captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a sign of hope britain witnesses thfirst covid vaccine, as president- elect biden names his top health care advisers that will inherit an ever-worsening pandemic. then, a critical choice. army general lloyd austin ised tao be the next secretary of defense, potentially breaking barriers, but also raising questions about civilian control of the pentagon. and, "searching for justice." covid-19 and social stigma complicate the already-difficult process of integrating into society for the homeless and >> you get out, but because you did this crime, we're going to hold it against you to where you

can't get certain things thatsi are utter necessities. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> architect. bee-keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life, well-planned. >> for 25 years, consumerll ular has been offering no-contract wireless plans, designed to help people do more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. >> johnson & johnson. >> bnsf railway.

>> fidelity wealth management. >> 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 individuals. t s program was made possible by the corporation for public broadonsting. and byibutions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: pandemic deaths nationwide have reached 285,000t

omes as hope is building for vaccines, and as president- elect biden is assembling a teao versee the effort. white house correspondent yamiche alcindor reports. >> alcindor: today, another g step: reviewers for th food and drug administration found pfizer's vaccine safe andv 95% effe that's clearing the way for its expected approval, possibly before the week is out. >> we're just days away from authorization from the f.d.a., and we're pushing them hard. p at whint, we will immediately begin mass distribution. the gold standard vaccine has been done in less than nine months. >> alcdor: pfizer and moderna stayed away from a white house vaccine summit. it was there that president trump signed an executive order prioritizing covid vaccine doses for americans over other countries. it is unclear whether that order has any legal force, and even the chief scientist ading the president's vaccine development and distribution said this, when pressed for details about that order.

>> frankly, i don't know, d frankly, i'm staying out of this, so i can't comment. >> alcindor: at the same time, trump administration officials denied a "new york times" repor that ttched the chance to buy more of the vaccine months ago. the company warned it will most likely be mid-summer before the u.s. can get more than the 100 million doses it already bought. meanwhile, today, britain, the first country to approve the pfizer vaccine, began itsat inocn campaign with 800,000 initial doses. priority is going to the elderl rsing home workers. ( cheers and applause ) 90-year-old margaret keenan was the world's first recipient of the pfizer vaccine outside of clinical trials. she encouraged others follow suit. >> go for it, because it's free and it's the best thing that's ever happened at the momt. so do please go for it. >> alcindor: a third candidate, behind pfizer and moderna, is showing promise. fiings released today showed a vaccine developed by drug-maker arazeneca and oxford university is safe, and 70% effective.re nalysis must be done to gauge how well it works for older recipients, since only a small number of the trial's

participants were over the age of 70. in wilmington, delaware, president-elect biden-- who will ultimately oversee distribution of most of the covid vaccines in the u.s.-- formally unveiled the team that will help him. they include xavier becerra to be the next secretary of health vivek murthy as surgeon neral. dr. rochelle walensky, an infectious disease experhe was tapped t the centers for disease control and prevention. dr. anthony fauci will be the president's chief medical adviser on covid-19. he'll also continue as the director othe national institute of allergy and infectious diseases. >> this team will help get at least 100 million covid vaccine shots, into the arms of the american people the first 100 days. 100 million shots in the fit 100 days. and we'll follow the guidance of science to get the vaccines to those most at risk. >> alcindo becerra currently serves as attorney general of california, where most of residents are nounder new

lockdowns. r, mr. have made it cl president-elect, that to build back a prosperous america, we need a healthy america. that, then, will be job one for your team at h.h.s. >> alcindor: dr. murthy helped fight ebola and the zika virus as surgeon general during thead obamnistration. >> while this is a dauntingol task, we aely have as a country what we need to overcome this virus. we have world-class scientists, we have courageous medical professionals who are risking thl,r lives to care for the we have compans that are on the cusp of delivering vaccines, >> alcindor: mr. biden also appointed jeff zients to be the coordinator of his administration's covid-19 response. former white house and pentagon senior adviser natalie quillian was tapped to be his deputy. and, yale medical professorun dr. marcella nez-smith will chair the president's covid-19 equity task force.

this afternoon president-elect biden announce he has chosen retired attorney general lloyd austin and his secretary of defense, the first black american to hold that post. >> woodruff: this evening, the newshour can confirm u.s. , presentative marcia fudge, democrat from ohll be president-elect biden's nominee to be secretary of housing and urban development. so we turn again to yamiche. yaatche, what more to we kno this hour about the white house's efforts on the vaccine front, what they're pushing to do? >> reporter: well, the president took today to really take a victory lap and brag about the fact that he was able, he says, to oversee this speedy vaccine distribution and development. he wanted to make the case, even presidency, that he is someone who was doubted and people should give hime crdit.

we know he signed his executive order, it's to be putting americans first, americans being prioritized. trump administratficials say there's a part of the executive order, that the u. will be helping vulnerable populations, possibly developing countries. what's interesting is s e president ntinuing to also talk about the fact that we doesn't know whichad nistration was going to be next. he was specifically questioned about the idea that the trump administration didn't invite the biden transition team to this vaccine summit, and he said,no well, we don'twhich administration is going to be next. w, course, judy, we do kno president-elect biden is the projected winner, he is going to withing into the office observe january 20th. he was still making false claims out the the collection. >> woodruff: vice president biden, he's going to be presiding over the majority of this distribution of the vaccine. what do we know about his plaat

for nd managing the pandemic overall? reporter: well, president-elect joe biden wanted to use today to really showcase the expertisend the peopleo will be helping him carry out his covid 19 response and, of course, distributing the vaccine. a talked a lot about thet he is going to tell americans the truth, who is in contrast with president trump who has downplayed the virus, comparing it to the flu, which it is not. he talked about equity, sayinin he was to center the idea vulnerable populations, black americans, latinos, who are mott vulnerable to the vutrus, on the top of his list as priorities. we also talked about children immigrant, and joe biden talked about three things. he said, everyone is going to be wearing masks, and wants everyone to wear masks in the first 100 da of his administration. he also said there should be 100 million vaccines getting into the arms of minister and he

said he wants to open the majority of schools in america in t first 100 days. he said he was laying out new licies when talking about arab equity and discrimination. >> reporter: ambitious plans. we record that the "newshour" confirmed, in fact it's now been announced that joe biden has r selecttired army general lloyd austin to be the next secretary of defense. about him anabout that choice.ed >> reporter: wel t first of als choice is an historic choice. jeremy austiwould be the first african-american secretary of defense, if he is confirmed. thats going to in line, traditional officials tell me, j with biden's tradition toha his cabinet look like america. i want to talkou through general austin's background. served in the u.s. army 1975 to 2016, vice chief of the u.s. army from 2012 to 2013,

first black commander of u.s. central command fro20 to20 . add marcia fudge to the mix, and you have there more african-americans filling outc thabinet pics of president-elect biden. this comes after civil rights groups and the congressional black caucus wanted m to hav a more diverse cabinet, especially when it came to the top positions in his administration.s so thcretary of defense pick is seen as part of that. people who are fans of general austin say he should not be seen as someone picked because he wan african-amerut rather that he is someone who is an example to have the contributions of african-americans to the military. >> and we have a little more reporting to come a litle later on the program from our nick mischifrin. e, for now, thank you very much. >> reporter: thank you so much.

>> woodruff: in the day's others news, the u.reme court brushed aside republican attempts to block president- elect biden's win in pennsylvania. that came as texas attorney general ken paxton asked the high court to invalidate biden's electoravotes in georgia, michigan, wisconsin and pennsylvania. and, during s vaccine summit, the president insisted again that officials see this way. >> we were rewarded with a ctory. now, let's see whether somebody has the courage-- whether it's legislator or legislatures or whether it's a justice of the supreme court or a number of justices of the supreme court--f let's sehey have the courage to do what everybody in this country knows is right. >> woodruff: today was also the so-called "safe harbor" deadline for states to certify election results and guarantee that congress accepts their electoral vote tallies.

only wisconsin missed the deadline. the push for pandemic economic relief was hung upoday on disagreements over aid for state and local governments, and liability protections for senate majority leader mitch mcconnell proposed today dropping those issues for now, and passing jobless benefits and renterrotections. democratic leaders accused mcconnell of obstruction. advanced a sweeping defense funding bill, despite a veto threat. president trump has demanded that unreled language be included to strip the big social media companies of legal y protection, and he opposes changing the name of military bases that honor confederate leaders. a veto could block a 3% pay raise for u.s. troops. the u.s. army has fired or

suspended officers and soldiers at fort hood, texas over failures to stop extreme violence in the ranks. today's report said that the killinof specialist vanessa guillen exposed a pattern of sexual harassment, assaults, and even murder. >> the tragic death of vanessa guillen, and a rash of other challenges at fort hood, forced us to take a critical look at our systems, our policies and ourselves. but without leadership, systems don't matter >> woodruff: guill's family said the penalties are not strong enough, and the recommendations for chan don't go far enough. on wall street, small gains made for new records. the dow jones industrial average was up 104 points to close at,1 . ae nasdaq rose 62 points new high, and the s&p 500 added 10, also reaching a record. and, today marked 40 years since john lennon was shot and killed in new york.

fans remembered the former beatle with music, flowers and candles in central park. the man who murdered him remains in prison. had he lived, john lennon would have been 80 years old. still to come on the newshour: secretary of healtand human services alex azar discusses the approaching rollout of the covid-19 vaccine. president-elect biden to tap army general lloyd austin toad he department of defense. key dates and whab the law says t a peaceful transfer of power in the u.s. plus, much more. >> woodruff: as we saw in yamiche's report, tht shots of a covid vaccine in

britain delivered new hope around the world today. federal officials say they hope to begin delivering doses in the u.s. within the next couple of weeks. but, there are many concerns about getting the vaccine out to those who need it in the coming months. alex azar is the secretary of health, and was at the president's summit today. and he joins me now from the white house. vesecretary azar, thank yo much for joining us. tonight, i want to ask you first about what pfizer, the pharmaceutical company, is saying. it's saying that it's tolthe trump administration that it cannot provide substantial more doses of the covid vaccine by the middle of the summer because the admisation basically declined to purchase a secd batch of doses and that now other countries have bought those up what happened? so, judy, what pfizer is telling you is simply inaccurate. unfortunately, they seem to be

wanting to do contractat negons in the media and thinking this can somehow pressure us. let me lay out wht happened here. back in july before they initiated phase three clilni trials, we contracted with pfizer to buy 100 milliondoses of vaccine sight unseen if it got approved by the f.d.rea. rdless of effect cassie, safety, whatever else standardss as lonhe f.d.a. approved it, we agreed to buy it, as long as they could deliver by the end they refused to exit to any a time certain so we did a 500 million dose option on top of that that we could then negotiate and execute agae st becam certainly not going to sign a deal with pfizer giving then m $10 bill buy vaccine that they could deliver to us five, ten years that doesn't make any sense, and that's on top of, of course, the five other companies that we cured 100 million doses from each. in early october, again, before we saw phase three data, we

commence negotiations with pfizer to extend to do onof those options on vaccines. they still resisted giving u any date by which they would do it. we have made it clear, though, we will use every power of the defense production act to ensure the american people's needs are satisfied, and i'm very confident that we will get the vaccine we need d want from pfizer. >> woodruff: i'm asking you quickly, mr. secretary, because the optics of it, what it looks like, even with all the people's lis at stake, the administration decided the mon - the money was not worth it. >> that's inaccurate. in july, they had a phase one vaccine thd han't entered into phase three and had wie had a $2 million gash tee ofn 100 millses and secured a 5 million dose option. before phase three at that timew arhave been negotiating with pfizer to get them nailed down on a date by which they

would commit delivery. i think we're making progress. pafizer is negotditing in the that's not appropriate and they knee better -- know better. >> reporter: by what date will all americans who need vaccine have a vaccine. >> we believe between pfize moderna and other vaccines we have invested in and are inging forward, lieve in the zeks quarter of next year there will bfo enough vaccin every men who would like to be vaccinated to be vaccinated. >> woodruff: by the end of june. >> the seconisquarter. s not a single moment in time event, as you know. will have 20 million vaccinated by the end of the month. we have a vacci summit with a bipartisan group of govtaernors, chain pharmacies, distributors, fed ex, to demonstrate hoewell oiled th machine is to get out of this. the governors said they would have 100,000 vaccinated within

>> woodruff: thas what i wanted to ask you, what exactly is the plan for dividi up the vaccine by state and where does the federal responsibility endst and that ofe and local leaders begin to make sure that everybody who needs a vaccine gets it? >> it's been very transparent. we are allocating the vaccine, as the governors requested, on a per capita basis, population 18 over in the staissments we buy the vaccine, we payore distribution to have the vaccine, through us and private payers, we pay for the administration of the vaccine. we ask the governorsecause they know the lay of the land, to tell us where they want thei vaccine ed, and we direct the shipment either directly from pfizer in the case of their vaccine or through mccason, the world leading distribution company in the casof the moderna vaccine. it then goes to cvs, walgreen's, hospital, community healthnt , public health lab, whatever the governors have according to their plans. they're almost like air traffic controllers within their state. >> woodruffini'm ask in

part, because what we've heard from president-elect biden is th he has not seen -- that his team has not seen a clr bland for distributing the vaccine from the place where it gets shipped into the countrom where it's manufactured, into people's arms. >>'s'm sorry, itust not true, judy. y transparent. i deal with general persona and dr. slaoui, an houbrr-long press fing every single week where we walk through minute detail down to drice leels, how this is being distributed from the manufacturing plant to theto distrito where the governors have told us, how we0 have kilted llion kits at ndcason, syringes, needles p.p.e. of that happen. everything is planned. this is the united states army plning this out with the nation's leading distributors and shipping companies. as they say, this is what we do. we are using the tried and true of millions of veus and fludreds venuses out every single year.

don't ient a new system when you have one that works. >> woodruff: yeah, i'm alsaso ng in part because there are local leaders who are saying they need more resources, they need funding in order to get the vaccine into every individual, whether it's in urban aeas, rural areas. there is concern about that. >> well, judy, as i have described, we've actually set up partnerships with cvs, walgreen's, krogers, community health nters, hospitals to really take that burden away. money is not going to be the barrier toes ensuringpecially that the underserved get vaccinated or others, we'll make sure that that is available, but it's also important that they understand, because there are a lot of myths out there about what the role is, the stateand the local governments are not being asked to set up vaccine clinics but rather to leverage raj the systems that already help get people vaccinated every single year. >> woodruff: mr. secretary, the united states, as you know, as 4% of the wporld's pulation but has 23% of the cases in the

world of covid 19. how did that happen? how did this administration oversee a situation where it is so disproportionately affecting the american people?ud >> well, as we just talked tout, we're on the verge just days from havie vaccine and we are concerned about the number of cases, the inhospitalizations we're sin the country and we're asking people, please, please, act responsibly. we want everyone to get to the day where they can gt vaccinated and that means washing your hands, watch your distance, wear face coverings when youcan't watch your distance. please be very careful. >> woodruff: excuse me for interrupting, that has been a mixed message from the very top, has it not, mr. secretary. >> every one of us that support and workith the president, today the vice president at the summit made clear the three wws.

and multi-household gatrings are centers for disease transmitting and we need the viewers to be aware of in the approaching holiday season. i want to make sure that next holiday season everyone is ableb to be togetheause to have the vaccines that we're working together to deliver to you >> woodruff: dr. alex azar, the secretar secretary of the dt of healthen human services, >> thank you, judy.. >> woodruff: we turn now to a physician who has long been involved in the study of contagious diseases, and the vaccines deloped to fight them. dr. carlos del rio is professor of global health and epidemiologyt emory university school of medicine. dr. del rio, thank you very much for joining us. what is your assessment of the trump administration plan, at vaccine to americans?bute the >> well, judy, let me just first start by sayingt that thehi

ement of getting a vaccine in record time and getting vaccines that are incredibly effective is just something that we all need to be not only very hay but we need to be very proud. the research infrastructure, manyrcears of res before this virus started, basic science research in mrna chnology has led to a vaccineto that will be a key to ending the specific. the distribution will not be easy. the getting the vaccine to many people is not going to be easy,i and l tell you, and i agree with the secretary, we areic ams, we put a man on the moon, we can get this done. it will require cord makes, collaboration, people to work together and fundi, but i am convinced that, as president-elect joe has said, weeks get 100 million ses in the next 100 days of his administration. >> woodruff: and do you lieve the administration can meet the deadline we heard from

secretary azar, granted it will be the next administration in charge, but do think this vaccine can be delivered to everyone who needs it by the end of jun >> i think so, and i hoe that both admininistrations -- ag this is not -- this should not be democrat or republican. this should be both i would hope that secretary azar works very closely witavier becerra and they coordinate this so tere's a smoth transition and doesn't matter who's in washington that we get people vaccinated. vaccination saves lives. >> woodruff: dr. del rio,t what will be the hardestun coies to reach? we're hearing about urban areas, inner city aas, cmunities of color, rural parts of the effort going to bequired, dost you think? >> the greatest effort will be, first of all, to have people trust the vaine and to be willing to be vaccinated, and we

live in a count that unfortunately because of years of racism and years of abuse by the healthcare infrastructure of african-americans and hispanics, the populations that need it the most may be the ones that are more reluctant to get the vaccine. they're notianit not anti-vaxxe, they're simply distrustful of we need to work with leaders in the communities, reridges leaders, community leaders tot ensure tr the vaccine exists. the second thing sf we need to be sure the vaccine gets to every rner so it's not just going to be in the cities, it's going to be in rural communities, it's going to be everywhere that we need to get the vaccine. t but, again, getting io the most remote place in alaska, think about the postal system, how it gets letters everywhere that is nnkessary. i tyou know, i'm convinced tribution systems su as the one that exist for amazon, for coca-cola and pharmacists and the military can get it done.

but it's not gointo be easy, but, at the end of the day, we have to get the vaccine to every single person hat needs it. >> woodruff: it sounds as if you are not concerned that the administration, for whatever set of reasons, decided not to commit to a second maj ipment of the vaccine from pfizer. >> welm not sure. again, i don't know what the details are. i will tell you, though, the pfizer vaccine is the vaccineth requires refrigeration. it has logistical complications thaty be that you don't need the vaccine. you may wait for moderna to get the vaccine and then start using some of the other vaccine. you wait for as try seneca that does not require refrigeration. each to have the vaccines is a little different. i think the code chain requirements to have the vaccine make it challenging. you're not going to be able to get this vaccine toral

communities and the to many because you won't have theimply coaching required to distribute this vaccine. >> woodruff: just very quickly, finally, dr. del rio, is it clear, in your miged, who shouldthe vaccine first? healthcare workers, then those who live in nursing home, long-term care settings, andaf thenr that, do you -- is it clear in your mind what the order should be? >> yes, judy, it's clear in my mind. the yash academy of medicine put out a report cal equitable distribution of vaccines and i would look at that report, c.d.c. has looked at that report and that report tells you the tiers, how people get the vaccine. it starts with healthcare workers and those living in long-term facilities, then it moves to teachers, first moves to different people in the general population untiltu evly we get everybody vaccinated. in f ewith do it right, i agreec with stary azar, by the

summer we could have pretty mucb evy that needs it vaccinated. >> woodruff: dr. carlos del rio,og epidemioly physician at emory university. thank you very much. >> delighted to be with you, judy. n >> woodruf, returning to president-elect biden's choice to run the defense department: retired army general lloyd austin. several candidates were much talked-about for the post, and biden's pick has spark many reactions.ic hereschifrin. >> schifrin: for 40 years, lloyd austin was a barrier- breaking soldier, the first black officer to comnd a division in combat, and command one of u.s.' global commands. he had some of the most difficult commands, including iraq bef withdrawal.u.s.

>> it is going to take the iraqi government, the iraqi people, to ntinue to make the right decisions, to work together. >> schifrin: president-electrk biden with austin in iraq, attending the ceremony where austin received command. and the vice president's latede son, beau who died in 2015, served on austin'stitaff. in an e today, biden calls austin "calm under pressure" and praised austin's logistical success in withdrawing from iraq. biden says austin will use those skills to "arterback" covid vaccine logistics. biden wrote they align strategically, and austin's nomination was a "milestone." >> this really is historic. african americans have served in higher numbers than their percentagef the population in the united states. so it's-- it's about time. >> schifrin: dana pittard is a retired two-star general who served with austin in iraq when they fought isis. he's the author of the book, hunting the caliphate. >> he had our forces, with a of our coalition allies, fight isis on numerous fronts.

it took strategic vision and an operational approach to be able to pull that off. and that was general austin. >> schifrin: austin also served in the pentagon as the former army vice chief of staff. he ran the day-in and day-out staff business in the pentagon.a so he has in knowledge of things, at least on how the pentagon should wo >> schifrin: but as nomination has critics. he retired only four years ago, and would therefore need are coional waiver to serve as the civilian secretary of defense. congress has only approved thate waiver tfor former world war ii, five-star general george marshall, and for president trump's first defense secretary, james mattis, austin's predecessor at central command. in 2017, top senate armed services democrat jack reed supported mattis' waiver, but warned it was the last. >> waiving laws should happen no more than once ia generation. therefore, i will not support a waiver for future nominees.

>> schifrin: today, reed kept his options open, during a windy interview. ve>> in all fairness, you o give the opportunity to the nominee to explain himself or that's what i think the principle is. >> the congress has, since the 1940s, requirethat for someone to become secretary of defense, that they have been sepated from that chain of command for a long enough time, back into the private sector, that they oill-- that they aren't still part of that senfollowing orders. >> schifrin: danielle bryan is project on government oversight, which opposed austin and other prospective nominees. she's al concerned austin joined the board of raytheon, one of the country's largest defense contractors, a few months after he retired. >> when you're coming out of that industry that is entirely reliant on doing business with the pentagon, you're comg in with a certain set of loyalties, we want someone who has a broader perspective than

sort of the same old cycle of the milita industrial complexee that hasspiraling now for decades. >> schrin: and some regret the opportunity lost to hars picked the female defense secretary, michele flournoy. >> i do feel there's a sense of being let down fm some folks, that they we really hoping to break this barrier. >>chifrin: mieke eoyang is the senior vice president of centrist think tank third wa >> having lloyd austin as secrary of defense is a big, historic moment. he has broken barriers everywhere he's gone. race is still very much an issue but at the same ti is gender. both of those issues--acism going to be on the plate for the next secretary of defense. >> schifrin: austin's defenders say hewarrior-diplomat who can deal with those issues, and align with president-elect biden's restraint. >> someone who is more tied to the defense department and whoat has been in cohemselves will be a little bit more reluctant to-- to want to send our sons and daughters to combat unless it's absolutely necessary.

and lloyd austin is that type of individual and leader. >> schifn: for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> woodruff: it's been fivesi weeke election day, but president trump and many of his allies continue to question state election results, despite there being zero evidence of irregularities.r fraud or william brangham reports on other milestone day in t 2020 election. >> brangham: judy, nexmonday, members of the electoral college ll meet in state capital across the country to officially cast their votesor president. but most of those electors, and how they'll vote, are already known, because todays what's called the "safe harbor" deadline for those appointments. to look at where we are

in the transition, and at the president's ongoing sistance to it, i'm joined by trevor potter. he is the president of the campaign legal center. he served as general counsel for john mccain's presidential campaign and as chair of the federal election commission. trevor potter, great to have you back on the "newshour". issues that i was describingdar before, we still are seeing continued legal efforts by the trump campaign to stop different states from certifying their votes. we saw one, the supreme court knocked one down just today fro pennsylvania. there's a new one filed also by the attorney general in texas. what do you make of these remaining lawsuits? >> well, truthfull they're ineasingly by czar in the sense that -- bizarre in the sense that they have no chance of stopping the electcoal

ege from voting and i think from congress accepting those results. so t bey't described as p.m. rp.r.messages, maybe hearty people filing them, but i don't expect them to have aegal effect. >> reporter: as i mentioned, today is the safe harbor deadline. remind us what that means in the process of moving from the election to a new president being sworn in. >> it's a date set by congress that says, if states get their lek torse in -- electors in by that date, ifhhey certify em by that date, presumptively congress will accept them. it is not a guarantee, but it is part of the timeline leading up tohe voting by the electors on the 14th, next monda >> reporter: so is it your sense that there is anything that could l interrupt this process from this

week to next week to janry >> in terms of the outcome, no, there is nothing would legitimately interrupt that process. the states have already certified their electors, and the electors will meet next monday, the a 14th,nd vote and congress will receive those votes on januar6th. now, having said that, that doesn't mean there won't be noise in the process. i just mean the end resulis now very clear. some of the noise is the filing of these lawsuits, trying to get the supreme court to intervene and tell states not to designate electors or telling congress somehow not to count them, which is something the courts can't do, but whatinhis is t to do. >> reporter: pulling back and looking for broadly, what do you make of the effort that the

president is undertaking to declare the election was under from him, tt he, in fact, won, not joe biden who won this pretty decisive electoral victory? in your sense, is this a man who doesn't want to conde and we're seeing the tail end of that spasm, or is this something more substantive going on? >> well, i think what's going on urhas changed over the co of the last month since the election. originally, it was a question of are the votes beingnt cou correctly, are the votes that are being counted legitimate, have they been examined, are the machines reporting the right tally? that was then followed by a series of lawsuits that were, i think, increasingly farfetched, alleging that somehow the system the states had usedas wrong and that a court ought to step in and say that, for instance, absentee ballots shouldn't be

counted in pennsylvania, but all of that is now resolved. those cour cases are almost all over, the trump campaign lost is every cas the question becomes what is president trump doing, still saying that the elechoon was so being stolen, that it was fraudulent. and i think, at that stage, you have to say either he's being incredibly reckless in terms of refusing to accept that this is how people voted, that is what the electoral college vote is, or something more dangerous, which is he's refusing to acept the result of the election personally and politically because it helps him to be seen keep fghting, to raise money for his new political committee. at some stage, it becomes jus an attempt to undermine the president-elecand to make americans think that that the somehow not legitimate, and that's really dangerous for our

democracy. this year, it's not particularly close. anere's a big biden lead in the electoral collegthe popular vote, but, next time, it might be really close and come down to one state and, inhose circumstances, the idea that state legislatures should step in and ignore what the voters did and decide y're going to produce a different result because they don't like what e voters tid is incredibly antidemocratic. it is not how a democracy elects its leaders. >> reperorter: trevor pof the campaign legalenter, thank you sthanks very mucfor being h. >> thank you. i apprecte it. >> woodruff: we continue our look now at the challenges

for those coming out of incarceration. struggle to find housing, which in turn can prevent them fromtr gettintment for an addiction or mental illness, securing a steady job, and ultimately, staying out of jail. harder by covid-19.de even tonight, amna nawaz profiles one woman's quest for housing austin, texas. it's the second in our series this week, "searching for justice."az >> nfor four months, a makeshift loft under this north stin bridge was home for rachel schuyler and her slsband, ian... >> it was hard tp under, but you kind of get used to it. it becomes like a white. >> nawaz: the 30-year-old says she'd been homeless for fiwh or six year she was arrested in january for forging checks, and sent to jail. her one-year-old daughter was taken into state custody. >> s's 14 months old. this is-- this is-- this was right before i was arrested.

>> nawaz: she's so cute. >> thank you. >> nawaz: what's her name? >> olivia. >> nawaz: released in april, rachel's been cobbling together money from odd jobs for this hotel room. virtual visits are her only connection to olivia. >> i play my ukulele, my husband plays the harmonica, and we read books. he sings to her. and i mean, really, she's too young to know anything about what's going on. >> nawaz: what do you say to a 14-month-old over zoom >> and when i got out of jail, she was only like seven months old, younow? what do you say to a seven- month-old? they're audio/visual. you know, they're-- they want to touch stuff and put it all in their mouth. what is she going to do over video visit but get angry because i'm not really there? >> nawaz: to get her life ont track, and to r daughter back, rachel needs a job, and a home, and soon. t, she says her past is holding her back. >> it's just, hece you're inystem, even though i got time served and i've-- i'm done. i'm noi'on probation. -- my cases are finished.to

i'm still goine punished for up to the next ten years, via i can't get a place to live, or it's going to be difficult for me to get a job, to actually start a career. i've done my time and i'm-- i' done my rehabilitation. but now i'm screwed.aw >>: rachel's story isn't unique. a 2018 study by the prison policy initiative found that formerly-incarcerated people were nearly ten times morely like to be homeless than the general population, especially upon release. and, a 2019 study from the texas criminal justice coalition found that those who are homeless, in turn, are far more likely to be arrested for crimes like trespassing, panhandling, shoplifting and assault.w, >> you kt's not a matter of "if" you get arrested; it's a matter of when. >> nawazthe vicious cycle of incarceration and homelessness isn't hard to find here. >> my record, because of what it

is, that apartment locators told me that "we can'do nothing for you, bub." >> the system says, "well, you did this crime, you get out, well, because you did thiscr e, we got to hold it to get you to where you can't get certain things that are basicie other necess" >> nawaz: a few of those basic necessities can be found at encampments like this one, on the outskirts of austi this seven-acre plot is known as esperanza, or "hope," and that's just what joseph westphal, "the other ones," rying to provide. >> there's a different story for everybody that you talk to about why they're here. but i would say thathyhe underlyingm and the underlying factor is that-- that frss of family and connection and community annds. >> nawaz: as shelters shuttered to avoid coronavirus outbreaks, so did my of their support programs. westphal's group h tried to fill that shortfall with this hygiene truck for shers; work crews to keep the camp clean; and the kinds of basic job and housing sear support people need to get off the streets. but he says too often they run

into the same barrier. >> i'd say somewhere between 60% to 80% of people have some kind of criminal background that will probably affect where they live and how likely they are to find stable housing. >> nawaz: but the pandemic has also forced jails and prisons to slash programs that help keep former inmates off the streets in the first place. >> the first thi we said is, we need all unessential people out of the jail. and that includes some of the program staff, our volunteers and our partners.ed so that impaur services quite a bit. >> nawaz: part of daniel smith's job at the travis county sheriff's department is to connect inmates withtion and mental health suppor and with a place to gonce released. >> one of the problems we run into is that there just isn't enough housing for everybody getting released. if there we, they wouldn't be coming to us homeless or they wouldn't be coming to us needing eatment. >> nawaz: one bright spot during covid?

some additional housing. congressional aid allowed local srnments to rent hotel ro to house the homeless, and help prevent virus spread. >> so th is where i used to be at when i was homeless, man, behind this building right here. >> nawaz: one of those rooms gave andrew jones a chance to get back on track. on top of a divorce, job loss, and losing both his parents, jones suffered from an untreated mental illness. >> ias in bad shape, man. it was bad. >> nawaz: a staph infection led to a doctor's visit, which led to a social worker and then to one of the city's hotel rooms.he >> you know,i went to give my i.d., you need a proof of address. see those things? those small things that people we take for granted. a i-- now you nei.d. to get a job. now you need a job to get everything, to get money, to get--

been the game-changer.johas >> nawaz: nes says he's back on mental health medication, and - reconnected with family- his hotel stay is temporary, and advocates say the waiting list is hundreds long. shr her part, rachel says e's trng not to lose hope. but with her savings dwindli, and her prospects dimming, it's getting harder to hold onto. >> i want to save my daughter, because i don't-- i want a family. my husband and i want to, you know, ha that white picket fence and get married and have our little family. and we want to treat our kids better than our parents treated us, you know? and, we want to be better. >> nawaz: for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz.

>> woodruff: now, to honoring a civil rights legend, in a new producer james brown of pbs station wxxi reports on how artists in rochester, new york pay tribute to the late john lewis. >> this wall will be a landmark. the colors are not going to fade. it's going to be here long afte. we're gone i grew up right across from ewe genesee brery, st. simons terrace. come back and justlove toe to the city has given me so much. this is a painting of john les, a young john lewis, giving a speech. original photos from dannyyon. the premier, like, civil rights photographer back in the day.

just wanted to honor his legacy and what he's done for the fair treatment of all of our people, of black and brown people. with his recent passing, that's why i wanted to kind of pay homage to him and his name and his legacy and also, you know, bring danny lyons' image to life and so that's larger than life. >> we don't lose sight of where everyone is going to be going. >> "i am speaking" is the title, od the project is "i am." so we ha in chicago. the first one is "i am a man," the photo from the memphis sanitati strike. second one is in louisville, kentucky, and th was titled "i am singing." it's a protest for all people singing and clapping their hands inenhe air. and his one, as "i am speaking." across the street is the site avwhere frederick douglass his "what is fourth of july to a

slave" address, or speech.ho so i tht it would be a goodt idea to name am speaking." i think it's a good fit. i wanted to stop people in their tracks. i can't control how this piece is going to be perceived. i know all of the collective e,emotions and feelings, l bringing this, delivering this to this community, and it's positive and uplifting. i hope that the community feels the same way about it. as long as it's evoking some kind of emotion, it's doing its job. >> woodruff: finally tonight, the first man to break the sound barrier, chuck yeager, died monday in california. john yang has our remembrance. >> a man has flown an airplane faster than the speed of sound! >> yang: chuck yeager soared into aviation history in 1947, the first person to break the sound barrier. the achievement in the "glamorous glennis"-- named for his wife-waa long-sought

breakthrough. he recalled it in a 2012 interview.>> up until that timed never been able to get above the speed of sound, had problems with controls and stuff like. th finally, on october the 14th of '47 we succeeded in pushing through the mach one, and opened up space to us. >> yang: born and ran west virginia, chuck yeagered enlin the army air corps in september 1941, when he wasor 18, just bthe pearl harbor attack plunged the united states into world war ii. he became a p-51 fighter pilot and distinguished himself in aerial combat over frae and germany. at one point, he was shot down, but escaped capture and retued to the skies. after the war, yeager a military test pilot, trying out new prototypes. in 2006, he descrid for west virginia public broadcasting how he ended up in experimental roet-powered aircraft.

>> they put me in the fighter test section, and i flew everything iflew. then i was given the opportunity to go to the test pilot schoolin anuary of '46, which i did, and became a test pilot, and tethen i started working o programs, was selected for the x-1 and other test programs. >> yang: the next year, after several prep flights, yeager and his "bell x-1" dropped from th belly of a b-29 bomber and rocketed past the sound barrier, at nearly 700 miles an hour. >> everything i did, it was my duty. w all important. the sound barrier was just another program.s i rking on ten test programs when i was flying the x-1. >> yang: the secret flight was finally announced to the world eight months later, june 1948. he instantly skyrocketed to fame. ironically, though, he was paed over for the space program a decade later, wheneq nasared the first astronauts have college degrees.

yeager had never gone to n llege. even so, he went command fighter squadrons in germany and southeast asia during th vietnam war, and was later promoted to brigadier geral. yeager was inducted into the national aviation hall of faet in 1973, anded from the air force in 1975. in 1979, he gain new international celebrity with the publication of tom wolfe's best-selling book "the right stuff," later made into a movie with the actor sam shepard portraying him. after the "challenger" explosion in986, he served on the commission that investigated the disaster. he also worked as a consulting test pilot at edwards air force base in california, and traveled abroad, visiting u.s. troops in afghanistan. 2012 marked the 65th anniversary of yeager's super-sonic flight, and at age 89, he re-enacted the achievement, flying with a pilot from nellis air force base in nevada. afterward, he reflected on the

indelie mark the military left on his life. >> what i am, i owe to the air force, because i an 18-year-old kid out of west virginia and taug made me what i was.ea >> yang: chuckr lived out the final years of his life in penn valley, california. >> woodruff: real american hero. chuck yeager w 97 years old. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again hereve tomorrowng. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe, an we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> fidelity wealth management. >> consumer cellular. >> johnson & johnson. >> bnsf railway. >> financial services firm >> carnegie corporation of new

york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was madeib po by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers lu.e you. thank ptioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello,everyone. welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. >> we are in a very critical time in this country right now. we've got tohat walkway from the facts and the data. is surging.s is coming and covid california has new stay-at-home rules. we talked to the lieutenant governor, eleni kounalakis. and -- >> the ugandan pop star turned i poli. bobi wine tells us why he is risking his life to unseat the president running for another term after 35 years in power. plus -- flashback to thisyear's covid