captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, the u.s. sets a new record for daily coronavirus infections as hospitals in hotspots find themselves inundated with patients. a landmark decision-- we examinr the supreme ruling that half of oklahoma sits on native american land and what it means for the future of the state. then, lebanon in crisis. a look inside the pivotal country as a pandemic lockdown and an economic crash spark unrest. >> the lebanese people, when e there is no justic the protestors will be obliged to use violence to take their rights back, and we go to the politicians' places and take our money back from them.

>> woodruff: and it's friday, david brooks and jonathanpe rt break down this past week and the trump administration's rponse to a rapidly expanding pandemic. all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been prided by: our u.s.-based customer service team is on hand to help. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv >> financial services firm raymond james.

>> johnson and johnson >> the john s. and james lio knight found fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing sunsort of thesetutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the cobloration for broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers lu. thank you. woodruff: more states are moving tonight to try to curb the surge of covid-19. but for now, at least, infections keep reaching new levels-- with no end in sight. lisa desjardins begins our coverage. >> reporter: every day this week-- in just about every state-- case loads have been

rising. the nation as a whole has logged record numbers in six of the last ten days. texas is one of the hardest hit states, with over 10,000 new cases of the virus yesterday, and the death toll surging past 100 per day. in florida, patients are pouring into hospitals that once thought they had turned a page. >> we felt good for a while, we were able to close down the covid i.c.u., we had all the covid patients in one floor, we felt like we had our handle on it, and then we had to open up a second floor and the tloor and now we're into a fourth and fifth floor, and we don't see it getting any better. today,orter: in orland governor ron desantis again defended hisecision to re-start the economy in may. >> there was really no justification to not movefo ard because of the l, and that continued through may,a earl of june. and now we're seeing more cases

in transmission at tct time that the rest of the sunbelt is. >> reporter: but now, more states are pivoting back to old containment measures. mississippi's governor hasmaow made face s mandatory in 13 of the hardest-hit counties. michigan has toughened its mandate that businesses deny service to those witho a mask. new mexico is canceling contact sports at high schools this fall, and banned indoor-dining b restaurants. and nevada orders to close again, starting tonight. meanwhile, the american acads,y of pediatrlus two major superintendents organization, warned today against reopening schools this fall-- unless local experts approve. president trump has threatened to cut off federal funds for schools that don't reon and criticized c.d.c. guidelines as too onerous. last night, he played down the severity of the virus' new surge, in a phone interview with fox news.

>> literally maut cases, they matically cure, they automatically get better. >> reporter: the president also stepped up his criticism of dr. anthony fauci, the nation's foremost infectious diseasepe . >> dr. fauci is a nice man, but he's made a lot of mistakes. >> reporter: fauci, n, told "the financial times" he least two months-- they last at saw each other in early june. around the world, austlia-- looking to contain a new outbreak in melbourne, its announced limits on how many of its own citizens will be allowed to return home from overseas, each week. and, britain-- slowly emerging from its lockdown-- lifted a 14- day quaranti requirement for arriving travelers. those rules, however, remain in place fothose from higher-risk countries-- including the u.s. for the "pbs newshour," i'm lisa desjardins. >> woodruff: in the day's other news: president trump spent much of his day in south florida-- even as covid cases kept rising in the state. but he postponed a campaign

rally in new hampshire scheduled for tomorrow, citing the approach of tropical storm fay to the region. campaign officials had already acknowledged it s unclear how many people would show up in the that same tropical storm racing up the eastern seaboard tonight. it made landfall near atlantic city, new jersey, with winds of 60 miles an hour, and pushed toward new york and new england. flash floods in newark and other towns in new jersey, and shut down beaches in delaware. utah has closed its state oucapitol building t monday after protests over a fatalg police shootrned violent last night. the district attorney had ruled that two officers were legally justified in killing bernardo palacios-carbajal. he had a gun and was shot more than a dozen times as he tried his family condemned the finding.

in turkey a court today allowed conversithe world heritage site hagia sophia, in istanbul, back to a mosque it had been a christian cathedral for 900 years, then a mosque for 500 more, until a secular government made it a museum, in 1934. today, crowds gathered to celebrate and pray. supporters of the decision saidt a long time coming for majority-muslim turkey. >> ( translated ): once upon a time, this was a place o worship for christians. but with the conquest, it has become a symbol for us. it has become a symbol of the conquest. therefore, we have been thinking for years that we should have the liberty to pray here. t >> woodrufkish president recip tayyip erdogan hailed the decision. he has sought to bring islam back into mainstream politics. the u.s. and much of t international community largely opposed the move. french officials now say notre

dame cathedral will be rebuilt exactly as it was before last year's disastrous fire. that comes after president emmanuel macron consid modern additions, with ideas ranging from a roof-top swimming pool to a glass spire.th 12th century paris landmark went up in flames in april last year. actual rebuilding work won't begin until next year. federal prison inn 17n of a years. daniel lee was set to die by lethal injection monday. for three murders. but relatives of his victimsy said tere afraid to attend because of rising coronavirus infections. and on and on wall street investors shrugged off worries about the pandemic-- at least for today. the dow jones industrial average gained 369 points to close at 26,075. the nasdaq rose 69 points.

and the s&p 500 added 33. still to come on the "newshour," a supreme court win r native americans in oklahoma and what it means. lebanon faces financial freefall and political turmoil amid the pandemic. we hear from the front lines ins hon, as covid-19 cases in texas surge, and much more. >> this is nshourer wakronkite school at arizona state university. >> woodruff: yesrday, the supreme court reaffirmed native amican rights to millions acres of land in eastern oklahoma. the 5-4 opinion granted jurisdictional control to the muscogee nation. that decision extends to four neighboring tribal natns,

ich together make up more than half of the state. justice neil gorsu wrote the opinion, stating, "today we are asked whether the landhese treaties promised remains an indianeservation for purposes of federal criminal law. because congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word." here to talk about the significance of this decision is allison herrera. she's a reporter for kosu radio near oklahoma city. >> i have to say i have a special interest in this case as someone born in tulsa. but let's talk about the justices ruling. i'm seeing opinions today that this is going to affethe tribal rights of these native americans in many m te waysn beyond just the narrow ruling that this originall was, which was an original case against one

one man. how is it being interpted there? >> hi, judy. i just want to state what ts ruling does is affirm what tribal citizens have known and upheld the law for tat non's highest law and that is that these treaties must be honored and the musicreek nation was never dissolved. in terms of what is going to change it's not going to change anything. it already up holds what's citizens of oklahoma and the citizen of the five tribes have alread known. >> what about at the very basic level, in terms of criminal law, theact that the man who had been convicted of child abuse, molesting a child, he had been tried in skate court. is his case or other cases going to hav to back an tried there federal court. >> it's my understanding in

terms of post conviction release there are rules and a time line thst be followed. this ruralling doesn't change any of thoserocedural requirements. this notion that hundreds of people being released from prison is ridiculous. there's really no recording or no basis in that what it's going to do is basically just reaffirm the maj crimes act which is that when an indian person commits a fn owime on reservation or indian land, that rson is subjectto federal law, federal court, not state court. >> and so -- so the interpretation that we're seeing in somers quarespecially here in the press we're reading in the east coast in the washington times and t new york post that this is an historic landrk decision -- you're saying it's really -- the effect is that it will be muchar morew than that? >> i'm not disagreeing that it's

it is a landmark decision. it's historic in in terms of in terms that it affirms tribal sovereignty and up holds the lai thigenous people living in oklahoma and elsewhere around the nation have already known. but in terms of affecting everyday live of citizen in oklahoma not native and non, well, a lot of e police departments, tribal police and state police, they already work together. so some of those officers are cross-deputized so that is going to up-end criminal caoceeding, it's just not the . in fact, yesterday oklahoma's attorney general mike hunter and e five tribes released a statement saying that they were already workingon an agreement after the muhy case thatas from last -- from the last seion. they wer already starting to work on an agreement together to hammer out some ofs these

jurisdictional and prosecution and i think the feeling from both the tribe and from the state is that ey already have a really good working relationship and they're going to keep continuing what they're doing. so gone this ijus upholding the law that was already there and affiing tribal property. >> well, it's certainly got our attention. allison herrara,ou wosu, thank very much. >> thank you very much for having me. >> woodruff: lebanon recorded its highest one-day tally of coronavirus cases today, after extended lockdowns eased. while nowhere near the u.s. another crisis.n ill-afford it's already in economic freefall, and has a paralyzed, corrupt and bankrupt government. now, with hunger and despair

spreading, special correspondent jane ferguson has this report. fed and housed has rarely been harder in lebanon. parents like susan shabaan, raising their kids in to wait for help. no choice but tripoli is the country's second largest cityand long a neglected and poor area. the current economic freefall in leban-- wi the government effectively bankrupt and a deep recession settg in-- is swelling the ranks of the poor here. half theountry now live below the poverty line. >> ( transled ): all my neighbors are the sa all of them. next to me and then next to them. my in-laws are e same. here in tripoli life is very difficult.so there arany poor people here. who is going to help us? they all are poor, they need help, to >> reporter: susan's husband car mechanic, but hasn't had a day's wages in many months. the youngest of her four

the tiny room they live in was stifling. outside there is a food market, but few people around here can instead, like susan, more and more rely on charity. civil sociy has long stepped into the space that lebanon's government has left. there is no real safety net for people provided the state. instead independent organizations like sanabel nour, funded by donations from within the community, hand out food and money to those who need it-- now a huge portion of the country. >> in lebanon the n.g.o.s are the state, becse we cannot we have been workithisent. role for 20 years. >> reporter: several financial cres have hit the country once-- a devaluation of the currency, a banking sector nearollapse and a nkrupt government. in october, 2019, vast protests hithe country, with people rmcalling for political rend an end to corrt leadership. the protests, initially

peaceful, turned violent as desperation rose. a nationwide lockdown since february due to the coronavirus ended much of the organized protests, but didn't stop recent rioting in tripoli. across the country, anger at the central and commercial banks is palpable. since the end of the brutal 15 year civil war here in 1990, lebanon has been attracting u.s. dollars by offering high osterest rates at it's banks. those dollar deps were then lent to the centrabank which gave them to the government. now, the governmenis broke, and owes the banks tens of billions of dollars-- the people money. as lebanese account holders panicked and tried to get their savings out of the bank, the banks started ad hoc capital controls. very quickly, millions of lebanese couldn't get to their own money. and yet, the ingrained corruption here has meant that since then over $5 billion has en withdrawn and is presumed to have left the country anyway >> we speaking about a

country in crisis that doesn't have formal capital controls. >> reporter: nizar ghanem is an economsed in beirut. >> we are in a financial crisi g ere the rich can take their money out and br back again to buy public assets, while basically people who have pensions can't take their money out of t bank. this is full aggression against the poorest most vule >> reporter: now, officials from the international monetary fund, or i.m.f., have arrived to discuss a bailout, the country's only real option. but lebanon has seen bailouts before. each time, little changes in the country's leadership, where itional leaders of the numerous religious sects-- shia, nni, druze and christian, mainly-- keep a tight grip on the economy. the sectarian political system keeps relative peace here, but entrenches corruption, with >> these sects are, of course, represented by, you could say call them., or dons to chiefs we which means it's kind of ruled

by extended business networks which are more or less mafia-like. >> reporter: the protest movent forceprime minister rafik hariri to resign lastar but he and his party-- much like the other sectarian leaders-- still hold enormous power. the new government has managed to enact no real change since then. sami nader is a lebanese political analyst. >> the old political establishment has nominated newcomers, but they totally control the decision-making system, so it's the same old operating system. >> reporter: that system bocludes the iran-backed militant group hah-- now a powerful force in lebanese .mlitics and government. most here expect. conditions on a bailout to include reforms that would threaten hezbollah. it has much to lose from changes that seek to push back the influee of a group labeled by many member countries a

terrorist organization. >> i do believe that hezbollah is short of options, because on one hand he has sanctions, on the other hand he feels the pressure of his political base, and that is a part of the lebanese population anthey cannot take it any more because the lebanese ecomy is in freefall, it's collapsing. >> reporter: the value of the too.inge currency is c pegged to the dollar at 1500, the lebanese lira has-- at street exchangers-- fallen to as much as 4300 lira to the dollar ngin recent weeks, renderi most goods are imported, and for businesses their real purchasing power is at the street re. for lebanese shoppers, supermarket shelves have seen enormous price changes in recent months. nif you have dollars you change them on the street to keep up with the prices, but most people are paid in lebanese lira. so, to them, forced to use the official exchange rate, this box of cereal, for example, costs

$20. as the covid-19 lockdown is slowly eased, proteste coming to the streets-- some warning that things could turn violent if politicians donab get serious t change. >> we came here to say "no, we will continue the revolution." and if you do not do your job therwill be a big chaos because the lebanese people, when they see there is no justice, the protestors will be obliged to use violence to take their rights back, and we go to the policians places and take our money back from them. >> reporter: the country's banks are preparing for more anger, literally armor-plating themselves. and w the strict coronavirus lockdowns of the last few months have pushed the economy over the edge. while those efforts to save lives have worked-- lebanon has only had 35 deaths from the virus-- the people here will have to face incredible

financial hardship for years to come. for the "pbs newshou'm jane ferguson in beirut, lebanon. >> woodruff: as a number of states see spikes in coronavirus cases, texas is ng records. this week the state set new highs for single-day deaths and the number of positive g ronavirus tests. texas governor gbott warned that next week will be worse.ke amna nawaz secently with allinda metts, a nurse manager of acovid intensive care unit at houston methodist hospital. she started by asking her about this latest spike in cases. , when we first locked do people stayed at home. you didn't see people on the streets. you know, it was taken seriously, i feel like. and then as things began to open up...

so, everybody maybe had a sigh of relief and said, great, we've got this. we've got this. and then, and then we didn't. you know, i think when things open, it sends the message that everything's okay. it feels like people aren't taking it seriously. and it more serious now in houston than it was before. we're more crowded now. you know, in the hospitals than were before. >> reporter: tell me what that looks like for you in tes of terms of the patient, the bedn capacity. what does that look like day to day? >> we have plenty of masks and gowns and that type of thing. i think that what we're seeing now as far as what we need is we need more room, we need more. be and, fortunately, in the texas medical center and houston methodist, we have the ability to make more beds you know, people to take care of those patients is a lintle challeng but we are bringing on people from outside of the state,el trg nurses to support us.

>> reporter: tell me a little t bit more abo patient mix. are they older or the younger? >> i think right now in my unit, have a patient who's 88 and i have a patient who is 30. so, it's really across the board. many of the patients do have underlying illnesses such as diabetes or other lung diseases that make it specific and particularly hard with covid, but we do sometimes ha patients who have nothing. they've never been sick a day ie their nd for whatever reason, they haven't done well with covid. >> reporter: so, belinda, you've ng this for over 30 years. it seems like it would take a lot to phase you. but in this moment, what is it that worries you abouthe virus and what you're seeing right now? >> i mean, i feel like we have capacity right now, but i'm like, how many more patients are going to come and are we going to keep having that capacity to care for these patients, not necessarily in the form of a physical bed, but is in the form of a nurse or a doctor?

we feel, you kw, we're starting to feel on the thinner side, and we know there's help on the way, but i just, i just wonder where the end point is. >> reporter: wfot's that like you as a manager when you're in charge of all these people who are worried about gettins? sick themsel >> yeah, i do worry about my a fair number of employees who are testing positive now, which so impacts the workforce you know, i spend a lot of tloe out on the with my nurses and staff just trying to encourage them and relieving .their stress however i c it's stressful because, you viow, these patients cannot have families come ant them. and so often the nurses do become their famils. and sometimes it's, we have some sad moments with our patients. and that takes a toll, too. i think you, when you go home, you know, you're thankful for your family, you, ove your famid you're just thankful for every moment you have. >> reporter: if you cod wave a

magic wand and change one thing about anything in the community that you're serving right now, what would it be?ev >> i wisybody would wear a face mask when they go out, i do. it's hard for me because we know that with two people who have masks on that the, you know, the incidence of transmissions goes down considerably. i guess i don't understand why people don't want to protect each other and protect themselves, especily in the face of, of everything thas happjuing. and feel like, you know, you've got to help us out.to we wanelp every-- i want to help all patients. but you've got to help us out. we've got to dssrease the adns that are coming in through our doors right now. and if that's the way to do it i don't understand why people dot want to do that. >> reporter: do you think that people don't believe that it's not as bad as it is because they're not seeing what you see everyday? >> i want to saythcome to work e. come on, let's go. come see what i see every day and see how that affects your attitude about what, whacovid is and what's happening to people.

people say it's no wu.se than the well, for some people, and it might not be any worse than flu r many others, they're losing their lives to it and they're dying alone. and i hatet when i hear people say, oh, it's only a 2% or% mortality. well, it's only or 3% until it's your 2% or 3%. and your family. >> reporter: when you e way the cases are rising right now, how are you preparing for what's ahead? how do you go home at the end of the day and get ready for what's the next 14, 16 hour day? >> a lot of my nurses are chronologically very young. and so, i stress to them that this is a pandemic. it's hard to plan for a pandemic. and it's hard for me to tell you exactly how your day is going to go every day. b but ame nurses for a reason. and we need to rise to the tcasion and we need to me needs of the patients >> reporter: well, we wish you all, all the luck and good safety and good health in the weeks and the months ahead.el that'sda metts, nurse

manager at houston methodist hospital in texas. thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> woodruff: now, for their take turn to brooks andart.cs, we that's "new york times" columnist david brooks and "washington post" columnist jonathan capehart. mark shields is away. . >> let's srt with the coronavirus, david, as we just the head nurse there in hues, these cases areurging, having difficultye areitals are seeing cities set new records across the south and e ecord with president trump said he sayshings are well d expects things to do get better and he

is now insisting schools open in the fall. what do you make of the president's approac >> well, this is of just toh -- why is it rising in california and florida? i think the epidemiologists are humblever what a complicated and tough disease this is. it's just not a hel that donald trump is detached from that, from the reality of that, detached from anthony fauci and he hasn't spoken to him in two months, i turns out. so he is living in a different world, which wld be bad enough but he's sizcessfully pol the country. a few weeks, i was on the program talking about all of the warm there was. gack in march and april, people were react not as republicans and the doctor yachts but as one. you have the 77 percent majorities and that's notes case as much anymore. we have the president and fox is the

polarization industry has successfully turned into into a left-right thing which is crazy. it's a disease. >> and something like this. dy: jonathan it is the case criticizing rauci he isent is threatening to withhold federal money from the schools? >> yes. which, when you have a global pandemic that is spiking all over the country, and most of the states, and then you have e president of the unite states who david was saying is not following his own guidelines foeehelping to the pandemic in check, the idea that we are talking about opening school and forcing schools to open when there's no national strategy, no , 50ine, and you know different ways of going abouttr strikes me -- and understand

parents are concerned about their children's education but send the children to school in a pandemic in the middle of no national strategy i think is bore so many. a david, there are arguments to be made, surely. the children need to be in school. the american academy of pediatrics made that case this week. but you combine that with what you mentioned a minute ago, the president criticizing the mans who the most trusted person in the country when it comes to th disease to covid, . fauci, is there a strtegy there that you see that in some way that is going to benefit the president? >> well, i don't think it's going tobenefit. if you look at his polling, back when this lock down started in march, a one point it reached a spot where he was 55 percent of americans approved of his covid handling and now 's down to 33 r

verse plummeted in the last weeks or so as reality has dawned on americans that we're losing to this virus. america is not fooled by what io goin they know nald trump is out of touch. opening ole schostrikes me as a classic problem that should be settd in a wayy people who know what they're talking about. maybe in some places you can open schools and maybe you can't. politics is about competing goods and competing goods are getting kidsducated, getting parents and relief and keeping them self of safe. so it should be possible in lower yales and new york maybe where the disease is not so good or is not so high toso strike sort of workable way to do this. but having o allr nothing and forcing schools to do stuff strikes me asnsane. and jonathan what you are both getting at, this idea of rejecting the cdc guidance on schools, again of criticism of dr. fauci rejecting science, is

the president taking a risk byg >> oh, absolutely. the president is going up against dr. fauci, that's a fool' errand. dr. fauci is a word-renowned, world respected sign ti. he has beenn tat job for montgomery decades. he knows what he is taling about. if the president were cognizant and capable of creeding authority to someone he would allow dr. rauci to go out there and tell the ae merican peon a daily basis, here is where we dare with the panic, here is what you can do to protect yourself, your neighbors and families and if wedo this together, we can overcome this. it's going to take some sacrifice but it's worth it inrm the short-or the long-term benefits. we don't have that. what we have is ass president, david said, that is living in his own realitywhen it comes

to the pandemic of trying to push it away, happyalk it away that as we see with the rising ndcases of coronavirus the rising death rights and a whole lot of states around the country the american people on the ground in those states are buffn bumping up a the reality, the reality that the president of the united stateso refuses t see. >> separately david, the president got bad news and goodg news isses you could say in split decisions by the supreme court this week. cases where there was an to gain access to the president's personal financial records and the court ruled the presidenthas no absolutely immunity from prosecution as his lawyers have argued. does the president -- does thef office the presidency come away changed? and what about the effect on this president himself by these rulings? >> there won't be much affect

president trump because he will litigate this in lower courts until the election. the records i think the president does have to reveal taxrd reand whether that's done through the supreme court or through legislation which is being talked about, that's a a good precedent. it does strike me for a conservative court this has been a pretty bad month for the president. john rob ergts again and again has said this administration doesn't do things correctly, and he slapped him down repeatedly for notoing things correctly on abortion and a whole series of rulings, religious liberty -- conservatives have no reason to be happy with the last rulings this is the case.it strikes me >> what do you make of that? what john roberts that wroteec theseions and it was the two justices the president who voted against the presidenth on the case involving the manhattan da?

>> well, what this tells me is thatho justices sided with the rule of law d sed with the constitution. the president, when he talks out the supreme court, and particularly his two appointees to the court, he talks about them as if he owns them, that because he put them on the court, that they will side with him no matter what the case is, as long as he's for it, they'rer going to be t. what we saw with all of these decisiond -- i'm glavid brought that up, the president has been smacked around by the supreme court in their rulings and especially wi the case and the rulings tt were handed down yesterday, the court is saying our loiment i not to the president but to the constitution and the constitution says that the laws apy to every man and that man also inc the united states.t of and so for a president who thinks thathe world reinvolves around him, that people work foi

-- literally work for him -- the ruling says, no, we don't work for you. we are here. we have taken an oath to the constitution, not to you. >> judy: i want to bring both of youack to the other fellow running for president this noveer, joe biden. this week, david, he and, i tess they were calling a task force, the biden camp and bernie sanrvders were leging at ways to put together an agenda that would be acceptable to the folks who support bernie sanders. what do you make of this? it's a looek at some of things that joe biden says he wants to do if he is elected presiden i mean, is this -- is this the kind of progreive agenda that thoseing to appeal to fervent bernie sanders suppldters? >> i way that the sanders/biden reconciliation has that we're in a severe check

depression and there's a lot of resume for government action. and i would say that biden has made steel and concessions to the left but hasn't don anything voters-likey medicare for all or anything like that. what is surprising to me duringe conomic announcements this week is he is talking like donald trump, he has a rhetoric of america first. it's a different version of america 50. this is not barack obama's or bill clinton party. this is we have to secure our own supply chain. we have to move away from china. and we have to close in andme serveca first. so this -- it looks likeick gephardt, this is the democratic party he trd to lead us towards decades ago and economic populism is here. >> i remember anhim well. jonathan capehart in roll of rolling this how t biden is talking about buy american first

and support american workers. president trump reacted and said ideas away from me, she copng >> whichs rather interesting because i didn't think that president trump was a progressive. that president trump was someone who was looking and getting his ideas from the ft. the idea that president trump and bernie sanders ve something in common is actually kind of laughable. but what is track here is -- and i agree with david -- that, sure, both vice president biden d president trump have an america-first agenda. but they're coming at it from different ways and i think president trump comes at his america first agenda from a vera place -- from a place where it's -- where america is turning 's back not only on the world but in a lot of ways on its yealtsdz. and i think vice president biden and in his w plan,t he is

trying to say is that we are in a mess, in a global pandemic, our economy has imploded, the pandemic has showed there are issues with our supply chain that also have an impact on how health care is delivered and you can make an argument that is a national security issue. take away from what vice president biden put out yesterday and will be putting out over the days and weeks ahead is tha he has an agenda for where he wants to lead the country. he is giving a rationale to voters for why she should vote for him and dave him l the country over the next four years. when president trump was asked that question in an interview a few days ago he could not give a forward-looking answer. >> judy: well, that's a reminder that there is an election under way. it's easy to forget sometimes because there's a whole lots going on. but it's a reminder, and we want to thank both of, you david brooks, jonathan capehart.

we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> woodruff: the has been considerable conversation in this country about the taking down of confederate statues-- there are many more debatesm brewing over the messages other memorials and statues send-- and how people may perceiv differently. in the capitol hill neighborhood of washington, d.c., stands th"" emancipation memorial" which has been a flashpoint in recent weeks. jeffrey brown talked to four views on it.ans on their varied it's part of our ongs and culture series, "canvas." >> reporter: a hot afternoon in washington, d.c. >> i am reminded every single day that i am less than a white person whether i want to admit it or not. >> reporter: a heated exchange over a statue of abraham lincoln, standing above a

kneeling, newly freed african american man. last month, protesters gathered to demand the statue be taken down. the national park service, whice ov the site, erected aro fence as ptection.d 20-year-rvard university student glenn foster helped organize the call to take down the statue. he sees one man shirtless, with brok shackles, at the feet o another man in a position of power. >> how are you going to represent ack people looking free when you have them kneeling before a white man? young children about our history? and what does that teach them moving forward in terms of achieving their liberation and freedom on their own terms? a lot of older peopleve that the statue is fine because of the context of where they've learned why it ce to be, instead of understanding the image of what it stands for. >> reporter: set in lincoln park, the bronze statu called the "emancipation" or" freedman's" memorial, dates to

1876. it was intended to honor the slain president and commemorate the emancipation proclamation-- the document signed by lincoln to end slavery in the confederacy. >> let's not negate what happened. you need physical evidence that proved what happened so we dac't have to goto it again. that is black story. >> reporter: and even now, instead of a symbol of subservience, marcia cole sees one of liberation.n >> i see arican-american male figure on one knee, and he's in the process of rising. his head was up. he was looking forward to a life of freedom. d that's what i saw. >> reporter: at the recent protests, cole picked up a bullhorn, debated with activist keeping the statue.for for cole, there's more to the story. she's studied and re-enacts the african-american woman, whoeed raised funds to build the memorial aer lincoln's

assassination. >> she could be one of my direct ancestors. i want people to know that these are not just statistics.th were individuals who had individual stories. >> reporter: and for you that story, her story, is intrinsically tied to the statue and therefore keep the statue? it honors her generosity of heart. i would like to seit remain as a teaching moment. without artifacts, visual artifacts, people tend to forget.th this statue, while it may provoke some discomfort, discomfort is good because it would inspire inquiry. >> reporter: the complications and complexities were the from the start: a memorial paid for by blacks, but designed by a white sculptor, thomas ball, in a pre-ess controlled by a whit run organization. the famed abolitionist and orator frerick douglass delivered an historic speech at took the opportunio point too lincoln's shortcings.

and now those complexities have burst anew as the nation confronts the continuing racism of today and the legacy it was built upon. issue.lincoln that's at i'm fine with us memorializing him. heas a monumental presiden but it's this depiction specifically that's the issue. >> reporr: last month, 30- year-old marcus goodwin, a waington, d.c., real estate developer and now candidate for the d.c. council, climbed atop the atue-- a public contrast to the kneeling man below.la he theed a petition drive to remove and relocate the >> there's no such as erasg the past. my solution is to bring thisus into am where it can be u operly contextualized, where a docent can walk rough and tell you the history and the intentionality behind the art, because it doesn't achieve its intended goal. people see it, they see

demeaning imagery. and maybe it's a generational divide, but we don't see the type of fair and equitable representation that's inherent in the american dream.>> eporter: if you take down or change the symbols or the monuments, is that not changing the past in some way? >> no. in fact, you're changing the future. and you're doing it for the better, i would say. >> reporter: goodwin says he got the idea of relocating the statue after seeing reports of a similar demand in boston, home to a replica of the same monument. and in recent days the boston arission voted unanimously to take it down, without yet deciding where it sho. >> reporter: it'sma debate, says hsonian secretary lonnie bunch, with many layers. >> it is about hto a as a on who we want to be going forward. >> reporter: one of the nation's pre-eminent historians, lonnie bunch was also founding director ofhe national museum of african american history and culture.

he told us he's for keeping the "emancipation memoal," but perhaps adding another statue next to it, of frederick douglass, for example. creating, in a sense, more history. >> what i want to see is a reasoned process that allows us to discuss, that allows us to bring history before we make decisions of pulling things down. i think that, yes, we could take that statue down. we could replace it with a statue that just talks about the enslaved. and i think what we'd do is, on the one hand, we enrich our understanding. on the other hand, i think we lose the opportunity to help people understand more about lincoln and who he was and what he did. >> reporter: bunch thinks these memorials will have to be considered case by case, local decisions by commissiot move with care, but relatively quickly, just as events does that surprise you, how deep this has gone? >> it has surprised me both how deep it's goit and how rapid gone. t the challenge t the statue

itself doesn't give us any sense of complexity, nuance or ambiguity. but that's what history does. >> reporter: that may be a lot to ask in an america so greatly divided, seemingly not in a mood for complexity and nuance, now fighting over its past and future, one statue at a time. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: the conavirus continues to enact a devastating toll on families and cties across the country. again, we take a moment tonight to remember some of the lives lost. oscar rosa was the go-to for friends d family seeking advice, homework help, or a favor. everything he did was to support his family-- especially hisy. niece, ama bright and dedicated, oscar

excelled in debate, as a captain and a ach in his los angeles high school, and later in college. on opposing teams-- his familysa he wanted everyone to learn and love debate like he did.s oscar st 25. for nearly three decades, john walter offered laughs and life lessons to his parish youth group in queens, new york. as one former student put it," he took a bunch of misfits and turned us into family." a long suffering mets fan and a lifelong new yorker, his son brian said john was usually the funniest persoin the room. he was fiercely devoted to his wife of 57 yea, peg, their four children and two grdsons. the family proudly marched in the city's annual autism speaks walk, in support of his grandson james

john was 80-years-old. vanee sykes believed in the potential of every formerly incarcerated woman, and the bronx to help e-entere in society and find jobs. it was an idea sprouted duringn her me behind bars. vanee spent nearly four years in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to a scheme to steal food stamps. during that time, vanee's husband of 20 years, james, passed away, but she spoke to their three children-- jeffrey, james and alexis-- every day. raul guale jr. was at his happiest spending time with his three girls. when raul was in high school, he became a single father. that propelled him to study nursing and go on to work at an n assisted living facilityng

island. he met his we, marissa, and their family grew. they did evething together-- from disney vacations to food shopping and laund. raul was 34-years-old. victor arzola's convenience store in juarez, mexico, was a neighborhood safe haven, with as selfned loan system to help customers who couldn't pay. victor's wife of 68 years, belem, was the love of his life. after she became ill in 2007, he dedicated himself to her care, settling down in colorado. rarely seen without his big cowboy hat and a smile, victor became a u.s. citizen at 87-years-old. his family said it was his happiest accomplishment. victor was 93.

>> not able to say good-bye to their loved ones. it raves some of us unsure we tn findhe right words for those who are geving. throughout le we are told to omar cliches but writer scott shares his humble opinion on the one place the cliche will do: >> on the day bere she died, e last time i saw my mother lucid, for no good reason, i neglected to kiss her goodbye when i left the hospital for the night. and that's h i missed the final opportunity to kiss the cheek of my still living and conscious mother this is one of the many sadnesses that frequently swarm my grieving mind, things i would rather not think about. likewise, i'd rather not think of things to tell my mother next time we talk, only to remember there won't be a next time.

but, hey, all mothers die. she's supposed to go and leave me here with only memories. it's the proper way of things. in the presence of the grieving, some people choose to say nothing. ashamedly i've done ityself, even after knowing better-- but use for cliches. the one good they somehow find power as a look: as a writer, all myain. training has taught me to allergic to cliches. if i were to somehow write mhat her's death caused me to cry my eyes out, in revision irh would s replace that stock phrase with a description of words lost in the crack of a voice trying to stifle back tears.n deatl its devastating finality though, won't wait for a revision. death won't wait for you to dig through your soul in search of a blazing truth that will put a grieving spirit in order. i'm not convinced such a sequence of words even exists. when someone dies, look the grieving in their eye and say "my condolences," or, "i'm sorry

for your loss." say it sincerely and with meang. when those words were said to me in the days after my mother's assing, it said, "i see y there may not be a blinding truth within you about anyone's loss, but there are small sparkles of light. the power your clichés have in the face of death's enormity i their acknowledgment that there is nothing to say-- no words as that particular cliché goes-- said to recognize both theto be devastation and humanity of the griever. those well-worn words are a small offering perhaps, but they'll suffice. >> woodruff: rion amscottan on the newshour online right now we look at how l.g.b.t.q. artists and activists are using 'zines-- short magazines-- to tell their o preserve their history. that is on our web site, pbs.org/newshour. and wel be back, right here,

on monday with a look at how historic alexandria, virginia, b trying to balance safety with the needs of locinesses. that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. thank you. please stay safe and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newsho has been provided by: >> when the world gets complicated, a lot goes through your mind. with fidelity wealth management, a dedicated advisor cailor advice and recommendations to your life. that's fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson and johnson >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to prote a better rld. at www.hewlett.org.

>> supporting socialtr enepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning snsored by newshour productio , llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgborg you're watching pbs.

>> hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming >> hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight, tuesday the 8th of may. >> celebrating 75 years since world war ii's victory in europe with prominent historian doris kearns goodwin and max hastings, reflecting on leadership and the war against coronavirus. then.. >> i connect with people with words, with animals. it's more mind to mind. >> leading through science, pioneering primatologist on what coronavirus tells us about our place in the natural world. and later... >> i mean, the president said he wants to be viewed as a wartime president well, you know, the enemy is mother nature and it's covid-19. >> former secretar