captioning sponeored by wshour productions, llc >> nawaz: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight: rgeted killing. a key scientist behind iran's covert nuclear program is murdered, as officials there call it an "act of state terror." then, alarming numbeam. over 90,00icans e now hospitalized for covid, breaking and, "desperate journey." migrants are putting their lives at even greater risk now to crosesthe open atlantic in hop of reaching european soil. plus, sting alive. how independent bookstores are weathering the tough economic omes, and their message t shoppers before small business saturday. >> if you love your local businesses, you really have support them with your money. you can't just love them and think everybody else is taking care of them.

>> nawaz: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ o movi economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. m >> fidelity wealagement. >> consumer cellular.

>> financial services firm raymond james. >> johnson & johnson. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. wa >> this programade possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. unofficially ushers in they holiday shopping season-- but this year, under the pall of the nation is now averaging

well over 100,000 new infections daily. today is usually one of the busiest in-person shopping days, but instead, there was reduced foot traffic nationwide. capacity in stores, and raned temperature checks on customers. crowds were also smaller at the mall of america in minneapolis, where a mask mandate was in ace. >> we want everybody to wear their masks. actually, we have dedicated staff, they'll be wearing red shirts as you enter the ilding, ensuring that you have your mask on and are weari it properly. and then you'll also see our staff throughout the mall ensuring that you keep it on. we just want to make sure everyone has a safe holiday season. >> nawaz: despite the aller crowds in stores, analysts are forecasting an increase in holiday sales due to a boom online shopping. president trump has lost yet another legal round in his bid to challen the election results. a federal appeals court today rejected his lawsuitn pennsylvania. the court said the claims of fraud were devoid of any specifics, or any proof.

president-elect biden won pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes. the trump campaign said it will appeal to the u.s. supreme court. in ethiopia, mminwhile, prime ster abiy ahmed again rejected talks with leaders of the defiant tigrayegion. but his office said he would talk to representatives it says are "operating legallye. abiy met with african union peace envoys, as thousands more alfugees fled tigray's cap before the ethiopian army unches an assault. thousands of farmers in india protesting new law willday, end guaranteed prices for grain. they were stopped at first by police, who blocked their wayga and used tear s. demonstrators condemned the use ulof violence against peac protests. >> ( translated ): india is my country, and delhi is the capital of my country. i am not even allowed to enter my cital city. this is in spite of farmers never doing any hooliganism. our whole vement has been peaceful.

they also showered us with water cannons and weere also beaten. >> nawaz: the government says it wants to give farmers more freedom to market their produce, and boost production through private investment.wl an all-out brupted in taiw's parliament today over lifting a ban on imported u.s. pork. lawmakers opposed to the policye pig guts when the premier ied to speak. then, fistfights broke outru between ng party and taiwan has seen matests against u.s. pork that contains residue of a drug promoting lean meat. back in this country, the als. justice department fo changed its policy to allow federal executions by gas chamber, electric chair or currtly, lethal ions are the only authorized method. federal executions resumed this year after 17 years without one. at least five more executions arplanned in december and january. the trump administration is also

oving, in its final days, reduce protections for migratory birds. the changeinalized today decreases federal prosecution of industrial operations, from power lines to wind turbines to toxic waste pits, that unintentionally kill birds. the new rule could take effect within 30 days. and on wall street, the dow jones industrial average gained 37 points to close at 29,910. the nasdaq rose 111 points, and the s&p 500 added eight points. still to come on the newshr: frontline nurses battle increasing hospitalizations andf shortagerotective gear. fighting to reclaim land in impoverished places.most and, capehart and abernathy analyze the latest developments in the presidential transition. plus much more.

>> nawaz: iran's most prominent scientist, the man described by u.s. and israeli intelligence as the architect of that country's covert nucleareapons program, was killed in an apparent assassination today. nick schifrin reports on who he was, and why his death is significant. >> schifrin: amna, iranian media reports that mohsen fakhrizadeh was driving east of the capital, tehran, when a car bomb exploded near his car, and gunmen shot and killed him. analysts say fakhrizadeh was the j. robert oppenheimer of iran's clear program-- its lead scientist, coordinator and manager. western inlligence assessed e program was shelved in 2003. but in 2018, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu unveed a stolen archive of iran's nuclear plans, and said fakhrizadeh was responsible for continuing the program secretly. >> a key part of the plan wasne to fororganizations to continue the work.

fakhrizadeh, head of project amad, put it. remember that name: fakhrizadeh. >> schifrin: nobody has taken sponsibility for his death, but today, iranian officials accused israel. to talk about this, i'm joined by norman roule, who had a 34-year career at c.i.a., including as station chief in the middle east, and was thege national intele manager for iran until september 2017. >> norman roule, welcome to what's the significance to his killing and the impact on iran's nuclr program. >> good evening. the killing of the 59-year-old iranian official removes from iran its greatest stitutional memory on itsza weapoon program. it will be very difficult for iran to replace tis, and it will actually impair their ability to reestablisa weaponization program, should they decide to do so. >> reporter: what's thebe messagg sent by whoever killed him, and not only today but the ref cent death top

al quaida figure reported in tehran and myspterious losions throughout iran, including at one of ian's top nuclear facilities? >> these incidents, as well as the killing of i.r.g.c. force soleimani earlier this year, message to iranis that their most sensitive individuals, personnel and issues are not beyond the reach of wstern security services. idllly, it would tel iranian officials they should not undertake a covert nuclear ogram or trrorist activities or maintain a broader relationship with al quaida because doing so would quickly come to then attent western institutions and intelligence organizations and westernd governments woake immediate action, which iran cannot icevent. >> reporter: crof these kinds of killings have an argument that they don't stop iran's nuclear program, in fact they can create an incentive for

iron to pursue a nuclear paragraph and assassis can have belong-term negative consequences. what do you think abt those criticisms? >> i think it is questionable as to whether or not his assassination will encourage iran to undertake a nuclear weaponization program. i think in tehran right now anyone they might put in his place is probably wondering at what point he or she would fall under the focus of western institutions who might undertake a similar assassination. >> reporter: vice president biden and team want to enter a nuclear deal. what do you think oft that.ck >> an atf this nature would have taken a lot of time to plan, so this is not something that would have initiated in the recent few weeks. at the same time, i think its sends a message to the iranians at regional players will take

security into their own hands if they believe the u.s. is unable or unwilling to do so. >> reporter: does sh have an impact, do you believe, on prident-elect biden's plans to return to the iran nuclear deal. >> for iranians the prma interest to return to a nuclear deal is they need to bolster their reserves toaintain the the instions. currency banking for the biden administration, have to respect tecurityey will concerns of regional actors to greater extent to avoid other incidents such as this upsetting other nuclear negotiations. >> reporter: you mentioned iran's goals, given those goals, how likely is it iran respond in a major way? >> there is certainly going to be heated cussion with iran regarding a response. e ere would be some who thought

the response to ath of qasem soleimani -- iran will need to reestablish deterrents and show national pride is bing protected. at the same time, ey won't want to undertake an reaction that upsets the prospect of financial relief to the return of the nuclear deal. so iran is going to have to decide exactly what they do that walks a very fine line. >> reporter: norman roule, thank you very much. >> mr. my pleasure. >> nawaz: there are now more than 90,000 peopleed hospitaln the country with covid-related illness, the highest number since the pandemicegan. hoital i.c.u.s are nearly filled in some places. the u.s. currently averages more than 1,500 deaths a day-- a number that could rise once reporting resumes after theek

holiday d. all of this is putting enormous stin on healthcare workers, including nurses. here with more on that is bonnie castillo. she's the executive director of country's largest nurses union, representing 170,000 registered nurses. bonnie castillo, welcome to the "newshour". as we see cases surgin ag, the grap astounding. you see the number of new record daily high infections growing. when you look at the map across e country, you see no corner of the nation is untouched. e darker the shading, the worse the surge. so when yolook at the nurses on the front line, what do they not have right now that they need to do their jobs and do them safely? >> they are still lacking adequate protections, and when i say protections, i mean a comprehensive national plan of

protections that include the p.p.e., personal protective equipment, adequate numbers of staffing and even measures such as simple isolation testing. we are going without and we have been nine months into this and neve had enough time to prepare. we know what wed but we still don't havet. >> nt az: i thinkll surprise people that after all the calls to have p.p.e. andct personal proe equipment, nurses still don't have it. put this question to the they share your concerns and say they have serious concerns about the availability of p.p.e. and they also said, in reference to the trump administration's efforts, that they appreciate those efforts, but that th demand continues to outpace production. so bonnie, at tis point, how do nurses get what they need to what could be done today or this week to get them the supplies that they need? >> well, we need both the hospitals to be mandated to

provide nurs adequate protections because we actually know that we're still dealing with having p.p.e. locked i way fromumberses when they need it currently at the bedside. so we also need a national plan. we ned the -- we've called for the trump administration to gruel invoke the defense production act, and we need that iow. now, obvly, we are working with presidentlect biden, and we hope that we will have that in place soon. though.we need it now, literally, what we are seeing is unprecedented amounts o hospitalizations and deaths, and we're seeing that theye emp clearly are not prepared for this, and they've had more than enough time to prepare

>> bonnie, when you say that stuff is locked away and not making what does that mean?, i think people will have a hard time understanding, is it just there and not getting to the front lines where it'seeded? >> for instance, what we've heard is reports of p.p.e. coming in and, yet, nrses are given one n-95 sk for an entire shift. these are edesigned for single we still hear reports of hospitals expecting nurses not only to ar it for one whole shift butftentimes for multiple shifts per weeks. this is going to result in infections, infections of the healthcare workforce. when we're infected, we're not there to care for all the patients coming . nawaz: what about things like regular access to tesng,

contract tracing, early notification of exposure. we see professional athletes, college athletes getting access to those kinds of thngs. do nurses have easy access to those? >> no, they don't.k when you thout it, we're coming into direct contact with the covid patients. they need our expertise, and, yes, ieyet, we ar not given tes. so we have had nurses who have beenntaring for patsince february, march, and who still have not been tested. this is one our central demands is that, in ord fr us to be safe and for oura ptients to be safe, we need to know if we are infected. so, you know, we -- as i si we're fighting state by state but we really need a national plan. we need leadership that is going to take a national approach. you can't just have one state

enact masking orders, staying in place, social distancing, and yet have erhtates completely flout that and not have an impact from that on all of us. >> nawaz: we are so grateful fo lthe work all the frone nurses and healthcare workers are doing every day. that is bonnie castillo, the executive director of national nurses united. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. >> nawaz: president trump's visit this year to mt. rushmore drew new attention to ade des-long battle between native americans and the o.s. governmer millions ofd acres of l the area. we now, look at the campaign to yclaim that native territ and repair years of neglect.

special correspondent fred de sam lazaro reports from the pine rid indian reservation in south dakota. it's part of his series, "ages for change." >> reporter: it is an icon of the american west, and here on the vast pine ridge indianrv reseion, buffalo rancher bamm brewer says it is hd to overstate the animal's importance. >> the buffalo was significant to our ancestors because it provided everything. the buffalo was like-- like the walmart. food, clothing, medicine. and also aacred being, a symbol of power for our people. >> reporter: also a symbol of loss. buffalo, or bison, were hunted to near-extinction after european settlers arrived, and the imal's revival in small herds like brewer's is a metaphor for a campaign to reclaim a native culture and land taken in viation of treaties the u.s. government signed with sioux tribes in the 1800s.>> lived here all my life, and it's always been the same. poverty. i don't want thafor my

grandkids. i want us to come away from that. and i believe that the black hills is the answer.s >> it ju about physical of our societies and ourbuilding communities. >> reporter: activist nick tilsen says that rebuildingh begins we land-- millions c acres of the black hills. the u.s. supremert upheld the tribal claim 40 years ago, but only ordered restitution-- about $1.5 billion iy's dollars. tribal leaders rejected the money. theyanted the land. some of it now in private hands, but much of it now owned by the federagovernment. nick tilsen and about 150 others loudly renewed that demand when the president held a rally at mount rushmore last july. demonstrators blocked the road, drawing counter-protesters headed to the trump rally, and exacerbating long-simmering tensions between tribal and

south dakota political leaders. 20 people were arrested, but only tilsen was charged, facing an array of misdemeanors and felonies including simple assault and robbery for taking a shield from a law enforcement officer. >> these are all just a bunch of lies. >> reporter: emerging from three days in jail, tilsen flatly denied the charges and remained defiant. >> the work that i've committed my life to, of building indigenous power, it's an honor to be in this moment. >> reporter:rosecutors did not respond to our request for comment on the charges against lsen, who, at 38, is regarded nationally as an emerging indigenono leader. his n-profit, n.d.n., raises millio in philanthropic funds and makes grants to indigenous groups and causes, fghting mining and pipeline interests to starting businesses on indian annds, and taking back the they view as their own. >> we're not trying to burn people out of their houses or tell the you know, remove people, or perpetuate and

recycle the same injustices that we done to us. that's not what we're talking about. >> reporter: what he and others want is indigenous-led development, to reduce the near-total dependence on appropriations from congress, managed by various federal agencies. scott weston is a former tribal president. >> that government process that's holding us down, that doesn't let us live like the rest of the world. we don't get to think for ourselves. we are-- it is basically dictated to us what needs to happen, and that's-- that's the frustrating part. >> reporter: a common complaint here is that wealth has alwaysen been trom indian lands, and what's left behind are unemployment on pine ridge is above 80%, and life expectancy average.2 years below the u.s. non-profits that work on the reservation say more thane- ird of all homes are not hooked up for basic electricity

and sewer services. one of tilsen's efforts to address the crisis is a pilot development of energy efficient homes called thunder valley, but with just 30 homes and 48 apartments, thunder vaeets a tiny fraction of the vast need. it also took years to te federal bureaucracies for basic seices. >> it was super-daunting, to be a bunch of ragtaguys from the rez and sit across from the u.s. department of agriculture, who hands you a booklet like this thick, and says, this ishat you have to learn in order t get access to water and sewer. >> reporter: another big challenge? access to financing.e >> the pdge reservation, which is 3,500 square miles big, is without a single financial institution. >> reporter: tawney brunsch heads a community-based lender called lakota funds, which is trying to create wealth so people can afford homes. it has focused on lending to encourage more ranching by tribal members.

vast swaths of pine ridge today are leased to white ranchers one native customer is former trib president scott weston. he says his sons and to stay and thrive in the business and on the reservation. >> you see people coming from other countries into this country, into thunited states. and, you know, you see these big whereas we're subjtohey have. whatever the government gives us, and that's where the lakota fund is starting to come to play. >>nyeporter: he says it's a step toward self-determination for indigenous people-- a cause that nicpatilsen says is icularly timely these days. >> we're having this conversation of, you k racial reckoning. we-- this country will never aciteve racial justice unles makes it its itself right with indigenous people. >> reporter: tilsen has his own reckoning. a judge ruled there was probable cause for a trial on charges related to the july demonstration.

>> am i worried about facing >> reporter: his tri will likely be held next spring. a petition drive demanding that charges be dropped has gathered 18,000 signatures so far. for the pbs newshour, this is fred de sam lazaro on the pine ridge reservation. >> nawaz: the five-year migration crisis, especially in the mediterranean and atlantic, continues unabated, with drowning deaths on the rise. activists blame the european union's policies for the deaths. and there is a plan to reform gration policy, but experts are skeptical that it will save lives.ng now, a warefore our next report: you may find some images disturbing. here's special correspondent malcolm brabant. >> reporter: putti faith in thterranean has always been russian roulette. this november has been a

particularly wicked month. >> i've lost my baby! i've lost my baby, my baby boy! help! >> reporter: the woman f guinea in west africa was crying for her six-nth-old son, joseph. they were among a hundred people on board dinghy that cast off from libya. most were saved by spain's pro activa opearms, the only non-profit running a rescue service in the med. pro activa's director riccardo gatti. >> the rubber boat, the at totally divided. the two tubes, the floating other, and all thee fellhe directly into the sea. >> reporter: six people died, including baby joseph. >> the baby was recovered, but after some hours, e baby started to get worse and worse and worse, and he stopped breathing. >> reporter: a similar capsize was capturedn video by the crew of an aircraft operated by

the european border agency frontex. again, these people had set off from libya towards italy. frontex alerted libyan coast guards, who rescued 102 people. two bodies were recovered. have suffered the fate of another dinghy, which earlier capsized off the libyan coasts with the over 70 lives. speaking from the libyan port of misrata, steve purbrick of doctors without borders of a shipwreck, a er ofurvivors which have gasoline and salt water burns. so, nasty chemical bin addition to the mental health needs of people who've seen their loved es drown in front of them, or who've been fighting r the ace on the boat that has collapsed as well, in order to save themselves. >> reporter: se of the victims of the disaster described by purbrick washed up on beaches and were found by libyan fishermen. carrying dreams of a new life in europe, they'd crossed the sahara desert to reach the north african coast. but libya is one of the most

dangerous places on earth. re we hear numerous cases of abuses, of toror ransom as well as other forms of violence that's directed towards the migrants, who ve little to no legal protection inside libya. >> reporter: 23-year-old mouliom souleman was lucky. he was picked up by doctors without borders earlier this year. he's from cameroon in west africa, where an insurgency has forced half a million people to flee their homes. >> we have decided to leave our home because we don't really because of war, be it economic, social or political problems. at least i think europe should send us a hand, we really need your hand. >> stay where you are.te >> rr: europe's five-year-ra long mtion crisis has been punctuated with tragedies that this was july 2016 off the libyan coast. 22 perished after the dinghy spng a leak.

in their haste to get off, the migrants were steppingthe corpses of people who'd been alive hour earlier. nine months earlier, an overcrowded boat went down off the greek isnd of lesbos. more than 70 people arbelieved to have drowned. >> ...seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. ( screams and prayers ) >> in the name of god. >> there's no, there no pulse. >> there was an enormous amount of public sympathy five years ago, but one of the problems was that the sympathy didn't translate into empathy. >> reporter: sonya sces runs freedom from torture, a london based non-profit. >> we are still seeing refugees as "others," you know. people "not like us," to feel pity for at these particular moments when our emotions are ightened. >> repor as far as non-profits are concerned, the situation in the mediterranean this video leaves no doubt about their stance. >> governments are doing

everything they can to deny their responsibility to those seeking safety, turning a blind eye to those in distress, leaving people adrift for hours, even dithout food, water medical attenon. >> it's a policy of stopping people at any cost. >> reporter: hassiba hadje saaoui is manitarian affairs advisor of doctors without borders, or we first met four years ago during a three-week-long assignment aboard the "aquarius," the non-profit's resc ship. the italian government forced the "aquarius" out of the mediterrann. it was replaced by another vessel, "sea watch 4." but that too has now been impounded by the italians. >> m.s.f., since ihas been at sea, trying to save people, who are trying to cross the sea, has en subjected to campaigns of harassment and criminalization of its activities, a campaign of criminalization that is very reminiscent of authoritarian governments and certainly not of

european countries ostensibly committed to the rule of law. >> reporter: doctors without borders and pro activa accuse the frontex border force of helping libyan coast guards to return migrants to inhumane conditions and possible torture. frontex denies participating in illegal push-backs. it says it adheres to international law by alerting the nearest national rescue center when it spots a vessel in distress, and in my cases, that means libya. tthe european commission, executive branch of the e.u., has recently outlined plans foro a new migratiocy. it proposes fast track screening of potential asylum seekers before they cross exte borders.it an attempt to discourage people from setting sail in dangerous craft. but hanne bierens, director of the brussels-based migration policy institu, has little confidence it'll stop people coming.

>> there's so little room to move through these legal channels such as resettlement. there are very limed opportunities to come to europe through legal migration. so, thespeople who are often very desperate, whether it's because they're fleeing persecution or because they'rey having vttle chance to sustain themselves at home, they will continue to move to europe in the absence of legal and safe channels. they will have to rely on smugglers and other. >> reporter: in a sign of increasing desperation, thousands of africans trying to reach europe by avoiding libya are taking to the atlantic ocean .th its storms and curren they're launching from senegal in west africa and aiming for i spain's canaands, a thousand miles away. 17,000 people have made the harrowing journey this year, a ten-fold increasfrom 2019. the spanish authorities have been building emergency camps to cope with a recent influx. senegalese activists say clandestine emigrati nothing new, but this year has

been catastrophic, with nearlyor 500 deaths rd. this week, eight more people were added to that ghastly toll. reund on the shores of canaries, their ins were crried on stretchers, wrapped in emergency blankets. there's little doubt the waves will continue to be mass graves, asong as life is so bad at home that people are prepared to take these kind of risks to escape. for the pbs newshour, i'm malcolm brabant. >> nawaz: let's turn now to the analysis of capehart and abernathy. that's "washington post" columnist jonathan capehart, and gary abernathy, an ohio-based writer and contributing columnist to the "washington post." both mark shields and david brooks are away this week. jonathan and gary, it's good to ng here. thanks for bei i hope you both had a safe and

happy thanksgiving. let's talk about the tnsition, shall we? it has been weeks since the the race has been d. i don't know about where you live, but here in virginia, most to have the yard science are do and, yet, the prsident is still casting doubts on this election, to the point where, yesterday, when a reporter asked him, felt he had to ask him, would you leave the white house, htake a listen to whate president said yesterday. >> if the electoral colrege electsdent-elect biden are you not going to leave this building? >> certainly i will. certainly, i will.h and you knowt. >> nawaz: just this afternoon then, the president tweeted thie white house as president if he can prove that his ridiculous 80 million votes were not fraudulently or illegally obtained. gary, i'm going to start with you here. why is the president continuing to call the entire election a fraud? who is he talking to here? >> i suppose, amna -- and thank you for having me tonight,

jonathan, good to see you -- i suppose he thinks this plays to a part of his base that, you accept the idea of defeat, no but i'm very disappointed in him doing this. let's make it clear, on january 20th, joe biden is going to be president, and that happens whether joe biden getser to enhe white house or not. i'm sure he will. but bei into the white house doesn't make you president. the people of the united states do that, and that's what they did. but i hope that, in, you know, short order, i was willing to give president trump a couple of eks to, you know, to his legal y allenges, answer any questions that might rea out there about fra. i think we've done that. i think we've looked into it. i know there is still some uff going on out there, but nothing thou's going to pat, really. and, so, it's time for president trump to set an example for amica, even for his base and for the rest of the let's gets on with it, and he

did that, in part, by you know, agreeing to let the g.s.a. go ahead withthe transition and telling his agencies to cooperate, but he needs to take that last step and say, okay, i acknowledge, it's done. you make to have te messaging coming from both the president hasn't reallyaged on a lot who of that fraud conversation? >> well, what we're seeingtw between thof them is a stark contrast. on the one hand, you have an incumbent, outgoing president who, since the election day and certainly since the election was officially called for president-elect biden,vas basically en up on doing the actual job of bei president, still lashing out on twitter, lashing out yesterday at the whithouse, no matter what he says, as my friend gary says, he will no longer be president, come noon on january 20th, so just put that off to the side. but by contrast, you have blebt,

who is ignoring the is a shah raid coming out of the white house, ignoring the taunts, ignoring the traps that the president thinks he's laying fo joe biden, but through his thanksgiving day address to the nation, showed -e remindedountry of what it's like to actually have a president of the united stees who puts tare and comfort and concerns of the citizens ahead of his on needs, wants, objectives, and by moving forward and naming -- starting n e his cabinet, doing the biden government wld look a like, i think the contrast coul more clear, and also explain why 80 million americans went with joe biden an not with the sitting incumbent president. n>> nawaz: well, joathan, to your point, let's take a look at

some of the cabinet pics and the p administration posts rolled out by thed bien-harris teams. a few have been named so far and a f others have been reported, when you look at the top polls and some of the names released, a good are obma alumni. what do you say to some who say this looks like a third obama term. >> look, i think the folks who are criti president-elect biden for this short-sighted.ttle the last democratic president of the united states was president obama. the people who we just saw thert anthony blinken, was deputy secretary of state in the obama administration. so this is a promotion.h there's a wea expertise and knowledge and stature among the people yo just owed, which is only a small part of the cabinett that

president-elect biden is going to announce. and, so, i would say to thosen critics, youw, settle down, be glad that there are pearle whe coming in to the government, willing to come into the mess at they are about to inherit to turn those agencies around and also to turn theed untates around. >> nawaz: gary, when you look st what president trump has been doing this eek, he has been exercising his presidential power and consideri some pardons. there was this pardon for general michael flynnright, who had pled guilty to lying to federal agents about his russian contacts. what did you make of that decision to pardon general flynn? >> well, i'm not going to act f ke that was the least surprising evente week. i think a lot of people have been anticipating that president trump was going to issue that pardon. you know, this was -- there are rong feelings about this case. i'm on the side where i thought,

you know, how james comey lidge ridgy, to this day, described white house kind of being in disarray early on so he didn't really fllow protocols and decided to send an agent into the white house to see what the, could find ond then they have this conversation with any contact with the russians, because, based on what we know, what he said to the russians, there was nothing wrong with that. but then, for some reason, i guess he panicked, he denied saying it, a there's no doubt about that. but when you look at the history presidents going back four or five or six presidents, often offer pardon or issue clemensy to allies an people close to them, that's what the president has done and however you're going to feel about it, it was not surprising that he did it. >> nawaz: there is a bigger issue i would likeo get you

both on. the continued undermining by the president of the entire election process, even as gary, as you say, he's just talking tois base, who may never accept it, it does continue. we move into two runoffs in georgia where the pressays he's going to be campaigning on the ground. jonathan, are you concerned that the longer the president undermines the process, the harder it will be for biden to governor snrn. >> certainly. but there's a time limit on this. a little more s than 50 dayd then we won't have to worry about president trumpin undermthe electoral process. but i think it is still incumbent on republicans o conscience and stature out in the country, but particularly on capitol hill, ito rse up and speak out against things that are anti-constitutional, aat this, small "d" democratic and undermine the rule of law. >> nawaz: gary, what about you?h, >> y really hate to agree

with jonathan very oten tonight, amna, but i have to agreet wih him on this on the president, for the sake of i've rui've -- of everyone and belief in the process. i was not opposed to investigating these things, but i think for the good of america and to a signal to the world that we have honest elections in this country, we hava e aceful transfer of power in this country, i'd like to stay t president at, and i hope he goes so far, when january 20th i hope donald trump will stand there to the side joe biden as president-elect biden takes the oath of office. >> nawaz: dare i ask you in the few secds we have left e both of you, on thisng thanksgieek, if you would like to share a quick thought on what you are thankful for, gary? >> i'm grateful for my family,d

friends till grateful to live what what i think is the greatest country on earth with the greatest opportunities on earth and despite what we're going through right now, some people say, oh, there's a constitutional crisis, and so on, really, our system works, it will continue to work,thnd is process has shown us that, and january 20th will put a stamp on the results of this election. >> nawaz: jonathan, what about you? >> to be perfectly brunt, i am thankful of the election of joe den and kamala harris, forre what iresents. the 80 million people who put them into office opted for return to normalcy, decency andv putting in a gnment that respects the american people, the constitution and the rule of law. >> nawaz: and we are thankfulu to both of yor joining us this week. that's jonathan capehart and a garnathy. good to see you both.

>> nawaz: more than 264,000 americans have died during this pandemic. as we do every friday, we lookom now atof the lives cut short by covid-19. bryan fonseca's personality was as loud and colorful as his shirts. in high school, he found a home at the theater, first as an acto later as a director and theater owner in. indianapol he was fearless, known for abtting on shows that explored controversial or themes, and for prioritizing diversity in his ranks. he was a tough and demanding leaderbut a lovable friend, brother and uncle. at age 65, he maintained ansi insatiable cur, especially about his mexican heritage. he collected day of the dead art and enjoyed enng the day with a glass of good tequila.

alexandra itwood was kind and agreeable, her husband said, but a fierce advocate for students who needed h guidance as a school counselor in manheim county, pennsylvania their marriage was a fairytale love story. they met on a school trip in rome, italy. they would go on to explore the rest of europe together, try new recipes and restaurants with friends, raise two sons and become grandparents. according to her husband, it was the happiest ten years of their lives. george longorijr was a old. quintessential houstonian, his family said. for 30 years, the security guard worked every type of event in the city, from comedy shows to an active sports fan himself, george played soccer as a goalie starting at the age of five. e 50-year-old was described by his family as adventurous, playful and funny; a supportive husband and encouraging father.

peyton baumgarth had an electric personality, his family said. he was charismatic, loving, and effortlessly hilarious. a from a you, peyton had a love for music and video games. the st. louis-area nativwanted to be a video game developer when he grew up. peyton's mom described her son as "momma's little boy." they enjoyed spending time together, shopping, crafting,ha or just holdins and watching tv. she said he and his older sister loved each other fiercely, too. peyton was only 13 years old spoiling his children and grandchildren brought edwin montanano so much joy, his kids said. edwin came from humble beginnings in the philippines and immigrated to the united states at age 26 to pursue a career in nursing. he worked at new jersey's st. michael's medical center for 36 years with his wife, who was also a nurse. described by their children as a perfect match, edwin and his wife loved to travel together.vi

, funny, loyal and generous, edwin was 73 years old. >> nawaz: ahead of small business saturday, jeffrey browh takes a look aplight of independent bookstores, struggling to stay afloat in a challenging economy. and culture seriesvas."g arts brown: another day in the life of independent bookstore in t time of pandemic: packing orders, customers at the curb-- and on this day, a few allowed in. and constant phone calls. >> sometimes the first question is, "are you on?" and we say, "well, kind of, sort of, maybe-- what can we do for you?" >> brown: in fact, source booksellers in detroit's mtown is open, just not in the way it used to be. it's a tiny store, 900 square feet, owned and operated by

83-year-old janet webster jones and her daughter alyson jones taylor. janet had worked in the detroit public schools as teacher and administrator for years. beginning in 1989, she built on ve of books-- first selling them at local bazaars, fairs and churches, later part of a women's business collective, finally opening the store here in 2013. it's a highly-curated selection. mostly non-ftion: history, health, books by and about women, art-- things they love and want to share wi customers. way.re your own algorithm, in a >> we try. that right! we hope thatur books, even if it's a storybook or a fiction book, it gives a history in a m story that y not get otherwise.>> rown: this was a place all about personal interaction-- closed and business disrupted. out of necessity, mother and

daughter changed it up. >> we did not have a storee online, a websere you could buy things before. and so this is absol hely new. and to learn all of the shipping, receiving-- >> the packaging! >> --yes, packaging. different things that we wer not doing before. >> brown: by going online, they found a wider audience, with sales as far as maine, washington state, and abroad. they also went old school, taking to the phones to reach individual customers. as a black-owned business, they saw the heightenednterest in social justice issues translate into new relationships with businesses seeking large orders of books for theirmployees. and it continues to evolve. >> many times, people come in ned talk about having a bu and they tell me "i dream ofth ," and i say, "i did not dream this. opportunity and courage put this business together over a period >> brown: opportunity and

courage at any time is required, right? at about with a pandemic? >> with the pandemic, the opportunity came for us toch shut down ange, and we had the courage to just shift, and the possibility, because w had grown in our capacity to do things in the store. >> brown: these are perilous times for independent book according to a recent study by the american booksellers association, more than one indie has closed each week since the pandemic began, and 20% across the country are in danger of closing. renowned stores li strand in new york and vroman's in los angeles have said their survival is at stake. everywhere, once-popular author appearances and book club dtherings are virtual, an many stores continue to do curbside-only business. >> a lot depends on your counity and how much they appreciate you. >> bro: at 43-year-old watermark books in wichita, the cafe is closed, but store itself is open to customers.

owner sarah bagby had to lay off employees and shorten store hours, but a move to online sales has helped make up for other losses. bagby, who bout the store in 1996, has been in this business long enough to survive past crises, and sees this one as again forcing stores like hers to focus on their core business. it's funny-- when the box stores opened, typically,nd indet stores became better business people, or they closed. now, with this pandemic, we are better business people again. we've limited our time open. we have taken awaycahe fat, basiy, that wasn't generating revenue. okand we are just selling >> brown: and they are part of a new effort to take on elephant in any roomful of books: amazon. the fact is, book sales haveri risen the pandemic. people are home reading more,

teaching their children. but it's amazon that's benefited most. a campaign called "boxed out" was launched by the a.b.a. at several stores around theun y, including watermark. >> our messaging is just, "think about where you're shopping." that's the real message, is, think abt every time you make a purchase, if you love your local businesses, you really have to support them with your money. you can't just love them a think everybody else is taking care of them. >> brown: source booksellers in detroit is also part of thean campaignmother and daughter are hyper-conscious of the "local" role they play in a community that has continued to support them-- whether through small development grants or through checks from loyal individuals. >> human beings need relationships on every level of their lives. and so that's why we were very dedicated to having a bookstored

that woster relationships. i have people coming in the store, oftentimes-- don't we, alyson?-- saying, "i know i can get this from"... i won't say the word ..."but i wanted to buy it from you." and we're very grateful for that. >> brown: but is it nable? in this industry, some books can make a big difference: independt bookstores are counting on barack obama's memoir to kick off a holiday season that could make or break. ma as covid cases again explode, stores that are open face new closures, and every all business owner shivers as the cold weather sets in. we dot know how sustainable anything is. we don't even know-- and i'll say this as an old p- we don't even know if our life is sustainable. so we have to live on the faith serving in the com as bestse of we can. of responding to the needs that come to us because of outside forces, being clear with our

advice to families navigating similar divisions this holidaysr public gatherings with anyone outside household members. goes into efect monday and lasts through at least december 20th. that is the "newshour" for tonight. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. we'll be back, right here, on monday. until then, have a great

weekend, please ay safe, and 'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs >> before we talk about youry: investments-- what's new? >> well, audrey's expecting... >> twins! >> grandparents.t >> we want to ney aside for them, so, change in plans. >> all right, let's see what we can adjust. >> change in plans.o the twins. >> okay. >> mom, are you painting again? you could sell these. >> let me guess, change in plans? >> at fidelity, changing plans is alway >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> bnsf railway.li >> the wilam and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better

world. at www.hewlett.org. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing pblems-- skollfoundatioorg. >> and with the ongoing pport of these institutions and friends of the newshour. this program was made g.ssible by the corporation for public broadcast and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers likyou. thank you. [bght music]

- hello everyone, and welcome to "amanpour company." here's what's coming up. [man speaking in foreign language] [audience cheering] with the us now out of the landmark gbal climate accord, where are we in the race againsclimate change? i speak to christiana figueres, architect of that historic paris deal, and environmentalist bill mckibben, who's been ringing the alarm bells for decades. - - [tony] i said that so far as britain was concerned, we would be with america. those two things were clear. it was monumental, andite would deal witogether. - [christiane] that extra special relationship that reshaped the post-9/11 world for better and for worse. british broadcasting legend david dimbleby offers a new lens on bush, blair, and the iraq war. plus- so weird is an acronym that stands for western, educated, industrialized rich .