captioning sponsored by wnet >> hill: on this edition for saturday, september 5: nationwide protests continue into the labor day weekend. the staying power of election disinformation. and, in our signature segment, with covid-19 restrictions easing in some places, the arts are again taking center stage. next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the anderson family fund. bernard and denise schwartz.

the cheryl and philip milstein family. barbara hope zuckerberg. charles rosenblum. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by: consumer cellular. and by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> hill: good evening, and thank you for joining . president donald trump spent much of today at his virginia golf club, and continued to deny news reports that he has disparaged military service members. "the atlantic," citing anonymous sources, reported on thursday

that the president called americans who died in war "losers" and "suckers." he allegedly made the comments while on a 2018 trip to france, before a visit to an american military cemetery was canceled. the administration and mr. trump say the trip was called off due to a heavy rainstorm. the president denied he made the comments again yesterday, at a late afternoon white house news conference. >> it was a fake story written by a magazine that was probably not going to be around much longer. but it was a totally fake story, and that was confirmed by many people who were actually there. >> hill: yesterday, fox news corresndent jenner griffin said she confirmed parts of the "atlantic" story. >> john, i've spoken with two u.s. senior officials who were on the trip to france, who confirmed to me key details in the "atlantic" article and the quotes attributed to the president. my source, a former trump administration official, told me when the president spoke about

the vietnawar, he said "it was a stupid war. anyone that went was a sucker." >> hill: mr. trump said griffi "should be fired for this type, of reporting." as the u.s. celebrates labor day weekend, protests against police violence and racial injustice continued in rochester, new york and portland, oregon. >> all people must leave e area >> hill: for the 100th straight night, protesters in portland hit the streets. a gathering near a police union buding was declared an "unlawful assembly," and police arrested several demonstrators while dispersing the cro. the fatal shooting of a man affiliated with a right-wing groulast weekend, and the killing by federal agents of the self-described anti-facist sought in connection with that killing, have further roiled the city. in rhester, police used tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting the death of daniel prude. it was the third straight night of protests since the release of video showing his arrest in march.

prude, a 41-year-old black man, died a week after police put a mesh hood over his head in a covid-19 safety protocol, and then pressed his head into the pavement when he tried to stand. prude's family said he was suffering from a mental health crisis. all seven officers involved have been suspended, with pay, as the new york state attorney general investigates. in louisville, kentucky, far-right and self-described militia members gathered for a rally anmarch this morning. organizers described it as an event to support police and oppose far-left groups they called domestic terrorists. hundreds attended, many of them armed, and marched near downtown, after a rally at a city park. in the early afternoon, there were some scuffles with counter- protesters. louisville has been one of the centers of nationwide "black lives matter" demonstrations, since the police killing o 26-year-old breonna taylor in march. louisville metro police officers shot taylor while executing a"

no-knock" search warrant. taylor, who was an e.m.t., was unarmed. a march demandg the police officers who killed taylor be arrested and charged is planned for late todayear churchill downs race track, where the kentucky derby is being run this evening without spectators. in mississippi yesterday, a judge ruled that curtis flowers, who was tried six times for the same murders, will not be prosecuted for a seventh time. flowers was nvicted multiple times for the 1996 murder of four people in a furniture store in winona, mississippi, but all the convictions were overturned. he was released from prison last december after serving more than 22 years. the state attorney general's office declined to prosecute flowers again, citing a lack of evidence and viable witnesses. two years ago, an amecan public media podcast brought national attention to the case and included a recording from one of the key witnesses who recanted his testimony.

the u.s. supreme court overturned flowers' most recent conviction last year, citing racial bias in jury selection. the court found the prosecutor who had tried flowers each time had unconstitutionally kept black mississippians from serving on the jury. a lawyer for flowers said the case was "tainted throughout by racial discrimination. it should never have occurred, and lasted far too long, but we are glad it is finally over." health officials are reminding americans to remain vigilant about the spread of covid-19 on this long holiday weekend. there are now more than 6.2 million confirmed infections in the u.s., and more than 188,000 deaths. globally, the death toll from covid-19 has reached 875,000, with more than 26.6 million confirmed infections according to researchers at johns hopkins university. in india, confirmed infections

topped four million today, and the country reported a new record in daily cases. india now joins just brazil and the u.s. in crossing the four million mark. the jump to four million comes just 13 days after india reached three million ces. in australia, there were protests today against lockdowns in the city of melbourne. melbourne has been under a strict lockdown to prevent a spike in infections, including a nightly curfew. the ate of victoria, which includes melbourne, reported 11 deaths and 76 new infections today. and in italy, former prime minister silvio berlusconi is in stable condition after being hospitalized with covid-19 on wednesday. in a statement today, his doctor said tre was cautious, but reasonable optimism that the 83-year-old will recover. for the latest national and

international news, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. >> hill: this week, facebook and twitter announced that disinformation campaigns, just like the ones that targeted the 2016 presidential election, are threatening this year's election. as more of these sophisticated campaigns persist, many are spreading rapidly online before social media companies can fact-check and take them down. i recently spoke with deen freelon, associate professor at the university of north carolina-chapel hill, about these potential digital election disruptions. delivering disinformation in politics and political campaigns is really nothing new. what makes it so dangerous and disruptive? >> well, i think disinformation has really been exploding in the digital sphere, right. so, this is something that we saw a lot during the 2016 election and something that we're continuing to see now. and i think that in the 2016 election-- before, during and after-- this was something that americans were not necessarily

aware of, they didn't really see coming, and now they're a bit more aware of it. but, of course, the disinformation has evolved. so, as it evolves, it sort of remains ahead of americans' understanding of it and it's perception of it, and that's what really makes it dangerous. >> hill: it's savvier now, would you say? >> yes, right. so that if the point of disinformation is to deceive people and to get them to believe or engage in behaviors that they otherwise wouldn't, you can't really be forthright about your identity and what you're talking about. so you have to keep ahead of the media, and, of course, the academics like me that are studying it, trying to get to the bottom of it. and the real problem that we encounter is that so much of this can only really be understood in retrospect. so in other words, it's onl after the social media companies release the identities of the accounts and the people behind them that we can truly understand what's going on. and that's what really makes it scary, because in the moment, there's really no way to do that. >> hill: what is the impact, then, of this, and how effective is it? how well does it work? >> the impact of disinformation should be understood within the broader context of media effects more generally.

so i participated in a study that showed that disinformation provided by the russian internet research agency really didn't change anybody's minds, right, so it wasn't like shifting, you know, left-wing to rt-wing or anything like that. so that's pretty definitive. and other accounts have also suggested this is not the way that this disinfortion typically works, if it has any efcts at all. what it typically does is it pushes people further along the direction that they're already in. so if you're left, it maybe makes you more left. if you're right, it maybe pushes you more to theight. there needs to bmore research on that. but we know that it does not result in this sort of, you know, major opinion shifts that sometimes is out there propagated in popular accounts of this type of phenomenon. >> hill: does it have a disproportionate impact of any segment of the population? >> yes. so we know that there have been certain segments of the population that have been disproportionately targeted. we know that in the case of the russian internet research agency, that white conservatives and black protesters on the left were disproportionately targeted

in 2016 and afterward. and this, of course, follows along with disinformation playbook, where you target the most vulnerable and-- the most populations that are most likely to engage with this kind of content, and where the impact is likely to be the geatest. >> hill: you said we're seeing more of it, savvier now than in 2016. is more of it also based on stereotypical things? >> yes. i mean, this is one of the areas, the fissures in american life, that foreign-based disinformation actors like to exploit the most. and so race has been a major, sort of, flashpoint for that. your immigration is another one. and so these kinds of hot-button issues are really ripe for disinformation exploitation. >> hill: how easy-- how hard is it to detect? and the reason i ask that is because the "new york times" is reporting this week that there is some ssian poll agency, some agent of the kremlin, that has been hiring american

freelance journalists to work for something called peace data or peace research or something like that, and the folks who are being hired don't know that they're working for the russians, and they're going out and spreading disinformation. >> right. so this is part of that evolution th i'm talking about. so, primarily in 2016 and immediately after, it was mostly russian agents, people who were sort of russian speakers-- at least we know that-- that were engaging in this. and so, the recruitment of actual americans is really the next evolution of that. and, you know, who better to pretend to be americans, or who better to represent foreign interests, than americans themselves, right? they're less suspect because they're some of us, right? and so, absolutely, i think this is part of that next evolution that i was talking about, making it much more difficult to detect even the people that are carrying these messages forward can't detect it. they don't know necessarily that they're engaging in it, they're just collecting a paycheck. and of course, at the moment of economic precarity that we're at, you know, there may not be too many questions asked about where that money is coming from, if you're desperate to get some

of that. >> hill: in 2016, i remember i was presented with something that someone apparently got from facebook. it was about hillary clinton and the child trafficking and all that stuff. and then i asked, okay, where did that come from? and someone told me the source, i immediately did not recognize it as anything worthy, anything credible. so that then raises the question for me then, "how do we, as the targets of these disinformation campaigns, how do we separate fiction from fact?" >> part of the issue that we've run into is, it is extremely difficult to do so until after the fact because we have to rely on these social media companies to disclose the identities, or at least the social media handles, of these information actors. but one thing i tell my students is that you really need to understand that disinformation plays upon your pre-existing political biases, right? so it plays on confirmation bias, motivated reasoning. which means that when people are really trying to appeal to you with disformation, they're going to try to say things and do things that are going to attack people that you already don't like and support people

that you do like. and so, that, i think, is where people should really pay attention. when it's something that seems to be too good to be true, its attacking someing you don't like, whether it's in support of somebody you do like, that raises the possibility that people are really trying to-- to engage in a disinformation- style attack on you. and this maybe from somebody that you know or an organization that you're aware of, or from a source that you are not familiar with. but when it's really going overboard in support of your political beliefs, that raises the possibility. it's not definitive proof, but it really should put people on high alert that they may be on the receiving end of a disinformation attack. >> hill: associate professor dean freelon of the university of north carolina, on disinformation in our political system. professor, thank you very much for joining us. >> thanks a lot. >> hill: this past week, new york city's metropolitan museum of art and the museum of modern art reopened to the blic.

it's a positive development for one of the economic sectors hit hardest by the covid-19 pandemic. according to the brookings institute, since the pandemic hit, the creative economy has lost 2.7 million jobs, nearly a third of its workfce. but as restrictions are beginning to lift in some places, the arts are also starting to return to life. newshour weekend's ivette feliciano visited one area in western massachusetts where patrons are experiencing the arts in-person for the first time in almost six months. >> reporter: it's summer in pittsfield, the largest city in berkshire county, massachusetts, and tonight's audience is about to see something they probably haven't seen in months: live theater. ♪ oh, yeah! oh, bless the lord, my soul oh, ess the lord, my soul ♪ >> reporter: since the covid-19 pandemic hit, the stage actors' union, actors equity association, has only approved

two theaters to resume live performances in the u.s. both of them were in the berkshires. the first was barrington stage company, which staged the one-man show "hay clark" in early august. the second, berkshire theatre group, is now performing the musical "godspell" through september 20. for that company's artistic director, kate maguire, the show marks a bright spot in a chaotic year. the normally vibrant theater community here has been in turmoil since massachusetts shut down non-essential workplaces due to covid-19. >> we closed up on march 11. everybodwent home. and then we recognized that we're in the business of putting on live theatre, and that our industry is at a complete standstill. >> reporter: the actors in berkshirtheatre group's" godspell" talk about their dilemma at the beginning of the play. >> the covid-19 pandemic took away everything i worked my whole life for. >> i felt alone, abandoned,

unessential, and just completely unnecessary. >> my entire business relies on human connection. >> when theater shut down, so did i. >> i don't know how our industry's going to survive. is there going to be money from the federal government, from the n.e.a., to the state arts councils? how are we gng to survive this? we can't do any of our work at all. >> reporter: that's not just a problem for theater companies here. the berkshires relies heavily on the arts to help drive tourism, which in 2018 brought in over $467 million and supported almost 4,000 jobs. and it isn't just theaters being affected. museums, like the clark art institute in williamstown, massachusetts, also closed its doors imarch. nevertheless, museum staff continued working. olivier meslay is the clark's director. >> part of the staff went to work on different sorts of tasks. some of them were, for example, helping to redo the website,

when, in fact, they were supposed to welcome the public. some others were preparing reopening very, very early on. >> reporter: and then on july 6, massachusetts entered phase 3 of its reopening plan, which included museums. less than a week later, the clark opened their doors again. for now, visitors and staff must wear masks at all times. the museum has also reduced admission to 25% capacity on their 140-acre campus, and all tickets must be purchased in advance for specific entry times. >> we are now at 300 people in a day. it's also easier to keep them scattered all over the museum if you have less people. >> reporter: live outdoor performances are now also allowed in massachusetts. with the approval of actors equity, unioactors are now performing in the berkshires, even as broadw remains dark. ♪ oh, dear lord

three things i pray ♪ >> the actors quarantined for two weeks before they came. they got tested right before they arrived here. we went to new york with vans and picked them all up, so they were all together. they've been in what we call a bubble ever since. they all live in the same house. they don't ever leave their bubble. >> reporter: artistic director kate maguire says "godspell" is particularly relevant during the pandemic. >> it's about a group of people that come together. they're all in different places of chaos, asking the question, "how did we get here? how are we going to get through this period in time?" and by the end of the play, there's some connection and understanding of, essentially, what it means to be human. ♪ god save the people >> reporter: to protect the audience, the company spaces the seats out in groups of two or three. >> the audience is under this tent, all in masks, socially

distanced. there's 25 feet from the first row to the artists on the stage. and, as you can see, there's partitions up on the stage so that when the actors are singing, those partitions are moved so we eliminate some of the spray from reaching out. >> reporter: not everything has gone smoothly with the reopening. in early august, due to an uptick in covid cases, massachusetts governor charlie baker lowered the limit on outdoor gatherings from 100 people to 50. because of this, berkshire eatre group had to reduce their seating capacity. despite the challenges, both meslay and maguire are committed to an in-person experience with art during this time. >> there is the wind. there is the sun. there islenty of sensorial aspects of art that are embedded in an in-person visit.

i think the in-person aspect of the relationship, the experience with art, is essential. when you are in front of the work of art, there is a moment, there is a pose,here is something which is very unique. and it's very different from being virtual. >> it's a completely different experience. people go to church, or they're sitting out on front lawns of church now, to be together, to experience their faith. and i've always said that my church is here at my theatre. >> repter: maguire says that giving people that experience is important now more than ever. >> artist's lives are being destroyed around the country right now. i mean, for so many artists, at least when they're not working, they can wait on tables. they can't even wait on tables right now. so we need to remember the artists and how they impact our wod, and what would the world look like without art. ♪ you better start

you better start ♪ you better start to learn your lessons well ♪ >> hill: that's all for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. for the last news updates, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. i'm michael hill. thanks for watching. have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

>> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the anderson family fund. beard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. barbara hope zuckerberg. charles rosenblum. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for

public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching pbs. narrator: this program was made possible

in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. ken burns is a national treasure. he's been working with pbs for over 35 years making films that changed the way we look at our history, films that challenge us, start conversations and help us prepare for the future by better understanding our past. it is all made possible because the financial support of viewers like you. to say thank you, we are taking a look back across ken's many