♪ host: good evening, i am judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, getting the vaccine. s. as covid cases and deaths rise relentlessly. challenging the vo, president trump and his ally's effortace rejection in the court order asking the highest court for help. and searching for justice, our series continues with look at w drug testing in alabama holds former prisoners back from eating a new life. all of that and more on tonight'sbs pewshour. ♪

>> major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by -- >> before we talk about your investments, what is new? >> audrey is expecting. >> in -- twins. >> we want to put money aside from them but let's see what's in place. ♪ >> change in plans. >> mom are you painting again? >> let me guess.se. change in plans. at fidelity a change in plans is always part of the plan. >> consumer cellular, johnson and johnson, financial services firm raymond james, bnsf, the country defund, permitted -- committed to enhancing justice

through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at conitafund.org. carnegie of new york, suppting democrat engagement and the advancement of international peace and security atrg carnegie, and with the ongoing sport of these individuals and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible byhe corporation for public broacoasting and by ributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ host: as e u.s. covid-19 death

tollgh t 291,000, a panel of outside advisors to the food and drug administration late today has endoed the emergency use of a pfizer vaccine to save lives for those who are 16 years old or older. it's a highly anticipated fda approval would be deep biggest vaccination campaign iu.s. history could get underway in a matter of days. reporter: a pivotal step for one of the lesser loo -- hurdles approve the covid-19 vaccine. >> ofme thecan public deserves an independent review of the data. reporter: in a daylong meeting and advisory panel to the find and drug atration voted to recommend pfizer's candidate for emergency approval. it is found to be 95% effective.

today's public debate on it safety with outside science and health experts was meant to builddence in the process, discussing issues liketr whether l participants who received a placebo should be offered the vaccine once approved. >> those at a higher risk will want the vaccine as soon as it is available. reporter: and potential new risks of the vaccine like occasions of allergic reactions in britain. >> the are tens of millions ofth people i country who carry epi-pens with them because they have peanu allergies who believe they cannot get this vaccine. repoer: a majority of americans already stand behind it. a pbs newshour mpr marist poll found 61% would get vaccinated, up from 49% in september. fda commissioner stephen hahn tried to appeal to americans with remaining skepticism. >> we need to vaccinaop enough to get hurt immunity by 100% confidence, and i think the

american public should as well with resfnse to the efficacy o the vaccines. reporter: regulators could authorize the vaccine as early as friday, clearing the way for unprecedented inoculation. the health and human services secretary. >> within 24 hours, but here is the important thing, 20 million americans could be vaccinated st before the end of th month in december. a total of 50 million americans could be vaccinated by the end of january. reporter: welcome news in states oske virginia where governor ralph northam i new restrictions. >> case numbers have been arising four weeks. they are now at record high levels. they areher now than they ever have been during this entire pandemic. reporter: the u.s. reported a new high of 3000 deaths in the last 24 hours alone in

hospitalizations reached a record 106,000 care workers are ping the vaccine will alleviate some of that pressure. >> i cannot roll up my sleeve fast enough to get this vaccination. * dr. -- reporter: dr. jones, past president of the american health association, warns the vaccine should not replace basic steps like masking, distancing, and handwashing. >> it is a good thing but it will not be the answer even in six months. i amlanning to keep my mask on for another year. reporter: for ather year? >> right now what we have to do is mostly the public health stuff. that is stuff we have been able to do all along but we did not fully implement. reporter: all this amid new concerns about political pressure on the cdc. urcongressman jim clybsaid ac/dc employee raised concerns about efforts by the trump administration to destroy evidence of interference at the paemic response.

of a pfizer vaccinbe givendoses out in the u.s. next week. a vaccine by the dirt out wouldo ow before the month is out. -- moderna would fmolow before thh is out. there are real concerns about hewh the second waves can happen. -- at the henry j kaiser family foundation and she joins me know. jen cates, welcome back. the o approval part of the process. it will be up to the states to receive thede vaccinever it. let's talk about the funding first. do we know it states have what they need in order to pay for this enormous undertaking? guest:hathe states have said is they do not have the fuing necessar yet to do what is an unprecedented effort that we have never had happen in the united states. mothet of funding they have received, and this is funding for distributio, identified

vaccinated, hired people, systems to track communications, they have received $200 million from the federal government for that. it is estimated they need about reporter is there a pipeline they will get that mon from. we note that will get what they need to carry this out? guest: there is some additional money that might be coming from vthe federal government by little. the money they need is caught up in stimulusiscussions on the hill. it is both the republican and democratic bls that have been put out there. packages include seven -- veral billion dollars for vaccine funding. that is not a ponnt of contenut it is being held hostage to larger discussions or debates about stimulus, and unless that gets passed they will notet additional funding. there is no other pipeline. reporter: let's talk about a whole -- how ready they are on

do they have storage, physical vaccinations?e to carry out do they have things to track how vaccinations are going? guest: it really varies. states have beensked to prepare plans and send them to the federal government. have analyzed these plans and we found states are all over the map. they are working really hard but already from a place of a deficit in terms of resources to do so. some states are really ready to do the cold storage, track coaches -- dosage. others are at the beginning of that process trying to figure it deliver the vaccine.ey will we are seeing a wide range of preparednesso take this on. porter: one of the things we have seen throughout the pandemic is how unevenly itan impacts amer black and latino and native american communities are more likely to get sick, or likely to die. as states are making the consideration about how to get

the vaccine and deliver it, are they making sure the same inequities do not play out? gues this is a critical issue. if the vaccine is not distributed or taken up in a way that addresses that, it could exacerbate the problems we have already seen. some of the states are proactively looking at this. they have heal equity taskforces, they have putting measures to assess what populations need extra outreach. maybe it is about locations of vaccination clinics. others have not included that information in their planning. this will be a big issue going forward and it may be the kind of thing that only the federal government froits vantage point can look out across the country and assure equity is being reached and everyone who needs the vaccine are getting offered. host: it is important to know cases are still rising. a lot of people are looking at the vaccine is the beginning of thend of the pandemic, but if

there is not mitigation in plach , what doe mean for how effective the vaccine can be? guest: this is aritical issue. we know the vaccine will be effective if we get into enough people, and in the beginning it will be rationed. we will not have enough supply. as it is rolled out we will need to practice social distancing mitigati measures all of us are very familiar with. mask wearing, avoiding large crowds, doing the things we are tired of but need to keep doing what we will see is as more people are vaccinated cases will decline. we will sean impact. it will be a balance but people have to know it will not be immediate. host: jen cates of the kaiser family foundation. thanks for being with us. guest: thank you. ♪ repoer: i am stephanie sy with newshour west.

we will return to the full program after the lates applications for unemployment aid i've spiked as companies c mores j amid the relentless search of covid-19 infections. the u.s. labor department reported 853,000 people file jobless claims last week, themb most since sep. that is up from 716,000 the week before. the pandemic has taken a toll on the u.s. federal budget. the treasury departmen says the deficit ran 25 point 1% higher in the first two months of the fiscal year compared to the same . bankast year amid a rise in government spending. guest: president-elect joe biden announced more of his picks for administration todcoming he tapped former national security advisor susan rice to lead the white house domestic policy council and selected dennis mcdonough to serve as secretary of veterans affairs. dennis mcdonough was chief of staff to former president barack

obama. and morocco have agreed toisrael normalize relations. se u.s. broker-dealer i the fourth in as many months between israel and arab nations. benjamin netanyahu cheered the agreement and laid out its terms. wi>> w resume liaison and morocco and work as rapidly as possible to establish full diplomatic relations. we will also establish direct lines betweenae morocco and i giving this breach of peace and more solid foundation. reporter: as part of the deal the u.s. will also recognize morocco's cim over the disputed western sahara region. lebanon's caretaker prime minister wasit charged today negligence in connection with the beirut port explosion. the prosecor probing the gust blast also charged three

former ministers. more than 200 people diend thousands were injured when explosive material stored at the port detonated. back in this country the minneapolis city council unanimously passed u wer budget th shipped $8 million from the police department to violenceot prevention anr programs. it did not cut the size of the police force. the city has seen a rise in crime amid calls to defund the police after the police killing of george floyd inmate. an investigation by the associated press has uncovered at least six allegations of sexual misconduct involving senior fbi offials over the past five years. two were brought for this week by women who said they were sexually assaulted by ranking agents. transferred or retired with full pensions and benefits. carry out the firfiveion will executions it has scheduled before president elect biden

takes office in january despite an 11th hour appeal. former texas gang member will be put to death by leth injtion in the 1999 killing of a religious couple in texas. the was 18 time of the crime. the u.s. supreme court denied a stayf execution. president trump resumed federal executions in july after a 17 year pause. suing alabama for failing tois protect male inmates and in state prisons. the doj said the facilities were riddled with prisoner on prisoner and guard on prisoner violence. the violations have led to homicides, rapes, and injuries. the governor called the lawsuit disappointing. still to come on the newshour with judy woodruff, why trump's allenges to the vote have been failing in court so far.

but to know about the criminal investigation into hunter biden. how drug test hold back those leaving prison searching for a better life, and much more. ♪ >> this is the pbsewour from wta studios and from the lter cronkite school of journalism. ago by the texas attorney general asked the supreme courti to delay ccation of a lecture to result in four states,eoia, michigan, wisconsin, and pennsylvania. all went president-elect joe biden won last month. president trump and 17 states with republican attorneys general have signed onto the case, which perts say has little chance of being heard by the justices. the lieutenant governor of georgia, i remember of the republican party, joins me now

mr. duncan, thank you very much for joining us. despite what critics are saying is it possible there is merit in this lawsuit and justices will take it up? guest: i he talked to our attorney general and he has looked at the case. it does not seem to have any rit at this point. we have gone through all of the recounts, three actually to verify our results in georgia. it does not look like there is any standing in the state of georgia for that lawsuit. host: this suit is asking the supreme court not tollow georgia and these other states to go a head with what it says are unlawful election results unless they are reviewed and ratified by the state legislature. is that something that can happen? guest: that is not the intent of our elections in georgia. we put that out to the will of the people.they have spoken. unfortunately, the person i voted for it did not win but

that is what we have done and we have been able to verify three times that count and we will continue to stand behind that. host: lieutenant governor duncan,no it i only these attorneys general that we mentioned and president trump who has joined it. there are 106 republican members of the u.s. house of representatives who have joined in a lawsuit, and they represent roughly 75 million americans if you add up the population in their districts. ey are joining in a supportive brief as they say this unconstitutional irregularities aroundhe election. that is a pretty powerful group of people who are saying what you did in georgia does not hold guest: we put -- worked hd to put a legal theory election along and we have had several recounts to verify that. i think there will be a hundreds of thousands if not millions of pele that wake up in the coming days and weeks who

realized they have been duped. a small group of folks have been willing to put out disinformation based on fractions or servers of the truth anutspit ito crowds and say we do not like the outcome of this election so we will start the pot. it is not american. it is not democracy. this is our finest moment and my hope is we quickly move past this. host: you used the word dupedan, you said information is not factual. president trump is leading the charge, isn't he? guest: i have not been a fan of the miss informationincluding the president's twitter account. we are working hard. was proud of his four years of n nservative leadership but it is time to moved our mission is twofold. one is to make sure we get senator leffler and senator purdue reelected not just for us across the country.icans i worry about the brand, gop to

.0, where we go from here. we need to focus looking ahead to that tone and qualityf our voice is more important than the volume of our voice. that is want american want going forward. when you said the ent andrstand, others supporting him are duping false information there that you are saying people are going to recognize shortly is not false that these elections were sound, legally conducted, how you can square that with supporting him? i am trying to understand. is this an example he is setting that you help other presidents will follow? guest: aconcerned about the level of misinformation. i haven't been vocal for weeks. this is a separate fact from fiction as we move a hd and these are tough times. i am encouraged. i talked about hundreds of thousands of folks who realized

they have been duty. i think that is starting to some of the folks i have sent away tots research their f or verify t soundbite or facebook post they sawre starting to say i did what you said and it is false its not real. thanks for telling me to do that. i think that is happenia. across amer my hope is it is happening even re quickly now. want kelly loeffler and senator. purdue there is no playbook out there that says this helps tin this reelection bid so important to our party. host: i guess i do not understand how you expect voters to leave the election process can be trusted when the president and 106 members of thf housepresentatives and these attorneys general from 17 states are saying there is something wrong with the system in your state of georgia, pennsylvania, d so on. again, and do you score that? guest: for me i think the

lawsuit feels like a solution in osearcha problem. i am proud of the secretary of state and his team, the attorney general, governor kemp, and o al fous have voted for trump but that does not change our job descriptions. we have to put on a legal and fair election, and that includes january 5. there is no perfect election going back to the beginning of time, but we have not seen a singleunce of systemic, of tt as lieutenant governor in the state, even though the person i supported did not win. i am proud to stanre behind thoe lts. host: finally, i know you think in their opinion bht now around 70% of republicans are telling pollsters, including i poll , that they think the election was fraudulent and president

trump won reelection. guest: i understand, i have seen ose results. more importantly than focusing on being reelected i will fos on doing the right thing. in the long term i think that plays out well for us because that is what we are elected to do. host: georgia's tenet governor, we thank you for joining us. guest: thank you. ♪ yesterday president-elect biden's son hunter biden released a statement disclosing the u.s. attorney office in is investigating hi taxes. michelle synder has more. porter: to explore the investigations into hunter biden , i am joined by katie better --benner, thanks so much for

being here.what more do we knowt into and how could hunter biden have broken the law? guest: we knowas this began in 2018 when investigators in delaware srted lookingnto possible money laundering charges against hunter biden and we know the money laundering investigation began towindle. they were not finding anything there but it did seem hunter biden had taken in a great deal of income and un-appropriately pay taxes on it. they think there is a tax fraud charge or two that could be brought. we saw that explode in public view when investigators subpnaed mr. biden and associates leaving hunter biden and the biden campaign to come out with public statements. reporter: how at all as president-elect joe biden been implicated and how might these investigations impact his presidency, particularly the

role between the white house and department of justice? guest: absolutely, it does not seem president-elect joe biden himself is implicated at all. early this year attorney general bill barr said he had no indication joe biden the candidate was under investigation either. biden has used his father's name to enhance investigators are going to try to figure outbut itoe raise incredible tough issues for the incoming white house and whoever is chosen to be the next attorney general, because that person will have to run an investigation into the president 's son. it mes that choice of attorney general really under a microscope. reporter hunter biden as long been someone people have been looking at. at more do we know about white we are learning about this now, and what kind of legal problems has hunter biden had in the past? guest: i think one of the

reasons we are learning about it now is the decision to serve subpoenas, they believe it was many as 10 people this week. that is a tremendous number and it is the sort step that is likely to leak into the press. it seemshat hunter biden decided because it was like you to lead to the press you would come out and publicly say himself. you can imagine there was a little leading up to the election, because the justice department would be loed especially after 2016 and everything that happened n hillary clin take any step that would have impacted the elections. you can imagine there was a low in thist investigation tegan in the late summer and lasted timegh the election at the when the presidency was called for joe biden. that would allow prosecutorsiro continue tork. reporter: how much do we liow about how cs played into

this, predent trump and his allies have long made hunter biden a target. utwhat more do we know ahat is going on here? guest: we kw that hunter biden as a troubled past. he has run into the law before, accused of drug use, duis. we know he was involved in a typical divorce. leans on his house came out dung that divorce, but in terms of what isis asian h such an easy target -- tipolitici, and he is such an easy target because he has had so many problems. it is open season on hunter biden, but we also know t us case beger former attorney general jeff sessions, so you cannot say this was something bill barr personally beg, but certainly overseas now. reporter:n investigation we k wip our eye on. thank you so much. guest: thanks so much.

♪ host: we take a moment now to speak to two new members of congress and how they want tove . reporter: both of these soon to be house members won their districts from members of the other party. republican congresswoman like iowa's first district andt joining her will be democratic congresswoman elect carolyn to bow of grgia's seventh district. thank you for joining me in this conversation. tell us about your dis yict and why think they elected you. elcongresswomat henson. screen with carolyn and come ino he 107th congress.

the district in iowa is a mix of industry. very populous counties and 17 oral counties. what i did through the campaign is i did a lot olistening. i am a mom with minivan and mortgage and i drove through those counties connecting with pele about issues they felt congress was not getesng done. as at of this campaign i was able to come in with a big to-doat list e have heading into congress. i think those issues are making sure businesses are seeing relief, families are able to be ccsful and have a good life and we try to get that life back to normal. reporter: congressman bordeaux. t:gu the seventh dtrict of ora is in the suburbs of atlanta. i talked a lot about myis bipa background. i have worked on helping balance the sta budget during the great recession. i worked with both parties on budgets that passed by broad,

bipartisan majorities. i have a background as a problem solvernd,his is a diverse community, about 25%e ere born outs this country. the challenge was to rea out to these diversetommunities, nd listen carefully to what their problems are and have a dialogue with them about how to worko togetherlve really essential problems. host: let's talk up -- reporter: let's talk about covid. you both say you want to be commonsense politicians and reach across the aisle. we are in the middle of gridlock on what to do with covid relief. i went year for both of you on what you tnk party leaders are doing right now, including your party leaders. congresswoman bordeaux. guest: just this morning i was in a meeting that was bipartisan and bicameral. the i momentum behind thiis package is coming from

commonsense solutions in the senate. these are people that started working with that bipartisan coalition, started grassroots membership of the hse and it to come up with places where we can all agree, and i was very moved to see that and be a part of it and to hear both sidesch talk with passion about how we need to help the american people right now in thent of crisis. reporter: congresswoman henson. guest: coming together and t working through that l what we need to see elected leaders doing, whether or not they are in leadership positions in congresr senate or newcomers coming in. that is clearly what people want to see more of as we come into this congress. finding areas we do agree and moving forward with thatex is tly what people expect us to be doing right now. they are tired of thesi monkey ss. they want relief. they want to get their lives ck to normal and expect us to get that done.

reporter: another thing you share is you both want your elections by about 10,000 votes out of 400,000 ct, relatively close, but congresswoman henson, knew so far have not said president-elect biden won, even though he one larger -- by a larger margin nationally then you did. guest: right out my race was called shortly after the election. there are no contest with my election results. ppi t president trump, i thought he should win another term but vice president biden is still. receiving briefin as i said, he should be ableth o gee briefings by trump deserves to move forward with the port -- court process as he sees fit. it is also vice president biden's right to move forward with that trantion. both things can happen at the same time and we need to let thatlayer. electors will be casting a

ballot soon and we will continue see a resolution quickly. reporter: i do not thili anyone is c for president trump to have future -- fewer abilities to contest the election but this election was call for president-elect biden. if you are a journalist by trade. we not see this politics when all of the court cases have gone in biden's favor. there are a lot o politics on both sides of the oil and what we need to focus on is getting our job done. that is what i haven't been focusing on is getting my office in order. congresswoman elect bordeauxne mentshe has been on lots of zooms. we are doing the same so on january third we can h the ground running. reporter: congresswoman elect bordeaux, you were the only democrat to flip a house he. why do you think it is the demoatic party was not able to

convince voters and other morate districts. guest: this is a district where there has been a lot of demographic change a diversity. in 2018 when i was running i hap engageple who had never been engaged before. when i ran in the primary on june 9 85,000 people voted in the democratic, prima from 30,000 in 2018. over 50% had never voted in a democratic primary around 30% had never voted in a lot of demographic shift and then we built on it in pois campaign. er: let me ask a different question now. etas youeady to come to washington, what is your greatest fear about be able to do this job thatoes right by your constituents. congressman ensign? guest: my biggest fear is

navigating so i have a strong voice for iowa's district. i want to make sure iowa's voice is still strong. how to make sure my void -- count bordeaux. congresswoman elect guest: continuing to confront the gridloc in washington. i want to see positive progress on issues in washington, whether i am in a leadership role or partit of a con pushing things forward. we have 120,000 people in the district without health insurance befo covid it. -- hit. i do not want to go up there and not get anything done and accomplished things are bad for people. reporter: thankou so much. guest: thank you. ♪

host: it is yet another critical moment between the u.k. and europe. here is nickchifrin. reporter: brexit, biden, iran, climate, it is all on the agenda in brussels and in washington and one of the men at the center of thoseon negotiawill be the ambassador of france to the united states. let's talk about brexit for a second. there are three major issues preventing a deal. has france taken a maximalist position preventing a deal? guest: thanks for having me. indeed, as far as the post we are in a race against thened clock.

france is all united among tes 27 member st we have given a mandaat to our nego. we have one negotiator and three issues which are still to be settled. both are technical and politically quite sens the most important one in terms of economic efft is what we n call the level playing field so that competition is fair in access to markets, but also we have the governance. what should we do if we disagree and emissies. reporter: willn improved relationship with the biden administration means you go back to discussions on increasing european self-reliance, increasing defense spending? guest: whave to decrease our defense spending. it w a request by all recent

american administrations. trump administration, obama administration. we need to spend more for our defense, and the u.s. needs european allies which are stronger, able to take their part in the share of the burden. defense budgets.g nationally our france in particular, but not only friends. we are also developing new defense capacities, defens instruments at the level of the european union. reporter: one of the major policies the u.s.opnd e will work together is the iran nuclear deal. is it significant if iranians returned to compliance and the u.s. joint or do you want the biden administration to try to gain concessions before lifting sanctions? guest: opposition, and our

president has made it clear already three years ago, that we have to keep the gcp away. it is a constant position by france, the united ngdom, and germany, because we need the gc poboya -- gsc pa. there ar other regions, curity issues, ballistic issues, which have to be treated eie looked at, and we think that what is now discussed both u.s. and iranetting back into compliance is really a very important step. reporter: do you fear at all if the u.s. were turns toce complind iran returns to compliance the u.s. will lose leverage greeted by the trump administration's sanctions that

have helped push the iranian economy to the brink? guest: what we are looking at right now is that iran is no more in compliance with the gc reporter: it is almost the fifth anniversary of the paris climate accords. joe biden said theen.s. will r those records. what difference does it make if joe biden follows through on his promise on january 20? guest: it mes a big difference because we need -- like in other domains, american leadership because it is a global challenge and we need the u.s. to al ress this gloallenge. the comeback of the united states, the appointments of john rr, one of the most active negotiators of the paris climat reement, all of this is positive for the work,ve which s

important, which we have to do in the future. reporter: global initiatives are pected to drop this year but that is expected to a new u.n. report says westhier countreed to triple their pledges in order to limit earth's warning. is that not thef realityhe threat we all face even more than the u.s. and europea s have admittfar? guest: we a haveays been honest. we recognize we must increase our efforts. the paris agreement is also about each partner, eachnt c , all countries united in this agreemen they would review national commitments and we need to review those national commitments. and ae one direction, inrmediary [indiscernible]

we'll be discussing today in ussels is about 2030, increase the levels of the european union. it is not just about words. it is actions. reporter: france's at besser -- ambassador to the united states. thank you very much. guest: thank you for having me. ♪ host: a look at the pitfalls of drug testing in alabama. john yang reports. reporter across the country random drug testing is required for many people convicted of or charged with crimes involving drugs or alcohol, but a newshour investigation found that one state system, alabama'sac con people with high fees, difficult scheduling, and unreliable test.

ashley rempkis, an independent journali elizabeth flop reported the story. ashley, i would like to start with you. how does the system work? it is called the colorcode. what is it at thatame? guest: the wayt works is that someone required to do this court ordered drug testing would be assigned a color. that color could be teal, watermelon, brow or orange. colors areed assigned b on how often someone will be tested. when theolor is called, when or is chosen, on those days they have to report mandatory drug test. reporter: where they have to go up may not be close by. guest: you are definitely right. we have had reports of people walking for hours to make it there drug test. reporter: you tolthe story

about fred, what if the participants in this program, who hadnc to go a large dis to his testing. guest: these court ordered tests do not always work with clients to makesiest. fred cobb is one minute we interviewed in northeast alabama. his drug test were 25 miles away om work, and these are calling folks att random. a employers are not too happy when you get called out work at odd times without warning. frank did not have aco car and d not save up to buy one, in part because of the high cost of his drug test, $40 each time he tested, sometimes multiple times alu week,a monitoring fee adding up to sevel hundred dollars a month. he sometimes walked to his drug test5 miles away, hitchhiking until someone finally gave him ride the remainder of the way

and he toldge us abouing fired as a welder because he got to work late in order to attend an early-morning dru. it sets out people to be i catch-22 situation where they need a job in order to pay for these tests but once they get a job they find it difficult to attend drug test. reporter: actually, when you talk to officials who run this program, why did they say they set it up this way? you have to pay for your own tests and at same time they make it hard to keep a job so you can pay for your own test. guest: one of the issues in the state is that tcere is not one ral agency that runs colorcode testing. it is generally handled on the local level from county to county. there are different rules. there is one state agency that oversees offices that colorcode but nobody sets state standards for how it is carried out while

people are charged for that. reporter: given that there is no uniform overseeing body to this, do fees vary from county to county? guest: yes we do heard reports in birmingham, you may not be charged for tests, whereas for other counties for the basic urine test we are hearing reports of the test up to $60. reporter: what does this tell us about the callenges that confront people as they come out of incarceraon? guest: a big question on mtiy criminal j reform advocate's mines right now are how can we prevent recidivism and prevent people jail do not bac thisnt program wasded to be a positive diversion program. it was started two key pple out of jail and prison's comment

dewhich were overcr so the intentions were good about what we have landed on now according participants is something of people in terms of affording back on their feet, keeping a job, doing what they need to do in order to stay sober, and if that is the case, are we doing more harm an good with this diversion program? a lot of n tbers that we got as well about how many people are graduating fr this ogram suggests a lot of people are not graduating outstf the drug g program. frank cobb has been in and out of prison five times since he has been in the program. is this giving people out and what needs to change? reporter: thetory is posted on pbs.org/newshour and aol.com. thank you very much. guest: thank you. ♪

time whereis a cooking takes center stage, often overlooked our black chefs and cuisine. jeffrey brown reports for our alteringnd -- our arts a culture erries. report red rooster in harlem, the skeleton staff prepares for distanced diners and takeout orders. the restaurant, a vibrant homage to black food, art, and culture is the creation of ethiopian born marcus samuelson, who at age 50 has come a long way. >> when you have a journey like mind you have to acknowledge privilege. i was born in a s hutller then two rescue does resurrect it was. my mother at tuberculosis and died, but she took us to a

swedish hospal. the nurse had empathy for us. she set us up for adoption. reporter: samuelson would erupt in sweden, trained in european conditionsta, work and then his own restaurants in the u.s.. he became a citizen in 2004. in an age of celebrity chefs, he is a star, including as a host of the series no passport required. erthere he enced american cities not through their most famous restaurants but in neighborhood places to capture the energynd taste of immigrant communities. >> when i lo at this food i see brazil. reporter: his new book, a mix of 1story, biography, a recipes, as a celebration of black cooking" and the incredible diversity within that community. it is called the rise. >> the rise for me is an opportunity to tell and share th story about black excellence

and contribution to the american landscape, not talk about authorship, create memories, not just african-americans, but all of us and really create an aspiration level so people want to go into our industry. reporter: why is the larger history and the varieties are little-known? >> america's history at large is written from a european lens. the more we learned about who tontributed, the more resp and understanding we will have with one another. we can agree this is the year to have a conversation aboutace, class, and identity, and when we talk about those this in terms of political or religious contexts, [indiscernible] . food is a way for us to come from a book, talk about americans, and enjoy each other. repoer: one emphasis, the

powerful role of women, like leah chase, the famed creel shift whose restaurant served since the 1940's as what samuelson calls a safe black haven for its community. chase died last year at age 96. these days samuelson sees a new explosion of talent. >> one of the things i feel privileged we could do is talk ourut complexity o blacknes i am going to give you an example, aisha arrington in california, she is african-american and korean. she grew up with the korean grandmother and she is black and a californian chef. nshe is explodinghe scene. savanna that worked in new york but went back, did reverse migration. then you have edward or jordan in seattle. the blk ships are all over the country. reporter:e hack ships and

individuals been there always d were not recognized or is it a matter of new opportunities? >> think it is a combination of all of it. i think because of the internet d food is coming more into pop broadcast themselves.n ere are less gatekeepers, which makes it a little plernfield. repo the pandemic and threatening w restaurantorkers everywhere. samuelson in march shut down the restaurant. he also delayed the opening of a new red rooster in miami's overtown neighborhoo over the next several weeks and with the help of world central kitchen, these locations were transformed into community kitchens, feeding front-line workers and increasingly those most in need. red rooster harlem opened at the

end of september but at a smaller capacity. samuelson knows a new shutdown may be near. how serious of an impact is it having on your industry? >> the impact to the service industry is much harder than any industry and in the service industry the majority of people working that arelack bipoc people of color and are already can't in no y in terms of death threats -- death rates. reporter is there any way to think what it is all abouth how you reacople? >> we have to rethink and in interruptive times right now, innovation would come out of that, and it will take a collective of the brightest but also showing empathy from the people who have something. reporter: the story in his new book he wrote about work going around b w chefs, foters,

and activists can show how food has helped shape our past and offer a positive way four. e >>e walking into the holiday season, one of the toughest holiday seasons we've experienced as a nation collectively. we are going to cook in a new way. we might come through zoom, through skype, but we will be social with one another. wouldn't it be great to have a conversation about us as a multicultural america and eat in a a multicultural waylove and enjoy one another? reporter: for the pbs newshour, i am jeffr brown. host the food looks fabulous. let's hope as many of these quickly as possible. wsthat is the nehour tonight. i am judy ruder -- woodruff. thank you for joining us, and please be safe. >> major funding has been provided by -- >> architect, beekeeper, mentor,

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and friends of the newour. ♪ this program w made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ from w eta studios in washington and our bureau at the walter cronkite school ofizournalism at a state university. ♪

from cows the graze on lush green grass s the taste of kerrygold. from our farmers hands to yours, for th christmas program, ve come up with some seasonal dishes nti think would be anesting counterpoint to the familiar and traditional dishes most of us love. to start with, there's a warming vegetable soup made with caulif and a spiced tomato oil. also a salad of roasted pumpkin with brussels sprouts. the satad can be served as a-alone dish or it can be delicious with yesterday's turkey or ham. so, i usually start off by just cutting off