're smart and we're lucky,

this contest with china in the decades ahead will be against the backdrop of significant military power but will take place in the realm of nonmilitary instruments of powee political, all the different characters -- all the different aspects of it that you describe. my worry is that we're doing nothing to strengthen those nonmilitary instruments that, frankly, over the past number of years they have developed to a very considerable degree, and we have no strategy for how we're going to deal with china over the long term. >> woodruff: two other things i want to quickly ask you about, secretary gates, one is north korea. you say it was a good idea of president trump to make the overture of outreach to kim jong un and go on to say in the book that you think the u.s. should perhaps lower our sites, bow to reality and live with a north korea that has limited

nuclear capability. >> well, i argue in the book that i favored president trump's overture to the north and being willing to meet with kim jong un because, frankly, every other effort to limit the north korean nuclear capability over the last 25 years has failed. we need to come to the realization that the north korean leadership is probably never going to give up their nuclear capability. i think they see it as essential to their survival. at what point do we recognize that the north is not going to give up its nuclear weapons and decide some minimal number is acceptable, as long as we are able to have complete access to north korea, to be able to verify an agreement and numbers of weapons and so on, kind of anywhere, anytime inspections, so we know they cannot expand that capability and we know where the weapons that they have are.

we have to come to grips with the reality these guys aren't giving these things up, period. >> woodruff: last thing, i want to ask you about what's happening in november. you, in your last book, wrote of joe biden, former vice president biden, that he had been wrong on virtually every important foreign policy or national security issue of the last four decades. so you clearly have strong views about his -- his policy chops. you've also, though, said that you have questions about president trump's character. i mean, you said earlier in this interview that you spoke about dividing the american people. which, if it comes down to policy positions versus character, which one matters more? >> well, i think that's what the american people are going to decide in november. >> woodruff: and what about what robert gates thinks? >> what robert gates thinks he will keep to himself. >> woodruff: all right, we will leave it at that.

former defense secretary robert gates. the new book is "exercise of power." thank you very much. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: a delayed response, limited testing, and a "soft" lockdown. japan has been going against the grain every step of the way in its battle against covid-19. but with coroanvirus cases nearing 20,000, public health experts are asking whether japan's response and outcome should be called a disaster or a success. special correspondent grace lee reports from tokyo. >> those are p.p.e. >> reporter: at this hospital just south of tokyo, a rare site in the era of covid-19: a mountain of personal protective equipment. here, the first wave of the

virus has already come, and gone. staff are now preparing for what's expected next: the second wave of infections. dr. takayuki ohishi is deputy director of the facility's infection control team. >> ( translated ): my impression is that japan just happened to be lucky. we were in a position where masks were readily available, and able to fight the infection that way. >> reporter: masks may be the answer to japan's low death rate, at least accordingo the government's expert panel on covid-19. but there are questions as to whether the country took the right steps to battle the virus. there's been no lockdown here, due to the country's strict constitution. only a polite request from the government: stay indoors if possible, and close up shop if you're not essential. that has been the essence of japan's nationwide state of emergency, which was put in place mid-april. but even that was lifted two

weeks ago. prime minister shinzo abe: >> ( translated ): when we declared the state of emergency in japan, we were not allowed to penalize and force people not to go out. but even so, we were able to conduct the state of emergency in japan's own way. and we were able to control the spread in just a month and a half. >> reporter: experts aren't sure that japan has controlled the spread, especially because of the country's low test rate. japan has tested 0.2% of its population, one of the lowest rates among developed countries. there's worry here that the virus may be spreading silently. japan's rigid infectious disease law dictates that even mild cases must be hospitalized, but that takes valuable bed space away from critical cases. so authorities have been reluctant to test those who aren't in life threatening conditions, and instead have opted to track and trace clusters. it's a strategy that experts say worked in the beginning, but has

proven difficult in the lo term. dr. masa numata runs a local clinic in tokyo. he's been handling a large number of patients with covid-19 symptoms, and to protect other patients, he's been opening his clinic on his usual days off, strictly for those exhibiting symptoms. he's recommended a handful of them get tested, but none of them has been able to. this is why. >> if you get sick, then you have to give a call to certain call center. then the call center will contact to distinct outpatient facilities and then they finally contact to health center of local government. then local government will contact to another institution for the actual testing. >> reporter: a growing chorus of physicians say japan's convoluted testing system is putting lives at risk.

>> that's not right. because some people get serious and i think only medical doctors can make decision. and not bureaucrats. >> reporter: this covid-19 survivor went through the system first hand. >> it felt like humans were being sort of set aside and not cared about. >> reporter: drew is a longtime japan resident who lives on the northern island of hokkaido. he's asked to stay anonymous due to the stigma surrounding the virus in japan. after exhibiting symptoms for more than two weeks, his doctor recommended he call the hotline and get tested immediately. he wasn't able to for more than a month. >> they just ran me around in circles, back and forth and back and forth. finally at the end of my fourth or fifth call with them i just said, listen, the doctor is saying that i should have a test, you have no medical experience or background or certifications or anything

whatsoever, you're just like a trained hotline call answering person, reading a script. so how can you override the instructions of my doctor? >> reporter: for prime minister abe's administration, covid-19 has been a p.r. disaster. >> i think that people see that they just keep changing the policies all the time and they don't have any firm ground what this country should do where we should go. >> reporter: a recent poll showed that 55% of the public is not happy with how abe's administration handled the outbreak, with most saying they feel he was too late in declaring the state of emergency. >> the root problem is they don't have good statistics in terms of the number of cases of covid-19, because we are so behind in testing. >> reporter: international criticism began in late february, with the government's response to the diamond

princess. more than 700 people were infected onbrd the quarantined ship. criticism toward the japanese government iensified later over another hot button issue in the global spotlight: the olympics. abe was accused of downplaying the severity of the pandemic, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to keep the games on for this summer. now, as restrictions are relaxed across the board, residents here are left feeling uneasy. many don't trust the official figures. >> ( translated ): i'm afraid we might see a second or third wave of infections. i have children, and they're currently not going to classes, but if they have to start going on the subway to commute, i'm worried they might catch the virus there. >> reporter: doctors say japan isn't quite out of the woods yet, and are urging the government to ramp up testing. medical staff are hoping if there is a next wave of covid- 19, it won't overwhelm the system.

for the pbs newshour, i'm grace lee in tokyo. >> woodruff: in the three-plus weeks since george floyd's death, the protests that began in minneapolis over policing, race and use of force have grown into a national reckoning on these issues and many more. stephanie sy looks at how the coalition has widened around the country among different races and ethnicities. >> systemic racism relies on your inactivity. >> reporter: from rural towns, such as craftsbury, vermont... >> no racist police, no justice, no peace. >> reporter: ....and small cities, including athens, ohio. to far-flung communities in alaska, among them talkeetna, protests for black lives matter are occurring for the first time in places where few african

americans live, led by a mosaic of people of different creeds and cultures. >> black lives matter! >> reporter: from waxahachie, texas, to des moines, iowa. >> this is what democracy looks like. >> reporter: from laramie, wyoming, to anna, illiis... >> i was really gobsmacked. >> reporter: that was judy muller's reaction when she found out about a vigil for george floyd organized in norwood, colorado, where she lives part- time. >> this is a town of 550 some souls, most of them white, almost all of them white. in a very rural area, so for 40- some people to turn out for this, with so little notice, that's almost a tenth of the population. >> reporter: she saw democrats and republicans and the city's two law enforcement officers participating in the somber vigil. >> i think the town of norwood cares, and a lot of other rural

towns care and we've seen evidence of that. >> reporter: muller herself is a former television news reporter who covered the 1992 los angeles riots after the police beating of rodney king. >> i've been through a lot of these stories and nothing has really touched me as much as this one... in my little town. i'm quite moved by it. >> reporter: some say it's the graphic video of george floyd's death. others point to the shared vulnerability that can only come out of a once-in-a-lifetim pandemic, but for whatever reason, this time the death of an unarmed black man has brought activism out of the woodwork, including among other marginalized groups. >> it was important for me as a native. to go out there and support the black lives matter movement. >> reporter: jordan ortega attended a rally in gallup, new mexico. >> it was my first protest to go

to and i went to it because i had seen all the video and pictures of what happened with george florida and his murder. and it struck a chord with me. and it really it really shook me. >> the protest marches have gone on around indian country in a way that's really unprecedented. >> reporter: mark trahant is editor of "indian country today," which covers native american issues. native americans experience a higher rate of fatal encounters with police than any other racial group. and yet... >> a lot of the activists are saying, first, "black lives matter" we're not going to talk about our issues. we're going to be in complete solidarity. >> the people that i see who are in the small towns, the people who i see who have not traditionally been invested in african american equality. globally for that matter, who are now invested, i think that's an important indicator to people who are in powerful places, who have some impact on equality.

>> reporter: brenda stevenson is a professor of history and african american studies at the university of california los angeles. her optimistic view of the broadening coalition is tempered by her 24-year old daughter emma cones. emma recently spoke at a rally for black lives. >> i'm happy about the support but i've noticed... performative activism on social media. i've seen a lot of influencers repost other people's donation pages to black lives matter, and screen shotting it and saying they actually donated. >> i'm interested in broad coalitions and getting the work done no matter who does it, and how it's done. >> reporter: other communities of color are also aligning with the movement, and in some cases, facing a reckoning.

>> the dam of our hearts broke open when we saw george floyd cry out to his mama right before our eyes. >> reporter: in the opening speech at the japanese american group "tsuru for solidarity's" vigil in san bruno, california, which included many agg survivors of japanese internment." tsuru" means crane, a symbol of healing. kim miyoshi is co founder of japanese americans for justice and explains why the "model minority" myth has contributed to varying degrees of complicity in the oppression of black people, from officer tao thao's role in george floyd's death, to staying silent. >> when you're confronted with violence and domination coming out a system of white supremacy, i feel like part of our community and this is probably true of other asian american communities turned towards and kind of allied ourselves with whiteness or the values around whiteness and it was a way to survive racism. >> reporter: more than 700

japanese americans have signed up to a pledge by her grouto end anti-black racism and support the movement's demands for defunding police and reparations for african americans. other protesters have focused on more incremental change. jordan ortega shared her next steps. >> supporting more black businesses that are out in albuquerque. and i have made a couple donations to a couple of protest bailout funds through facebook. >> reporter: filmmaker christian vazquez is documenting the protests. >> i think something we all need to be thinking about rightow is how do we tell these stories around activists. >> reporter: and many say their main priority is educating their own social circles. >> i can guarantee you that with my five children, you're going to have five more people who are going to be protesting for the rest of their lives. as long as injustice is part of our world. >> a lot of my white friends and family members don't understand

systemic racism. they don't understand implicit bias. they don't understand that you can sit there and say,' i'm not racist' and you might not be. you don't actively discriminate against black people, but you've still benefited from institutions that they have not been able to benefit from. >> reporter: emma cones has a bigger challenge for the protesters: >> what else have you done have you given money to black lives matter, or are you just posting a black square on instagram saying #blackouttuesday, and moving along with your life. >> reporter: professor stevenson isn't sure what will come from the growing coalition either, but she senses, it will be transformative. >> i'm very hopeful because of emma, and because black people have continued to fight for freedom in our country, and i know will continue to do so. >> reporter: with more allies than ever in the fight. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy.

>> woodruff: today the senate overwhelmingly passed an act that provides funding for nationalarks and public lands. our lisa desjardins joins me to tell us about this legislation and what else congress is considering when it comes to the environment. >> that's right, judy, this is an extraordinary bill, bipartisan bill years in the making and passed now at this extraordinary time. let me tell you a little bit about what's nit, first of all. this bill passed by the senate has to go through the house. this would fund deferred maintenance for our national parks and other federal lands, $9.5 billion over five years, those are needs that have been overlooked for a long time. this also would permanently fund something called the land, water and conservation fund.

that is something we'll talk about more in a minute, and it would fund that by using oil and gas revenues, offshore drilling, judy. let's go back to the 9.5 billion for the parks and federal lands. judy, everyone knows that is one of america's pride and joy but the truth, is for decades, the parks have been underfunded. the first park, yellwstone national park, for examp, they have not been able to take care of their roads and tai and, in addition, some of the staff there have not had housing. so they actually haven't ben able to hire the staff they want because there's nowhere for them to live. this is what the build would provide, bipartisan passed overwhelmingly in the senate and has strong hopes in the house as well. >> woodruff: and, lisa, tell us why that is. what is it that gives it the support in the house? >> well, i think there are some really important policy here as well. let's talk about that land, water and conservation fund, for

example. that fund is something that is used to add to federal land, including national parks. say yello yellow stone wants to. this funded in 1965 has been part of the idea that american lands are important. but congress has barely funded it and used patchwork, temporary funding year after year and it hasn't been dependable. now it has a permanent funding source and congress won't voit on it every year. so it means not just more land for national parks but in cities as well in urban areas, that's where the environmental activists want to expand federal land. this is a big issue for much of america, and i think that's why you see many republicans, not all, but some supporting it. >> woodruff: and lisa, prospects, you were telling us, look good in the house but not unanimous. tell us what the folks who object to it are saying. >> there are some objections,

largely along the cost of this bill. while that expansion to have the conservation fund is paid for by oil and gas revenues, the national park money, for example, is not. so this would add to the deficit and concerns. also opposition coming mostly from livestock groups. they say the expansion of federal land comes before the federal government has really put together a plan to take care of the lands. as many people know, especially in the western part of the country, there is often heated debate over federal ownership of land. the federal government, in fact, owns more than a quarter of the land in this country. on the other hand, judy, conservationists say they have a goal of trying to preserve 30% of the land in this country by 2030. this bill is part of that effort. so it's a big move for them. >> woodruff: and just finally, lisa, interesting that this bill does have the republican support it does, and you're telling us there is more climate action

bubbling on the hill. >> one reason republicans are supporting this, look at this letter, this is from the evangelical environmental network, judy. 65,000 people who describe themselves as pro-life or anti-abortion christians signed this letter urging congress to pass this bill and other environmental bills. essentially, judy, there is some fervor on the right from religious groups to say the environment is a life issue, and that is something we're seeing senders listen -- senators listen to. at-risk senators, cory gardner and others for whom the bill will help and other legislation coming up the pike. we'll keep an eye on it. >> woodruff: lisa desjardins reporting on something that hasn't gotten a lot of attention on the hill in quite some time. lisa, thank you. >> you're welcome.

>> woodruff: finally tonight, american artists of all kinds are responding to the pandemic with new creations. as jeffrey brown reports, the art can be a call to action and a means of healing, for the maker and audience alike. the story is part of our ongoing arts and culture series, canvas. >> ♪ six feet apart but the news has all been bad ♪ and the whole world seems so sad >> brown: the song is called" six feet apart", a kind of anthem for the pandemic. country music star luke combs co-wrote it in april, about a month into quarantine at his home in tennessee. >> you know i don't want to come from a place that is opportunistic or something that's corny or cheesy. you want to give people hope

that, you know this isn't going to last forever. >> brown: combs, a triple platinum-selng artist, would normally be on the road performing for thousands. >> i wanted to, you know, voice a little bit, i guess, of my frustration with, this was set up to be, you know, my biggest year of my career by longshot. and i'm sure there are millions of people around the world who feel the same way about whatever their job is or their passion. and anything that can give someone even three minutes worth of relief from that is something that i'm really proud of. >> brown: around the country, artistic responses of all kinds: photographer carrie mae weems, artist in residence at syracuse university, has launched a campaign to raise awareness, combining images of everyday life with direct messages on the need for precautions among people of color who are disproportionately affected by the virus." don't worry, we'll hold hands again.""

sadly, you are the most impacted by covid 19!!!" sound artist yuri suzuki is collecting submissions for his now-virtual installation "sound of the earth: pandemic chapter", a partnership with the dallas museum of art. to comfort critically-ill patients, filmmaker felip barral created a piece call "bella": taking and streaming photos of the natural world. different creative ways to speak and act now. in queens, new york, one of the pandemic's epicenters, a meditation on the ghostly silence of the #7 subway line, 26-year-old local artist frisly soberanis shot this short video of the tracks overhead. >> the memories of the past come up very often and they just sort of slam in front of what i'm seeing. i know what this used to be i know the people that were moving here, the businesses that were open, the energy of the space. and now i see it closed. and then i see that this

structure is still continuing to sort of tower over us. >> brown: soberanis' work is part of a large instant exhibition, involving many artists commissioned by the onassis foundation, working with the queens museum and others. soberanis normally makes a living doing video and filmwork. that's gone, and he and his extended family face urgent financial and other chlenges. the pandemic has hit especially hard in his largely minority and immigrant community, and heightened already-profound societal inequities, playing out further in the aftermath of the killing of george floyd. he's made those issues a focus of his art. >> i try to see the powers that are at play at the moment that i'm creating things, whether that's financial powers or cultural powers, and i think that art, at least for me, is essential to capture a moment before it's re-written in a different way. >> brown: in duluth, minnesota, artist carolyn olson is paying homage to her community with a

vibrant series of portraits of what she sees as essential workers-- filling drugstore orders, picking vegetables and fruits, delivering goods by bicycle, repairing a band student's instrument. >> just being angry and frustrated isn't going to fix it, so i felt like it was something i could do. i can draw, i can paint, i could comment about the people that were doing this kind of work and maybe bring light to it. >> brown: we learned of olson's work when she wrote the newshour to say she'd found some of her subjects through stories she'd seen on our program: a bus driver, a sanitation worker, first responders. but most of her subjects are closer to home, including a daughter who's worked through this period at a grocery store. >> i asked my daughter one time about what was going on and said, what about the grief? and she said, ¡can't even go there, mom,' and i felt like my drawing at least could talk about some of the things that were going on. >> brown: artists have always

done this, of course, including around pandemics of the past: edvard munch, the norwegian artist whose "scream" is a viral image of our time, painted thi"" self-portrait with the spanish flu" in 1919, speaking directly to his. more recently, david wojnarowicz photographed his friend peter hujar as he died of aids-related pneumonia. choreographer doug varone: >> i can think of the aids crisis, i can think of 9/11, artists respond to those moments. and this is no different. artists are really driven by the times. things occur in our lives, they occur in the world around us. and we respond to them. >> brown: varone and his company have been presenting new works for more than 30 years. but covid-19 took its toll: in march, he furloughed his team until further notice. recently he was asked to do something beyond his experience: create a socially-distanced

dance, with varone working in his upstate new york home, shown here on the small computer screen, and dancer michael trusnovec using his home in new jersey as his stage. >> the concept behind it has been very much about the isolation that we all feel at and for many people, you know, i have many friends who are in this alone. this piece in many ways is speaking about that. the role of the arts has always been to expand people's perception of what is happening. >> brown: in another sign of the times, the work will receive a virtual performance later in june. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: on the newshour online right now, the world has sat on edge for months while the pandemic disrupts life and takes lives. we explore how chronic stress from the coronavirus as well as discrimination may be affecting the health of black americans. that's on our web site,

pbs.org/newshour. and that's 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 see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> consumer cellular understands that not everyone needs an unlimited wireless plan. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change

worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. >> i said, we're doing to bring down the soldier count to 25,000 soldiers. >> in the midst of protests and pandemic, president trump pulls back troops that defend american interests. could america first leave america vulnerable? i ask u.s. nato ambassador kay bailey hutchison. meanwhile -- >> we cannot, we will not stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court. >> the united states punishes the international criminal court as it investigates whether u.s. forces committed war crimes in afghanistan. and late e an evangelical pastor says president trump's church photo op was anything but