♪ judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" toght, wrangling over relief. we talk to key lawmakers about the battle in the senate over president biden's covid aid bill. then -- >> vote no on hb-531. judy: a fight over election rights -- a new bill prompts protests from georgia democrats, as republicans push to limit access to voting. and under attack -- a surge in crimes targeting asian-americans highlights a wave of discrimination since the start of the pandemic. >> folks are looking for people to blame. and from time immemorial, since asian-americans have been in the americas, asian people have been

blamed and attacked and scapegoated. judy: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour." ♪ ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> before we talk about your investments, what is new? >> audrey is expecting. >> twins. >> change in plans. >> at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. >> consumer cellular. johnson and johnson. bnsf railway. the kendeda fund, committed to advancing restorative justice and leading the world through investments in transformative

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newshour west. we will return to judy woodruff and the full program after the latest headlines. at this hour, the united states senate is continuing consideration of president biden's covid relief package, totaling $1.9 trillion. it runs 628 pages and includes $1,400 payments for most american families, aid for state and local governments, help for schools, and much more. vice president harris cast a tie-breaking vote to proceed today, with the 50-50 senate split down party lines. sen. durbin: the republican leader comes to the floor every day and mocks this plan, a democratic wishlist, a liberal wishlist, nancy pelosi's wishlist. this is the american people's wishlist. 80% of the american people support what president biden is trying to do. sen. graham: this bill is not about fighting covid. it's about a chance in partisan fashion to do things they couldn't do otherwise. they're taking an opportunity -- my friends on the other side --

of loading this bill up with a liberal wishlist, parochial interest, because they can. stepnie: the house already passed the bill, also on straight party lines. senate democratic leaders say they hope to get it approved before monday. judy will talk with senators on both sides after the news summary. for the first time, the nation is vaccinating an average of more than 2 million people every day for covid-19. that number from the cdc is up from 1.3 million a month ago. there was also word today that california will allocate 40% of its vaccine doses to hard-hit low-income communities. security was high at the u.s. capitol today. officials had reported a possible far-right attack plot, amid claims that former president trump would return to power. all of that put the complex on alert, and the house of representatives canceled today's session. but things stayed quiet. meanwhile, capitol police asked for national guard troops to remain deployed there for two more months.

on monday, a retired general will brief members of the house on the findings of the security review task force following the january 6 riot, and recommendations for capitol security. president biden says he's ready to sign a sweeping elections bill that house democrats passed last night, if it survives the senate. the bill ends voting restrictions and gerrymandering, among other changes. the president said it would repair democracy, but senate republican leader mitch mcconnell argued it's stacked to favor democrats. sen. mcconnell: the same party that wants to change senate rules when they lose a vote, pack the supreme court when they lose a case, and throw out the electoral college every time they lose the white house, now wants to forcibly rewrite 50 states election laws from washington. it's unprincipled. it's unwarranted. large portions of it may well be unconstitutional. judy: house democrats also passed last night major

-- a major bill to overhaul policing nationwide. it's named for george floyd, who died at the hands of minneapolis police, and it bans chokeholds and creates national standards for police behavior. we'll focus on the policing and election bills later in the program. in myanmar, crowds were back protesting the military coup a day after security forces killed at least 38 people. police in yangon fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators. in mandalay, people built barricades to protect themselves and impede police from making arrests. opec and allied countries are leaving most of their oil production cuts in place for now. their decision today reflected fears that the pandemic could again stall growth and undercut demand for oil. the announcement triggered a jump in oil prices. back in this country, the congressional budget office is forecasting that the federal debt will double in the next 30 years. it says interest rates will rise as the economy recovers, and so will spending on social security and medicare.

the forecast does not include the covid relief package now under consideration. the u.s. labor department reports there were 745,000 new claims for unemployment benefits last week -- a slight increase. and on wall street, stocks sank aftefederal reserve chair jerome powell said inflation will increase temporarily in the coming months. still to come on the "newshour," the battle in the senate over president biden's covid relief bill. we talk to two key lawmakers. a new election bill in georgia highlights the stark divide on voting access in the wake of the election. economic collapse and a pandemic lockdown cripple the lebanese city of tripoli. and much more. judy: as the senate moves toward floor debate on this next round of coronavirus stimulus, we get two views, starting with the chamber's number-two republican, senator john thune of south dakota.senator thune, thank you for joining us today.

on this covid relief bill, as you know, the sponsors say this is a much-needed boost for people who've been knocked flat by this pandemic, $1,400 direct payments to people in the lower- and middle-income levels. it would extend unemployment benefits, which are about to expire in 10 days. what is your take? sen. thune: those are all things, i think, most of the -- i shouldn't say -- i wouldn't say all, but i think most republicans would agree could and shou be addressed in a coronavirus relief bill. i think what most republicans are objecting to in this is, one, not being consulted at all. the democrats are doing this basically one party only, trying to sort of ram it through under a procedure in the senate that only requires 51 votes, as opposed to 60. we did five coronavirus relief bills last year when we were in the majority in the senate all at the 60-vote threshold, bipartisan, under the regular order in the senate. the democrats have opted to do

it this way. and i think that, when it comes to unemployment insurance, when it comes to -- even to the direct checks, when it comes to funding for health care for vaccines, distribution, et cetera, there's a lot of bipartisan support for that. but this goes way past that. this is a big, wasteful, bloated bill. and we have tried to work with the democrats to get them to come to the table and negotiate with republicans on a more reasonable, targeted, and fiscally responsible approach, but so far to no avail. so, we're going to the floor. they're going to the floor with this. we're going to try and offer some amendments to make it better and improve it. but, in the end, my guess is, they will have the votes. and it comes down to the math. judy: well, we know president biden did meet with a group of republicans. in fact, he met with republicans before he met with democrats to talk about this. >> meaningful work through investments in transformative ideas. more at kendidafund.org.

carnegie corporation of new york, supporting democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: the united states senate has begun debate on president biden's covid relief package,

totaling 1.9 trillion dollars. it runs 620 eight pages, and includes $1400 payments for most american families, aid for state and local governments, help for schools, and much more. vice president harris cast a tie-breaking vote to proceed today, with the 50-50 senate split down party lines. sen. durbin: the republican leader comes to the floor every day and mocks this plan, a democratic wishlist, a liberal wishlist, nancy pelosi's wishlist. this is the american people's wishlist. 80% of the american people support what president biden is trying to do. sen. graham: this bill is not about fighting covid. it's about a chance in partisan fashion to do things they couldn't do otherwise. they're taking an opportunity -- my friends on the other side -- of loading this bill up with a liberal wishlist, parochial interest, because they can. judy: the house already passed the bill, also on straight party

lines. senate democratic leaders say they hope to get it approved before monday. we'll talk with senators on both sides after the news summary. for the first time, the nation is vaccinating an average of more than 2 million people every day for covid-19. that number from the cdc is up from 1.3 million a month ago. there was also word today that california will allocate 40% of its vaccine doses to hard-hit low-income communities. security was high at the u.s. capitol today. officials had reported a possle far-right attack plot, amid claims that former president trump would return to power. all of that put the complex on alert, and the house of representatives canceled today's session. but things stayed quiet. meanwhile, capitol police asked for national guard troops to remain deployed there for two more months. president biden says he's ready

to sign a sweeping elections bill that house democrats passed last night, if it survives the senate. the bill ends voting restrictions and gerrymandering, among other changes. the president said it would repair democracy, but senate republican leader mitch mcconnell argued it's stacked to favor democrats. sen. mcconnell: the same party that wants to change senate rules when they lose a vote, ♪ >> this is "newshour." judy: as the senate moves toward floor debate on this next round of coronavirus stimulus, we get two views, starting with the

chamber's number two republican senator john thune of south , dakota. senator thune, thank you for joining us today. on this covid relief bill,s you know, the sponsors say this is a much-needed boost for people who've been knocked flat by this pandemic, $1,400 direct payments to people in the lower- and middle-income levels. it would extend unemployment benefits, which are about to expire in 10 days. what is your take? sen. thune: those are all things, i think, most of the -- i shouldn't say -- i wouldn't say all, but i think most reblicans would agree could and should be addressed in a coronavirus relief bill. i think what most republicans are objecting to in this is, one, not being consulted at all. the democrats are doing this basically one party only, trying to sorof ram it through under a procedure in the senate that only ruires 51 votes, as opposed to 60. we did five coronavirus relief bills last year when we were in the majority in the senate all at the 60-vote thresld, bipartisan, under the regular

order in the senate. the democrats have opted to do it this wa and i think that, when it comes to unemployment insurance, when it comes to -- even to the direct checks, when it comes to funding for health care for vaccines, distribution, et cetera, there's a lot of bipartisan support for that. but this goes way past that. this is a big, wasteful, bloated bill. and we have tried to work with the democrats to get them to come to the table and negotiate with republicans on a more reasonable, targeted, and fiscally responsible approach, but so far to no avail. so, we're going to the floor. they're going to the floor with this. we're going to try and offer some amendments to make it better and improve it. but, in the end, my guess is, they will have the votes. and it comes down to the math. judy: well, we know president biden did meet with a group of republicans. in fact, he met with republicans before he met with democrats to talk about this. but the other point democrats are making, senator, is that here we are, in just the beginning of march. the country is still -- the

economy is precarious. something like more than half of americans were living paycheck to paycheck even before this pandemic. and this kind of a boost is needed to help workers on the front lines, teachers and others who have literally been knocked flat. sen. thune: and i think there's a lot of sympathy for people who are unemployed. that's why both sides agree there should be an extension of unemployment insurance. i think the direct checks, the direct payments that have been talked about, there's bipartisan support for that, both republicans and democrats. i think where we run into disagreements, judy, are on many of the other elements of the bill. take, for example, $350 billion for state and local governments, which we're now finding out, year over year, cumulatively, all 50 states last year, had a revenue decrease of one-tenth of 1 percent. hardly seems reasonable to ship $350 billion. and when they look at how that's distributed, it really goes to the big states. california gets $27 billion. new york, illinois, the big states get the lion's share of

that money. and you have got taxpayers in places like south dakota and north carolina and georgia and other places around the country that essentially are writing checks to states which really aren't needed, if you look at the year-over-year revenue. there are specific places where maybe there's some targeted assistance that could be necessary. and we are for targeted. we are for fiscally responsible. what we're not for is just a shotgun approach to this that throws a lot of money out there at a time when every one of those dollars is borrowed, and when we're also worried about inflation and interest rate increases in the economy. judy: well, i do quickly want to ask you about minimum wage. as you know, by senate rules, it was taken out of this bill. i'm also talking to senator bernie sanders tonight. he wants to see the minimum wage, federal minimum wage raise to $15 an hour from seven and a quarter. you said in an interview a few days ago that you had earned $6 an hour when you were a

teenager. of course, it has been pointed out that would be $20 an hour in today's dollars. have you had a chance to look more closely at the argument for increasing the federal minimum wage? sen. thune: well, i have. and i pay a lot of attention to it. and, by the way, i did make $6 an hour after i'd worked at the place for five years. i started out at $1 an hour and worked my way up. but, that being said, i think that there is an argument. you want to help people get back on their feet. you want to help the economy create jobs. what i have suggested is that, in south dakota, for example, we set our own. it's $9.45 an hour. and i don't -- i think there are a lot of people in my state and probably a lot of people here, republicans in the senate, would be fine if it were like at $10. but you're talking about doubling -- more than doubling it to $15 an hour. there are a lot of businesses in my state, in the travel industry, for example, which is one of the hardest-hit industries under the pandemic, that, at $15 an hour, are just going to go out of business. and i think that a much better, more responsible approach is to do what south dakota has done and look at these things state by state.

it's a very different economy on the east coast and the west coast than it is in the middle of the country. and i think flexibility is a -- in this case, at least, makes a lot of sense. but there are -- i mean, bernie -- bernie is going to tell you it should be $15 and nothing else. i think there are a lot of republicans and some democrats who would like to see that come down a lot and might be persuaded at a number that's a little bit lower and more achievable. judy: so, senator, what number would you like to see the federal minimum wage at? sen. thune: well, i don't know that -- i'm not probably the -- necessarily the person to predict that. but we have several republican senators who have their own proposals, and one of them, tom cotton and mitt romney, peg it at $10 an hour and then increase it for inflation. and i think there's some support among democrats for something in that range. i think the reason that it couldn't be included in this bill, is, it got knocked out, because it wasn't germane to the underlying legislation. but there was also democratic -- democrat opposition to it as well. i think people like -- there are a couple of democrats i know of who have real heartburn over raising it that amount and the

impact it could have on the small businesses in their states. judy: senator john thune of south dakota, thank you very much. we appreciate it. sen. thune: good to be with you. thanks, judy. judy: for an opposing perspective on covid relief and the congressional agenda, we're joined by independent senator bernie sanders of vermont. he chairs the senate budget committee. senator sanders, welcome back to the "newshour." i just was speaking with the senate republican whip, john thune. and i want to ask you first about minimum wage, because this is something of enormous importance to you. he said, at this moment, to more than double the minimum wage is going to put more small businesses out of business. and he said he could support something maybe $10 an hour, but not $15. sen. sanders: well, first of all, that's what republicans always say. we have not raised the federal minimum wage in congress since 2007.

and it is now at a starvation wage of $7.25 an hour. and that's what they always say, "now is not the time." second of all, what john should know, and i hope he does, is, we're not talking about raising the minimum wage right now from $7.25 to $15. it's a five-year process, $7.25 to $9.50, to $11, to $12.50, to $14, and then, in 2025, to $15. so, it is something that is long overdue, because, judy, in my mind, the great economic crisis that we face today is half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. and many millions of workers are, frankly, working for starvation wages. raising the minimum wage is what the american people want. it's what we have got to do. judy: senator, and, as we know, it is not part of the covid relief bill. you're going to be trying to introduce it. and we're going to follow that very closely. but i do want to turn your attention to the overa covid legislation.

as you know, republicans are saying they support the direct payments, most of them seem to. they support the direct payment. they support extending unemployment benefits. but they have a real problem, they say, with the overall price tag. they say there's a lot of waste in the bill. what do you say to that? sen. sanders: oh, i wonder where their diligence and their concern was when -- for the deficit when they gave over a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the very rich and large corporations. i wonder where their concern was when they voted and pushed the $740 billion military budget, massive corporate welfare all over this country. look, here is the simple truth. and i think most americans understand it. today, we are facing a series of crises, health care, pandemic, economic, education, mental illness. we are facing crises unlike any we have faced in our lifetimes. and working-class people all

over this country are crying out to congress, "please hear our pain. hear our children's pain. do something." the bill that we are fighting for right now that hopefully will pass in a few days, in my view, is the most significt piece of legislation for working families that congress has passed in many, many decades. it provides $1,400 per person and for children of working-class families. it puts billions of dollars into making sure that we get -- we produce the vaccines and get them out to people as quickly as possible. it will lower -- by expanding the child tax credit, lower childhood poverty by 50% in this country. so, this is a 600-page bill. i can't go through all of the details. judy: right. sen. sanders: but it addresses to a significant way the crises facing working families in america right now. judy: senator, as you know, another point the republicans are making, though, is that

there are hundreds of billions of dollars still in the pipeline from legislation, relief legislation that congress passed in 2020 and even earlier in 2021. they're saying, let's get that money spent before we spend this additional money. sen. sanders: well, it doesn't quite work like that. some of the money is not supposed to be spent right away. i mean, you don't pass legislation and say that, in two weeks, you got to spend all the money. some of it is designed to be spent over a period of years. look, and all due respect to my republican colleagues, right now, as i speak to you, they are forcing a reading of a 600-page bill that will -- requires nine, 10 hours of wasted time. the american people perceive correctly that we are in an urgent moment. we ought to move as quickly as we can. that's what president biden wants. they are now on the floor of the senate right now wasting senate time, 10 hours, reading a bill

in order to obstruct our progress. i'm afraid that i have to be honest with you and say that mitch mcconnell and the republicans are much more interested in obstructionism and making sure that president biden does not push through his agenda than they are in -- really in dealing with the problems facing the american people. judy: senator, one final argument they are making is that a lot of this money would go, hundreds of billions, to state and local governments that they say don't really need it. they say if you look at the revenue state and local governments had last year, it was st a very small decrease, not anything like the number -- the amount of money that this bill would give them. sen. sanders: look -- judy: how do you respond to that? sen. sanders: i respond by telling you that, to the best of my knowledge, state and municipal governments have laid off well over a million workers in the last year. so, we're talking about firefighters, teachers, police

officers, municipal workers. and at this moment, when we face so many health and economic and educational crises, you need career people at the state and local and federal level to be able to deal with these crises. just getting out unemployment checks requires an enormous amount of manpower. so, i don't accept that argument. i think state and local governments are in need of help, and we should provide it to them. judy: senator bernie sanders, chairman of the senate budget committee. and, senator, we will continue to follow this closely and talk to you as the process goes along. thank you very much. sen. sanders: thank you very much. ♪ judy: republican majority state legislatures across the country

are moving rapidly to pass new voting laws amid former president donald trump's continued false claims of election fraud. lisa desjardins takes us to one battleground state and explains the raging debate. >> vote no on hb-531. lisa: in georgia this week, the sounds of american democracy still struggling, and over an essential trait -- voting itself. >> this is what democracy looks like. lisa: outside the state house, protesters chant about access, fearful their ability to vote is under threat. >> all those in favor -- lisa: inside, the republican-led legislature says the issue is security, pushing sweeping bills to rewrite state voting laws, blaming 2020. rep. powell: if you didn't see confusion this year, i don't know what you saw. lisa: georgia's lower chamber, the house, has already passed hb-531, which cuts down early voting on weekends, adds i.d. requirements, and shortens the

time to get an absentee ballot. the state senate is also considering ending no-excuse absentee voting and automatic voter registration at the dmv. debate has been sharply polarized. rep. jones: house bill 531 will greatly improve our election processes for all voters. rep. clark: hb-531 is textbook voter suppression. rep. dreyer: voter suppression is racist. voter suppression is white supremacy. lisa: this after record turnout flippegeorgia blue for president joe biden and in two close u.s. senate races. it was a surge of civic engagement -- like from james hammond, who signed up as a first ti poll manager. james: i went from, in less than a year, being the guy that just comes in, presses the button to make sure that i did i voice my vote, to being the person to make sure that the election is actually carried out fairly and equitably for all of the residents in the area. lisa: he says he saw passionate voters and a dispassionate, secure system.

james: there was very little room for you to have voter fraud. lisa: courts agreed, rejecting then-president donald trump's campaign assertions of fraud. from republican secretary of state brad raffensburger, same conclusion. sec. raffensberger: we've never found systemic fraud -- not enough to overturn the election. lisa: and yet at a conservative conference in orlando on sunday, mr. trump again falsely raised the idea of fraud. mr. trump: we should eliminate the insanity of the mass and very corrupt mail-in voting. and republicans have to do something about it. lisa: republicans across the country are heeding the call. some 250 election law bills in 43 states, concentrated most in swing states trump lost. the brennan center for justice is tracking it. its president, michael waldman. michael: there's a surge of restrictive voting laws being pushed by legislators -- three times as many as just two years ago. andrea: they have the power to change the rules.

and they are using that power to pick their own voters. lisa: andrea young heads the aclu in georgia. she believes republicans in the state house are attempting a power grab by directly limiting voting. andrea: the result in november was an accurate reflection of the votes cast in the state of georgia. and now that system is something that is under attack. there are 50 bills that would unravel the system that that allowed five million georgians to cast ballots. lisa: but republicans cry that is unfair -- that they want to restore credibility to elections now distrusted by trump voters. state senator butch miller. sen. miller: when we have not just dozens but hundreds of people who call me and say, why is it that when i go to vote in person, i have to show a photo i.d., but i can send in a request and just send in my ballot and nobody knows who it is? lisa: do you see evidence that the system is allowing for fraud

right now? sen. miller: there's clearly inefficiencies. evidence of fraud that would overtake or change the outcome of the election, no. are there inefficiencies, yes. lisa: but critics scoff, saying the laws would affect some voters far more -- those who are older and those who are black or brown. andrea: african-americans are less likely to have a government issued photo i.d., and so we think that that's discriminatory. michael: especially in a place like georgia, with a deep history of racial restrictions on voting. now you don't see, you know, dogs and billy clubs, but you see laws that are pretty plainly targeted at black voters. lisa: we asked state senator miller. have you reflected on that history? why these voting reforms might -- sen. miller: there are wrongs in history that we can't right, that we cana™t make well, that -- that we can't make well, that

we can't erase. we will make sure that every voter has access to the ballot box, and at the ballot box carries with it confidence and integrity now. how we do that is to make sure that we've dotted all the i's and crossed the t's. lisa: of course southern jim crow laws literally asked blacks to dot i's and cross t's -- to take literacy tests -- to vote. we pointed out to senator miller that supporters of those racist laws also said they were aimed at election integrity. he disavowed jim crow laws and said this effort is different. sen. miller: i don't think there's any obstruction to access. all we have to do is verify that the person is who ey claim they are, and that's all. lisa: is that all? one votera™s verification is -- one voter's verification is another voter's barrier. in atlanta, poll manager james hammond does not like the general direction he sees. james: every american should have the right to vote, and we should not we should not block

them from having access at any at any point. lisa: many believe that access now hangs in the balance. judy: despite similar debates in several states with republican majority legislatures, here in washington, democrats in the u.s. house of representatives passed a landmark bill that would expand voting rights. lisa has been tracking that legislation as well and is here now. so, hello. tell us what is in this legislation passed by the house. lisa: judy, the house has been addressing issues that are about american identity and who gets power in america. that starts with hr one, the "for the people" act. let's look at the top lines in this sweeping bill. first, this bill would put no excuse absentee voting, easy absentee voting, and two weeks of early voting in place in every state for federal elections. it would also take on gerrymandering by putting

independent commissions and place in every state, so partisan line drawing would end in this bill. it would also force disclosure of top dark money donors. anyone who donates over $10,000 to super pac, their name would have to be made public. in addition, it would start new public campaign financing ideas that would use some fees and penalty money to try and match some dollars given to some congressional campaigns. now, this bill is white-sweeping. it also has things in it that seemed pretty closely targeted to recent times, including it woul require all presidential candidates to disclose their tax forms. the question is, can this bill, which passed the house -- can't get anywhere in the senate? right now, it does not look like it. it does not seem any republicans are considering getting on board. chuck schumer, this is a bill where he could try to break the filibuster if he wanted to. could he get 50 votes? it's not clear.

this is an example of democrats, especially in the house, leaning left on a very big issue that they see as systemic. and for many of their members, this is very closely tied to issues of race and what they see happening in state legislatures around the country right now. judy: lisa, as you know very well, the house also last night passed a piece of legislation on policing reform, george floyd justice and policing act, this in response to the death of george floyd at the hands of police last year in minneapolis. this is something democrats have been pushing for ever since. tell us within that legislation. -- what is in that legislation. lisa: this is another critical topic this country has been talking about, having conversations about, lawmakers at the federal level have not acted on. this is the house passing a bill it passed last year, hoping it has a better chance this time. let's remind people what is in

this george floyd act. part of this bill would be providing a national registry of police misconduct, so police who are accused or found guilty of misconduct for use of force, that would be known throughout the country, and the public would be able to see some of that information. it would end police immunity from civil lawsuits. right now, civilians cannot sue police officers if they feel their constitutional rights are violated, not as individuals. there would be a federal ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants. this bill would also try to incentivize local and state police forces to similarly banner chokeholds and no-knock warrants by tying federal funding to that idea. it is an idea, as you heard i think from senator mcconnell earlier in the show, that republicans rail against. they think that is overreach and the federal government trying to tell state and local powers what to do. of course, it's a classic example of the congress using the power of the purse, as it has for many years. there are 18,000 police agencies

right now, and there are also thousands of federal police officers. this is the house trying to do something on this absolutely critical issue. judy: and so, lisa, what does that -- rep. bigs: any member who is opposed to defunding the police should oppose this bill. it removes qualified immunity, which will result in ineffectual police and leave communities vulnerable to crime. rep. bass: george floyd would be alive today. the bill bans chokeholds. breonna taylor would not have been shot to death in her sleep because no-knock warrants for drug offenses would have been illegal. lisa: that shows you how passionate debate was yesterday. judy: so lisa, what is expected next, when it goes to the senate? lisa: well, it looks like this bill, as it was passed in the house, probably won't pass intact, that there are negotiations underway. there is significant bipartisan

interest in this issue. senator tim scott of south carolina, republican, was the author of a different bill last year, and he is in negotiations. he says he is interested in talking to democrats in the house. they say they are trying to come up with something everyone can agree on. i also had one of my longest conversations ever with lisa murkowski of alaska about this topic. there are certainly a dozen republicans in the senate who want to pass something. can they agree? hard to say, that this is an issue that may have a chance in the senate. we will see. judy: lisa de chardin -- d esjardins following important issues on capitol hill. lisa, thank you. a recent string of brutal attacks on elderly asian americans caught on video has brought new attention to the rise of vience and harassment

of asian americans. since the pandemic started, more than 3000 antiaging -- anti-asian hate incidents have been reported in the u.s. according to the group "stop -- sto aapi hate. earlier today, amna nawaz hosted a live conversation unpacking the history behind these attacks, concerns in the community, and what happens next. amna: joining me now is helen zia, activist, award-winning author and former journalist and, of course, the author behind the seminal book "asian american dreams: the emergence of an american people." also with us is amanda nguyen. she's a social entrepreneur, a civil rights activist and the ceo and founder of rise, a nongovernmental civil rights organization. so, welcome to you both. and thank you for being here. helen, what would you say to someone who's trying to understand what's driving this surge we're seeing now? helen: i think we have to understand that this, as you said, amna, was something that has been happening for a very long time and is actually part of the fabric of america, how asian americans have lived with this, ever since we have been in america.

i was part of a ry similar time in the 1980's, when a chinese american man named vincent chin was killed in detroit because japan was being blamed for the economic crisis in america. and, today, unfortunately, we are facing something very similar, that now china is the cause of everything bad in america now. folks are looking for people to blame. and from time immemorial, since asian americans have been in the americas, asian people have been blamed and attacked and scapegoated, even with periods of ethnic cleansing, killing, eliminating, lynchings, mass attacks. so, this is not something new. amna: well, amanda, i want to ask you about this, because, as these videos have been surfacing, report after report of what are really brutal and brazen attacks, often in broad daylight, what were you thinking as you were watching report after report and video after

video come in? amanda: quite honestly, i was hurt. when i saw these veos and felt like mainstream media wasn't covering it, i turned to social media, because i think the core issue is about visibility. i think these things are happening because people are ignorant. and they're ignorant because they haven't been able to get to know us, or they haven't done the work to get to know us. i don't think people are born hateful. i think that there are systems in place, tools of oppression that shape people to other groups of entire communities. and so, at this moment, my call to action was to humanize us by getting our stories out there. helen: i think it's partly an enforced lack of knowledge. i mean, we have systems. we have -- it's part of the systemic racism of depriving all americans, including asian americans, of our own history.

i call it mih, missing in history. and so it's not like there's this void in our brains. that gets filled with garbage, things that are like cartoon caricatures of what asian -- people from asian backgrounds are supposed to be like. and many of those caricatures are subhuman, not human, animalistic, disease carriers, enemy invaders, which is a very constant caricature. and so, instead of real knowledge about how the treatment of asian americans goes way back, and, in fact, is part of the systemic racism of america that came along with the enslavement of people from africa and the genocide of indigenous people, there was the xenophobia, the ethnic cleansing, the use and manipulation of asian americans

to sort of be an in-between wedge against other people. and so that is damaging. the absence of knowledge is fundamentally the way to keep people fighting each other. amna: we have alreadheard stories about how people are telling their parents or their grandparents not to go out alone, of younger members of the community escorting older ones to try to protect them. but what's happening on the ground? what's the feeling right now? amanda: it's a fog of terror, quite honestly, of, when people walk out the door, they don't know if they're going to get attacked and from where they're going to get attacked, right? if you hear the stories, they're in grocery stores. they are people walking on the street. they are people living their daily lives. helen: what amanda is describing is a community that has gone underground throughout this pandemic, and with the fears that you both describe. and what that's meant, we can see visibly that people are not going to their doctors.

they're not getting meds. they're not getting tested. they're afraid to get vaccines. this is in the middle of a pandemic. so, this is a terrible situation of a community that's been driven underground by fear of real attacks that are happening. amna: helen, is enough being done to address this right now? and we have seen president biden address this from the highest office in the land. there are task forces in the bay area, on the new york city police department. what else needs to be done? helen: in the bigger picture, we have to be asking for real change that education happens, that the real america of what we look like today also has to be taught, taught in schools k-12, that hollywood really needs to get it together. and all this talk about hollywood so white and stuff like that includes the omission of people who look like not what they imagine america to be. amanda: the problem is in

visibility. therefore, the solution has to be informed, thoughtful visibility. it's so important that, when we do this, we remember that justice is not a zero sum game, and that, in order for us to move forward together, we are stronger together, across solidarity, across different issues, because justice is a fabric that has threads from all different communities. amna: thank you so much to both of you for joining us today. that is helen zia and amanda nguyen. and for anyone out there who wants to watch the full, unedited conversation, you can go to our website. that is pbs.org/newshour. ♪ judy: stay with us for a look at an exclusive inteview on the "newshour" tomorrow and what else you can discover online right now.

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tomorrow, treasury secretary janet yellen joins me for an interview about the latest on the job numbers and wages. president biden's plans to revive the economy. and whether the covid stimulus package he is seeking is what is needed for the months ahead. and right now on the "pbs newshour" online, a few of the important conversations we are having this week. on our website, we hear from business owners of color about the unequal distribution of covid relief to small businesses, and recent changes that may make loans more accessible. we answer your questions on the surge and anti-asian hate crimes happening across the country, and how you can help in your

community. you can find both at pbs.org/newshour. and on instagram, how much schooling have children lost during the pandemic question mark a new report shows that for 168 million students in 14 countries, schools have been closed for nearly an entire year. you can learn more by following us on instagram at newshour. that is "the newshour" for tonight. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. from all of us, thank you. please stay safe, and we will see you soon. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of contact plans and our service team can find one that fits you. >> johnson & johnson.

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>> greece holds very special place in my heart. and, in fact, i spent my honeymoon there. i like taking my students to less-traveled islands, where you can really live and eat like a local. today, on the island of syros, we'll visit one of my favorite tavernas and cook with chef popi, who will share her secrets for making the perfect moussaka. while it's baking, we'll explore the neoclassical city of hermoupolis and visit the most beautiful greek orthodox church. back in my kitchen, i thought it would be fun to make a purslane-and-herb salad and a greek-inspired dessert -- yogurt baklava with soft serve. i love to travel the globe in search of new food and wine discoveries. for me, it's about more than returning home with a handful of new recipes. it's about taking the spirit of austria... of italy... of greece... and of the danube river... and injecting some of their

magic into our everyday lives.